Repentance: An Old Testament Development

[Crumpy]

I’m reading the Jewish Publication Society Torah Commentary: Numbers by Jacob Milgrom.

Obviously I can’t quote from the book, but I wish to point out an excellent essay in the book called “Repentance in the Torah and the Prophets.”

we know that repentance is “big” in the New Testament, but it is big in the OT as well.

He sees the turning point in Numbers 5. Earlier in Exodus, the penalty for someone caught stealing (an intentional sin) is to repay twice or more whatever was stolen. But, in Numbers 5, there is a development where the restitution is reduced to about 1 and 1/5 of the value of the item that was stolen. But, it has to be accompanied by confession and repentance.

The modern Jewish understanding of their observance of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement is, yes, that they have to atone to God for their sins, according to the custom, but that is not enough. They have to make attempts to reconcile with people they have injured.

This is much like what Jesus says, about leaving our gift at the altar and going out and making up with our brother, whom we may have wronged. The “altar” of course was the altar in the Temple.

This essay in this book has a good overview of this subject. Repentance was not an idea that you find in the early Torah – you know, we don’t see Adam and Eve repenting, for example. Moses and the Israelites do not repent in Exodus. But, from this point on, in Numbers, the idea of repentance expands, especially in the writings of the prophets. (For example, Jonah is a prophet and he goes to Ninevah to get the inhabitants to repent.)

Has anyone seen a parallel discussion in a Christian commentary?

 

[NHInsider]

I haven’t seen the analysis of the development in the Torah that you’ve noted, but I have seen quite a few Christian works looking at repentance in the Old Covenant, particular in the post-exilic time - I just did a work-up on John the Baptist and got into the notion of mikvah as not only a washing of ritual uncleanness but a symbol of inner repentance. Also see David and his confrontation with Nathan, and his prayers after that whole incident.

I don’t have references at hand at the moment but will post when they turn up (as things on my desk generally do, eventually . . .)

 

[Crumpy]

Thanks, there’s a lot of homiletic possibilities with repentance. I must admit that there’s an entire vocabulary of words that we hear in the gospels and new testaments that I rather become accustomed to and they blend into the woodwork.

In reality, repentance is a key aspect of our salvation and I just don’t think it’s emphasized enough.

I was listening to a free online homily about Jonah. The rabbi was explaining why the prophectic book of Jonah is so important, that it is read on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish Year, the Day of Atonement.

Now,what do you suppose is the most important element of the story of Jonah, to them? HInt: What is the theme of this thread?

And, what about it? Jewish rabbis and sages over the centuries have speculated and written on these subjects. It has to do with Jonah in the belly of the great fish. And,what about that? As the story goes, that is where Jonah embraces the idea of repentance – but it is not a cinch that it would happen.

Jonah,they speculate, would sooner die than have the Ninevites show more repentance than the Jews.

The Jews have a total fast from eating and drinking for 24 hours on Yom Kippur, to re-enact Jonah’s isolation and dependence on God.

I think there’s more in the story than this, too.

 

[Robbinson]

Thanks, there’s a lot of homiletic possibilities with repentance. I must admit that there’s an entire vocabulary of words that we hear in the gospels and new testaments that I rather become accustomed to and they blend into the woodwork.

In reality, repentance is a key aspect of our salvation and I just don’t think it’s emphasized enough.

I was listening to a free online homily about Jonah. The rabbi was explaining why the prophectic book of Jonah is so important, that it is read on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish Year, the Day of Atonement.

Now,what do you suppose is the most important element of the story of Jonah, to them? HInt: What is the theme of this thread?

And, what about it? Jewish rabbis and sages over the centuries have speculated and written on these subjects. It has to do with Jonah in the belly of the great fish. And,what about that? As the story goes, that is where Jonah embraces the idea of repentance – but it is not a cinch that it would happen.

Jonah,they speculate, would sooner die than have the Ninevites show more repentance than the Jews.

The Jews have a total fast from eating and drinking for 24 hours on Yom Kippur, to re-enact Jonah’s isolation and dependence on God.

I think there’s more in the story than this, too.

Great observation - yes, “repentance” is a critical aspect of faith within Judaism - it is today, it was before the time of Christ. This is why John the Baptist, a Jewish man was preaching to the Jewish poplulation “repent” - this was something they understood. Jonah, as you pointed out, includes the story of repentance by the gentiles of Ninevah, sitting in sack cloth. There are references to repenting in the prophets and psalms, but also in the book of Job (which some scholars suggest may be among the earliest of books written in the Bible).

I’d go further and say that most of the gospel has it roots directly in Old Testament teaching and prophecy. Even the golden rule was preached (verbatim) by Hillel (a great Jewish rabbi before the time of Christ). The doctrines of the Trinity and that the Messiah would be divine were not well developed in the Old Testament (yet even on these doctrines there was a hint or verses that are more fully understandable with the benefit of hindsight after the coming of the messiah).

This is why Augustine said that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed - its an interesting and deep statement.

Blessings,

Brian

 

[brakelite]

I think that there are many examples of repentance in the OT, beginning in Genesis.
Adam and Eve surely must have repented of their disobedience. After having lived in an environment where nothing died, to suddenly being faced with the first fall of a leaf in autumn, the death of animals, and imagine the heartache Adam felt when he had to bury Eve. How could he not have regretted and been repentant of his folly?
The scriptres inform us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, yet we read in Genesis how Enoch walked with God and was taken to eternity without seeing death. How could he inherit eternity without repenting?
Noah found grace in the eyes of God, and preached righteousness for 120 years. He could not have found grace without repentance, nor could he have preached and not having turned away from sin himself.
Abram turned away from his culture in which he was born. A culture and family business that was steeped in idolatry and falsehood. That takes repentance.
Joseph’s brothers repented of their having sent him to slavery, weeping upon his neck and showing the fruits of repentance in their selflessness toward their father and younger brother, Benjamin.

From the very first sacrifice in Eden itself (Genesis 3:21) to the “Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world”, every drop of blood represented , or was intended to represent, repentance and a turning away from sin to a life of righteousness through faith. Hebrews 11 gives us a shortlist of those throughout Israel’s history who overcame through repentance and faith in their future Messiah and Saviour.

 

[Lisel]

I think that there are many examples of repentance in the OT, beginning in Genesis.
Adam and Eve surely must have repented of their disobedience. After having lived in an environment where nothing died, to suddenly being faced with the first fall of a leaf in autumn, the death of animals, and imagine the heartache Adam felt when he had to bury Eve. How could he not have regretted and been repentant of his folly?
The scriptres inform us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, yet we read in Genesis how Enoch walked with God and was taken to eternity without seeing death. How could he inherit eternity without repenting?
Noah found grace in the eyes of God, and preached righteousness for 120 years. He could not have found grace without repentance, nor could he have preached and not having turned away from sin himself.
Abram turned away from his culture in which he was born. A culture and family business that was steeped in idolatry and falsehood. That takes repentance.
Joseph’s brothers repented of their having sent him to slavery, weeping upon his neck and showing the fruits of repentance in their selflessness toward their father and younger brother, Benjamin.

From the very first sacrifice in Eden itself (Genesis 3:21) to the “Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world”, every drop of blood represented , or was intended to represent, repentance and a turning away from sin to a life of righteousness through faith. Hebrews 11 gives us a shortlist of those throughout Israel’s history who overcame through repentance and faith in their future Messiah and Saviour.

I think you are mistaken when you imply that before eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, nothing died in the garden. After all, there was already a tree of immortality, or a tree of life, which God makes and which Adam had not yet eaten from. That there was such a tree implies, to me, that life died even in Eden.

 

[zarthan]

Thanks, there’s a lot of homiletic possibilities with repentance. I must admit that there’s an entire vocabulary of words that we hear in the gospels and new testaments that I rather become accustomed to and they blend into the woodwork.

In reality, repentance is a key aspect of our salvation and I just don’t think it’s emphasized enough.

I was listening to a free online homily about Jonah. The rabbi was explaining why the prophectic book of Jonah is so important, that it is read on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish Year, the Day of Atonement.

Now,what do you suppose is the most important element of the story of Jonah, to them? HInt: What is the theme of this thread?

And, what about it? Jewish rabbis and sages over the centuries have speculated and written on these subjects. It has to do with Jonah in the belly of the great fish. And,what about that? As the story goes, that is where Jonah embraces the idea of repentance – but it is not a cinch that it would happen.

Jonah,they speculate, would sooner die than have the Ninevites show more repentance than the Jews.

The Jews have a total fast from eating and drinking for 24 hours on Yom Kippur, to re-enact Jonah’s isolation and dependence on God.

I think there’s more in the story than this, too.

As long as you are on the subject of Yom Kippur you might be interested in reading about this Rabbi’s response to the fact that the red string that was tied to the horn of the scapegoat and released into the wilderness did not turn white for the 40 years prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. (Some Christians see this as a validation that Jesus Christ’s own sacrifice in 30 AD ended the need for the Yom Kippur sacrifice and thus,ended this miracle)

judaismsanswer.com/Yoma39.htm

 

[Robbinson]

As long as you are on the subject of Yom Kippur you might be interested in reading about this Rabbi’s response to the fact that the red string that was tied to the horn of the scapegoat and released into the wilderness did not turn white for the 40 years prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. (Some Christians see this as a validation that Jesus Christ’s own sacrifice in 30 AD ended the need for the Yom Kippur sacrifice and thus,ended this miracle)

judaismsanswer.com/Yoma39.htm

Thanks - that is helpful, but that response neglects to mention that the Talmud itself taught that the thread turning from scarlet to white was a “sign” that the sins of Israel were forgiven.

" If that became white, it signified that the Holy One, blessed be He, had forgiven Israel’s sin. Cf. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" (Isa. I, 18, Rashi).