The Pentateuch: Insights Into the First Five Books of the Bible

Greetings listeners. It's a pleasure to have you on board today. Hey, this week my husband and I planned to watch a classic American movie from the 1930s. Our initial attempt, using an old DVD we borrowed from the library, was plagued with skipping, freezing and blurriness. It definitely hindered our enjoyment. Eventually, we found it on Amazon Prime. Thankfully, that resolved the issues.

While this situation made me think of parallels with the experience of arriving late to a movie and missing crucial initial scenes as result is challenging to really grasp and appreciate the plot. Similarly, neglecting the beginning books of the Bible, particularly the Pentateuch, can hinder your ability to fully appreciate the rest of Scripture. So stay tuned to this episode of the Bible Basics Podcast, where we'll explore what the Pentateuch is and its foundational role it plays in the grand narrative of the Bible, the greatest story ever told. Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where weekly, we break down the Bible into understandable, bite-sized chunks.

The first five books of the Christian Bible are called the Pentateuch. It means five scrolls. These first five books are identical in both the Christian and Jewish Bibles and maintain the same sequence Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In the Jewish tradition they are collectively referred to as the Torah. Torah is a Hebrew word meaning law. It emphasizes some of the main content of these writings. You might also hear the Pentateuch referred to as the Law or the Book of Moses as well. The books of the Pentateuch were written in an unbroken unity and content and historical sequence, with each succeeding book beginning where the former left off. The genre contained in the Pentateuch is a combination of narratives, poetry, law and genealogy. So let's briefly look at each one of the five books of the Pentateuch.

The first book is Genesis. This is the Book of Beginnings. The open Bible describes this as Genesis, giving us the beginning of everything, including the beginning of the universe, life, humanity, sabbath, death, marriage, sin, redemption, family, literature, cities, art, language and sacrifice. It tells of the beginning of God's story, with God as Creator, human beings as created in God's image but fallen, and God's response through a redemptive creation of a chosen people, and doing so through all kinds of circumstances, ups and downs and despite the faults of the people. In Genesis we also learn the first principles of biblical faith. Genesis contains the oldest and most profound statement concerning the significance of faith. In chapter 15, verses 4 through 5, God promised Abram, who was then childless and in his 70s, that his offspring would be as numerous and uncountable as all the stars in the sky. The Bible says then in chapter 15, verse 6, that Abram believed the Lord and He, the Lord, credited to him Abram as righteousness.

Further, more than half of the Hebrews 11 list of the faithful refers to characters in Genesis. Note that the three primary names of God Jehovah, Elohim and Adonai, and five of the most important compound names of God occurred in Genesis. Check out our episode on the names of God to dig deeper into that. I'll post the link in the show notes. Next there's Exodus, which picks up where Genesis left off, beginning with the words now these are the names. That's followed by a list of the family of Jacob who went down to Egypt to be with Joseph. Toward the end of Genesis, exodus lays a foundation in which God reveals his name, his attributes, his plan of redemption, his law and how he is to be worshiped. Exodus is a continuation of Genesis, also in that we see the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham to make him a great nation, the nation of Israel. To accomplish this, god delivered Israel from Egypt, constituted her as a people, he established covenant, law and instructions for a construction of the tabernacle, to teach the people that he was to be at the heart of their worship and lives.

The next book of the Pentateuch is Leviticus. The central idea of Leviticus is the holy character of God and the holiness God expects from his people. Leviticus establishes the guidelines for worshiping, serving and obeying this holy God of Israel. It also describes the will of God for Israel's holiness and their separateness from other nations. It includes various laws having to do with worshiping God, sacrifices, ritual cleanness and love of neighbor. Leviticus receives its name from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. It means relating to the Levites.

The fourth book in the Pentateuch is Numbers. The book of Numbers guides us through the long wanderings of the Israelites in the wilderness, as they journey from Mount Sinai to the plains of Moab on the border of Canaan. This was a journey that transforms them from a liberated people to a cohesive nation. This was a period when the generation that left Egypt died off. It begins with God commissioning Moses to take a census in preparation for military conquest of the Promised Land. It closes with the second generation preparing to enter the Promised Land Amidst the challenges and rebellions. Numbers reveals the complexities of forging a community bound by faith, trust and the divine guidance of God.

The Pentateuch concludes with Deuteronomy, a poignant reflection on the past and a charge for the future. The title of Deuteronomy means second law. This book focuses on restatement and, to some extent, reapplication of the Covenant for a new generation of Israelites. As Moses addresses the new generation on the cusp of entering the Promised Land, the importance of remembering and renewing the Covenant echoes through the ages. Deuteronomy serves as both a testament to the journey and a blueprint for a faithful future.

Now, what about the Pentateuch's relationship with the rest of the Bible? One thing you'll note as you read the Pentateuch and the rest of the Bible is that everything we find in the pages of Scripture has its roots in the events and promises of the Pentateuch. It's the foundation of the Bible. Just quote it or allude it to thousands of times in the Old Testament and the New Testament. When someone in the New Testament say Jesus or Paul or Peter, for example, referenced the law, they're likely referring to the Pentateuch.

The Pentateuch contains the basic laws of God upon which the prophets base their messages. The prophets often refer to the divine redemption witnessed in the Exodus Isaiah, for example, in chapter 43,. Here the prophet used the Exodus experience in rebuking Israel for their lack of faith and gratitude. However, he also drew upon this historical event to inspire and reassure Israel. During times of exile, he assured Israel of God's promise of a deliverance that surpasses even the magnitude of the Exodus.

Take a look at the New Testament 1 Peter 1: 15-16. It reads but just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written be holy because I am holy. This New Testament passage reiterates the need for holiness among those that belong to the sovereign Lord. We first see this edict in Leviticus 11: 44- 45. Jesus quoted the book of Deuteronomy three times during his period of temptation by the devil, in Matthew 4: 1-11. He quoted Deuteronomy 8: 3, 6: 16, and 6: 13. There are so many examples, as I said, thousands. I'm thinking this might be the subject of another podcast.

Here's another link to the Pentateuch that I was just reading in the book of Ruth. In this book, Ruth, who had accompanied her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem, engaged in what was called gleaning in the fields of Boaz to obtain food for them to eat. This is in Ruth 2: 8-23. This meant as farmers gathered their harvest, persons like Ruth could follow behind and pick up what was left or what had fallen to the ground. Well, where did that come from? Ruth departed the law in Leviticus 19: 9-10, where the Lord commanded Israel "not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleamings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner.

And there you have it, listeners, a fascinating insight into the profound composition of the Pentateuch. Illuminating God's revelation of Himself, the creation, redemption and the covenant at Sinai. The Pentateuch serves as the bedrock for the entire Bible. Its significance in comprehending the Bible cannot be overstated. So as you continue in reading, studying, teaching and even preaching God's Word, keep in mind the pivotal role the Pentateuch place in the grand narrative of the greatest story ever told. If you found this episode helpful, informative or inspirational in any way, would you please share with someone you know who needs to hear it? You can do that by sharing the podcast's website, bible-basics. org, or you can click on the Share button right where you're listening now. In closing, may the grace and peace of God be with you now and always.