Some Major Conclusions from the Pentateuch

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This handout summarizes some of the major conclusions that the Pentateuch provides us. We address these issues in more length in our course on the Pentateuch.

A. The Importance of the Pentateuch:

The Pentateuch contains the foundational biblical basis for the nature of God, of mankind, and of creation. Genesis chs. 1-3 are absolutely essential to Christian theology, and to the biblical view of human nature and our relationship to God.
The Pentateuch bases it claim to authority on the reality of the events it records, especially exodus and Sinai. If they did not really happen, then the Pentateuch has no claim to divine authority. The claims of the Pentateuch, and the religion of the Bible, are both anchored in history.

B. The Nature of God, Mankind, & Creation:

The Nature of God: By the end of the Pentateuch we have an essentially balanced and complete picture of the nature and character of God:

Enormously Powerful. Pre-disposed toward the good.

Ruler over nature. Makes himself known.

He is a person. He has passion, feelings (Gen 6). He has a will. He is just; He avenges sin. He is morally perfect, holy. Yet He shows mercy to thousands who turn to Him.
The Nature of Creation: There is sincere debate among Christians over whether God created the world in six days, or over a longer (perhaps much longer) period of time. That debate will continue.

The fundamental claim of the Pentateuch is that God(!) created the heavens & the earth; there is nothing that exists outside of God and his creation.

God also arranged the universe, and the universe is sustained and controlled by his wisdom & power. He has given it dependable “fixed laws” (Jer 33:25; Prov 25:2) by which it normally operates. God himself, however, is not bound by these laws; they do not limit him.
Human Nature: Human beings are the specific creation of God. We were made in God’s image (Gen 1:26–27), and we retain that image (Gen 9:6). Yet God also gave us a capacity to choose, to make moral choices, and in specific, to choose whether we would serve & obey God, or not. Our first parents, Adam & Eve, eventually chose to disobey God (Genesis 3, “the fall”), which harmed their relationship with God. All of us, to some degree, have followed in their footsteps.

So the Pentateuch gives us two fundamental affirmations about human nature:
1. Human beings were made for fellowship with God, and were made in his image. Even after the fall, we have some capacity to recognize that which is good.
2. Yet because of the fall, we are separated from God, and are prone to serve ourselves instead of serving God. Our self-serving impulse, if it is not restrained, can lead to great evil (just look at human history).
It is the combination of these two factors that explains human nature.

C. Israel’s Religion Compared to the Pagan Religions Surrounding it:

The biblical religion of Old Testament Israel does bear some points of resemblance to the pagan religions around it (both have some idea of god, both have places of worship / temples, sacrifices, creation accounts, flood accounts, etc.). Nonetheless, Israel’s religion is distinct, and involves a radically different underlying worldview. We addressed this in Hermeneutics, and will explore it at more length in the Pentateuch course, but here are a few examples: (on the next page)

Israel’s God is morally perfect, not like the flawed and petty gods of the pagan religions.
Israel’s God is immeasurably powerful, as opposed to pagan gods, who can be beaten by magic, and need to be fed(!) by sacrifices to remain strong.
The God of the Bible creates matter by an act of His will out of nothing. In paganism, matter always existed in a primordial dark watery chaos. The gods somehow arose from this chaos. They then formed the earth and stars out of material that was already there.
In the Bible, mankind is in made God’s image, is given dominion over earth;.

In paganism, mankind is there to serve and feed the gods; to do the “grunt work.”
The purpose of pagan sacrifices is to feed and placate the gods.

The sacrifices set forth in Leviticus have as their goal personal and community holiness.

Therefore:

The suggestion that: “Israel’s religion was derived from the existing religions around it” makes no sense. The most sensible explanation as to where Israel got its religion is the explanation given in the Pentateuch: that it was revealed to them by the one true God.

D. Summary of the Covenantal Framework so far:

We described the OT covenants in H/O #09. So here we will summarize them briefly.

The Pentateuch sets forth three main covenants: the covenant given through Noah, the covenant with Abraham, and the Sinai covenant. The two that pertain the most to Christians are the covenant with Abraham, and the Sinai covenant.

The Abrahamic Covenant – has three major promises:
1. God will make Abraham / Abraham’s seed (offspring) into a great nation.
2. God will give them a land.
3. All nations will be blessed through Abraham’s seed.
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This third one is the overall goal of the Abrahamic promises.
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- These promises are “certain & guaranteed”, but not utterly unconditional.
- Israel’s unique role: → Israel is the nation through whom the blessings will come.
- The Abrahamic promises are for → all who have faith like Abraham’s faith (Romans ch. 4).
The Sinai Covenant / the Law:
- The Sinai covenant is with “the sons of Israel.” It is with Israel, as-a-nation.
- The Law = the laws are the stipulations, the requirements, of the Sinai covenant.
- If (!) Israel honors Yahweh alone as God and obeys the Law:
- They will be blessed above all other nations.
- They will be blessed “right here, right now.”
- And God’s dramatic presence will go with them - his “Shekinah glory.”
- But conversely, if they scorn Yahweh and worship other gods, they will eventually be judged severely, and kicked out of the land. Leviticus 26 and Deut 28 spell this out.

E. Question:

So, Does the Law Apply to Christians? We will address this in H/O #27.

F. Summary & Conclusions:

The Pentateuch contains a compelling revelation of God, through the testimony of the patriarchs and of Moses, and also through the dramatic events it records (the plagues in Egypt, the Red Sea, the encounter at Sinai, the Law itself, God’s Shekinah glory that accompanied them presence in the wilderness). It also provides a full picture of the nature and character of God.

Therefore → the Pentateuch is the standard by which all subsequent claims of revelation about God are to be judged; the Pentateuch is the standard and the authority.

Week 2