OLD TESTEMENT SURVEY // UNIT III // SURVEY OF THE BOOKS // Pentateuch //

 

UNIT 3                                                                                                                       LESSON 1

Genesis—The Book of Beginnings

 

A.    What is the significance of the name “Genesis?”

The word “Genesis” means “beginning, origin or birth”. Genesis is the Book of Beginnings. The Book of Genesis marks the beginning of the universe. It lets us know that the universe

had an actual beginning, that matter is not eternal and that God was the active force in

creation. The Book of Genesis details three new beginnings.

1)     The original creation (Gen. 1-9) that was followed by the fall of mankind, rebellion and ultimately God’s judgment in a worldwide flood.

2)     The new beginning with Noah and his family that was followed by the tower of Babel rebellion and ultimately God’s judgment in the confounding of languages (Gen. 10-11).

3)     The new beginning with Abram (Gen. 12-50) when God put His hand on a nation and set them apart as His instrument in the earth to fulfil His purposes.

 

Key words in the Book of Genesis include: Begat (67), Generation (21) and some form of begin or beginning (12).

 

B.    AUTHORSHIP

There is very little debate among conservative theologians that Moses was the author of this book. All Jewish literature attributes the writing to Moses. The New Testament and the early church fathers confirm this same conclusion (Lk. 24:44).

A.    How could Moses write this book when he was not alive at the time of the events recorded in this book?

There are two possible sources from which Moses got his understanding of the events described in the Book of Genesis.

1.     From oral tradition. It was not uncommon in those days, due to the lack of developed writing skills, to pass down oral tradition from generation to generation through the use of storytelling. Moses was educated in the best that the world had to offer while in Pharaoh’s house which made him a good candidate for writing.

2.     From God himself. It is clear in Moses case that he had some direct input from God, Who was indeed there when these events occurred (Acts 7:37-38). “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’ “This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us, whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected.

 

C.    DATE OF WRITING

 

Most scholars would place the writing of the Book of Genesis around 1400 B.C. most likely during the wilderness wanderings when God instructed Moses to write things down in book form (Ex. 17:14; 24:4; 34:27). Moses covers at least 2400 years of human history from the sin of Adam to the death of Joseph. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua... Exodus 17:14a

 

D.   How is Christ seen in the Book of Genesis?

 In Genesis Christ is seen in the following:

1.     The Tree of Life. When you partake of Him you will live forever (Gen. 2:9; John 6:54). Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

 

2.     Adam. Christ was the new Adam and the head of a new race call the New Creation in Christ Jesus (Rom. 5:14; I Cor. 15:45; II Cor. 5:17). We are all born in Adam. We are reborn in Christ. All people find themselves in either Adam (old creation) or in Christ (new creation). Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. Romans 5:14 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. II Corinthians 5:17

 

3.     The Seed of the Woman. Christ fulfilled the prophecy of the Seed of the Woman when He was born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:22-23; Lk. 1:35). So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23

 

4.     The Coats of Skin. Jesus and His shed blood became our covering so that we could stand before God clothed in His righteousness and escape judgment (Gen. 3:21; Rom. 5:12-21).

 

5.     Isaac. Isaac was the only begotten son of the Old Testament who was symbolically offered up by the exalted father as a sacrifice to God and symbolically raised again to life (Heb. 11:17-19; Jn. 3:16; I Jn. 4:9). But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son. Romans 9:6-9 6.

 

6.      The Lamb in the Thicket. When the child of Abraham was slated to die, a ram (male lamb) caught in the thicket was found to take his place. When we as the children of Abraham were destined to die for our sins, the Lamb of God, crowned with thorns, stepped in to take our place (Gen. 22:13). Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD- Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” Genesis 22:13

 

7.     The Curse Bearer. As a result of sin, a curse came on the earth (Gen. 3:14-19). Jesus became a curse for us and in effect reversed the curse (Gal. 3:13-14). Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13-14

 

E.    What is a simple outline of the Book of Genesis?

 

1. Four Predominant Events (Genesis 1-11)

1. The Creation (Genesis 1-2)

2. The Fall (Genesis 3-5)

3. The Flood (Genesis 6-9)

4. The Babel Crisis (Genesis 10-11)

2. Four Predominant Persons (Genesis 12-50)

1. Abraham (Genesis 12-25)

2. Isaac (Genesis 25-26)

3. Jacob (Genesis 27-36)

4. Joseph (Genesis 37-50)

 

 

 

 

The Book of Exodus—The Book of Redemption

A. What is the significance of the name “Exodus?”

1.      The word “Exodus,” which comes from the name given this book in the Septuagint means “the going out” or “departure.”

2.      The Book of Exodus, sometimes called “The Second Book of Moses,” records for us the going out or the departing of the Children of Israel from Egypt under the leadership of Moses.

3.      The Book of Exodus begins with the Children of Israel in a coffin in Egypt (Gen. 50:26) and it concludes with the manifest presence of God descending among His people at the dedication of the Tabernacle of Moses (Ex. 40:34-38; Lev. 9:23-24).

B. What key events took place in the Book of Exodus?

1.     The persecution of the Children of Israel (Ex. 1)

2.     The preservation and development of Moses (Ex. 2)

3.     The commissioning of Moses as deliverer (Ex. 3-4)

4.     God reveals Himself as the “I AM” to Moses (Ex. 3)

5.     The ten plagues of judgment on the gods of Egypt (Ex. 7-12)

6.     The coming out of the nation of Israel from Egyptian bondage (Ex. 12-15)

7.     The giving of the Ten Commandments and the establishing of the Mosaic Covenant (Ex. 19-33)

8.     The supernatural guidance of Israel in the pillar of cloud and fire (Ex. 13:21-22)

9.     The building of the Tabernacle of Moses according to God’s command and pattern (Ex. 25-40)

10.  The Tabernacle filled with the glory of God (Ex. 40:34-38).

C. What is a simple outline of the Book of Exodus?

1. The Need for Redemption—The People Enslaved (Ex. 1-6)

2. The Strength of the Redeemer—The Plagues on Egypt (Ex. 7-12)

3. The Nature of Redemption—Purchased by Blood (Ex. 12-18)

4. The Relationship of the Redeemed—A Covenant of Obedience with the Lord (Ex. 19- 24)

5. Provision Made for Man’s Failure—The Tabernacle of the Meeting (Ex. 25-40)

D. Who wrote the Book of Exodus?

There is very little debate among conservative theologians that Moses was the author of this book. All Jewish literature attributes the writing to Moses. The New Testament and the early church fathers confirm this same conclusion (Lk. 24:44).

E. What is the date of the writing?

Unlike Genesis, the date of the writing would correspond to the material that is covered in the

book. For this reason the date of the writing is usually placed sometime between 1440 and 1400

B.C. The Book of Exodus covers a period of approximately 215 years from the going of Jacob’s family to Egypt to the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai.

F. What is the key verse of the Book of Exodus?

While a number of important verses could be selected as the key verse including Exodus 3:8 or

Exodus 19:5-6 (See Text), the verse we will use is Exodus 15:13 which summarizes the content of

the entire book. “You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation.

G. How is Christ seen in the Book of Exodus?

In Exodus Christ is seen in the following ways:

1.     Moses. Moses is a type of Christ, our Deliverer (Heb. 3:1-6; I Cor. 10:1-3).

2.     Aaron. Aaron is a type of Christ, our Great High Priest (Heb. 5:1-11).

3.     The Passover Lamb. Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. When we eat of Him spiritually, we find safety, protection and deliverance from all that would seek to destroy us (I Cor. 5:7).

4.     The Manna from Heaven. Christ is the bread of life who gives us strength for our wilderness wandering and eternal life (John 6:31-51).

5.     The Smitten Rock. Paul clearly tells us that the Rock that followed the children of Israel was Christ (I Cor. 10: 4). Jesus is not only the Bread of Life but He is also the Water of Life (John 4:10-14). As the Rock of our salvation He was only to be smitten once (Num. 20:7-13).

 

 

 

Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

A. What is the significance of the names of the remaining Books of Moses?

1. Leviticus

Leviticus focuses on ceremonial laws of clean and unclean, the priesthood, the offerings and the three major feasts that God commanded of His people. All of these can only be appreciated as they are studied in relation to their prophetic significance relative to Christ and the Church.

The word “Leviticus” means “pertaining to Levites.” The Levites were a tribe of Israel who were set apart for the service of the house of God. God took this tribe to function in the stead of the firstborn sons of Israel who were to be dedicated to the Lord (Num. 3:5-13, 40-51). They were supported by the tithes and received no tribal inheritance of land in the Promised Land. Instead they were given a salary and distributed throughout the land in 48 cities of refuge to provide ministry to all of the tribes. The Book of Leviticus describes most of the ceremonial law for which the Priest and Levites were primarily responsible (Note: All priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests. In order to be a priest you had to be of the family of Aaron). The Levites were divided into three groups, named after the three sons of Levi, each having their own duties (Num. 3:17):

•         The Gershonites camped immediately to the West of the Tabernacle (Num. 3:23) and were responsible for carrying the Tabernacle materials including the tent, the coverings, the curtains and such when Israel was in transit (Num. 3:25-26; 4:25-26).

•         The Kohathites camped on the South side of the Tabernacle (Num. 3:29) for responsible for the furniture in the Tabernacle including the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the veil and the vessels (Num. 3:31). They were the ones who were to carry the ark on their shoulders in transit.

•         The Merarites camped on the North side of the Tabernacle (Num. 3:35) and were responsible to carry the bars, pillars, bases and accessories of the Tabernacle (Num. 3:36-37; 4:31-33).

 

1.     The Offerings (Chapters 1-7)

The five offerings all point in some way to Christ and the Eternal Sacrifice that He became for us.

1.     The Burnt Offering (Chapter 1; 6:8-13)

This was a voluntary offering in which the entire animal was burned, symbolizing Christ’s complete

consecration to the will of God (Heb. 10:5-10).

2.     The Grain or Meal Offering (Chapter 2; 6:14-23)

This was a voluntary, first fruits offering of unleavened flour crushed fine and offered with

frankincense symbolizing Christ’s perfect, sinless life that was bruised for us and became a sweet

smelling aroma before the Father (John 6:50-51).

3.     The Peace Offering (Chapter 3; 7:11-21)

This was a voluntary offering in which part of the sacrificial animal was eaten by the priest and

the one who brought the sacrifice. This speaks of fellowship between God and man that has been

restored through the sacrifice of Christ (Col. 1:19-22).

4.     The Sin Offering (Chapter 4; 6:24-30)

This was a compulsory offering that was to be offered for sins of ignorance that were committed

inadvertently. Jesus became sin for us on the altar of the cross (John 1:29).

5.     The Trespass Offering (Chapter 5; 7:1-10)

This was a compulsory offering that we to be offered for sins of infringement on the rights of

others. Restitution to the offended party was to be included as part of this offering. Christ made

restitution to the Father (the offended party) when we violated our covenant with God (Col. 2:13-

15; Heb. 9:11-15).

 

B. The Priesthood (Chapters 8-10; 21:1-22:10)

This section highlights the importance of the consecration of the priests and points first of all to

Christ our Great High Priest, but also to the New Testament believer who is a priest before the

Lord (I Pet. 2:5).

You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up

spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

C. The Feasts and Seasons (Chapters 11-27)

1.     The Passover

Passover is prophetic of Christ our Passover Lamb who was slain for us to deliver us from bondage (I Cor. 5:7).

2.     Pentecost

Pentecost is prophetic of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on this day in the New Testament when the first fruits of the harvest were brought in (Acts 2:1- 2). When the Day of Pentecost had fully come [lit. “was being fulfilled”, NAS), they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

3.     Tabernacles

The Feast of Tabernacles is prophetic of events surrounding the Second Coming of Christ when the eternal purpose of God nears completion.

 

2.     Numbers

The word “Numbers” means “numbers”. The book of Numbers is very significant because the book deals with two numberings of the Children of Israel between which the generation who rejected the land died off. The first numbering occurred at Sinai and is associated with their coming out of Egypt (Num. 1). The second numbering occurred in Moab some 40 years later as they prepare to go into the Promised Land (Num. 26). By comparing the two numberings one can discover the overall changes in the tribes during the forty years of wandering. The original Hebrew title for the book was “In the wilderness” which we will see could be a more appropriate title because it reflects Israel in a natural and spiritual wilderness. It is a book of wilderness wanderings. While the book of numbers deals with a few other events such as the ordering of the camp, the celebration of the second Passover and the dedication of the Tabernacle of Moses, most of the book deals with 38 years of wandering through the wilderness waiting for the first generation to die off as a result of the negative report of the ten spies (Num. 13-14).

 

The significant contribution of this book to our understanding of redemptive history is that in spite of man’s failure, lack of faith and rebellion, God does not forsake His creation (He still led them with the pillar of fire and the cloud. He still fed them and provided for their needs—Deuteronomy 2:7). Even though the plan of God can be prolonged by man’s weakness, because of God’s strength, it will ultimately succeed. God will have a generation of faith that will enter into the land of promise.

Key events include:

• The rebellion of Aaron and Miriam (Num. 12,)

• The evil report of the 10 spies (Num. 13-14)

• Seven murmurings of the people (throughout book).

• Moses’ smiting of the rock (Num. 20:1-13)

• The death of Aaron (Num. 20:22-29)

• The Bronze Serpent (Num. 21:4ff.)

• The Talking Donkey (Num. 22:22ff.)

• Joshua named as Moses’ successor (Num. 27:12ff.)

• Guidelines for entering the land (Num. 33-35)

3.     Deuteronomy

The name “Deuteronomy” literally means “second law.”

1. It could perhaps be called the “Book of Second Chances.”

2. It reflects the fact that each generation must be schooled in the principles of God first hand.

3. It is worthy of note that Christ quoted from this book more than any other book (Deut. 6:13, 16;

8:3; 10:20).

Deuteronomy

The Book of Deuteronomy chronicles the second giving of the law for the new generation of those

who will go into the Promised Land. It is a book of transition. Note the following transitions in Deuteronomy:

1. Transition to a new generation

2. Transition to a new leader—Joshua

3. Transition to a new possession

4. Transition to a new lifestyle (no longer tent dwellers)

5. Transition to a new revelation of the love of God.

Note: Deuteronomy gives us the first actual references to God declaring His love to His people

(Deut. 4:37; 7:8, 13; 10:15; 23:5). It is interesting that in the middle of a book when God had every right to reject His people, He reassures His people and confirms His love.

 

Who wrote these three books?

While many theories are put forth regarding the origin of much of the material in these books, we choose to accept the words of Jesus in ascribing the actual writing to Moses (Lk. 24:44). The last portion of Deuteronomy covering the death of Moses was most likely written by his successor, Joshua.