Jul 10

Deuteronomy 31:9
Memorise John 1:17
“And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD”

The Pentateuch is the collective name given to the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It comes from two Greek words which literally mean ‘five scrolls’ or ‘five books’. Together they constitute a single literary unit known to the Jews as the Law of Moses or the ‘Torah’, which literally means ‘teachings’ or ‘doctrines’.

These five books were all penned by Moses during the course of the people of Israel’s wilderness wanderings. It tracks the history of Man beginning with the creation account and the Garden of Eden and briefly narrates the first two thousand years of Man’s existence before God judged the world through the global flood. After the world was repopulated through Noah and his sons, the focus zooms in on the descendants of Abraham, with whom God made a covenant that He would form a nation, and that from him would come forth a seed that would bless the whole world. The rest of the Pentateuch then charts the formation of this nation through Abraham, Isaac and then Jacob, who was given the name Israel. The sons of Jacob thus made up the 12 tribes of Israel, who were sent to Egypt for a season, where they multiplied and prospered, till God saw fit to bring them out to go to the Promised Land. Of these events, Moses was not a direct eye-witness. However, we can have absolute certainty that these are true historical facts and not just a collection of myths, for they were given through the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God Himself was the one who guided and directed all these events, and He alone can give us the whole complete truth on these matters.

From the book of Exodus onwards, Moses would become directly involved in all the events narrated, as God through Moses brought the multitude of Israel out of captivity in Egypt; crossed the Red Sea; encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai where they received the law; and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, before finally pausing at the entrance of the Promised Land where Moses penned the book of Deuteronomy. In all this, we see the genesis of a nation, where from a single man named Abraham, God raised a people, gave them a law, and a land to call their own. Through all this, a Seed was to rise from that nation – the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Thought: Israel has an amazing and exciting history – all led and directed by God Himself!
Prayer: Lord, help me to see Your guiding hand in my life as well.