thoughts about the pentateuch

--old testament understanding--

early in january, with our first looks at genesis, we looked at the pentateuch. today, i think it's important to give attention (as we are moving through these five books) to the accounts as they are written with awareness of God's character throughout. His Word is our guide to knowing Him...so with that idea as the motivation for our study, i want to summarize the content of these books of the law.

so, those first 11 chapters of genesis gave a primeval history lesson...the foundation of how we see Elohim, our Creator God (genesis 1:1, revelation 4:11). and throughout the rest of the pentateuch, as we read, we are gaining more insight into His character in the patriarchal history as it unfolds. according to my textbook, there are a few kind of key elements to note: promise, election, deliverance, covenant, law, and land.

so, following His creative acts, our eyes are opened to His character as we read of how He moved in the lives of individuals we come to know in the old testament. according to my old testament survey book, again, the accounts in genesis record the promise (to abraham and his descendants) which is fulfilled through deliverance from egypt, the granting of the covenant, and the giving of the land. it is evident that His election of abraham was on the basis of his faith and...the last of these elements, the law (as we will later see gives soooooo much insight into God's character)...will be a gift to His people (as the Jesus storybook bible communicates...it tells the reader how life works best...).

some concepts to note about the pentateuch:

• evidence suggests strongly that moses authored these books of the law, though possibly not in its final form.
• complexity of the text indicates both legal material and detailed narrative.
• there are some parallels of the creation account and other narratives in genesis with other near eastern/mesopotamian texts indicating a common cultural heritage. an important contrast to note between the genesis record and other ancient accounts is the idea that in mesopotamian culture, many gods were acknowledged as the embodiment of natural forces, but in genesis, monotheism and intimate connection and relationship with the one, true God is foundational.
• we know a lot about the areas of civilization in which abraham lived and traveled because many sites in palestine, syria, and mesopotamia have been excavated, and ancient texts have been discovered. to be continued...