“There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moshe put there at Horev, when Adonai made the covenant with the people of Isra’el at the time of their leaving the land of Egypt.” – 1 Kings 8:9
Alrighty, verse 9 declares something controversial as all hell.
But it ain’t really controversial for Jews.
It’s controversial for the gentile Christian church, and not in a good way.
Verse 9 tells us that the only items inside the Ark were the stone tablets from Mount Sinai.
However, most gentile scholars of the Christian ilk dispute that statement and say it’s an error because of this statement in the Book of Hebrews.
“Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.“-Hebrews 9:3-4
So the New Testament Book of Hebrews states that in addition to the stone tablets…
There was a pot of manna…
And Aaron’s budding staff.
That’s why the Christians have always insisted (wrongly, I might add) that the manna and the staff were always inside the Ark.
However, Jews have NEVER believed that.
Why?
Because it ain’t in the Torah homies!
In the Book of Exodus, it says…
“So Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.’ As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law, so that it might be preserved.”-Exodus 16:33
Here we’re being told that the pot of manna was set before the Ark, not inside it.
Next, check out this excerpt from the Book of Numbers:
“Adonai said to Moshe, ‘Return Aharon’s staff to its place in front of the testimony. It is to be kept there as a sign to the rebels, so that they will stop grumbling against me and thus not die.'”-Numbers 17:25
So again, right here, we’re told plainly that Aaron’s staff was set before the Ark.
Ya feeling me here?
That’s one reason why the Book of Hebrews was never universally accepted by the early believers.
Heck, some of the early church fathers questioned whether it belonged in the New Testament at all!
And throughout all of church history, vigorous debate took place over whether it should even be included in the canon.
This leads to today’s takeaway that points to a mistake the Christians have been making for like freakin’ forever, man.
The mistake is this:
Stop treating the New Testament like God-breathed Holy Scripture!
It ain’t.
It ain’t even close to being Holy Scripture.
Even the early gentile church didn’t consider it to be Holy Scripture.
The bottom line is this.
When the Torah butts heads with the New Testament, the Torah holds the winning vote, period.
To reverse that order would be to blaspheme the very holy words of God.
Ya feel me?
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Don’t think that I have come to
abolish the Torah or the Prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to complete.
Yes indeed! I tell you that until
heaven and earth pass away,
not so much as a yud or a stroke
will pass from the Torah—
not until everything that
must happen has happened.”
-Matthew 5:17-18
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