Church in the Old Testament

Scripture and Church Assessment 2023

As stated in the previous assignment, a prominent theme in the Christian New Testament is church. The Old Testament plays a significant role in this theme’s foundations. The nation of Israel acts as an example and lesson for the New Testament Church and can be used to build the modern Christian’s understanding of the Church, its purpose, and how it came to be. The word "church" in the New Testament is a mistranslation of the Greek term ekklesia, meaning an assembly or congregation gathered for a particular purpose. In the Septuagint, ekklesia is used many times to translate the Hebrew word qahal.[1] The term is used to describe assemblies of angels and Israelites, and assemblies for religious purpose, war, etc.

For some interpreters, church has its foundations in Genesis. It might be argued that church had existed as early as Adam and Eve. What might then be implied is that the Church was created by the gospel, which was first announced with God’s promise to send a Messiah following the Fall.[2] This church continued along Seth’s line to Abraham, through whom God promised to make a great nation and bless all the nations of the earth.[3] It is only later, when Isaac transfers Abraham’s blessing onto Jacob (Israel), that we find the earliest use of qahal.[4] After three generations,[5] at Sinai, the people of Israel finally gather together as a great assembly and are declared to be God’s treasured possession.[6] Throughout the Old Testament, Israel is often referred to as a congregation or “assembly of the people of God.”[7] Israel is called to be a light to the nations[8] and live in a way reflective of their relationship with Him – this being a covenant relationship. The concept of covenant partnership is central to the Old Testament – as long as Israel followed God’s commandments, God would bless them, and they would become a people who would represent Him to the rest of humanity. It is due to this partnership that Israel was God’s chosen people[9] and can be interpreted, by modern readers, as the Church of the Old Testament. However, this Old Testament Church struggled to stay faithful to the covenant, and consistently sinned against God.[10] God sent prophets to remind them of the covenant, call them to repentance, and prophesy the salvation to come.

The Old Church became the New Church through Christ,[11] who fulfilled the covenants of the Old Testament. The New Church is described with the same titles attributed to the nation of Israel,[12] implying that they share the same blessings and designations. Through faith in Christ, anyone can be incorporated into the new Israel. It is not an issue of physical descent from Abraham, but rather of sharing Abraham’s repentance and faith.[13] Christ’s Church is the inheritor of a new covenant with God.

The Old Testament also prophesies the New Church. Amongst the works of the prophets, it is foretold that the Gentile nations would be joined to Israel and the Kingdom of God.[14] The promise to bless all the nations through Abraham is fulfilled through the New Church. Israel is also spoken of as God’s bride,[15] just as the Christian Church would be spoken of as the bride of Christ.[16] The Tabernacle, and later Temple, were God’s dwelling place and where Israelites would go to worship and offer sacrifices. New Testament writers would use this as a symbol of the relationship between Christ and His Church.[17] The New Testament regularly uses Old Testament images and symbols to illustrate the significance and role of the Church.

The Old and New Churches share a range of additional features. Both the Tabernacle/Temple and Church building evoke an image of a covenant people coming together to worship God, show their commitment to Him, and express their identity as His chosen people. Both Churches contain a range of worship practices and feasts/celebrations, which seek to honour, commemorate, and show gratitude to God and His work. Both Churches are called to be holy and a revelation to other peoples.[18] Both are concerned with maintaining right relationship with God, this being done through sacrifices/offerings in Israel, and through repentance and Christ’s sacrifice in the Church. Both Churches represent hope and act as reminders of God’s promise of restoration and the future arrival of the Kingdom of God. Love and care for both God and neighbour were also key commandments for the Churches,[19] as well as seeing God as the head of the assembly. There also exists a strong theme of social justice and caring for the disadvantaged,[20] as well as hospitality and concern for the foreigner.[21] Teaching was also a common trait, as Israel was commanded to teach their children to love and obey God in a similar way to which Jesus commissioned the Church to make disciples and teach them everything He had commanded.[22] Both Israel and the early Church sought God’s help and strength, through prophets and prayer, and saw many miracles and wonders.[23] In the eyes of Israel, God was their saviour and deliverer, and the same was experienced and said of Christ by His Church.

The Old Testament Church serves as a source of wisdom and vision for the modern Church. Through its narratives, laws, and prophecies, the Old Testament reveals God’s character and His expectations for His people. The Old Testament reminds the Church of the importance of obedience to God’s commandments[24] and the significance of covenant relationship with Him. The covenant is a promise between God and His people that involves faithfulness, obedience, and blessings. The Church is called to reveal God’s love to the world, and as such, must be holy and must not break the covenant relationship. The Old Testament outlines a standard and offers insight into God's plan of salvation and how the Church can fulfil its mission in the world. It also acts as a warning to the Church, for like Israel, it too struggles to remain faithful to God. Humans are fallible and fallen, and therefore it is important that Christians learn from past errors and are constantly held accountable to the ideals of Scripture. Having a good understanding of Old Testament symbolism, commands, and covenant will help the Church stay faithful to God and better understand the purpose and foundation of the Church. It reveals timeless truths about the nature of mankind, God’s relationship with them, and mankind’s need for God’s guidance and direction. It is by studying the Old Testament Church that the modern Church can learn valuable lessons about obedience, covenant, and faithfulness to God, and can better represent Him to the world.

[1] The term appears 123 times in the Old Testament. It is possible that the ekklesia was used purely for its general surface meaning of “assembly” and corresponded simply to an understanding of qahal as “assembly,” and that derivation from kaleo “call” had little theological importance. [2] Genesis 3:15; 22:18; 26:4; Matthew 18:20. It could also be read that there was a church in Eden, for just as the Church is in partnership with God, to bless the world and bring the good news, Adam and Eve were in partnership with God to cultivate the world and bring forth good growth. [3] Genesis 4:26, 12:1-3, Psalm 90:1. [4] Genesis 28:3. [5] Jacob -> Levi -> Kohath -> Amram -> Moses. [6] Exodus 19:5-6, Malachi 3:17, etc. [7] Exodus 12:6, Leviticus 16:17, Numbers 20:4, Deuteronomy 31:30, Joshua 8:35, Judges 20:2, Isaiah 59:21, etc. [8] Isaiah 42:6, 10; 49:6. [9] Exodus 6:7, Deuteronomy 7:6, Psalm 33:12, etc. [10] Judges 17:6, 21:25. [11] The new Israel. Iain Duguid, “The Church and Israel in the Old Testament,” Ligonier Ministries, January 05, 2023. https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/the-church-and-israel-in-the-old-testament [12] Exodus 19:6, 1 Peter 2:9-10. See also: Kevin J. Conner, “Symbols, Types, and Names of the Church,” Apostolic Information Office, August 04, 2007. https://www.apostolic.edu/symbols-types-and-names-of-the-church/ [13] Luke 3:8; Romans 2:28-29; 4:16. [14] Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:10; 52:15; Zechariah 2:11; Malachi 1:11, as well as Psalms 22:27, 28; Genesis 22:18; 26:4, etc. Note that there are more prophecies of the Gentiles coming into blessing in Isaiah than all the other prophets combined. [15] Jeremiah 2:2, 32; 3:20; 31; Ezekiel 16:32-34; Hosea. [16] 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:7-9. [17] John 1 14; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Ephesians 2:20-22; 1 Peter 2:5-9. Now, because of Christ’s work, those who believe can themselves be temples of God. [18] Leviticus 19:2; Isaiah 49:1-7; Daniel 2:47; Matthew 5:16; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 1:14-16. [19] Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34. [20] Leviticus 19:9-10; 25:35; Deuteronomy 15:7-11; Luke 3:11; 12:33-34. [21] Leviticus 19:34; Deuteronomy 10:19; Luke 10:25-37; Hebrews 13:2. [22] Deuteronomy 11:19; Matthew 28:18-20. [23] For Israel, these included miraculous signs such as the conception of Isaac, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the sea, the manna from heaven, etc. For the disciples (the early Church), these included healings, exorcisms, walking on water, feeding thousands, resurrections, etc. [24] 1 Corinthians 10:1-11

BibleHub. “6951. qahal.” Accessed May 12, 2023. https://www.biblehub.com/hebrew/6951.htm

BibleHub. “6951. (qahal).” Accessed May 12, 2023. https://www.biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_6951.htm

BibeProject. “The Covenants.” Accessed May 12, 2023. https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/covenants/

Conner, Kevin J. “The Church in the Old Testament.” Apostolic Information Office, August 04, 2007. https://www.apostolic.edu/the-church-in-the-old-testament/

Conner, Kevin J. “Symbols, Types, and Names of the Church.” Apostolic Information Office, August 04, 2007. https://www.apostolic.edu/symbols-types-and-names-of-the-church/

Duguid, Iain. “The Church and Israel in the Old Testament.” Ligonier Ministries, January 05, 2023. https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/the-church-and-israel-in-the-old-testament

Horton, Michael. “Was There a Church in the Old Testament?” Core Christianity, February 20, 2019. https://corechristianity.com/resource-library/episodes/was-there-a-church-in-the-old-testament/

RidingTheBeast.com. “Finding The Church in the Old Testament.” Accessed May 12, 2023. https://www.ridingthebeast.com/articles/old-testament-church/

Scripture Revealed. “Finding the “Church” in the Old Testament.” Accessed May 12, 2023.