1. INTRODUCTION TO THE PENTATEUCH
The Birth of God’s People

2. What is the Pentateuch?
The term “Pentateuch” refers to the first five books of the Bible.
We see probable references to the Pentateuch in phrases such as the “Book of the Law of Moses” (2 Kings 14:6) or the “Book of the Law.” (Joshua 1:8)
The New Testament refers to these books as “Law” as in the expression “the Law and the Prophets.” (Luke 16:16)

3. What is the Pentateuch? (cont’d)
The Pentateuch spans history from the beginning of time down to, but not including, Israel’s conquest of the promise land.
Excluding Genesis 1-11, the story is basically one of a family that grew into God’s people.
Genesis-Deuteronomy is a self-contained story with a clearly defined beginning, an intricate plot with many important subplots, and a decided ending.

4. What is the Pentateuch? (cont’d)
The Jewish designation for these books is the Hebrew word “Torah.”
Usually translated “law,” it means much more than that.
The root word means “to teach,” and therefore, it is better understood as “instruction.”
Thus, the “Torah” contains instructions for life.
Together, these five books establish the theological foundations for the rest of the Bible, and they also teach us how to live faithfully.

5. Glimpses of God in Genesis 1 & 2
Creation
Glimpses of God in Genesis 1 & 2

8. Genesis 1:1-2
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. [NET]

9. Genesis 1 Does Genesis 1 support creatio ex nihilo? No Yes
Bara’ – “to create” – v. 1, 26, 27, only God
‘Asa – “to make.”
because the waters are there
because God “creates”

10. Genesis 1:3-5
3God said, "Let there be light." And there was light! 4God saw that the light was good, so God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. [NET]

11. Genesis 1 Six days with symmetrical structure
And God said, “Let there be . . .”
And it was so . . .
God saw that it was good . . .
And there was evening and there was morning . . .

12. Genesis 1 Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 – God rested.
Light
Day 2
Heavens & Waters
Day 3
Land & Vegetation
Day 4
Sun, Moon, & Stars
Day 5
Air & Water Animals
Day 6
Land animals (including humans)
Day 7 – God rested.

13. Genesis 1 Focuses on who, not how
Creation doesn’t get God's hands dirty
Picture of God is a royal one
Poetic expression of the transcendence of God.

14. Genesis 1 No details on the “how God created”
Purposely not interested in “how,” interested “THAT God created”
Knowing “how” would diminish God’s transcendence.

15. Genesis 1:26-27
26 Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth." 27 God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. [NET]

16. Humankind in Genesis 1 Why is God plural?
Both male and female created on Day 6
Both the woman and the man are in the image of God, Neither is more the image than the other
What does it mean to be made in God’s image?
What is meant by “dominion?”

17. Summary of Genesis 1
Humankind was not an afterthought—created to serve the gods whims
Genesis 1 describes the activity of one, sovereign God, who creates something "good."

18. Genesis 2:4-5, 7
4This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created--when the LORD God made the earth and heavens. 5 Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth. . . for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth The LORD God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. [NET]

19. The Creation of Man (Gen. 2:7)
God breathed and man became a living soul.
For the Hebrews, man did not have a soul, he was a soul.

20. Features of Genesis 2 Different name for God used
Genesis 1 : Elohim = "God“
Genesis 2 : YHWH Elohim = "The LORD God.”

21. Genesis 2:8-9
8 The LORD God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.) [NET]

22. Genesis 2:15-17
15 The LORD God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for and maintain it. 16 Then the LORD God commanded the man, "You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die." [NET]

23. Genesis 2 Paradise is not doing whatever you want
There are rules in paradise
There is work to do in paradise.

24. Genesis 2:18-19
18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him." 19 The LORD God formed out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. [NET]

25. Genesis 2:20
20 So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field, but for Adam no companion who corresponded to him was found. [NET]

26. Genesis 2:21-23a
21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man's side and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, "This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." [NET]

27. Humankind in Genesis 2
"Companion who corresponded" or “Helper” in reference to the woman doesn’t mean subordinate
This is a picture of completion, NOT subordination.

28. Order of Creation Genesis 1 Genesis 2 Water, water everywhere Light
Heavens & Waters
Land & Vegetation
Sun, Moon, & Stars
Air & Water Animals
Land animals
Genesis 2
Earth’s original state was waterless
Man formed from dust
the garden is planted
the trees
animals
woman, created out of man.

29. Genesis 2 God gets his hands dirty Immanent picture of God.
forms man from dirt
plants a garden
places man in the garden
forms living creatures
performs surgery
Immanent picture of God.

30. Genesis GOD IS BOTH! In Gen. 1, God is removed from his creation
Transcendent
In Gen. 2, God is molding, breathing, and planting, etc.
Immanent
GOD IS BOTH!

31. THE FALL

32. Genesis 3:1-5
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ 2The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.” ’ 4But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; 5for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’

33. Genesis 3
Verse 6 - So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

34. The Fall
Certainly this fall came with some outside help. But, in the end Adam and Eve had a choice to make.
What does God command Adam regarding the tree?
What does Eve report that they should do regarding the tree?
Adam has added restrictions to the commands of God.

35. The Fall They thought the fruit was:
good for food
pleasing to the eyes
desirable to make one wise
So, Eve takes from the fruit eats it, doesn’t die as God said they would. So, Adam eats from it as well.

36. The Fall Who is more to blame?
The first thing they do with their new knowledge is:
Make clothes from leaves
Hide.

37. The Fall The Punishment The Man – increased difficulty in his labor
The Woman – increased difficulty in her labor
The serpent and the ground are cursed.
They are banished from Eden, and it is closed to reentry.
Their sin has alienated them from God.

38. GENESIS CONTINUED
The first eleven chapters describe the beginnings of the universe, humanity, sin, and punishment.
Genesis 1-11 presents a problem: God created a universe that he evaluated as “good,” but humanity ruined what he accomplished.
After humankind resisted other attempts to stem the tide of evil, God chose a single man (Noah) and his family as the solution to this problem.

39. Genesis 12-50 is the story of Abraham, his family, and their journey of faith.
The point of Genesis is that these people believed God, and he used their faith as the solution to the sin problem in the world, or at least the beginning of the solution.
In Genesis, with the call of Abraham, the Hebrews acquire a sense of specialness.

40. Exodus The book of Exodus opens with a problem.
God’s people are suffering under Egyptian bondage, and his plan to use them as the solution to sin seems impossible.
God chooses to deal with the problem by calling a faithful few individuals to serve him unconditionally.
Exodus relates the preparation and call of Moses and his role in leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
The miraculous deliverance of God’s people out of Egypt is the formative event in Israelite history.
While the book of Exodus introduces us to Moses, we need to remember that the book of Exodus is not about Moses, but about Yahweh and his dealing with the Hebrews. Exodus through Deuteronomy reflect the shaping and defining of the relationship between God and His chosen people.
The first five books of the OT becomes the standard by which Israel understands itself. The Torah is more than a set of rules to be followed. For Jews, the Torah is life.

41. Leviticus
Leviticus is indispensable to the total message of the Pentateuch.
It calls God’s people to ritual and moral purity.
In Exodus, God liberated captive Israel and established a unique relationship with her.
Leviticus focuses on how the people can maintain that relationship.
This book is devoted to preserving Israel’s holy moral character as an aid to worship and enjoyment of the Lord and his blessings.

42. Numbers
The book continues the story of Israel’s journey to the promised land.
After describing the elaborate preparations for leaving Mt. Sinai, the book describes a series of events in which the people choose to disobey God.
The disobedient people are denied entrance into the promised land, and are forced to wander in the wilderness for forty years.

43. Deuteronomy This book contains a series of Moses’ farewell speeches.
Moses addresses the people and prepares them for the future.
He restates the law of the covenant, and warns them against turning from God to worship other deities.

44. The Pentateuch: In Summary
Genesis is a book or origins. It describes the beginnings of the universe and the origins of God’s people.
Exodus traces the salvation of God’s people who are helpless to save themselves.
Leviticus calls for holiness as the only natural lifestyle for the Israelites and as the only possible response to God’s grace.

45. Numbers is a book of wanderings in which God’s people suffer the consequences of their unbelief.
Ending with a positive note, Deuteronomy presents a program for renewal.