Old Testament Survey
Introduction to the Pentateuch
Rick Walker, M.A., M.Div.
1. Introduction to the Pentateuch
A. The Pentateuch
1. "Pentateuch" is Greek for "five
scrolls." Reference to the first five books of
the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
2. Also called Torah, Law, and Law of Moses.
B. Significance of the Pentateuch.
1. The Pentateuch is foundational for the rest of the Old
Testament.It served as the
guiding principle for judges, prophets
and priests, and therefore, all of Israel.
a. Judges: judges used the Pentateuch as
a legal document. In it were found the laws
which were to govern
the Jewish people in civil matters.
b. Prophets: prophets relied on the
Pentateuch as the standard by which they
measured the
faithfulness of Israel. It served as both a theological and
doctrinal guide.
c. Priests: the priestly services,
sacrifices and special festivals were all found
in the Pentateuch.
2. Authority. The authority of the Pentateuch is seen in
God's insistence that the
Jews keep its principles. It was more
than foundational, it was the standard by
which God would continue to judge Israel.
It was not subject to change by men.
a. Deuteronomy 27, 28. Moses commanded
the Jews that after they entered the
Promised Land they were
to stand on two mountains and pronounce the curses and
blessings of the
covenant. Blessing were pronounced from Mt. Gerizim. Curses
from Mt. Ebal.
1. Deut. 28:1: If you
fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all
his
commands, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of
the
earth.
2. Deut. 28:15: If you
do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow
all
his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will
come
upon you and overtake you.
b. Joshua 1:8. Be careful to obey all the
law my servant Moses gave you. Do not
turn from it, do not
turn from it to the left or the right, that you may be
successful wherever you
go.
c. Prophets. The prophets continually
called the Jews back to the Pentateuch or
Torah. In the prophets
we see the fulfillment of God's promises and warnings
found in Deuteronomy
27, 28.
1. When they are
faithful, God blesses them in the land.
2. When they are not
faithful, they are overcome by curses. But, repentance
brings back the mercy of God.
2. Authorship.
A. From at least the post-exilic period (539 B.C.) - until the seventeenth
century,
Moses was identified as the author of the Pentateuch,
exceptfor Deuteronomy 34,
which discusses his death. Mosaic authorship is supported
by internal evidence.
1. Ex. 17:14: God said to Moses, write this for a memorial
in a book . . . .
2. Ex. 24:4: And Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah.
3. Ex. 34:27: And Jehovah said to Moses, write these words.
4. Num. 33:1, 2: These are the journeys of the children of
Israel. And Moses wrote
their goings out according to their
journeys.
5. Deut. 31:9, 11: Moses wrote down this law and gave it to
the priests.
(One may ask if this sounds like
something someone would write. Would Moses speak of
himself in the third person?)
B. Mosaic authorship challenged. Since the seventeenth century the Mosaic
authorship of
the Pentateuch has been challenged.
1. Theory developed that Moses only served as editor of
documents handed down to him
from others.
2. Documentary Hypothesis: Wellhausen (1878). Developed the
theory that the Pentateuch
was recorded in four different sources
(J, E, P, D), and not combined into a single
work until the fifth century B.C.
3. Pentateuchal Structure. The Pentateuch (and Joshua) is structured around the covenant
God
made with Abraham. This structure is critical for any proper understanding of
the
Pentateuch.
A. The Promises Made to Abraham. The promises are found in
three different places.
1. I will make your descendants into a great nation (Gen.
12:2).
2. Abraham will have a son from whom this nation will come
(Gen. 15:4).
3. Descendants will be enslaved for four hundred years, but
God will deliver them
from their oppressors (Gen. 15:13-16).
4. God will give him the Promised Land as an inheritance
(Gen. 15:18).
5. God would bind himself to Abraham's descendents (Gen.
17:7) .
Through his descendant (singular) all
nations of the earth will be blessed
(Gen. 22:18).
B. The Promises Fulfilled.
1. Genesis 1-11: we have the spiritual conditions that
made it "necessary" for God
to make a covenant with Abraham. Because
of the entrance of sin into the world,
God chose to reveal himself through the
descendants of one man, Abraham.
Ultimately, God would redeem the world
through one of Abraham's descendants,
Jesus.
2. Genesis 12-36: relates to second promise. Tells the
story of the birth of
Abraham's son Isaac and his grandson
Jacob. Relates to second promise
3. Genesis 37-50: tells the story of Joseph being sold as a
slave into Egypt and
his subsequent rise to power. Because of
the famine Jacob and his sons move
to Egypt under the care of Joseph.
Relates to the third promise that Abraham's
descendents would be oppressed in a
foreign land. This is the story of how they
come to be in that land.
4. Exodus: God promised that Abraham's descendents would
grow into a mighty nation and
God would deliver from their oppressors.
Exodus shows the fulfillment of these
promises.
5. Leviticus: In Leviticus God sets up the worship of
Israel. This binds the nation of
Israel to God (cf. Gen. 17:7). This means
that under all circumstances Israel is
bound to God. Even if Israel were to turn
away from God, they would find they could
not escape God, for the curses of
covenant disobedience would come upon them.
6. Numbers: Numbers begins with a census of the people.
This shows that Abraham's
descendents had grown into a great
nation. Numbers is also about the journey of
the Jews to the Promised Land. God
promised to take Abraham's descendents to
Palestine and give them the land.
7. Deuteronomy: Moses final warning to Israel that if they
do not keep the covenant
God made with them at Sinai, they may
loose the land. Once again we see that Israel
is bound to God.
8. Beyond the Pentateuch:
a. Joshua: the Jews begin to take the
land God promised to give to Abraham's
descendents.
b. New Testament: Jesus is the one
through whom the promise is fulfilled that
through his descendant
(singular) all nations of the earth will be blessed
(Gen. 22:18; Gal.
3:16).