Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith
The Torah
Fifty days after departing from Egypt, Moses ascended to the top of Mount Sinai in the Arabian Desert and returned 40 days later with the most detailed message from God in mankind’s history (see Ex. 24:16-18). The words, carved on stone tablets, were spoken by God and recorded word for word. Later, the instructions were penned by scribes using large animal-skin scrolls.
Called the Torah, meaning “teaching,” these instructions were the rule book of heaven, revealed to the Jews. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you … the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them’ ” (Ex. 24:12, NKJV).
Although the Torah also contains history, much of it reveals specific guidelines and instruction for spiritual, social and moral living; sacrificial procedures; and ceremonial applications. The divine instructions in the Torah are often divided into four categories: the law, the commandments, the statutes and the judgments.
Students of Scripture often merge these four divisions into one package and call it “the Law of Moses” or “the Law of God.” It is God’s law given to Moses, but, more important, it is the revealed mind of the Creator concerning how His people should live, treat one another, eat and think, and how to be successful in the journey of life. This was literally the God code.
Levi, one tribe from among the sons of Jacob, was chosen to teach this code and pass it from generation to generation. Jacob’s son Levi, whose name means “joined,” was the third son of Jacob’s wife Leah (see Gen. 29:34). Levi became a “connecter,” helping join the Israelites to God. When the tabernacle of Moses was constructed, the Levites were the full-time ministers, directed by Aaron the high priest and his sons, all of whom were Levites.
The amazing success of Jewish people has been a mystery pondered and studied for many generations. Of the many books and articles written, many ignore or omit the central heart of all Judaism-studying, reading and following the Torah code.
The Torah reveals detailed information that, when followed, can help extend your life, increase physical health, bring emotional stability, build strong families and provide wisdom for wealth opportunities.
This God code laid out in the Torah has been handed down from Jewish father to son for more than 40 generations. The unbroken link of reading, teaching and instructing each generation has brought success in secular, social, civil and spiritual life.
Yet there must be particular keys that unlock the doors or foundation stones upon which religious Jewish society was built. When examining the Torah, one essential key becomes visible-understanding the message, meaning and manifestation of having a covenant with God.
The Abrahamic covenant is the spring that feeds the river, the beam that supports the building, or, simply, the secret to understanding why the Jewish people have amazingly endured centuries of persecution and grow where they are planted.
The Covenant
While Abraham (then called “Abram”) was living in Ur of the Chaldeans, God appeared to him in a vision instructing him to leave Ur and move to the land of Canaan. At age 75, Abraham followed this vision. During his journey, God appeared to him several times, revealing His divine purpose for Abraham and his future children. God told Abraham that:
• ?he would become a “great nation” (Gen. 12:2)
•? he would be a “father of many nations” (17:4)
•? nations and kings would come out of him (see 17:6)
•? in his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed (see 22:18).
With each step of obedience that Abram took, God increased the magnitude of His promises. The master key to release the fulfillment of these promises was obedience to the instructions demanded by God in His covenant.
Abraham’s conditions of the covenant were, “Circumcise your sons on the eighth day” and “teach your children to follow Me.” God revealed confidence in Abraham and knew he would follow through in keeping the covenant (see Gen. 18:19).
If Abraham’s descendants followed the agreement made by Abraham and God to mark their sons with circumcision, then God would bless them with land, prosper the works of their hands and make them great in the earth. If they failed to follow the commandment, they would experience great difficulties and lose their natural and spiritual blessings (see Gen. 17:14).
Many books explaining why many Jewish people are gifted with high IQs, creative genius, financial skills and the ability to survive against the odds omit the one feature that has separated the devout Jews from all other nations-their belief that they have a special covenant with God.
Believers, of course, are partakers of a new covenant with God, marked by the forgiveness of sin and sealed by the blood of Christ (see Heb. 8:8-13). Yet Gentile believers can receive amazing insight and practical knowledge by examining the roots of the Christian faith, which begin in the Torah code and extend to the covenant God made with Abraham so many centuries ago.
Perry Stone is the founder of Voice of Evangelism, a ministry that spreads the gospel through revivals, TV and other media. He is the author of numerous books, including Breaking the Jewish Code (Charisma House), from which this article is adapted.
