Abstract
The God worshipped by ancient Israel was specifically the Father, as evidenced by Jesus Christ’s own testimony and apostolic teachings. This finding carries profound implications for understanding biblical monotheism and the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Ancient Jewish worship centered exclusively on the Father, as confirmed directly by Jesus Christ.
- Ye worship ye know not what: we [Jews] know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
- But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.
Jesus clearly distinguished himself from the God of Israel, establishing a distinct identity while affirming the Jews’ correct understanding of who God was.
- Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
When Jesus said “believe also in me”, he was differentiating Himself from the God we should believe in - the Father.
The Shema Israel (“Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One” - Deuteronomy 6:4) is a central declaration of Jewish faith, affirming the absolute oneness and indivisibility of the monotheistic God of the Bible, and serves as a foundational expression of the covenantal relationship between God and the Jewish people. Their understanding of God, as one, was, and always been strictly monotheistic. Jesus taught that Shema Israel was pointing to the Father - see Shema Israel.
The Father as God of the Patriarchs
Historical evidence consistently identifies the Father as the God of Israel’s founding fathers.
- The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
- For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet [that’s Jesus] shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
God of Jews, is God of our father, God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. He has glorified His Son Jesus. Consequently, Jesus Himself is not the God of our Father, rather He is His Son.
This was not a coincidence, rather a consistent teachings of Christ’s disciples:
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
The God spoken of by Peter, as God of our father, (God of Jews), is our heavenly Father. He raised up Jesus from the dead.
Paul’s ministry reinforced this theological foundation:
14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
“The God of our fathers” is the Father, while “see that Just One” refers to Christ.
14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
This truth extends beyond Jewish exclusivity to encompass all believers:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
…
29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
Jesus’ Confirmations
Jesus himself repeatedly confirmed the Father’s unique position as Israel’s God:
54 Jesus answered [speaking to Jews], If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
The evidence leads to one conclusion: For Jews, the monotheistic God was exclusively the Father, not Jesus Christ. Jesus identified Himself as God’s Son. Unfortunately, this view of monotheism is rejected by the majority of Christians today. Were the Jews wrong and the Christians right? Ellen White confirmed that the Jews had the correct understanding of God.
“The people of Israel had been taken out of idolatry, to become the depositaries of sacred, ever-living truth. The knowledge of the one true God was given to them* They were greatly blessed with divine revelations, enshrouded in symbols and ceremonies, until type met antitype in the death of Christ. Everything in both their private and their public life was connected with a revealed religion. The law of God was given by Christ, and specified so plainly the duties of private, social, and public life, that none needed to err. One God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, was brought to view in the fourth commandment, and his will was to be their will. Those who worshiped the one true God were strengthened in moral power, and developed strong and symmetrical characters, while those who worshiped other gods grew more and more debased, because they exalted human passions and sanctioned vice in their religious services.” {EGW, ST August 12, 1889, par. 1; 1889}
Difference Between Ancient Israel and Modern Israel
The Jewish understanding of biblical monotheism has remained the same through the ages. But there is one significant difference between modern Jews and ancient Jews. Modern Jews deny the truth that God has a Son. However, the Jews in Jesus’ time did believe that their God had a Son, yet they only rejected Christ’s claim to be Him. We read this in several places:
66 And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying,
67 Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:
68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go.
69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.
71 And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.
The elders, the chief priests, and scribes made their conclusion based on Christ’s answer about whether He was the Christ. Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13-14. Based on these verses, they asked: “Art thou then the Son of God?” They did believe in the Son of God but rejected Jesus of Nazareth as being Him. They charged Him with blasphemy and crucified Him because of it.
Nathanael was a Jew, an Israelite indeed, in whom was no guile. As a Jew, he knew that God had a Son, and in Jesus of Nazareth, he recognized Him:
48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
The fact that God had a Son was not a foreign thought for Jews in Jesus’ time. Martha was a Jew who knew that God had a Son, and she expressed her belief that Jesus was that One.
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
Note also that there was knowledge of the Son of God who was to come into the world.
The Jews knew that God had a Son through the figure called the Angel of the LORD. They freely spoke about Him.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
[Daniel 3:24, 25 quoted] “How did Nebuchadnezzar know that the form of the fourth was like the Son of God? He had heard of the Son of God from the Hebrew captives that were in his kingdom. They had brought the knowledge of the living God who ruleth all things.” {EGW, RH May 3, 1892, par. 10; 1892}
King Solomon wrote about God’s Son.
4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?
Patriarchs knew Christ the Son of God - see PP 139.2 and PP 84.3.
Conclusion
The evidence demonstrates two key points about ancient Jewish monotheism. First, the Jews exclusively worshipped the Father as the one true God, a fact confirmed by Jesus Christ himself and the apostles’ teachings. Second, while both ancient and modern Jews maintained strict monotheistic beliefs centered on the Father, they differed in one crucial aspect: ancient Jews acknowledged that God had a Son, while modern Jews reject this concept. The ancient Jews’ rejection of Jesus was not based on disbelief in God having a Son, but rather their refusal to accept Jesus of Nazareth as that Son. This understanding was widespread among Jews of Jesus’ time, as evidenced by the reactions of the religious leaders, Nathanael, Martha, and the Hebrew captives who taught Nebuchadnezzar about the Son of God. This theological perspective is significant for understanding biblical monotheism.
