Old Testament Studies I Commentary · 2019. 7. 17. · Old Testament Studies I (The Pentateuch) 115 pages of Commentary 6 Homework assignments 6 Quiz assignments 1 Midterm Exam 1

BOT - 121 Old Testament Studies I (The Pentateuch) 8th Revision, June, 2008 International College of Bible Theology

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Old Testament Studies I

(The Pentateuch)

BOT - 121

International College of Bible Theology



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ARE YOU BORN AGAIN? Knowing in your heart that you are born-again, and followed by a statement of faith are the two prerequisites to studying and getting the most out of your ICBT materials. We at ICBT have developed this material to educate each Believer in the principles of God. Our goal is to provide each Believer with an avenue to enrich their personal lives and bring them closer to God. Is Jesus your Lord and Savior? If you have not accepted Him as such, you must be aware of what Romans 3:23 tells you. 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God: How do you go about it? You must believe that Jesus is the Son of God. I John 5:13 gives an example in which to base your faith. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. What if you are just not sure? Romans 10:9-10 gives you the Scriptural mandate for becoming born-again. 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Take some time to consider this very carefully. Ask Jesus to come into your heart so that you will know the power of His Salvation and make your statement of faith today. Once you become born-again, it is your responsibility to renew your mind with the Word of God. Romans 12:1-2 tells us that that transformation of the mind can only take place in this temporal world by the Word of God. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. The Apostle Paul, giving instructions to his “son” Timothy states in 2 Timothy 2:15: 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly



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dividing the word of truth. What happens if we do these things? Ephesians 4:12-13 gives us the answer to this question. 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: By studying the Word of God, you will be equipped for service in the Kingdom of God and you will also be ready to take the position in the Body of Christ to which God has appointed you. You will be able to walk in unity with other Believers and you will be a vessel of honor to God that can rightly divide the word of truth. If you are not saved and you do not know what to say, consider this simple prayer. Lord, I know that I have need of a savior. I believe that Jesus died for my sins and the God raised Him from the dead three days later. I ask to be forgiven and for Jesus to come into my heart and be the Lord of my life. I believe now by faith that God has heard my prayer and I am born- again. If you have prayed this prayer, accept by faith that your sins have been forgiven. It is important that you tell someone of your decision to accept the Lord. Also, it is our recommendation that you should attach yourself to a local church and undergo water baptism. For those who have prayed this prayer with sincerity of heart, we welcome to eternal life in the Kingdom of God. May the blessings of God overtake you. May God grant you wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in all of His ways. ICBT Directors and Staff



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THE VISION As we have been commissioned by the prophet of old, we now set our hand to write the vision of International College of Bible Theology, so that: "He that runs may read it, the vision having been clearly written and made plain" Habakkuk 2:2. 1) UNITY - To build up the Body of Christ by networking with churches of all sizes, as well as

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International College

of

Bible Theology

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,

rightly dividing the word of truth" II Timothy 2:15

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Old Testament Studies I (The Pentateuch)

115 pages of Commentary 6 Homework assignments 6 Quiz assignments 1 Midterm Exam 1 Final Exam 39 pages of Answer Keys for school sites only. (Answer keys are not included in the student’s copy of material.

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the Commentary. Do Homework I, which covers pages 8-22in the Commentary. Do Quiz 1, which covers Homework I. Do Homework II, which covers pages 22-48 in the Commentary. Do Quiz 2, which covers Homework II. Do Homework III, which covers pages 48-68 in the Commentary. Do Quiz 3, which covers Homework III. Take Mid Term Exam, which covers Homework I - III. Do Homework IV, which covers pages 68-90 in the Commentary. Do Quiz 4, which covers Homework IV. Do Homework V, which covers pages 90-101in the Commentary. Do Quiz 5, which covers Homework V. Do Homework VI, which covers pages 101-114 in the Commentary. Do Quiz 6, which covers Homework VI. Take Final Exam, which covers Homework IV - VI. 13 weeks in a Trimester: 11 weeks of teaching and 2 weeks of testing. You will need to cover 9.36 pages per teaching session. 18 weeks in a Semester: 16 weeks of teaching and 2 weeks of testing. You will need to cover 6.43 pages per teaching session. NOTE: The Instructor is encouraged to add his/her personality to the teaching sessions and to add knowledge to the Commentaries. The Instructor had some latitude if they desire to give some outside homework or essays. Before doing so, please check with the administrator of the school. ALL TERM PAPERS MUST BE COMPLETED AND TURNED IN TO THE INSTRUCTORBEFORE THE FINAL EXAM. NO GRADES WILL BE GIVEN FOR THE COURSE WITHOUT THE COMPLETION OF THE TERM PAPER.



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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction of Old Testament 8

II. Old Testament From God to Us 10

III. Life in Old Testament Times 12

IV. The Hebrew Old Testament Arrangement 14

V. The Protestant Old Testament Arrangement 15

VI. How to Approach the Old Testament 16

VII. Outline of Genesis 22

VIII. Outline of Exodus 48

IX. Outline of Leviticus 68

X. Outline of Numbers 90

XI. Outline of Deuteronomy 101



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I. INTRODUCTION TO OLD TESTAMENT Why study the Old Testament?

A. The Bible is Incomplete without the Old Testament.

Both the Old and New Testaments make up the inspired Scriptures. The New Testament was never intended to replace the Old Testament. Instead, the New Testament was given to complement the Old Testament, to complete the story.

1. The Old Testament prophesied of the coming of Jesus.

2. The New Testament is the sequel to the Old Testament origins, heir of its

promises and fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.

B. The Ministry of Christ is a Puzzle without the Old Testament.

1. Jesus said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the House of Israel" (Mt.15:24)

In what sense was Jesus the promised Messiah long awaited by the Jews? Why did He have to die? READ: Isaiah 9:6-7 for an example of how the Old Testament answers the questions.

C. The Historical Setting of Christianity is furnished by the Old Testament.

Christianity did not emerge mysteriously out of a vacuum. God had been moving among the peoples, especially Israel, for many centuries before Christ. Then, "...when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, born under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons" (Ga.4:4-5).

To know the Old Testament is to know the religious, geographical and in part, the political setting of the New Testament. The Old Testament was the Bible of Jesus, the Apostles and New Testament writers. When the Apostles spoke or wrote to the people, they quoted and referred to Old Testament history and teaching.

D. Key Revelations of God are to be found in the Old Testament.

The Old Testament especially reveals how God moves in and through the lives of people and the courses of nations. The Old Testament may be called redemptive history, for God actively directs human history for the purpose of redeeming man to Himself.



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The Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the Old Testament to record what would adequately reveal that redemptive purpose. Therefore, the Old Testament clearly states:

1. God is the sovereign Creator.

2. Man is a sinner in need of salvation.

3. God is holy and He judges sin.

4. God is love and He offers salvation to sinful man.

5. A Savior would be born to die for the sins of man.

6. Man is saved by faith, not by works.

7. Israel was sovereignly chosen to be God's channel of the redemptive message to the world.

8. All history will culminate at the throne of the sovereign Lord.

E. The Old Testament is especially valuable for its Inspired Record about

Origins.

For example, the first man and woman, the first sin committed, and God's first communications with man all come from the Old Testament.

The Old Testament is spiritual food for the Christian. Paul referred to the Old Testament when he said, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2Ti.3:16-17).

The Old Testament reaches the reader in various ways, because:

1. It brings conviction of sin (Je.chp.2).

2. Its counsel shows the way to please God (Ex.chp.20).

3. Its Psalms encourage praise and prayer (Ps.chp.107).

4. Its testimonies inspire the reader to walk in paths of righteousness (De.31:24-

32:47).



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5. Its historical facts give perspective and direct the reader to learn from the God

of all history (Ps.chp.8).

6. Its prophecies warn of danger and plant hope in the hearts of believers (Zec.chp.14).

7. Its story of Israel's kingdom gives background for our understanding of the

millennial reign of Christ and His Kingship (2Sa.7:4-17; Zec.14:9). II. OLD TESTAMENT FROM GOD TO US The plan of writing Scriptures originated with God. From its very source the Bible is a supernatural book. It is the revelation of God, written by divinely inspired human authors. Through the stages of transmission (communication from one to another), canonization (the process of determining what Books of the Bible are of Divine authority), and translation (bringing words from one language to another), God has preserved His Word. Today, as we hold a copy of the Bible in our hands, we may be fully confident of its trustworthiness (2Ti.3:16-17; 2Pe.1:21).

A. The Starting Point is Divine Revelation.

1. Revelation

Revelation is God's communication of truth to man, without which man cannot know God. Before the first Old Testament Book was written, God revealed Himself to man through conscience, nature and direct conversation (Ro.1:18-21; Ge.3:8-19).

God also wanted to reveal Himself in the form of permanent writing so that there would be a clear and fixed record of this revelation for all the succeeding generations. So He commissioned chosen men to write on various subjects.

2. Inspiration (2Ti.3:16)

The men who wrote the Bible were inspired by God (Greek, "theopheustia," meaning "God-breathed"). Peter says the authors were undergirded, or carried along, by the Holy Spirit (2Pe.1:21). The authors' words were expressed perfectly and infallibly in the truths God wanted to convey to mankind. 3. The original autographs

The thirty-nine (39) books of the Old testament were written over a period of about one-thousand (1000) years by about twenty-five to thirty (25-30) different authors.



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All but a few were written in Hebrew. The writing material of most of the books was paper-like papyrus. Some may have been written on animal skins. Sheets of papyrus about ten (10) inches high were attached together to make a long, rolled up scroll, easy for reading. The book form did not supplant the roll until the second or third century A.D.

The Bible text was written with pen and ink in vertical columns with no space between words, sentences or paragraphs. Only the consonants of the words were recorded. Vowels were added to copies of the Old Testament around 600-800 A.D. to preserve the pronunciation of the Hebrew words. See Jeremiah 36 for an example of how a portion of Scriptures originated.

4. Transmission

Transmission is the process by which the Biblical manuscripts have been copied through the ages, thus passing the Scriptures from one person to another. God allowed each of the original Old Testament autographs to disappear from the scene, but not before copies were already in the hands of His people. Handwritten copies of the Hebrew text were made before the time of the printing press (15th Century A.D.).

One of the reasons for God not preserving the original manuscripts may have been man's proneness to worship them. Man would likely doubt the genuineness even if they had been preserved.

5. Canonization

Canonization is the identification of writing as being one of the divinely inspired Scriptures. God inspired the writing of each book of the Bible and He also gave to people the spiritual perception to recognize in each of those books the genuine marks of divine inspiration and authority. With the Holy Spirit's guidance they knew which writings to reject as well as which genuine writings to accept. The methods of knowing genuine writings included the following tests:

a. It spoke of God and His guidance

b. It spoke of Christ

c. It did not contradict other writings.

By the time of Christ and the apostles, the Old Testament was a complete set of books that were usually referred to as Scripture(s).



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III. LIFE IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES

A. A Middle Eastern Town or City:

Walls, gates, towers, narrow streets and busy marketplaces were part of the town or city. Location of a city was preferably on an elevated site, such as Jerusalem on Mount Zion. There were fields and grazing plots outside the city limits.

B. Water Supply:

Wells, cisterns, streams and reservoirs provided a water supply.

C. Houses:

The average size of the houses of the common people was: One room with roofs constructed of beams overlaid with reeds, bushes and grass. Houses had earthen floors and mud-brick walls. There were a few windows on the street side. Houses had a fireplace on the floor in the middle of the room. Furnishings included mats and cushions, storage chests, lamp stand, hand-mill for grinding grain, cooking utensils, goatskin bottles, and a broom. D. Domestic Animals:

Dogs, donkeys, mules, horses, camels, sheep and goats were domesticated.

E. Foods:

Barley and wheat bread, oil, buttermilk, cheese, fruits (olives, figs, grapes, raisins, pomegranates), vegetables, grains, honey; Eggs, meat, poultry and fish were eaten, but not regularly. Fish was a major food in the cities around the Sea of Galilee. Generally, the people ate two meals a day, breakfast in the morning and late dinner (about 5 p.m.).

F. Dress:

Both men and women wore an inner garment (tunic); girdle for the tunic; outer garment (mantle) used as shelter from wind, rain, cold, heat and as a blanket at night; turban (head); sandals. The women only wore longer tunics and larger mantles; veils (entirely covering the head in public), and elaborate ornamentations (earrings, bracelets).



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G. Education:

Children were educated mainly by their parents. They were taught the Hebrew religion and Scriptures, reading and writing, practical skills, with advanced training for leaders (such as in schools of the prophets, and by tutors).

H. Worship:

Worship was by the family in each home. There were also called worship meetings in public areas and temple worship in Jerusalem. Regular participation was by residents of the vicinity. There was also participation at the annual religious feasts by Israelites far and near.

I. Trades and Professions:

The trades and professions included agriculture (grain, grapes, olives, figs); shepherding, fishing, hunting, pottery, carpentry, masonry, metal work, tent making, merchants, and physicians. J. Women's Tasks:

They included grinding grain, weaving, making clothes, washing, care of flocks, carrying water, cooking, housecleaning, and rearing and educating the children. Children of the home, especially girls, helped with these daily chores. K. Travel:

Travel was usually in groups for the sake of safety. The mode of travel was most often by animals and sometimes by foot. Meals consisted of lunch brought along as the main source. Overnight lodging was at homes and sometimes inns.



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IV. THE HEBREW OLD TESTAMENT ARRANGEMENT

LAW Torah

PROPHETS

Nebhilm

WRITINGS Kethubhim

Former

Latter

Poetical

Five Rolls Megilloth

Historical

1. Genesis

6. Joshua

10. Isaiah

14. Psalms

17. Song of Songs

22. Daniel

2. Exodus

7. Judges

11. Jeremiah

15. Proverbs

18. Ruth

23. Ezra - Nehemiah

3. Leviticus

8. Samuel

12. Ezekiel

16. Job

19. Lamentations

24. Chronicles

4. Numbers

9. Kings

13. The Twelve

20. Ecclesiastes

5.Deuteronomy

21. Esther

Note the following concerning the books listed on the above chart:

A. Psalms:

Psalms is the longest and some say the first book of the writings (with others saying Job), so the name may have been to represent the entire section.

B. Hebrew Bibles:

At times Hebrew Bibles have appeared with minor variations from this arrangement.

C. Titles Origination:

These book titles originated with the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament. In the Hebrew Bible, however, the books were named by the first few significant words appearing in the text. For example, Genesis is called "Bereshith" ("In the Beginning"); Exodus is "Shemot" ("Names"); Numbers is "Bedmidbar" ("In the Desert").



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V. THE PROTESTANT OLD TESTAMENT ARRANGEMENT

THE PROTESTANT OLD TESTAMENT ARRANGEMENT

LAW

HISTORY

POETRY

PROPHECY

MAJOR

MINOR

Genesis

Joshua

Job

Isaiah

Hosea

Exodus

Judges

Psalms

Jeremiah

Joel

Leviticus

Ruth

Proverbs

Lamentations

Amos

Numbers

1 Samuel

Ecclesiastes

Ezekiel

Obadiah

Deuteronomy

2 Samuel

Song/Solomon

Daniel

Jonah

1 Kings

Micah

2 Kings

Nahum

1 Chronicles

Habakkuk

2 Chronicles

Zephaniah

Ezra

Haggai

Nehemiah

Zechariah

Esther

Malachi



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CHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT OF OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS Gen.

Ex.

Num.

Joshua

Judges

1 Sam.

2 Sam.

1 Kings

2 Kings

Ezra

Nehemiah

Lev.

De.

Ruth

1Chr.

2 Chronicles

Esther

Psalms

Pr.

Song

Ec.

Babylonian Captivity

Obadiah

Lament.

Haggai

Joel

Daniel

Zec.

Jonah

Ezekiel

Malachi

Amos

Hosea

Micah

Isaiah

Nahum

Zephaniah

Jeremiah

Habakkuk

Pre-captivity prophets ministered:

To Nineveh: Jonah

To Israel: Amos, Hosea, and Joel

To Edom: Obadiah

To Judah: Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi

VI. HOW TO APPROACH THE OLD TESTAMENT Without the right approach and clear guideposts it is easy to get lost when studying the myriads of historical facts of the Old Testament. Keep in mind the key revealed truths which underlie all the details of the Old Testament story. You are on firm ground when you recognize these truths as you study a Bible passage. Some of the main ones are presented below:



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A. God Always Acts in Conformity to His Nature.

One of the main purposes of the Old Testament is to reveal who God is. He is the Eternal Spirit, alive and personal. He is holy, righteous, just, loving, merciful, gracious and true. He is:

1. Omnipresent (Ps.139:7-12)

2. Omniscient (Ps.147:5)

3. Omnipotent (Lk.1:37; Je.32:17)

4. Immutable (unchangeable) (Mal.3:6)

All of these divine attributes are absolutely perfect. God never acts contrary to His manifold nature. In our human limitations we may not always understand His workings and may even ask such questions as, "Why did a loving God permit the ravages of war in the Old Testament times?". By faith we must see God as the never changing One who is holy, but Who always acts in love; one Who is loving, but never violates His holiness. There is absolutely no alternative to this approach.

B. Israel was God's Divinely Called and Favored Nation.

Deuteronomy 10:14-17, "Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord thy God's, the earth also, with all that therein is. Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff necked. For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward." C. All History is in God's Sovereign Control.

There are no accidents in world history. God directs or permits the course of events in a person's or nation's career according to His sovereign and perfect will. For example, He granted Israel's demand for kingly rule and in righteous judgment He sent the Babylonian conqueror. In both diverse actions He was sovereign and in both He revealed His own nature as well as man's.

Whenever you have unanswered questions about the Old Testament history (such as Why?), rest confidently in the truth that God is Lord of all history, in Whose will every event fulfills His perfect purposes.



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D. God Wanted to use Israel as His Channel of Communication to the Rest of

the World.

God has always used people to communicate to others the message of salvation. In New Testament times, He started with a nucleus of believers in Jerusalem, to whom Christ gave the commission, "...You shall be witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Ac.1:8). The same principle of believer’s reaching out to unbelievers applies today.

Back in the Old Testament times, God wanted Israel to enjoy the fullest blessings of fellowship with Him in this life and thus be a living witness of this to the nations around them. Israel, for the most part, failed God's purposes during the fifteen hundred years of its Old Testament history and that is one reason why relatively few stories of evangelistic outreach to foreign nations appear in the Bible text.

E. Redemption is the Key Subject of the Old Testament Revelation.

There are other vital ingredients in the story of the Old Testament, such as the creation account. From the time of Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve sinned and broke fellowship with God, to the last words of Malachi, the message centered on how sinful man can be redeemed and reconciled to God.

The Old Testament makes it very clear that God seeks to save all lost sinners, not only Israelites. Another clear redemptive truth about the Old Testament is that man is saved by faith, not works. Abraham was an example (Ge.15:6, Ro.4:1-3). Because redemption is the key subject of the Old Testament, each of the thirty-nine books contributes measurably to this theme.

F. The Old Testament Constantly Points Forward to the Coming Saviour and

King.

Redemption is the key subject of the Old Testament. Christ (the anointed One, the Messiah) is the redeemer of the world. Therefore, many Old Testament passages point to Christ. These prophesy solely of a glorious future for Israel as a nation under Christ's rule or point to the blessings of salvation to all who believe in the coming Saviour.

Isaiah 53 is a classic Messianic prophecy of Christ's substitutionary death for sinners. (Old Testament references to the person and work of Christ often appear in the form of type and symbol, such as the Levitical offerings, not necessarily in direct predictive language.)



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Christ was, according to the flesh (through Mary), the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the promised seed and the heir to David's throne (Mt.1:1; Lk.1:32, Ga.3:16; Is.9:7; Je.23:5).

FOUR CHRISTOCENTRIC VIEWS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Christ's own words

Christ the Fulfiller of:

Christ viewed as: Luke 24:27, 44

Messianic Prophecy

Messiah and King

Hebrews 10:1-27

Levitical Priesthood

Priest and Sacrifice

Matthew 5:17

Moral Precepts

Prophet and Teacher

John 5:39

Salvation Promises

Savior and Lord

G. Miracles in Old Testament Times Were One of God's Ways to Reveal Himself.

Jesus performed miracles during His earthly ministry to vindicate His claim to being the Christ, the Son of God, with the ultimate purpose that people might be saved through faith in Him (Jn.20:30-31). Since the creation of man, a common purpose of all Biblical miracles has been to manifest the nature of the Lord of Heaven as He has been moving among people on earth. H. There is a Progression of Revelation in the Bible.

The most obvious test of progression in the Bible is to compare the first book (Genesis) and the last book (Revelation). Genesis records origins and God's first words to man. Revelation prophesied end times, and showed Christ enthroned forever as King of kings and Lord of lords. What happened in the intervening years, particularly up to the close of the first century A.D., is the progressive story of how God was revealing more and more of Himself and His redemptive work to man. For example:

1. In the Garden of Eden God first demonstrated His authority over Satan and

announced the coming of Christ as the seed of the woman Eve, who would ultimately deal Satan the death blow, "...It shall bruise thy head..." (Ge.3:15).

2. With Noah He established a covenant guaranteeing protection of the earth from any future universal flood (Ge.9:9-17).

3. To Abraham He promised blessing for the new nation (Israel) which He would

make (Ge.12:2-3).

4. Through Moses He instructed His people how to live pleasing to Him (Ex.20:1-17).



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5. Through the prophets He foretold in detail Christ's birth and ministry (Is.9:6).

6. Through John the Baptist He announced the inauguration of Christ's public ministry (Jn.1:6-36).

7. To the apostles and New Testament writers He revealed the full and deep

truths of the new life in Christ (Ep.chp.1-3).

8. End time visions which He gave to John at Patmos, were of Satan cast into the lake of fire and brimstone forever (Re.20:10) and of Christ on the throne in the New Jerusalem, saying, "...It is done..." (Re.21:6).

I. The Old Testament is God's Voice to Us Today.

If we discard a message only because it is ancient, we would reject the New Testament as well. God's book is timeless in its application. That is why the apostle Paul, writing to Timothy asserted dogmatically that all Scripture is inspired and profitable for training the man of God (2Ti.3:16-17). In the same context, Paul has reminded Timothy that it was the sacred writings which had given Timothy "the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2Ti.3:15). Lessons derived from passages in the Old Testament speak to us concerning the need for a Savior. The Old Testament points us to Jesus Christ. Suggested reading in the New Testament: Galatians chapter 3 & 4; Matthew 5:17. See the next page for the Geographical Summary chart of the Old Testament, as well as the Important Lands and Nations of the Old Testament chart.



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VII. OUTLINE OF GENESIS Part One: Primeval History (1:1-11:9)

A. The Creation 1:1-2:25

1. Creation of the World 1:1-2:3

2. Creation of Man 2:4-25

B. The Fall 3:1-5:32

1. The Fall of Man 3:1-24 C. After the fall: Conflicting

family lines 4:1--5:32

1. The Initial Conflict 4:1-15



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2. The Ungodly Line of Cain 4:16-24

3. The Godly Line of Seth 4:25-5:32

D. The Judgment of the Flood 6:1-9:29

1. Causes of the Flood 6:1-5

2. Judgment of the Flood 6:6-22

3. The Flood 7:1-8:19

4. Results of the Flood 8:20-9:17

5. After the Flood: 9:18-29

E. The Judgment on the Tower

of Babel 10:1-11:9

1. Family Lines After the Flood 10:1-32

2. Judgment on all the

Family Lines 11:1-9 Part Two: Patriarchal History (11:10--50:26)

A. The Life of Abraham 11:10--25:18

1. Introduction of Abram 11:10-32

2. The Covenant of God with Abram 12:1--25:18

3. Ratification of the Covenant 15:1-16:16

4. Institution of the Covenant:

Circumcision 17:1-27

5. Testing of the Covenant 18:1-20:18

6. The Consummation 21:1-25:18



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B. The Life of Isaac 25:19-26:35

1. The Family of Isaac 25:19-34

2. The Failure of Isaac 26:1-33

3. The Failure of Esau 26:34-35

C. The Life of Jacob 27:1-36:43

1. Jacob Gains Esau's blessing 27:1-28:9

2. Jacob's Life at Haran 28:10-32:32

3. Jacob's Return 32:1-33:20

4. Jacob's Home in Canaan 34:1-36:43

5. The History of Esau 36:1-43

D. The Life of Joseph 37:1-50:26

1. The Corruption of Joseph's

Family 37:1-38:30

2. The Exaltation of Joseph 39:1-41:57

3. The Salvation of Jacob's Family 42:1-50:26

A. Genesis: Book of Beginnings

The first five words of the Bible are a very appropriate introduction: "In the beginning God created." This was the first moment of time as we know it, and the universe came into existence. God had no beginning for He existed from eternity. This was the first work He did outside of Himself. Genesis is a book of beginnings, inspired by God and written by Moses. The Word came to Moses by the only One qualified to give it, God.



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B. The Christ of Genesis

Genesis moves from the general to the specific in its messianic predictions: Christ is the seed of the woman (3:15), from the line of Seth (4:25), the son of Shem (9:27), the descendant of Abraham (12:3), of Isaac (21:12), of Jacob (28:10-15), and of the tribe of Judah (49:10).

Christ is also seen in people and events that serve as types. A type is a historical fact that illustrates a spiritual truth. Adam is a type of Him who was to come (Ro.5:14). Both entered the world as sinless men, through a special act of God. Adam is the head of the old creation; Christ is the Head of the new creation. Abel's acceptable offering of a blood sacrifice points to Christ and there is a parallel in his murder by Cain. Melchizedek (righteous king) is "...made like unto the Son of God" (He.7:3). He is the king of Salem, peace, who brings forth bread and wine and is the priest of the Most High God. Joseph is also a type of Christ. Joseph and Christ are both objects of special love by their fathers, hated by their brothers, rejected as rulers over their brothers, conspired against and sold for silver, condemned though innocent and raised from humiliation to glory by the power of God. C. Keys to Genesis

1. Key word: "Beginnings"

Genesis gives the beginning of almost everything, including the beginning of the universe, life, man, Sabbath, death, marriage, sin, redemption, family, literature, cities, art, language and sacrifice.

2. Key verses: Genesis 3:15; 12:3

3. Key chapter: Genesis 15

Central to all of Scripture is the Abrahamic Covenant, which is given in 12:1-3 and ratified in 15:1-21. Israel receives three specific promises:

a. The promise of a great land,"...from the river of Egypt unto the

great river, the River Euphrates..." (15:18)

b. The promise of a great nation,"...and I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth..." (13:16)

c. The promise of a great blessing--"...I will bless thee and make

thy name great; and thou shall be a blessing..." (12:2)



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D. Survey of Genesis

Genesis is not so much a history of man as it is the first chapter in the history of the redemption of man. As such, Genesis is a highly selective spiritual interpretation of history. Genesis is divided into four great events (1-11) and four great people (12-50).

1. The four great events

Chapters 1-11 lay the foundation upon which the whole Bible is built and center on four key events: Creation, fall, flood, nations.

2. The four great people

Once the nations are scattered, God focuses on one man and his descendants through whom He will bless all nations (12-50): Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph.

E. Details and Highlights of Genesis.

1. God tells us what happened in the beginning (Ge.1:1)

"In the beginning," is emphatic. Other ancient religions, when speaking of creation, indicate that it came about out of something that was already there. They see history as occurring forever in cycles. The Bible looks at history in a linear way, with a God-given goal. God had a plan in creation, and He will carry it out.

Several implications flow from the truth contained in the first verse of the Bible.

a. Since God is the source of all that exists, human beings and

nature are not self-existent, but owe their being and continuance to Him.

b. All existence and life is good, if it is related rightly to God, and

dependent on Him.

c. All life and creation can be eternally meaningful and purposeful.

d. God has sovereign rights over all creation by virtue of being its

creator. In a fallen world, He lays claim to those rights through



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redemption (Ex.6:6; 15:13; De.21:8; Lk.1:68; Ro.3:24; Ga.3:13; 1Pe.1:18).

2. The God of creation

God is revealed as an infinite, eternal, self-existent being who the first cause of all that is is. Never was there a moment when God did not exist (Ps.90:2). In other words, God existed eternally and infinitely before creating the finite universe. He is above, independent of, and prior to all that has been created in heaven and on earth (1Ti.6:16; Co.1:16).

3. The activity of creation.

a. God is the creator.

God created all things in heaven and earth (Ge.1:1; Is.40:28; Mk.13:19; Ep.3:9; Co.1:16; He.1:2; Re.10:6). b. The original creation was without form.

The Bible describes God's creation as formless, empty and covered with darkness (Ge.1:2). At that time the universe and world did not have the ordered form it has now. It was empty, barren of all living creatures and void of all light. After this stage, God created light to dispel the darkness, gave form to the universe, and filled the earth with living things (Ge.1:2-28).

c. God spoke the Word.

The method God used in creation was the power of His Word. Over and over it is stated that "God said". In other words, God spoke the heavens and the earth into being.

d. The entire Trinity, not just the Father was involved in creation.

- The Son is the powerful Word through whom God created all things (Jn.1:1-3). Paul affirms it also (Co.1:16). Finally, the author of Hebrews asserts emphatically that by His Son, God made the universe (He.1:2). - Likewise, the Holy Spirit had an active role in the work of creation. He is pictured as "hovering" over the creation, preserving and preparing it for God's further



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creative activity. The Hebrew word for spirit ("ruach") may also be translated as wind and breath. Thus the psalmist affirms the role of the Spirit (Ps.33:6; Job 33:4; Ps.104:30).

4. The purpose and goal of creation.

God had specific reasons for creating the world. These include:

a. A manifestation of His glory, majesty and power (Ps.19:1;

Ps.8:1).

By looking at the entire created cosmos, from the immense expanse of the created universe to the beauty and order of nature, we cannot help but stand in awe of the majesty of the Lord God. b. God created the heavens and the earth in order to receive

back the glory and honor due Him.

All elements of nature (sun, moon, trees, rain, snow, rivers, hills, animals) shout out praise to the God who made them (Ps.98:7-8; 148:1-10; Is.55:12). How much more does God desire and expect to receive glory and praise from human beings.

c. God created the earth in order to provide a place where his

purpose and goals for humankind might be fulfilled. 1) Adam & Eve in God’s image

Adam and Eve were created in God's image so that He could have a loving, personal relationship with man for all eternity. God designed humans as a triune being, possessing mind, will emotions with which they can respond to Him freely as Lord and worship to serve Him out of faith, loyalty and gratitude.

God so desired this intimate relationship with the human race that, when Satan succeeded in tempting Adam and Eve to rebel against and disobey God's command, He promised to send a Savior to redeem humankind from sin's consequences (Ge.3:15). In this way God would have a people for His own possession who would enjoy Him, glorify him, and live in righteousness and holiness before Him (Is.60:21; 61:1-3; Ep.1:11-12; 1Pe.2:9).



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The culmination of God's purpose in creation is recorded in the Book of Revelation, where John describes the end of history of God living with us (Re.21:3).

5. Creation and evolution

Evolution is the predominant view regarding the origin of life and the universe proposed in the scientific and educational community of the contemporary world. Bible-believing Christians should consider these four observations about evolution:

a. Evolution is a naturalistic effort to account for the origin and

development of the universe. This view begins with the assumption that there is no personal, divine creator who made and fashioned the world.

b. The teaching of evolution is not truly scientific.

According to the scientific method, all conclusions must be based on indisputable evidence gathered from experiments that can be duplicated in any laboratory. However, no experiments have been or can be devised to test and substantiate theories about the origin of matter from some supposed "big bang" beginning or about the gradual development of living beings from their simplest to their most complex form. Consequently, evolution is a hypothesis without scientific evidence. To accept it, one must have faith in a human theory. The faith of God's people in contrast, is in the Lord and in His inspired revelation, which states that He is the one who made all things out of nothing (He.11:3).

c. It is undeniable that change and development within various

species of living things occur.

For example, some varieties of species are becoming extinct. On the other hand, we occasionally see new strains forming within species. But there is no evidence, not even in the geologic record, which supports the theory that one kind of living thing ever evolved from another kind. Rather, existing evidence supports the Bible's declaration that God created each living creature "according to its kind" (Ge.1:21, 24-25).



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d. Bible-believing Christians must also reject the theory called "theistic evolution."

This theory adopts most of the conclusions of naturalistic evolution, adding only that God started the evolutionary process. Such a theory denies the Biblical revelation that ascribes to God an active role in all aspects of creation. God is not a passive supervisor of an evolutionary process; rather He is the active creator of all things (Co.1:16).

6. The heavenly bodies are to be signs to man.

God intended that the sun, moon and stars serve as signs that point to Him, as well as mark the advancing days, seasons and years (Ge.1:14). Astrology has twisted these intended purposes for the stars by proposing the false theory that the stars and planets guide peoples' lives.

7. The creator of man was God.

We also read about the creation of human beings (Ge.2:7, 18-23), which gives more specific details about their creation and environment (Ge.1:26). These two accounts are complementary and teach several things:

a. Both man and woman were a special creation of God (Mt.19:4;

Mk.10:6).

b. Man and woman were both created in the image and likeness of God.

On the basis of this image, they could respond to and have fellowship with God and uniquely reflect His love, glory and holiness. They were to do so by knowing God and obeying Him (Ge.2:15-17).

1) Moral likeness to God

They possessed a moral likeness to God, for they were sinless and holy, possessing wisdom, a heart of love and the will to do the right (Ep.4:24). They lived in a personal fellowship with God that involved moral obedience (Ge.2:16-17), and intimate communion. When Adam and Eve sinned, their moral likeness to God was corrupted (6:5). In redemption believers must be renewed to the original moral likeness (Ep.4:22-24; Co.3:10).



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Adam and Eve possessed a natural likeness to God. They were created personal beings with spirit, mind, emotions, self-consciousness and power of choice (Ge.2:19-20; 3:6-7; 9:6).

In some sense man and woman's physical makeup is in God's image in a way not true of animals. God gave to human beings the image in which He was to appear visibly to them (Ge.18:1-2) and the form that His Son would one day assume (Lk.1:35; Php.2:7; He.10:5).

c. That human beings were made in the image of God does not

mean they are divine.

They have been created on a lower order and are dependent on God (Ps.8:5). Read the Amplified Translation for better understanding on this verse.

d. All human life is derived initially from Adam and Eve (Ge.3:20;

Ro.5:12).

8. Second account of creation

This second account of creation (Ge.2:4-25) is not contradictory to the first account (Ge.1:1-2:3). It explains in greater detail the creation of man and woman, their environment and their probation. Chapter 2 of Genesis gives details in a topical fashion, whereas chapter 1 gives the chronological order. 9. Man is made alive in a special way.

The giving of life to human beings is described as the result of a special act of God in distinction from the creation of all there living things (Ge.2:7). God specifically imparted life and breath to the first man, an indication that human life stands higher and in a different category from all other forms of life and that there is a unique relationship of divine life to human life (Ge.1:26-27). God is the ultimate source of human life. 10. Two trees

Two trees in the Garden had special importance (Ge.2:9).

a. The Tree of Life.

The Tree of Life was probably intended to make physical death impossible. It is related to eternal life (Ge.3:22; Re.2:7). God's people



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will have access to the Tree of Life in the New Heaven and New Earth (Re.2:7; 22:2).

b. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was designed to test Adam's faith and obedience to God and His Word. God created humans as moral beings with the ability to choose freely to love and obey their Creator, or to disobey Him and rebel against His will.

11. God requires obedience to His Word from the beginning.

From the very beginning of history the human race has been bound to God through belief in and obedience to His Word as absolute truth (Ge.2:16; 3:11-12).

a. Life is through faith and obedience.

Life through faith and obedience is presented as the governing principle in Adam's relationship to God in Eden. Adam was warned that he would die if he transgressed God's will and partook of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This threat of death had to be accepted by faith based on what God said, since Adam had not yet seen human death.

b. Moral test

God's command (Ge.2:16-17), was given to Adam as a moral test. It placed before him a conscious, deliberate choice to believe and obey, or to disbelieve and disobey his Creator's Will. c. Believe and live

As long as Adam believed God's Word and obeyed, he would continue in eternal life and in blessed fellowship with God. If he sinned by disobeying, he would reap moral disaster and a harvest of death (Ge.2:17).

12. Temptation comes.

In this verse the serpent attacked God through God's creation (Ge.3:1). He stated that what God had said to Adam was not true (Ge.3:3-4). He ultimately caused God to curse His creation, including the human race that God had made in His image (Ge.3:16-19). The "serpent" is later identified



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with Satan or the devil (Re.12:9; 20:2). Satan evidently took control of the serpent and used it as an instrument in his work of temptation (2Co.11:3, 14; Re.20:2; Mt.4:10).

13. “You can be your own god.” From the beginning of the human race, Satan has tempted humans to believe that they can be like God and decide for themselves what is good and what is evil (Ge.3:5).

a. Humanity is a false god.

Humanity, in seeking to be like God, became independent from God and as such became a false god. Humans now seek to gain moral knowledge and ethical discernment from their own minds and desire independence from God's Word. Nevertheless, only God has the right to determine what is good and evil.

b. False gods/worshipers.

Scripture declares that all who seek to be gods will perish from the earth (Je.10:10-11). This will also be the fate of the antichrist, who will proclaim himself to be God (2Th.2:4).

14. God had a plan.

Though Adam and Eve fell through temptation, God would not allow the perpetrator to get away with it (Ge.3:15). This verse contains the first implicit promise of God's plan of redemption for the world. It predicts the ultimate victory for mankind and God over Satan and evil by prophesying of a spiritual conflict between the offspring of the woman (the Lord Jesus Christ) and the offspring of the serpent (Satan and his followers). God promised here that Christ would be born of a virgin (Is.7:14), and would be struck through His crucifixion. Yet, He would rise from the dead to completely destroy (crush) Satan, sin and death for the sake of the salvation of the human race (Is.53:5; Mt.1:20-23; Jn.12:31; Ac.26:18; Ro.5:18-19; 16:20; 1Jn.3:8; Re.20:10). 15. Man followed his own desires and lusts.

The wickedness of man increased (Ge.6:5). In Noah's day the character of human sin was blatantly manifested in two primary ways:

a. sexual lust (Ge.6:2), b. violence (Ge.6:11).



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Human depravity has not changed; it is still through lust and violence that evil finds unrestrained expression. Today, immorality, ungodliness, pornography and violence dominate our societies (Mt.24:37-39; Ro.1:32).

16. “There is a flood coming.”

Through His covenant, God promised Noah that he would be saved from the judgment to be meted out through the flood (Ge.6:18). Noah responded to God's covenant by believing in Him and His Word. His faith was demonstrated in his response of holy fear (He.11:7), and his actions of preparing and entering the ark.

17. The earth is cleansed of sin.

God flooded the earth (Ge.7:6) with the great deep bursting forth that brought subterranean waters, perhaps by earthquakes, and great tidal waves from the oceans, with torrential rains for forty days (Ge.7:11-12). The waters covered the earth (Ge.7:19-20) and only receded after 150 days. Every living thing outside the ark was wiped out (Ge.7:23). God tested Noah's faith for 150 days (Ge.7:24). He had no idea when the waters would subside or when God would intervene again. Then God acted out of concern and love for Noah and his family. God's dealings with Noah are recorded to give all God's faithful people hope and trust in His ways. 18. The call of a family

The call of Abram begins a new chapter in the Old Testament revelation of God's purpose to redeem and save humanity (Ge.12:1-3). God intended to have a man who would know and serve Him with devoted faith. From this man a family would come who would know, teach and keep the ways of the Lord (Ge.18:19). From this family would come a chosen nation of people who would be separated from the ungodly ways of other nations to do God's Will. From this nation would come Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, the promised offspring of the woman. Several important principles can be deduced from Abram's call:

a. The principle of separation

Abram's call involved separating himself from his country, people and household in order to become an alien and stranger on earth (Ge.12:1; He. 11:13). In Abraham, God was establishing the



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important principle that His people were to separate themselves from all that hinders His purpose for their lives.

b. The principle of an earthly land

God promised Abram a land, a great nation through his descendants, and a blessing that would affect all the nations of the earth (Ge.12:2-3). The New Testament clearly teaches that the last element of this promise is being fulfilled in the missionary proclamation of the Gospel of Christ (Ac.3:25; Ga.3:8).

c. The principle of a heavenly land

Abram's call involved not only an earthly land, but also a heavenly one. His vision came to encompass an ultimate home no longer on earth but in heaven. Abram hence forth desired and sought a heavenly country where he would live forever with his God in righteousness, joy and peace (He.11:9-10, 14-16; Re.21:1-4; 22:1-5).

d. The principle of obedience and commitment

The call of Abram contained not only promises, but also obligations. God required both the obedience from Abram and personal commitment to Him as Lord in order to receive what was promised. That obedience and commitment entailed:

1) Trust

Trust in God's Word, even when the realization of the promised appeared humanly impossible (Ge.15:1-6; 18:10-14).

2) Obedience

Obedience to God's command to leave his home (Ge.12:4; He.11:8)

. 3) A sincere endeavor to live a righteous life (Ge.17:1-2).

e. The principle of extended blessings

God's promise to and blessing on Abram extended not only to his physical descendants, but also to all who in true faith (Ge.12:3) embrace and follow Jesus Christ, the true seed of Abram. All who



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possess faith like Abram's are "children of Abraham" (Ga.3:7) and are blessed along with him (Ga.3:9). They become Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise (Ga.3:29) which includes receiving by faith the promises (Ga.3:14). f. The principle of saving faith

Because Abram (Abraham) possessed a faith in God that expressed itself in obedience, he is declared a foremost example of true saving faith (Ge.15:6; Ro.4:1-5; 16:24; Ga.3:6-9; He.11:8-19; Ja.2:21-23). Biblically, any profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior that does not involve obedience to Him as Lord is not the kind of faith Abraham possessed and thus is not true saving faith.

19. A Savior is coming.

This is the second prophecy in Scripture concerning the coming of Jesus Christ (Ge.12:3; Ge.3:15). It speaks of a spiritual blessing that would come through a descendant of Abram. Paul states that this blessing refers to the Gospel of Christ offered to all the nations (Ga.3:8,16). God's promise to Abram reveals that from the very beginning the purpose of the Gospel was to bless all the nations with salvation and goodness. God is now accomplishing this purpose through Jesus Christ and His faithful people who share His burden by sending out preachers who proclaim the Gospel to all peoples on earth. This verse serves as a foundation for mission work throughout the world. Abram’s name is changed to Abraham in Genesis 17:5.

20. The son of promise comes to Abraham and Sarah.

Isaac, the son of promise, was finally born to Abraham and Sarah (Ge.21:5). Through Isaac God would continue His covenant with Abraham. Twenty-five years had passed before God's promise to Abraham was fulfilled (Ge.12:4). In His own time, God faithfully brought His promises to pass.

21. The ultimate test of Abraham’s faith

Abraham's faith in and commitment to God were tested to the maximum (Ge.22:1-2). God commanded him to do something completely contrary to common sense and to his fatherly love and lifelong hope. In the Abraham story, we read of three great tests of his faith:

a. The call to separate himself from his people and country and

go forth, not knowing where he was going (He.11:8).



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b. The requirement to trust God for the promise of the covenant

without seeing the fulfillment of that promise for 25 years (Ge.12:1-3; 15:6, 8; 18:9-14; He.11:8-13).

c. The command that he offer up Isaac, the promised son. In a

manner similar to Abraham, the true faith of all believers will be tested.

22. “We will return.”

Abraham's statement that he and Isaac would return from the sacrifice was a testimony to his faith and conviction that God's promises concerning Isaac would be fulfilled (Ge.22:5). In this story, Isaac is a type of Christ:

a. In his giving himself to his father for a sacrifice unto death

(Jn.10:17-18),

b. In his being saved from death, an act that corresponds to Christ's resurrection (He.11:17-19). God responded by providing a proper sacrifice in place of Isaac.

23. God had a sacrifice planned out.

God's name "Yahweh-Yireh" (Jehovah-Jireh), means the Lord will provide (Ge.22:14, RV). From God's test of Abraham we learn that:

a. God sometimes tests the faith of His children (1Pe.1:6-7;

He.11:35). Testing must be considered an honor in God's kingdom (1Pe.4:12-14).

b. God may be trusted to provide His presence, grace, and all

that is necessary for any circumstance that lies within His will (Ps. 46:1-3; 2Co.9:8; 12:9; Ep.3:20).

c. God often works His redemptive purpose through the death of

a vision, He may allow things to happen in our lives that seem to destroy our hopes and dreams (Ge.17:15-17; 22:1-12; 37:5-7, 28; Mk.14:43-50; 15:25, 37).

d. After a trial of faith, God will confirm, strengthen, establish and

reward the believer (1Pe.5:10).



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e. The way to find true life in God is through the willingness to sacrifice all that God requires to be sacrificed (Mt.10:37-39; 16:24-25; Jn.12:25).

f. After a test of suffering and faith, the outcome of all the Lord's

dealings toward the believer is full of compassion and mercy (Ja.5:11).

24. The birthright blessing

The birthright (Ge.25:31), consisted of:

a. Leadership in worship and headship in the family;

b. A double portion of the inheritance (at least in later times,

De.21:17); and

c. The title to the covenant blessing that God had promised to Abraham.

The fact that Esau sold his birthright reveals how little value he placed on God's blessings and covenant promises. He foolishly chose to trade future long-range blessings for present momentary pleasures. Thus, he despised his birthright (Ge.25:34; He.12:16). Jacob, on the other hand, desired the spiritual blessings of the future and from him came the twelve tribes of Israel.

25. God is a “Covenant God.”

God's relationship with His people is described throughout the Bible in terms of covenant (Ge.26:3-5). The word first occurs in Genesis 6:18 and extends into the New Testament, where God made a new covenant with humankind in Jesus Christ.

a. God's special covenant name as revealed in the Bible is

"Yahweh", translated as "Lord."

b. The fundamental promise of the covenant is the Lord's promise to be God to them and to their descendants (Ge.17:7). On this promise rests all the other promises that are a part of the covenant (Je.11:4; 24:7; 30:22; 32:38; Ezk.11:20; 36:28; Zec.8:8.



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c. The ultimate goal of God's covenant with humankind was to bring salvation, not just to one nation (Israel), but to the whole human race. Already with Abraham, God promised that in him all would be blessed (Ge.12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4).

d. In the various covenantal arrangements that God made with

humans throughout Scripture, two principles are operative: 1) God alone established the promises and obligations of

His covenant. 2) Human beings were expected to accept them in

obedient faith.

On some occasions God outlined fully ahead of time the promises and responsibilities for both parties. At no time, however, were people in a situation where they could bargain with God about the stipulations of the covenant.

26. God's Covenant with Abraham.

When God entered into covenant fellowship with Abraham, He explicitly offered several promises:

a. God as Abraham's shield and reward

b. Many descendants

c. The land of Canaan as his inheritance

God called Abraham to respond in faith to these promises, to accept them and to trust in God as his Lord. Because he did so, Abraham was accepted by God as righteous and was confirmed in a personal relationship with Him. Not only was faith necessary to receive the covenant initially, but God also required that if covenant blessings were to continue, Abraham had to make a sincere effort to please Him through an obedient life. God demanded that Abraham walk before Him and be blameless. In other words, if his faith were not accompanied by obedience, Abraham would disqualify himself from participation in God's eternal purposes. In one specific instance, God tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham passed the test, and consequently God informed Isaac that the blessings of the covenant were still valid and would be passed on to him, because Abraham had obeyed Him and kept His commands (Ge.26:4-5).



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God specifically commanded Abraham and his descendants to see to it that every male child born in his household be circumcised (Ge.17:9-13). The Lord went on to stipulate that any male who was not circumcised would be cut off from God's people (Ge.17:14), for he had broken the covenant. In other words, refusal to obey God would lead to the removal of covenant blessings.

God's covenant with Abraham was called an everlasting covenant (Ge.17:7). God intended that the covenant be a permanent arrangement. However, it could be broken by Abraham's descendants, so that God would no longer be bound to His promises. For example, His promise that the land of Canaan would be an everlasting possession for Abraham and his descendants (Ge.17:8) was broken by Israel's apostasy and Judah's unfaithfulness and their refusal to obey God's law (Is.24:5; Je.31:32); thus Israel was carried away into exile in Assyria (2Ki.17:6), while Judah was later carried away captive to Babylon (2Ki.25:11; 2Ch.36; Je.11:1-17; Ez.17:16-21).

27. God's Covenant with Isaac.

God sought to establish the Abrahamic covenant with each succeeding generation, beginning with Abraham's son Isaac (Ge.17:21). In other words, it was not enough that Isaac had Abraham as his father; he too had to accept God's promises by faith. Only then would God say that He would bless and increase the family (Ge.26:24).

For the first twenty years of their marriage, Isaac and Rebekah had no children. Rebekah's womb was not opened until Isaac earnestly prayed to the Lord for his wife to conceive (Ge.25:21). This answered prayer demonstrates that the covenant's fulfillment is not realized through natural means, but only by God's gracious action in response to prayer and seeking Him.

Isaac also had to be obedient in order to continue receiving the covenant blessings. When a famine struck the land of Canaan, for example, God told Isaac not to go down to Egypt, but to remain where he was. If he obeyed God, God promised to keep the oath made to his father (Ge.26:3-5).

28. God's Covenant with Jacob

Isaac and Rebekah had two children, Esau and Jacob. Normally one would expect the blessings of the covenant to be passed on through the firstborn, Esau. But God revealed to Rebekah that her older twin would serve the



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younger, and Esau himself despised his birthright (Ge.25:31). Furthermore, he showed indifference to the righteous standards of his parents by marrying two women who were not followers of the true God. In summary, Esau showed no interest in God's covenant blessings. Consequently, Jacob, who did desire the spiritual blessings of the future, received the promises rather than Esau (Ge.28:13-15).

As with Abraham and Isaac, the covenant with Jacob required the obedience that comes from faith for its continuance (Ro.1:5). For much of his life, this patriarch depended on his own ingenuity to survive and succeed. It was not until Jacob finally obeyed the Lord's command and will (Ge.31:13) to leave Haran and return to the promised land of Canaan, and more specifically, to go to Bethel (Ge.35:1-7), that God renewed with him the covenant promises made to Abraham (Ge. 35:9-13).

E. Background

1. The Pentateuch

Genesis is one of the group of five books called the Pentateuch, or as some have referred to it, the Afivefold vessel. The Jews have always referred to the first five books of Scripture as the Torah (Law). Except for a few parts, such as the reporting of his own death (Deuteronomy, chapter 34), Moses wrote the five books of the Law. (Joshua may have written Deuteronomy, chapter 34).

The Pentateuch's theme is historical, legislative, and spiritual. Historically, it records the origins of the human race and the origins and early fortunes of the Hebrew race. Legislatively, it records the laws that God gave to the Hebrew nation, under which they should live. Spiritually, it records the Seed of the woman (Ge.3:14-15), the coming of the Scepter (Ge.49:8-12), God’s provision to a wandering people of food, water, shelter, clothing (Book of Exodus), and the renewal of the covenant (De.chp.29). Study the following Chart of Israel's History recorded in the Pentateuch.



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SKETCH OF ISRAEL'S HISTORY ACCORDING TO THE PENTATEUCH Genesis

Israel's origin and early years

Beginnings

Exodus

Their deliverance from bondage in Egypt

Deliverance

Leviticus

Their worship, directed by the Levites

Legislation

Numbers

Wilderness wanderings in the Sinai Peninsula

Testing

Deuteronomy

Second giving of the law, awaiting entrance into Canaan

Preparation

2. Date and place of the writing of Genesis

There is no specific evidence about the place where the book was written. Moses wrote Genesis during his stay in Egypt or Midian (before 1445 B.C.) or soon after the Exodus, during the wilderness journeys (after 1445 B.C.). The latter view is most popular.

3. Geography of Genesis

Look at Map A below for the "Three Major Regions of Old Testament History." Note the three key journeys:

a. From Ur to Canaan b. From Canaan to Egypt c. From Egypt to Canaan



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This is the geography involved in most of the Pentateuch; namely, from Genesis 11:28 to the end of Deuteronomy. The location of the Garden (Ge.2:8), which was the first dwelling place of man, is unknown. Some think it was north of Babel, where the Euphrates and Tigris rivers are closest to each other.

Note on the map where the region of Ararat is located. According to Genesis 8:4, Noah's ark "rested upon the mountains of Ararat." Note the location of the city of Babel. This is where the descendants of Noah were building a "...tower whose top may reach unto heaven..." (Ge.11:4). It is in this eleventh chapter that the story of Abraham begins, at the city of Ur.

F. Prominent Subjects

1. Creation of the Heavens and the Earth (Ge.1:1 - 2:3)

2. Generations of the Heavens and the Earth (Ge.2:4 - :15)

3. The Fall of Man (Ge.3:1 - 4:26)



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4. The Flood (Ge.6:1 - 9:29)

5. The Birth of Nations (Ge.10:1 - 11:26)

6. Abraham, Father of Israel (11:27 - 25:8)

Up to this point, Genesis is about the human race as a whole. Beginning at Chapter 12, and continuing to the end of the Old Testament, the story focuses on the family of Abraham; that is, the nation of Israel. God's call to Abraham thus began a new chapter in world history.

One thing which is prominent in this story of Abraham is the many times God tested his character. These were purifying and strengthening experiences, designed by God to build solid foundations for the family of Israel.

Below is an outline of the chapters related to the topic of Abraham's tests:

1. Test of Obedience (12:1)

2. Test of Values (13:5-18)

3. Test of Love and Loyalty (14:1-24)

4. Tests of Faith (15:1-21:34)

5. The Most Severe Test (22:1-19)

6. Final Years (22:20-25:18)

G. Isaac, Child of Promise

Isaac was a strong spiritual link in the chain of the earliest patriarchs. When Abraham died, God's blessings on Israel continued through Isaac. Genesis 26:24-25 tells of God's renewal of the promise given earlier to Abraham.

H. Jacob, the Transformed Brother

The story of Jacob shows how God can lay hold of a selfish, willful and deceitful man, striving by his own efforts to gain material blessings, and so transform his life (Ge.27:1; 37:1). In the end Jacob’s character is noble and beautiful, with a new outlook of what are true blessings. Jacob’s name (like Abram’s and Sarah’s) was



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changed, indicating a change of character in Jacob. Jacob finally learned true blessings (31:1-37a). Briefly, this is a story of Jacob's immediate problems; of their solutions; and of his finally seeing who he really was and then surrendering completely to God. The highlights of the chapters are the three (3) times when Jacob had an experience with God.

1. Haran (Ge.31:1-16)

2. Peniel (Ge.32:22-32)

3. Bethel (Ge.35:1-15)

I. Joseph, Beloved Son of Jacob

Joseph was not of the direct Messianic line. However, God sovereignly chose him to be the benefactor of Israel during the next crucial years of their dwelling in Egypt (Ge.37:26-50:26). While in Egypt, the descendants of Joseph and his brothers multiplied rapidly and soon became a large nation.

About half of the Old Testament types foreshadow the person and ministry of Christ. The patriarch Joseph is considered by some to be the most complete type of Christ. For example;

1. He was acknowledged to be the savior and ruler of Egypt (Ge.47:25);

2. Christ shall be acknowledged as Savior and Ruler of the world (Php.2:10-11).

The Messianic promise (49:10) is a promise of Judah's inheritance. It is to be fully realized in the person of Jesus Christ, who is from the line of Judah.



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JOSEPH, A TYPE THAT FORESHADOWS CHRIST

JOSEPH

CHRIST Loved by the father, Ge.37:3

"...This is My beloved Son..." Mt.3:17

Brethren did not believe him, Ge.37:5 Brethren hated him, Ge.37:4

Neither did His brethren believe in Him, Jn.7:5 "...hated both me and my Father." Jn.15:24

Brethren rejected his reign, Ge.37:8

"...We will not have this man to reign over us," Lk.19:14

They conspired against him, Ge.37:18

Took counsel against Him, Mt.27:1

They stripped him, Ge.37:23

They stripped Him, Mt.27:28

They sat down and watched him, Ge.37:25

Sitting down they watched Him, Mt.27:36

They sold for silver, Ge.37:28

Sold for silver, Mt.26:15

Everything prospered in his hand, Ge.39:3

"...and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand." Is. 53:10

All things were put into his hand, Ge.39:4-8

"...Hath given all things into His hand..." Jn.3:35

Tempted and did not sin, Ge.39:9

Tempted, yet without sin, He.4:15

Bound and imprisoned, Ge.39:20

Bound and led away, Mt.27:2

With two malefactors, Ge.40:2-3

With two malefactors, Lk.23:32

One received message of life, other died, Ge.40:21-22

One thief penitent, "Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise" Lk.23:43

None so discreet and wise, Ge.41:39

"In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," Co.2:3

They bow the knee to him, Ge.41:43

Every knee shall bow, Php.2:10

Thirty years old, Ge.41:46

About thirty years old, Lk.3:23

God used Joseph's suffering to save, Ge.50:20-21

God used Christ's suffering to bring blessing, Ro.5:8

Given power over all Egypt, Ge.41:42-44

All power given unto Jesus Christ, Mt.28:18

Gentile bride to share his glory, Ge.41:45

The converts of Christ will share His glory eternally Ro.8:30.

God promised a place of rulership, Ge.37:6-7, 9

"...The government shall be upon His shoulder..." Is.9:6.

Cast into a pit, but delivered out of it, Ge.37:24, 28

"Now He that ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?" Ep.4:9

Imprisoned on false charges, Ge.39:19-20

"For many bare false witness against Him..." Mk.14:56

Joseph dealt with his brethren so as to bring them to repentance, Ge.42:7

"If they shall confess their iniquity...Then will I remember my covenant..." Lev.26:40, 42.

Joseph revealed himself to his brother's during their imprisonment, Ge.44:4-13; 45:1

"...in their affliction they will seek me early," Hos.5:15



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J. Journeys of the Israelites

a. Abraham, from Ur to Canaan

b. Jacob and Family to Egypt

c. Exodus from Egypt to Canaan

d. To Assyrian Captivity

e. To Babylonian Captivity

f. Return to Canaan



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VIII. OUTLINE OF EXODUS PART ONE: REDEMPTION FROM EGYPT (1:1--18:27)

A. The Need for Redemption from Egypt 1:1-22

1. Israel's Rapid Multiplication 1:1-7

2. Israel's Severe Affliction 1:8-14

3. Israel's Planned Extinction 1:15-22

B. Preparation of the Leaders of the Redemption 2:1-4:31

1. Moses is redeemed from Murder 2:1-10

2. Moses Tries to Redeem by Murder 2:11-22

3. Israel Calls Upon God 2:23-25

4. God Calls Upon Moses 3:1-4:17

5. Moses Accepts the Call 4:18-26

6. Israel Accepts the Call of Moses/Deliverer 4:27-31

C. God's Redemption of Israel from Egypt 5:1-15:21

1. Moses Confronts Pharaoh by Word 5:1-6:9

2. Moses Confronts Pharaoh with Miracles 6:10-7:13

3. Moses Confronts Pharaoh through Plagues 7:14-11:10

4. Israel Redeemed by Blood of the Passover 12:1-13:16

5. Israel Redeemed by Power from Egypt 13:17-15:21

D. The Preservation of Israel in the Wilderness 15:22-18:27

1. Preserved from Thirst 15:22-27



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2. Preserved from Hunger 16:1-36

3. Preserved from Thirst again 17:1-7

4. Preserved from Defeat 17:8-16

5. Preserved from Chaos 18:1-27 Part Two: Revelation from God (19:1 - 40:38)

A. The Revelation of the Covenant 19:1-31:18

1. The Preparation of the People 19:1-25

2. The Revelation of the Covenant 20:1-26

3. The Judgments 21:1-23:33

4. The Formal Ratification of the Covenant 24:1-11

5. The Tabernacle 24:12-27:21

6. The Priests 28:1-29:46

7. Institutions of the Covenant 30:1-31:18

B. The Response of Israel to the Covenant 32:1-40:38

1. Israel Willfully Breaks the Covenant 32:1-6

2. Moses Intercedes for Israel's Salvation 32:7-33

3. God Does Not Abandon Israel 32:34-33:23

4. God Renews the Covenant with Israel 34:1-35 5. Israel Willingly Obeys the Covenant 35:1-40:53

6. God Fills the Tabernacle with His glory 40:34-38



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A. Exodus: Book of Redemption

The book of Exodus reports the first of God's deliverance of Israel as He had promised Abraham. This second book of the Pentateuch picks up the story where Genesis left off, and so, it is its sequel. In Genesis the divine purpose is revealed; in Exodus the divine performance is exhibited.

This deliverance from bondage was a crucial event in the experience of the Israelites. Centuries later, many authors of the prophetic books and Psalms acclaimed it as the most significant miracle in their history. The deliverance is a beautiful type of the sinner's redemption from the bondage of sin. Thus, Exodus is rightly called the Book of Redemption.



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COMPARISON OF GENESIS AND EXODUS

GENESIS

EXODUS Human effort and failure

Divine power and triumph

Word of promise

Work of fulfillment

A people chosen

A people called

God's electing mercy

God's electing manner

Revelation of nationality

Realization of nationality

B. The Christ of Exodus

Exodus contains no direct Messianic prophecies, but it is full of types and portraits of Christ. Here are six:

1. Moses

Moses is a type of Christ (De.18:15). Both Moses and Christ were prophets, priests and kings (although Moses was never made king, he functioned as the ruler of Israel); both were kinsman-redeemers; both are endangered in infancy; both voluntarily renounce power and wealth; both were deliverers, lawgivers and mediators.

2. The Passover

John 1:29, 36 and 1 Corinthians 5:7 make it clear that Christ is our Passover lamb.

3. The Seven Feasts

Each of these feasts portrays some aspect of the ministry of Christ.

4. The Exodus

Paul relates baptism to the exodus event because baptism symbolizes death to the old and identification with the new (Ro.6:2-3;ICo.10:3-4).



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5. The Tabernacle

In its materials, colors, furniture and arrangement, the Tabernacle clearly speaks of the person of Christ and the way of redemption. The development is progressive from suffering, blood, and death, to beauty, holiness and the glory of God. The Tabernacle is theology in a physical form.

6. The High Priest

In several ways the High Priest foreshadows the ministry of Christ, our great High Priest (He.4:14-16; 9:11-12, 24-28).

C. Keys to Exodus

1. Key word: Redemption

Central to the Book of Exodus is the concept of redemption. Israel was redeemed from bondage in Egypt and into a covenant relationship with God. From the redemption of Moses in the Nile to the redeeming presence of God in the tabernacle, Exodus records God's overwhelming acts of deliverance, by which He demonstrates His right to be Israel's king.

2. Key verses: Exodus 6:6; 19:5-6

3. Key chapters: Exodus 12-14

The climax of the entire Old Testament is recorded in chapters 12-14; the salvation of Israel through blood (the Passover) and through power (the Red Sea). The Exodus is the central event of the Old Testament as the Cross is of the New Testament.

D. Survey of Exodus

Exodus abounds with God's powerful redemptive acts on behalf of His oppressed people. It begins in pain and ends in liberation; it moves from the groaning of the people to the glory of God. It is the continuation of the story that begins in Genesis with the seventy descendants of Jacob who move from Canaan to Egypt. They multiplied, under adverse conditions, to a multitude of over two million people. When the Israelites finally turn to God for deliverance from their bondage, God quickly responds by redeeming them "...with an outstretched arm and with great judgments" (Ex.6:6). God faithfully fulfills His promise made to Abraham centuries before (Ge.15:13-14).



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The book falls into two parts: (1) Redemption from Egypt (Ex.1-18); and (2) Revelation from God (Ex.19-40).

1. Redemption from Egypt (Ex.1-18):

After four centuries of slavery, the people of Israel cry to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for deliverance. God has already prepared Moses for this purpose and has commissioned him at the burning bush to stand before Pharaoh as the advocate for Israel. However, Pharaoh hardens his heart: "...Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go...?" (Ex.5:2). God soon reveals Himself to Pharaoh through a series of object lessons; the ten plagues. These plagues grow in severity until the tenth brings death to the firstborn of every household of Egypt. Israel is redeemed through this plague by means of the Passover Lamb. The Israelites' faith in God at this point becomes the basis for their national redemption. As they leave Egypt, God guides them by a pillar of fire and saves them from Egypt's pursuing army through the miraculous crossing of the sea. In the wilderness He protects and sustains them throughout their journeys.

2. Revelation from God (Ex.19-40):

Now that the people have experienced God's deliverance, guidance and protection; they are ready to be taught what God expects of them. The redeemed people must now be set apart to walk with God. This is why the emphasis moves from narration in Exodus chapters 1-18 to legislation in Exodus chapters 19-40. On Mount Sinai, Moses receives God's moral, civil and ceremonial laws, as well as the pattern for the Tabernacle to be built in the wilderness. After God judges the people for their worship of the golden calf, the Tabernacle is constructed and consecrated. It is a building of beauty in a barren land and reveals much about the person of God and the way of redemption.

E. Background

The English title Exodus originated with the Greek Septuagint's Exodus (departure or exit). The title appropriately represents the key event of the book, the Israelites' miraculous flight from bondage in Egypt. F. Writing

Moses probably wrote this book soon after the completion of tabernacle, described in Exodus 35-40. The date is in the last half of the 15th century B. C.



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G. Historical Setting

The date of the Exodus is 1445 B. C. This is derived from two sets of facts: 1. The arrival of Jacob and his family in Egypt

The duration of the stay in Egypt we find by a calculation (Ex.12:40; Ga.3:17) 1875 B. C. minus four hundred thirty (430) years = 1445 B. C.

2. Beginning of Solomon's Temple

The interval since the Exodus from Egypt is also by calculation (IKg.6:1). 965 B. C. plus four-hundred-eighty (480) = 1445 B. C. By the time of their departure from Egypt, the Israelites probably numbered over two million (2,000,000), (Ex.12:37; Nu.1:46).

3. Passover celebrated each year.

Since the time of Israel's departure out of Egypt was about 1445 B.C., the Hebrew people (later called Jews) have been celebrating the Passover each year in the spring, generally near the time of Good Friday and Easter.

4. Moses rose up to deliver Israel.

After more than four hundred years of bondage in Egypt, God determined to deliver the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob from slavery. He raised up Moses and commissioned him to be the leader of the exodus. In obedience to God's call, Moses confronted Pharaoh with God's mandate to let the people go. To impress on him the seriousness of this message from the Lord, Moses, by God's power, called down plagues as judgments on Egypt. During several of these, Pharaoh agreed to let the Israelites go, but then reneged on his decision once the plague was lifted. The time came for the tenth and final plague, the one that would give the Egyptians no other choice than to drive the Israelites out. God passed over the land of Egypt to strike down every firstborn, man and beast that was not covered by the blood of the Passover Lamb (Ex.12:12). Since the Israelites were also living in Egypt, how could they escape the destruction? The Lord gave a specific command to His people; to obey it would bring His protection to each Hebrew family and firstborn son. Each family was to take a year-old male lamb without defect and kill it at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month Aviv; smaller households could share a single lamb (Ex.12:4). Some of the blood of the slain lamb was to be sprinkled on the two sides and on the top of the door frames of their homes. God promised to pass over those homes that



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had the blood sprinkled on them (thus the term Passover, from Heb. "pesach", meaning to jump past or to pass over or to spare). Thus by the blood of the slain lamb, the Israelites were spared the judgment of death that came to all Egyptian firstborn. God commanded the sign of the blood not because he could not otherwise distinguish the Israelites from the Egyptians, but because He wanted to teach His people the importance of obedience and of blood redemption, thus preparing of the "Lamb of God" who centuries later would take away the sin of the world (Jn.1:29).

On that particular night the Israelites were supposed to be dressed and ready to leave (Ex.12:11). They were commanded to roast, not boil, the lamb and to prepare bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. As night approached, they would then be ready to eat the food and depart in haste when the Egyptians came and begged them to leave their country. Everything happened as the Lord had spoken (Ex.12:29-36).

H. Prominent Subjects

Eight words represent the multicolored narrative of Exodus: bondage, Moses, plagues, Passover, exodus, Commandments, idolatry, Tabernacle.

1. Bondage and Oppression (Ex.1:8-22)

2. Moses, Leader of Israel (Ex.2:1 - 7:13) Moses is one of the most colossal and

majestic characters in the history of the world. Moses' early life and ministry is contained in the book of Exodus (Ex.2:1 through 7:13).

3. Demonstrations of God's Power (Ex.7:14 - 11:10; 12:29-36)

4. Passover (12:3 - 12:28). The night of the Passover sacrifices was a turning

point in the history of Israel. It was the beginning of a new era for the people of God who had multiplied in number and were about to be redeemed from the power of their oppressor. A new calendar was instituted (Ex.12:2). The Israelites' experience was to be annually commemorated as a permanent ordinance (Ex.12:13, 14).

5. The Passover in Israelite/Jewish history. From that moment in history, God's

people celebrated the Passover every spring, in response to His command that the Passover be an everlasting ordinance (Ex. 12:14). It was, however, a memorial sacrifice. Only the initial sacrifice in Egypt was an effective sacrifice. Before the temple was built, each Passover the Israelites gathered in households, killed a lamb, removed all yeast from their homes and ate bitter herbs. More important, they retold the story of the miraculous exodus of their



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ancestors from the land of Egypt and from slavery to the Pharaoh. Thus from generation to generation, the Hebrew people remembered God's redemption and their deliverance from Egypt (Ex. 12:26). Once the Temple was built, God commanded that the Passover celebration and the killing of the lamb take place in Jerusalem (De. 16:1-6). The Old Testament records several times in which an especially significant Passover was celebrated in the holy city (2Ki.23:21-23; 2Ch.30:1-20; 35:1-19; Ezr.6:19-22).

The Passover was likewise observed by the Jews in New Testament times. The only incident from Jesus' boyhood recorded in Scripture occurred when his parents took him to Jerusalem at twelve years old to celebrate the Passover (Lk.2:41-42). Later in life, Jesus regularly went to Jerusalem for the Passover (Jn.2:13). The last supper that Jesus ate with His disciples in Jerusalem, shortly before going to the cross, was a Passover meal (1Co.5:7).

Jews today still celebrate the Passover, though its nature has changed somewhat. Since there is no longer a Temple in Jerusalem where a lamb can be slain (in obedience to De.16:1-6), the contemporary Jewish feast (called the "seder") is no longer celebrated with a sacrificed lamb. But families still gather together, all yeast is ceremonially removed from Jewish homes, in accordance with the laws of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the story of the Exodus from Egypt is retold by the father of the household.

PASSOVER LAMB

JESUS CHRIST The slain, not the living lamb availed, Ex.12:6

"...Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" 1Co.2:2

The lamb was without blemish, Ex. 12:5

"...Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" 1Pe.1:19

Blood to be shed, Ex.12:7

"... came there out blood..." Jn.19:34

Blood to be sprinkled, Ex. 12:22

"...Our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience" He.10:22

No bone broken, Ex.12:46

"...A bone of Him shall not be broken" Jn.19:36

If the lamb did not die, then the first-born would, Ex. 12:3,23

"The wages of sin is death..." Ro.6:23

Those redeemed by the lamb to be sanctified to the Lord, Ex.13:2

"...Ye are not your own ... for ye are bought with a price" 1Co.6:19-20



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It is interesting to note the manner in which the plagues divide into groups of threes:

GROUP #

PLAGUE #

TYPE/PLAGUE

ROD

Plague one

Warning in morning

Plague two

Pre-announcement

Plague three

No pre-announcement

ONE

Each of the plagues in this group may be described as "merely loathsome."

Aaron used rod

Plague four

Warning in morning

Plague five

Pre-announcement

Plague six

No pre-announcement

TWO

Each of the plagues in this group involved pain and loss upon their victims.

Rod not mentioned

Plague seven

Warning in morning

Plague eight

Pre-announcement

Plague nine

No pre-announcement

THREE

Each of the plagues in this group involved dramatic upheavals of nature.

Moses used rod

The Passover chapter is also a key chapter of the whole Bible. As you read it, look for what is taught about Divine holiness and grace; and man's sin and salvation. Why did God institute blood sacrifice as an atonement ritual? (He.9-22)



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PLAGUE

TEXT

WARNING

PHARAOH'S

HEART

EGYPTIAN

GODS MOCKED

REMARKS

Water to blood

7:14-24

Yes

Heart was hardened

The Nile Gods, The Nile was sacred.

Remained 7 days, Magicians imitated but could not undo the damage.

Frogs

8:1-15

Yes

Hardened his heart

Pthaq-the frog-headed god, Heka-frog goddess.

To the Egyptians, the frog represented human life in embryo.

Lice, fleas or gnats

8:16-19

No

Heart was hardened

Leb-earth god.

Magicians acknowledged: "This is the finger of God," - it was outside human control.

Flies, dog flies, these bite the edge of the eyelids

8:20-32

Yes

Hardened his heart

Khepara-beetle god.

Israel immune. First offer and second offer.

Murrain

9:1-7

Yes

Heart was hardened

Apis (or Seraphis)-sacred cattle god at Memphis.

Some cattle survived. Murrain is a general term implying a plague upon domestic animals.

Boils, an eruptive disease that turned into an open sore

9:8-12

No

Lord hardened his heart

Neit-the goddess queen of heaven.

Even magicians affected and rendered unclean to worship Neit.

Hail

9:13-35

Yes

Hardened his heart

Iris-water deity. Osiris-fire deity.

Those smitten neglected the warning.

Locusts

10:1-20

Yes


Shu-god of air. Sebek-insect god.

Third offer from Pharaoh, Egyptian officers pleaded with their ruler.

Darkness

10:21-23

No


Ra (or AtunRe) sun god the supreme deity.

Fourth offer from Pharaoh. Darkness remained three days. The name Pharaoh means "sun."

6. Dead Sea Deliverance and Wilderness Journey (Ex.12:37 through Ex.18:27).

The first eighteen chapters of Exodus relate Israel's deliverance, while the remaining chapters concern their worship. The deliverance was not in one isolated event. It involved God's preservation through bondage; provision of, a leader, promotion of a spirit of hope of deliverance through promise, protection in the midst of severe plagues, power over the obstacle of the Red Sea, and provision in a strange and hostile wilderness. Such were the varied experiences of Israel over those many years. The latter two experiences are the subject of the present passage. As you read the passage, observe the many things which God taught His people through such trying circumstances:



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a. Red Sea Deliverance, chapters 13:1 - 15:21

- Instructions chapter 13

- Deliverance chapter 14

- Song of Praise chapter 15:1-21

b. Wilderness Journey chapter 15:22 - 18:27

- At Marah chapter 15:22-26

- At Elim chapter 15:27

- At the Wilderness of Sin chapter 16

- At Rephidim chapters 17:1 - 18:27

7. The Hebrew’s passage through the sea.

The Red Sea is literally, Sea of Reeds (Hebrew = "Yom Suf"). It is thought to be the southern end of Lake Menzaleh. The crossing of the Red Sea (Ex.13:18-14:31) took place through a direct miraculous act of God. Bible writers used this event to remind God's people of His power and greatness (Jos.24:6-7; Ps.106:7-8; Is.51:15; Je.31:35; Na.1:3-4). Israel's deliverance through the Red Sea confirmed God's promise to fight for them (Ex.13:14).

8. The Law was given at Sinai (Ex.19:1 - 24:18).

This is the section which contains the familiar Ten Commandments. Exodus, Chapter 19 begins the last half of the book which is called "Worship."

Worship is intimately related to law. To worship is to acknowledge a higher authority and there is no authority where there is no law. So, after God delivered His people from bondage, He began to spell out in detail how they should worship Him publicly; privately, and even in everyday living. These instructions were the laws. Their importance to Israel is seen by the space devoted to them in the Pentateuch: about half of Exodus, most of Leviticus, the first part of Numbers and much of Deuteronomy is devoted to these instructions. The importance of the Ten Commandments to the world is demonstrated by the fact that the legal codes of every civilized nation are based upon them.

The Ten Commandments of Exodus 20:1-17 are foundational and all-inclusive. Observe that the first four commandments tell of man's duty toward God, the last six commandments, his duty toward his fellow-man.



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Receiving God's law through their leader, Moses, was one of the most important aspects of the Israelites' experience at Mount Sinai. The Mosaic Law (Hebrew "Torah," meaning "teaching"), can be divided into three categories:

a. The moral law, dealing with God's rules for holy living (Ex.20:1-17);

b. The civil law, dealing with Israel's legal and social life as a nation (Ex.21:1-23:33);

c. The ceremonial law, dealing with the form and ritual of Israel's worship of

the Lord, including the sacrificial system (Ex.24:12-31:18).

9. God's covenant brought about the nature and function of the Old Testament Law.

The Law, designed to shut up the people as a schoolmaster, was to keep the people from a total waywardness until the One who would fulfill the Law could come.

a. The covenant stipulated obedience.

The Law was given in connection with the covenant that God made with His people; it set forth the covenant stipulations they were expected to obey in loyalty to the Lord God to whom they belonged. The Israelites formally accepted these covenant obligations (Ex.24:1-8).

b. God's mercy and deliverance required obedience.

Israel's obedience to the Law was to be grounded in God's saving mercy and in His deliverance of the people (Ex.19:4). Note that the law was given after they had been saved by the blood of the Passover Lamb and redeemed from slavery (Ex.20:2, and while they were living as pilgrims on the earth by God's grace (Ex.19:4). c. God's Will is revealed.

The Law revealed God's will for His people's behavior (Ex.19:4-6; 20:1-17; 21:1-24:8), and prescribed blood sacrifices to atone for their sin (Le.1:5; 16:33). The Law was not designed as a way to obtain salvation for the unsaved; the people to whom it was given were already in a saved relationship with God (Ex.20:2). Rather, through the Law they learned how God wanted them to live righteously toward both their redeemer and their neighbor. The Israelites were expected to obey the Law by God's grace in order to maintain and celebrate their faith relationship with Him (De.28:1-2; 30:15-20).



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d. The foundation for keeping God's commandments is love and trust.

In both the Old Testament and New Testament, a committed trust in God and His Word (Ge.15:6) and a heartfelt love for Him (De.6:5) formed the foundation for keeping God's commandments. Israel failed exactly at this point, for they often did not make believing in God, loving Him with all their heart and desiring to walk in His ways their motive for fulfilling the Law. Paul states that Israel did not attain the righteousness that the Law intended because they did not pursue it by faith (Ro.9:32).

e. A heart of love was required.

The Law emphasized the eternal truth that obedience to God from a heart of love (Ge.2:9; De.6:5) would result in a full life and in rich blessings from the Lord (Ge.2:16; De.4:1, 40; 5:33; 8:1; Ps.119:45; Ro.8:13; 1Jn.1:7).

f. The Law revealed God's nature.

The Law expressed God's nature and disposition, His love, goodness, justice, and hatred of evil. The Israelite believers were expected to keep God's moral law because they had been created in His image (Le.19:2).

g. Perfection in the keeping of the Law was not required.

Salvation in the Old Testament was never based on perfection in keeping all the commandments. Inherent in Israel's relationship with God was the sacrificial system that provided forgiveness for those who transgressed the commandment, but who sincerely returned in repentance and faith to God's mercy and provision of blood atonement.

h. The Law was not complete.

The Old Testament Law and covenant were not complete, nor were they intended to be permanent. The Law acted as a temporary guardian for God's people until Christ came (Ga.3:22-26). The Old Covenant has now been replaced by the New Covenant, in which God has disclosed fully His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ (Ro.3:24-26; Ga.3:19).

i. The Law had a purpose.

It was given by God and added to the promise because of transgressions (Ga.3:19). It was designed:

- To regulate conduct



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- To define what sin was

- To show Israel their inherent tendency to violate God's will and to do evil

- To awaken their sense of need for God's mercy, grace and redemption (Ro.3:20; 5:20; 8:2).

10. Idolatry at Sinai (Ex.32:1 - 34:35)

Four words summarize the narrative chapters (Ex.32-34):

a. Sin

b. Judgment

c. Intercession d. Renewal

The people's sin was of the worst kind: Spiritual idolatry and corruption (Ex.32:1-6). God's judgment was consuming; declared by a jealous Lord (Ex.32:7-10). Moses' intercession was desperate, appealing to God's mercy (Ex.32:11-14). The consequent renewal of fellowship between Israel and God was conditional upon the people's repentance from sin and their determination to obey the words of the covenant (Ex.34:1-35).

The cycle represented by the four words previously noted was a constantly recurring sequence in Israel's history from this time forward. After coming to the place of renewal, the people would move back to the dwellings of sin again and the cycle would repeat itself. That Israel was not ever utterly consumed is explained only by the mercy of God and by the ministry of prophets, judges and people like Moses who pleaded with God on behalf of their brethren. That God was pleased to work through His chosen leaders is illustrated in these chapters by the experience of Moses. His delay on the mountain was the occasion for His people to sin at the beginning of the narrative. His presence at the end of the narrative was an occasion of awe and respect. Moses spoke for God.

11. Aaron's joining in with the people's desire.

As a leader, Aaron seriously compromised God's standard in order to please the people he served (Ex.32:4). He gave in to the godless pressure of the Israelites and violated the second commandment (Ex.20:4-5). Only Moses' intercession saved him from God's wrath and from death (De.9:20).



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12. Moses intercession for the people saved them.

Moses' intercession for the people of Israel (Ex.32:11-14) reveals that God answers the prayers of His faithful servants and allows them to share in His redemptive purposes and decisions.

a. God clearly desired to destroy the rebellious people (Ex.32:10).

Moses, acting as a mediator between the Lord and the people, earnestly interceded in order to turn away God's wrath and change His stated intention.

b. Because of Moses' intense prayer, the Lord relented (Ex.32:14; Ja.5:16). c. The great truth emphasized here is that God makes His servants co-

workers with Him.

He appoints them mediators and intercessors for the lost (Ro.9:2), and in some limited measure, the fate of the perishing is in their hands (Mt.9:38). Thus, God has ordained that the sincere intercession of a righteous person may move Him to change His temporal will and bring redemption instead of judgment. Prayer does indeed change things (Ps.106:44-45; Je.18:8; 26:3, 13, 19; Am.7:2-6).

d. God hears our intercession.

God does not disregard the intercession of a faithful servant as long as hope for redemption remains. Intercession will be rejected by God only when sin has reached its limit (Je.15:1; Ezk.14:14, 16).

e. God turned from wrath to mercy.

It is an unfathomable mystery that God should be persuaded by the intercession of fallible human beings to alter His announced course of action and turn from wrath to mercy. God is not an implacable deity or a God of inflexible fate, but a personal God who delights to be moved by the love, faith and prayers of His faithful people.

13. Plans for the Wilderness Tabernacle (Ex.25:1 - 31:18; 35:1 - 40:38)

Exodus chapters 25-31 record God's specifications for the building of the wilderness Tabernacle and Exodus chapters 35-40 report the actual construction of that Tabernacle. The diagram of Chart 13, following, shows the plan and furniture of the Tabernacle.



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14. Construction of the Tabernacle (Ex.35:1 - 40:38)

Here is a brief outline of this passage in Exodus:

a. 35:1 Preparation

b. 36:8 Items Made

c. 39:43 Inspections

d. 40:1-19 The Tabernacle Erected

e. 40:34, 38 Glory of the Lord

The account of the Tabernacle construction (Ex.36-39) and the specifications given to Moses (Ex.25-31), correspond accurately. All things were done obediently, without question.

When the workmen had finished making the parts of the tabernacle, they brought everything to Moses (Ex.39:32-43), Moses set up the structure just one year after the Israelites had departed from Egypt (Ex.40:17). He carefully assembled every piece as directed, each article of furniture in its exact position (Ex.40:18-33). When all was done, a wonderful thing happened. God came down and filled the Tabernacle with His glory (40:34-35). He had kept His Word given earlier (Ex.25:8). From that time on He would not speak to them from the fiery Mount Sinai but from the hallowed Tabernacle (Le.1:1). The arrangement of the Tabernacle was a type, preparatory for the one sacrifice that has taken away the sins of the world.

See Chart #13, following, for an interpretation of the structure and appearance of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness.



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15. Furniture of the Tabernacle.

a. The Brazen Altar

It was made of acacia wood, covered by plates of brass, and placed in the courtyard between the door of the court and the outer veil of the Tabernacle. It was accounted especially sacred and on seven occasions in Scripture, the sanctifying of the altar is mentioned. The brass typifies Christ's suffering judgment unto death in order that He might be an acceptable sacrifice in God's sight. b. The Laver

Neither the measurements, nor its physical appearance is known except that it was made of brass. It was to contain water to be used by the priests to wash themselves during their service in the Tabernacle. The laver provided a type of cleansing which served to maintain fitness for spiritual ministry. Washing with water represented a practical cleansing from defilement of the world and it was an emblem of that true inward purity which must characterize the one who is to make atonement for the sins of the people. The Laver was a type of cleansing from the guilt of sin. The Laver in the life of the New Testament



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believer is replaced by the Bible and the Holy Spirit (Ps.119:9; Ti.3:5; Ro.8:4; Ep.5:23).

c. The Table of Shewbread

Made about the size of a modern coffee table, it was made of durable desert acacia wood and covered with gold. It served to display twelve small, flat, round loaves that were laid out in orderly fashion so as to be displayed, and then liberally sprinkled with frankincense. Each Sabbath Day, new loaves were provided. The shewbread represented Christ, the Bread of Life, who nourishes believers. It was also known as the Bread of His Presence (the Bread of His Face), or bringing God and man face to face. d. The Golden Candlestick

The lamp-stand was made of a talent of pure gold which was shaped and tempered by beating. It weighed well over one-hundred (100) pounds and stood about three cubits high. It had a massive base, a strong shaft, and three shafts on each side to make a total of seven lamps. The seven lamps speak of the seven-fold perfection of the illumination of the Spirit who witnesses to and through Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.

e. The Altar of Incense

It was made of acacia and overlaid with gold. At all times incense was burning on this altar, while once a year the blood of atonement was sprinkled upon it. The continually ascending fragrance of incense from this altar is also a type of the redeemed believer's happy communion with the Father made possible by the sacrifice of Christ. Prayer, adoration, and thanksgiving may all be represented by incense offered up to God. f. The Ark of the Covenant

It was the last article the worshipers would meet. It was the most important of all the furniture and the central object towards which everything else pointed. The top or lid of the ark was a slab of pure gold, and was known as the mercy seat. It typically represented the throne of God. Here was the blood sprinkled as a symbol of the appeasement of God through sacrifice. For the New Testament believer, the mercy seat represents the place where Christ sprinkled His own blood, cleansing the sins of all mankind.

16. The Priestly Garments

The high priest was dressed in a particular fashion, depicting the wondrous beauties of Christ and the privileges and duties of all who are the priests of God.



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a. The Ephod It was an outer garment in the style of a tunic or pinafore. It was made of linen in blue, purple, and scarlet with golden threads woven into it. It had engraved onyx stones on the shoulders so that the names of the six eldest sons were engraved on the stone on the right shoulder, and those of the six youngest sons on the stone on the left shoulder. The colors and materials typifies Christ in His High Priestly Ministry. He bears his people upon His shoulders, the seat of power.

b. The Breastplate

It was a piece of elaborately finished cloth of the same material as the ephod. It had a bag formed, by folding, which contained the Urim and Thummim. The stones represented the twelve tribes of Israel.

c. The Robe of the Ephod

A plain blue sleeveless garment, it was worn directly beneath the ephod. It had a row of pomegranates embroidered upon the hem, interspaced with tinkling golden bells. The bells represented joyfulness and the revelation and proclamation of the Word of God. The pomegranates are symbols of the Word and Testimony of God as sweet, pleasant spiritual food.

d. The Miter and Crown

The Miter was fine linen, bound about the head in coils. At the front was a golden plate engraved "Holiness to the Lord". The high priest typified the true inner holiness on the ground of which, alone, Israel could be accepted by God.

IX. OUTLINE OF LEVITICUS Part One: The Laws of Acceptable Approach to God: Sacrifice (1:1 - 17:16)

A. The Laws of Acceptable Approach to God 1:1-7:38 1. Laws of Approach to God when in Fellowship 1:1-3:17 2. Laws of Approach to God when Out of Fellowship 4:1-6:7

3. Laws for Administering Offerings- 6:8-7:38

B. The Laws of the Priests 8:1-10:20

1. The Consecration of the Priesthood- 8:1-36

2. The Ministry of the Priesthood 9:1-24



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3. Failure of the Priesthood 10:1-20

C. The Laws of Israel Regarding Purity 11:1-15:33

1. Laws Concerning Clean and Unclean Food 11:1-47

Laws Concerning Childbirth 12:1-8 3. Laws Concerning Leprosy 13:1-14:57

4. Laws Concerning Discharge 15:1-33

D. The Laws of National Atonement 16:1-17:16

1. Laws Concerning National Cleansing

Through the Day of Atonement 16:1-34

E. Laws Concerning the Use of Blood 17:10-16 Part Two: The Laws of Acceptable Walk With God: Sanctification (18:1 - 27:34)

A. The Laws of Sanctification for the People 18:1-20:27

1. Laws of Sexual Sin 18:1-30

2. Laws of Social Order 19:1-37

3. Laws of Penalties 20:1-27

B. The Laws of Sanctification for the Priesthood 21:1-22:33

1. Prohibited Practices of the Priests 21:1-15

2. People Prohibited from the Priesthood 21:16-24

3. Things Prohibited of the Priesthood 22:1-16

4. Sacrifices Prohibited of the Priesthood 22:17-30

5. The Purpose of the Laws of the Priesthood 22:31-33

C. The Laws of Sanctification in Worship 23:1-24:23

1. Laws of the Sanctified Feasts 23:1-44

2. Laws of the Sanctified Elements of Worship 24:1-9



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3. Law of the Sanctified Name of God 24:10-23

D. The Laws of Sanctification in the Land of Canaan 25:1-26:46

1. Laws of the Sanctification of the Land of Canaan 25:1-55

2. Results of Obedience and Disobedience in the Land of Canaan 26:1-46

E. The Laws of Sanctification through Vows 27:1-34

1. The Special Consecrating of Acceptable Things 27:1-25

2. Things Excluded From Consecration 27:26-34

3. The Conclusion of Leviticus 27:34

A. Leviticus: "Ye Shall Be Holy"

The Book of Leviticus is God's manual for His people on how to approach Him and live pleasing in His sight. The laws of Leviticus, given to the Israelites while they were encamped on Mount Sinai, were the guideposts which they needed for life on the wilderness journey ahead, and for settling in Canaan. "Ye shall be holy," pervades the book, revealing something of the awesome message which God always wants all His people to hear and obey.

Exodus records how Israel became a redeemed nation while Leviticus concerns the cleansing, worship and service of that redeemed nation.



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RECORDINGS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT HISTORICAL BOOKS

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus Numbers

Deuteron

omy Origins of nation

Deliverance of nation

Life of the nation Test of the nation

Reminders to the nation

Theocracy Born

Theocracy Established

Theocracy Tested and prepared

for the New Home COVENANT:

"...Keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me...a kingdom of priests and an holy nation." Ex.19:5-6

LAW: "Ye shall therefore keep My statutes... which if a man do, he shall live in them: I AM the Lord." Lev. 18:5

B. Christ of Leviticus

The Book of Leviticus is replete with types and allusions to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Some of the more important include:

1. The five offerings listed in Leviticus.

The burnt offering typifies Christ's total offering in submission to His Father's will. The meal offering typifies Christ's sinless service. The peace offering is a type of the fellowship believers have with God through the work of the cross. The sin offering typifies Christ as our guilt-bearer. The trespass offering typifies Christ's payment for the damage of sin.

2. The high priesthood of Aaron.

There are several comparisons and contrasts between Aaron, the first high priest and Jesus our Great High Priest. These include Aaron as the first high priest and Christ as the first to rise from the dead; Aaron going into the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the Mercy Seat, and Christ going into the Heavenly Holy of Holies to sprinkle His own blood on the Mercy Seat, etc.



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3. The Seven Feasts of Leviticus.

Passover speaks of the substitutionary death of the Lamb of God. Christ died on the Day of Passover. Unleavened bread speaks of the holy walk of the believer (ICo.5:6-8). First Fruits speaks of Christ's resurrection as the first fruits of the resurrection of all believers (ICo.15:20-23). Christ rose on the day of the First fruits. Pentecost speaks of the descent of Holy Spirit after Christ's Ascension. Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and Tabernacles speak of events associated with the Second Advent of Christ. This may be why these three are separated by a long gap from the first four in Israel's annual cycle.

C. Keys to Leviticus

1. Key word: Holiness

Leviticus centers on the concept of the holiness of God and how an unholy people can acceptably approach Him and then remain in continued fellowship. The way to God is only through blood sacrifice. The walk with God is only through obedience to His laws.

2. Key verses: Leviticus 17:11; 20:7-8

3. Key chapter: Leviticus 16

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was the most important single day in the Hebrew calendar as it was the only day the High Priest entered into the Holy of Holies to "make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord" (Le.16:30).

D. Survey of Leviticus

It has been said that it took God only one night to get Israel out of Egypt but it took forty years to get Egypt out of Israel. In Exodus, Israel is redeemed and established as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation; and in Leviticus, Israel is taught how to fulfill the priestly call. The people were led out from the land of bondage in Exodus and into the sanctuary of God in Leviticus. They move from redemption to service and from deliverance to dedication. This book serves as a handbook for the Levitical Priesthood, giving instructions and regulations for worship. Used to guide a newly redeemed people into worship, service and obedience to God, Leviticus falls into two major sections: Sacrifice (Le.chp.1-17), and Sanctification (Le.chp.18-27).

1. Sacrifice (chapter 1-17)

This section teaches that God must be approached by the sacrificial offerings (Le.chp.1-7), by the mediation of the priesthood (Le.chp.8-10), by the purification of their nation from uncleanness (Le.chp.11-15) and by the provision for national



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cleansing and fellowship (Le.chp.16-17). The blood sacrifices remind the worshipers that because of sin the holy God requires the costly gift of life (Le.17:11). The blood of the innocent sacrificial animal becomes the substitute for the life of the guilty offerer: "...without shedding of blood there is no remission" (He.9:22).

2. Sanctification (chapter 18-27)

The Israelites serve a holy God Who requires them to be holy as well. To be holy means to be set apart or separated. They are to be separated from other nations unto God. In Leviticus the idea of holiness appears eighty-seven (87) times, sometimes indicating ceremonial holiness (ritual requirements) and at other times moral holiness (purity of life). This sanctification extends to the people of Israel (Le.chp.18-20), the priesthood (Le.chp.21 and 22), their worship (Le.chp.23-24), their life in Canaan (Le.chp.25-26) and their special vows (Le.chp.27). It is necessary to remove the defilement that separates the people from God so that they can have a walk of fellowship with their Redeemer.

E. Background

1. Name

It was the custom of the Jews to call each book of Scriptures by the first word in the Hebrew text. From Leviticus this was "vayyikra," meaning "and He called". Obviously, this title does not indicate what Leviticus is all about. The Greek Septuagint version, which was the first translation of the Old Testament, assigned the title "Leuitikon", meaning "that which pertains to Levites". The reason for such a title is that much of the book concerns the ministry of the priests, who were an important segment of the Tribe of Levi (He.7:11). The Greek title was carried over into the Latin Vulgate as Leviticus, which was then adopted by the English Bible. The title might lead some to believe that the book concerns only the Levitical priests; this is not the case, for much of the book relates to all of Israel.

2. Author

As discussed earlier, Moses wrote all five books of the Pentateuch. Fifty-six (56) times in Leviticus it is explicitly stated that the Lord gave the laws to His people through Moses. That Moses wrote the instructions in a book is stated in Ezra 6:18. More than fifty (50) times it affirms that its contents are God's direct words and revelation to Moses for Israel, which Moses subsequently preserved in written form. Jesus refers to a passage in Leviticus and attributes it to Moses (Mk.1:44). The Apostle Paul refers to a passage in this book saying that Moses describes (Ro.10:5). Critics who attribute Leviticus to a much later priestly editor do so by rejecting the integrity of Biblical testimony.



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3. Date

First read the passages cited in the next chart. Observe that God spoke the words of Leviticus during the first month of the second year after Exodus. The Israelites were encamped on Mount Sinai (Le.7:38; 27:34). Just when Moses wrote down the words, we cannot be sure, but he may have done so before the wilderness journey of Numbers began, around the middle of the fifteenth century B.C. (Based on the 1445 B.C. date for the Exodus from Egypt).

Exodus from Egypt

Commandments given at Sinai

Tabernacle constructed (portable)

Levitical laws given

Preparation for wilderness journey

Exodus 12:41

Exodus 19:1

Exodus 40:17

-----------------------

Numbers 1:1

Beginning of new calendar

First year; third month

Second year; first month, first day

Second year; first month

Second year; second month, first day

4. Relation to the New Testament.

The predictive symbols, types, and shadows found throughout this third book of the Bible find their fulfillment in the New Testament. For example, the blood sacrifices point to Christ as the Lamb of God. The priests typify Jesus as the Great High Priest. The worshipers in Leviticus foreshadow the New Testament Christians.

The best Biblical commentary on Leviticus is the book of Hebrews. Because of the twofold emphasis on blood atonement and holiness, this book has enduring relevance for believers under the New Covenant. The New Testament teaches that the atoning blood of sacrificial animals, prominent in Leviticus, was a shadow of good things to come (He.10:1) and pointed to Christ's once-for-all-time sacrifice for sin (He.9:12). The command to be holy can be fully realized through the precious blood of Christ in the new covenant believer, whose calling is to be holy in all areas of life (1Pe.1:15). The second great commandment as stated by Jesus (Le.19:18), "...Love your neighbor as yourself..." (Mt.22:39). 5. Relationship in Old Testament Books

Leviticus is closely related to the Book of Exodus. Exodus records how the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, received God's Law and built the Tabernacle according to God's pattern. It concludes with the Holy One coming to indwell the newly constructed Tabernacle (Ex.40:34). Leviticus contains God's instruction given to Moses during the two months between the completion of the Tabernacle (Ex.40:17) and Israel's departure from Mount Sinai (Nu.10:11-12).



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6. Purpose

Leviticus was written to instruct the Israelites and their priestly mediators about access to God by means of atoning blood and to make clear God's standard of holiness for His chosen people.

7. Special features of Leviticus.

Four major emphases characterize Leviticus:

a. A direct word from God

Revelation, as a direct word from God, is emphasized more in Leviticus than in any other book in the Bible. No less than thirty-eight (38) times it is explicitly stated that the Lord spoke to Moses.

b. The sacrificial system

Instruction concerning the sacrificial system and substitutionary atonement is given in minute detail in this book.

c. Instruction on the Day of Atonement

Leviticus, chapter 16, is the foremost chapter in the Bible describing the Day of Atonement. d. The priestly calling

Leviticus stresses the theme that the people of Israel were to fulfill their priestly calling through lives of spiritual and moral purity, separation from other nations, and obedience to God.

F. Subjects

1. God's holiness and man's sinfulness is compared in Leviticus.

The inescapable fact of God's holiness and man's sinfulness is the universal basic problem confronting all people. The entire message of Leviticus is directed to it. The book's good news is that there is atonement and cleansing for man's sin to redeem him to God, and daily fellowship with God is possible for those who obey His directions. Keep this in mind as you read the Bible text. 2. Laws from God are displayed thoroughly in Leviticus.

Leviticus is the most thoroughly legalistic book in the Bible. The many laws which appear in its pages are of different kinds: general or specific; ceremonial; social or



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moral; temporal or timeless; punitive or reparative. All the laws of Leviticus were designed by God for His glory and for man's good. Paul wrote that the law had become a tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we would be justified by faith (Ga.3:24). God's law shows man his corruption, and is intended to bring conviction of sin.

Offering Reference

What was

offered

Procedure

Types and Remarks

BURNT: Le.16:1-13 Nu.28:3-15 De.33:8-10 Ps.40:6 Ep.5:2 He.10:5,6

Choice of: bullock, lamb, kid, turtle doves, pigeons, or ram Male only

Presented at door: Hand laid on head, killed, blood sprinkled, carcass cut in pieces, laid on altar and all burned. Hide given to the priests.

Sweet savor offering (1:7) typical of Christ's entire obedience to the Father. Given wholly to Him, spread out unreservedly in entire consecration. Typical also of our entire dedication to God. All was for God and He took unqualified delight in such an offering: the offerer, by personally killing and flaying (skinning) the sacrifice, provisionally identified himself with the offering. Various offerings reveal degrees of faith, even a very small measure availed. Distinctive feature: wholly consumed.

MEAL: Le.23:13-16 Nu.28:5; 15:4 Jn.6:33

Fine flour, oil, frankincense, salt green ears of corn

Handful of flour and oil and all frankincense burnt. Priest received remainder. Offering either: a. baked in oven b. baked in pan c. baked in skillet (cauldron)

Sweet savor offering (2:9) signifying dedication of one's life to God. Typical of Christ's perfect humanity anointed with Holy Spirit. He perfectly fulfilled His ordained work. This offering speaks more of Person of Christ rather than of Calvary. The meal offering normally accompanied the peace offering. Distinctive feature: bloodless.

PEACE: Le.chp.3; 7:11-34 Le.17:1-9 Le.19:5-8 Ps.chp.85

Choice of: Bullock, lamb, or goat Either male/female

Presented, hands laid on head, killed, blood sprinkled, fat burned, wave breast and heave shoulder. Offerer ate remainder in the sanctuary.

Sweet savor offering (3:16)depicting Christ's making peace between God and man. This offering furnished a table so that God and man could fellowship together: it was not an atoning sacrifice, but a joyous celebration of peace; an offering not to achieve peace, because of peace this offering teaches that the means of entrance into communion and fellowship with God is by sacrifice. Distinctive feature: offerer feasted.

SIN: Le.chp.4; 5:1-13; Le.6:24-30 Ps.chp.22 2Co.5:21

Choice of: bullock, kid, turtle dove, pigeons, fine flour

Presented, hands on head, killed, blood sprinkled, burned outside the camp. Offering depended upon one's status: ruler, priest, etc.

Atonement for man's sinful nature; sin expiated by a substituted life; blood emphasized. This was the first offering in the approach to God. Typical of Christ who died without the camp, denied the presence of God because He became sin. The person of the offerer was of importance, the grade of offering depended upon the degree of responsibility of the offerer but could be male or female. Distinctive feature: expiation for sin.

TRESPASS: Le.5:15; 6:7 Le.7:1-7 Ps.chp.69

Ram plus restitution money

Procedure same as Burnt offering, fat only burned at altar. Remainder burned either without the camp or eaten by priest on day of atonement. Restitution was principle plus 1/5 given injured one or priest.

Atonement for man's grievance of the government of God. Speaks of particular transgression and special acts of sin. Shortcoming or defilement is of concern rather than offerer's person. Typical of Christ's work in satisfying God's demands of justice and righteousness. Atonement made the foundation of restitution. Neither the trespass nor the sin offering was a sweet savor offering. Sin is not sweet to God. Distinctive feature: emphasized reparation and restitution for sin.



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3. The five offerings (Le.1:1 - 7:38)

The five offerings described in these chapters were the major offerings of the Israelites' worship services. Listed is what each offering meant to the people according to the specifications of Leviticus:

a. Burnt Offering (Le.1:3-17; 6:8-13):

The burnt offering was a voluntary devotion of all their very being and possessions to God through purifying fire. An Israelite sacrificing an animal leaned on the animal, signifying that he was identifying himself with the animal as it stood in his place. This act expressed the idea of substitution (Le.16:21-22; 24:14). When the animal died, it was as if the person who brought it also died, yet remained alive to serve God. Similarly, Christians entrust themselves to Christ and become one with Him in His death (Ro.6:3-11; 2Co.5:21; He.9:14). They are thus called on to live as people risen from the dead and to present themselves as living sacrifices to God (Ro.12:1; He.13:15).

The Hebrew term for burnt offering means that which goes up to God. The entire offering was burned up, signifying that complete consecration to God was essential to true worship. At the same time, forgiveness was involved (Le.1:4), emphasizing that before worshipers could devote themselves to God, they had to be cleansed from sin (Mt.5:23-24). According to the writer of Hebrews, Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the burnt offering (He.10:5-10).

b. Meal Offering (Le.2:1-16; 6:14-23):

This was a thank offering to God and offering of their lives for His service. The grain offering was a gift presented to God as an act of worship, symbolizing the dedication to God of the fruit of a person's labor. It implied that all human work should be done for the Lord and that one's daily food should be received with thanksgiving to Him (1Co.10:31; Co.3:23).

Yeast and honey were forbidden on the altar because they were used to aid fermentation. Fermentation, which involves change, decomposition or decay, often symbolized evil (Ex.13:7; Mk.8:15).

c. Peace Offering (Le.3:1-17; 7:11-21):

This offering was participation in the blessings of fellowship with God. This offering has also been called the fellowship offering. It was brought before God in order to have fellowship with Him, to express thanksgiving (Le.7:12-16; 22:29) or to make a vow (Le.7:16).



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- For the offerer, it involved commitment to the covenant and celebrated peace and reconciliation between God and the worshiper.

- This offering points forward to the peace and fellowship that believers have with God and other believers on the basis of Christ's death on the cross (Co.1:20; 1Jn.1:3), and then to the final communion when we will all sit down with God in His kingdom (Ps.22:26; Lk.14:15; Re.19:6-10).

d. Sin Offering (Le.4:1 - 5:13; 6:24-30):

The peopled needed toeing forgiven because they were sinners. God required a sin offering in order that those who sinned in ignorance, in weakness or unintentionally could receive forgiveness. Deliberately defiant sins, on the other hand, were to be punished by death (Nu.15:30-31; He.10:28). A guilt offering (similar to the sin offering) was used for those who were guilty of a sin or injury for which full restitution could be made (Le.6:2-6); sin offerings were necessary for ritual cleansing as well (Le.12:6-8; 14:13-17; Nu.6:11).

The sin offering foreshadows Christ's atoning death and His bearing the punishment of our sins. His death, however, was infinitely more perfect than the Old Testament sin offering in that it provided a single atonement for all sin (Is.chp.53; 2Co.5:21; Ep.1:7; He.9:11-12).

We, as New Testament believers, continually need Christ's atoning blood to cover mistakes, weaknesses and unintentional failings that flow from the frailty of human nature (Ps.19:12). Sins coming from rebellious disposition against God and His Word, however, will bring us under judgment and spiritual death unless we confess them and repent through renewed faith in Christ's atonement (He.2:3; 10:26,31; 2Pe.2:20-21).

e. Trespass Offering (Le.5:14 - 6:7; 7:1-10):

Being forgiven for the sins they committed. The trespass (or guilt) offering was a mandatory atonement for unintentional sin which also required restitution. That is, the person who sinned was required to repay in various amounts and manners according to the sin. It included cleansing from defilement, making restitution, and paying the twenty percent (20%) fine, over and above the restitution. The element of the offering was a ram or lamb.



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CHRISTIAN MESSAGE OF LEVITICUS' OFFERINGS OFFERING

THE CHRISTIAN

CHRIST

Burnt

Consecration

He presented Himself to the Father, to do His will.

Meal

Service

He served His Father and men as Son of Man.

Peace

Fellowship

He is the common bond of fellowship between God and man.

Sin

Redemption for the sinner that he is

He atoned for the guilt of sin.

Trespass

Redemption for the sin he commits

He atoned for the damage of sin.

4. Offerings were expected from the people to God.

The use of the word "when" assumes that the people would bring offerings in obedience to God's commands (Le.1:2). The noun “offering" (Heb. "corban") is related to the verb which means to draw near. Therefore, an offering was a gift that Israelite believers brought near to God in order to approach God and enjoy His fellowship and blessing (Ps.73:28). The five offerings described in Leviticus, chapters 1-7, are the burnt offering, the grain offering, the fellowship offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering. Worshipers presented offerings to express thanksgiving and faith, renew fellowship, deepen their dedication to the Lord, or ask for forgiveness. Offerings were in a real sense enacted prayers (Ps.116:17; Hos.14:2; He.13:15).

In many cases, an offering involved a sacrifice; an animal's life was taken. These offerings taught Israel that:

a. Humans are basically sinful beings whose sins merit death;

b. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin (Le.17:11;

He.9:22);

c. Atonement for sin must be made by substitution (Le.1:4, 17:11);

d. God's holiness must regulate and direct every area of human life (Le.10:3);

e. God desires to be gracious, to forgive, and to have fellowship with men

and women (Ex.34:6-7).



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In order to make the offering acceptable to God, there had to be genuine heartfelt repentance and a sincere commitment to walk in goodness and righteousness (Le.23:27-29; Is.1:11-17; Mic.6:6-8).

5. The Priesthood (Le. chp.8-10; 21-22)

The inauguration of the Old Testament priestly ministry (Ex.chp.28-29); Le.chp.8) began a new era in Israel's career. God at this time, through clear and unmistakable signs, symbols and events, daily showed forth His righteousness, grace and glory. Priests served especially as mediators, to help maintain fellowship between the holy God and the sinful people. Aaron and his four sons; Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, were chosen by God to be Israel's first priests (Ex.28:1). The qualifications of the priestly office matched the awesome responsibility which rested upon the priests' shoulders. It is not surprising, therefore, that five chapters of Leviticus (8-10; 21-22) are devoted to the consecration and holy disciplines of their ministry.

The Messianic typology of the Old Testament priesthood is rich, as a reading of Hebrews 8:1 through 10:18 reveals.

The one sinless, eternal Mediator between God and man is Christ Jesus (1Ti.2:5). The writer of Hebrews devotes many pages to exalt Him and His office, "...we have such a High Priest..." (He.8:1). 6. Day of Atonement (Le.chp.16)

The Day of Atonement was the most important day of Israel's calendar, for it was then that the idea of atonement for sin reached its highest expression. Sin and burnt offerings were part of the day's ritual. Only on this day could the high priest enter into the most holy place of the tabernacle. This was the only day of the year for which fasting was required, in bold contrast to the atmosphere of rejoicing that attended the annual feasts. On no other day were the Israelites more strongly impressed with the grace of God in forgiving all their sins. The Gospel of this day was a bright prophetic sign of the coming Gospel, of the event of Calvary, when Jesus would sacrifice Himself for the sins of man, once and for all. The Day of Atonement is the peak of Leviticus:

a. The word "atonement" means "to cover."

It comes from the Hebrew, "kippurim," which means "to cover over." It has the idea of covering over sin by making an equivalent payment or ransom, so that adequate recompense is made for the offense (Ex.30:12; Nu.35:31; Ps.49:7; Is.43:3).



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b. The need for atonement for sin.

The need for atonement arose from the fact that Israel's sins (Le.16:30), if not atoned for, would subject them to God's wrath (Ro.1:18; Co.3:5-6; 1Th.2:16). Thus the purpose of the Day of Atonement was to provide a comprehensive sacrifice for all sins that may not have been atoned for in the sacrifices offered throughout the preceding year. Thereby the people would be cleansed from their sins of the past year, avert God's wrath toward them, and maintain God's fellowship with them (Le.16:30-34; He.9:7).

c. The way of salvation is furnished.

Because God desired to save the Israelites, forgive their sins and reconcile them to Himself, He furnished a way of salvation by accepting in their place the death of an innocent life (the animal sacrificed); this animal bore their guilt and penalty (Le.17:11; Is.53:4, 6, 11) and covered over their sins by its shed blood.

7. The Ritual of the Day of Atonement.

Leviticus, chapter 16, describes the Day of Atonement, the most important holy day of the Jewish year. On this day the High Priest, clad in sacred garments, first prepared himself by bathing himself with water. Then, before making atonement for the sins of the people, he had to offer a bull for his own sins. Next he took two goats and cast lots: one became the sacrifice, the other became the scapegoat (Le.16:8). He killed the first goat, took its blood, entered the Most Holy Place behind the curtain, and sprinkled the blood on the atonement cover, placing the blood between God and the Tablets of the Law that were inside the Ark (laws they had broken but that were now covered by the blood), thus making atonement for the sin of the entire nation (Le.16:15-16). As a final step he took the live goat, laid his hands on its head, confessed over it all the unforgiven sins of the Israelites, and sent it away into the desert, symbolizing that their sins were carried out of the camp to disappear in the desert (Le.16:21-22).

a. The Day of Atonement was not a feast day.

The Day of Atonement was to be a solemn assembly, a day in which the people fasted and humbled themselves before the Lord (Le.16:31); this response emphasized sin's seriousness and the fact that God's atoning work was effective only for those who had a repentant heart and a persevering faith (Le.23:27; Nu.15:30; 29:7).



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b. Repetition of the Day of Atonement.

The Day of Atonement accomplished atonement for all sins and transgressions not atoned for during the previous year (Le.16:16, 21). It had to be repeated every year in the same manner.

8. Holy times (Le.chp.23-25)

God instituted holy times in the calendar of the Israelites so that His people would set aside many days of the year to meditate on who He was and what He had done for them. They had a wholesome, positive purpose about them, to emphasize that believers were to be separated unto the Lord as well as separated from evil. What the Israelites learned and experienced at these holy seasons, they were to practice daily, step by step, throughout their life.

Leviticus, chapter 23, presents a list of the feasts of the Lord, the sacred days of celebration and worship. These days were symbols of redemption and consecration, demonstrating that Israel and all they possessed belonged to God. There were two cycles of these feasts: a weekly cycle and an annual cycle. All were feasts except for the Day of Atonement, which was the one fast day required by the Law. These cycles helped to tie their worship to the events in their daily lives, for they were not to separate worship from life.



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Chart of Holy Seasons and Scripture References.

HOLY TIME

DATE

MAIN

PURPOSE

GOD SEEN

AS:

SCRIPTURES

Sabbath

7th day (wkly)

Rest from labor; Worship of God

Creator; Lord

Le.23:3 Ex.20:8-11 De.5:12-15

Passover

1/14

Remind of deliverance, future Savior

Deliverer; from bondage

Le.23:5 Nu.28:16 De.16:1-2

Unleavened Bread

1/15-21

Rest from labor

Bread of Life

Le.23:6-8 Nu.28:17-25 De.16:3-8

First fruits

1/16

Remind of “Land of milk and honey”

Provider

Le.23:9-14 Ex.23:16 Nu.28:26-31

Pentecost, (harvest)

3/6

Rest from labor; empowerment

Baptizer

Le.23:15-22 Ex.34:22 De.16:9-12

Trumpets

7/1

Rest from labor

Rapturer

Le.23:23-25 Nu.29:1-6

Day/Atonement

7/10

Sins put away

Expiator of sin

Le.23:26-32 Le.chp.16 Nu.29:7-11

Tabernacles

7/15-21

Reminder of the Exile

Restorer of all things

Le.23:33-44 Nu.29:12-40 De.16:13-15

Sabbatical Year

Every 7th year

Sabbath rest

Supplier

Le.25:1-7 Ex.23:10-11

Jubilee

Every 50th year

Freedom from all bondages, natural & spiritual

Deliverer

Le.25:8-55



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G. The Laws Concerning Feasts (Le.chp.23-24)

1. The Sabbath and the Annual Feasts

The word “feast” found in our Bibles is a translation of two different Hebrew words, one meaning “appointed time or season” and the other meaning “festival.” Thus, of the seven great religious feasts that Israel observed annually, only three were feasts; Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. The other four were simply appointed times. Only in the case of the Day of Atonement was fasting prescribed, but the others also were likely to minimize any celebration by feasting. In the Levitical system the special annual days were not occasions to mark great men but rather to mark great events with God. Three times yearly; at Pentecost, Passover, and Tabernacles all male Israelites were to make a pilgrimage to the center of worship. The term "convocation" means "assembling" or "gathering." It was not until the institution of the synagogue, after 586 B.C., that the Israelites began the custom of meeting together on the Sabbath.

The order of the feasts is usually considered to portray past and future events in the divine calendar. The first four feasts, coming in the spring of the year, speak of Christ's first advent and the events of that time, including the Pentecostal inauguration of the Church. The interval speaks of this present era of grace. The last three feasts, held in the fall, speak of the Rapture of the Church, the gathering together of Israel and Israel's restoration to God in the millennial era. It is unquestionably a fact that God gave the Israelites their special days and prescribed their significance and some details of their manner of observation. However, this is not to say that the claims of archaeologists that identify these feasts with Israel's pagan neighbors are necessarily wholly in error. It well may have been that there were pagan counterparts of the festivals of Jehovah that were observed by pagan nations as agricultural celebrations. However, in Israel's case the whole significance and emphasis was given a divine focus and a legitimate spiritual significance. In the same manner, today's Christian observance of such special days as Christmas and Easter is seen to have links with the pagan past of the Western world.



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FEASTS AND SET TIMES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT ERA

FEAST SCRIPTURE

PROCEDURES

TYPES

REMARKS

Passover

Lev.23:5 Nu.28:16 De.16:1

- Lamb slain, roasted - Family eats lamb - Burnt & sin offering

Speaks of Christ's redemptive work and the sinner's union with Christ, thus provided.

A memorial feast commemorating the deliverance from Egypt's bondage.

Unleavened Bread

Ex. 23:15 Le.23:6

- Unleavened bread eaten 7 days - Barley sheaf waved on 2 days - Daily burnt offerings - On 1st and 7th offerings, holy assembly

Speaks of the believer's new life through the clean-sing out of the leaven of sinful nature.

This bread constituted part of the Passover Feast. Barley was a farmer's first spring harvest.

First Fruits

Ex.23:16 Le.23:10

- Barley sheaf waved - Burnt, meal, drink offerings - None to be eaten before this dedication

Since Christ rose on this day, His resurrection is prefigured.

An expression of gratitude for harvest. Sin offering unnecessary.

Weeks (Pentecost)

Ex.34:22 Le.23:15 De.16:9

- Wheat loaves waved - Burnt, meal, drink, sin offerings - People rested

A type of Jerusalem, converts -firstfruits of Calvary. The 2 loaves indicate both Jews and Gentiles.

Constituted the end of the barley harvest and the presentation of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. In N.T. times the Spirit given on this day.

Trumpets

Le.23:24 Nu.29:1

- Trumpets sound work ceases - Burnt and meal offerings made

Speaks of God's ending His present silence with the rapture of saints and the re-gathering of Israel.

Historically this feast was considered to commemorate Sinai. Ram's horn trumpets called "Shofar."

Atonement

Le.16:3 Le.23:27 Nu.29:12-

13

- People fast & rest - Burnt & meal offerings - Slain goat & scapegoat - Blood within veil

Speaks of Israel's present mourning but future joy when their High Priest emerges from His prolonged present sojourn. Her conversion is implied.

A day of fast when Israel's sins for another year were covered. Israel's greatest day of the year.

Tabernacles (Ingathering)

Ex. 23:16 Le.23:34 Nu.29:12 De.16:13

- For seven days people dwell in booths of tree boughs - Daily burnt & meal offerings - An assembly on the eighth day

Speaks of the millennial restoration of Israel and the recollection of long years of exile.

Memorial of tent life in wilderness. On this day Jesus stood and cried aloud (Jn. 7: 37). Commemorated ingathering of vine and tree fruits at end of year.

"Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feast of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy

convocations, even these are my feasts" (Le.23:2).

a. Passover and Unleavened Bread

In modern Jewish observance, the Passover (Pesach) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Matzot) are brought together into one. An orthodox



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Jewish family prepares carefully for the occasion and, if possible, all members of the family come home. The house is thoroughly cleaned and an effort made to find and dispose of all traces of leavened bread. On the night of the Passover, there is a joyful family dinner and worship service known as the Seder. Though there are regional differences in the customs at this time, the elements of: wine, three unleavened cakes, a lamb shank, a roasted egg, salt water, horseradish, parsley and charoset (a mixture of apples and nuts), commonly comprise the meal and the symbols for the religious service. In compliance with the command that children be informed concerning these events (Ex.12:26), children are customarily given an important role in observing the Passover. The Seder home service closes with the singing of Psalms and sometimes with the pathetic prayer: "O God, send us the Messiah, this was the night we expected Him: We faint, yet we hope, Perhaps He will come next year, surely next year."

b. Trumpets

Modern Jews observe the Feast of Trumpets as Rosh Hashanah or the New Year and this tends to take precedence over the Passover as the beginning of their calendar. Thus, they have departed from the Biblical prescription of Rosh Hashanah, beginning of months, mentioned in Exodus 12:2, which identifies the name with the Passover. Scholars hold that the Rosh Hashanah observed in the fall, usually September came into being through the influence of the Babylonian captivity. The seventh month was the first month of the agricultural year of the Babylonians. In modern practice the Jews recognize this day as one in which every Jew is called upon to take spiritual inventory of his own life and to reorder his way in keeping with God's will. It is considered as a kind of judgment day in which God decides the fate of every Jew for the year to come. The synagogue service involves the ceremonial blowing of the ram's horn or Shofar to announce the occasion of the chosen time to become reconciled to one's fellow man and to God and also for the purpose of confusing Satan. A custom in some areas is the casting of bread crumbs upon a river or lake as a symbol of God's casting sins into the depth of the sea (Mic.7:19).

c. Atonement

On the day before atonement, every Orthodox Jew procures for himself either a chicken or goose. Where possible, the father of the family secures a rooster for the male members of his family, and a hen for the females. He then recites a prayer in which he declares that the birds are the atonement and sacrifice for their sins. Clearly the idea of such an informal sacrifice is contrary to the Bible pattern: "...Whatsoever man ... that offereth ... a sacrifice, and bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the Lord: even that man shall be cut off ..." (Le.17:8-9). Nevertheless, the sincere Jew is likely to make this season the occasion of devout worship and attendance at the synagogue. Services begin the preceding evening with a traditional



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service of impressively beautiful liturgies. The holy day itself is spent in the synagogue in prayer and fasting and not even water is permitted to break the fast. The day ends only when the first evening star appears and frequently the closing prayer is uttered: "Next year may we be in Jerusalem."

d. Tabernacles, also called Feast of Ingatherings

This feast commences four days after the Day of Atonement, and in all, lasts nine days. The additional two days are concerned with rejoicing for the gift of the Law. In part, at least, the feast serves as an occasion to render thanksgiving to God for a bountiful harvest. During the seven days of Tabernacles the people eat their meals in especially constructed booths and the pious attend the synagogue daily. The act of living in tents or temporary booths reminded the people of God's goodness to them during their forty years in the desert when they had no permanent dwelling place. One element of the service at these times is a procession of worshipers marching about the reading desk, carrying palms and citrons and reciting prayers. As the worshipers return to their places they strike the back of the pew in front of them with the palm branch. This ritual is thought to be a vestigial survival of tabernacle and temple worship and to represent the smiting stroke upon the sacrificial animal with which the offerer had identified by the laying on of hands. The Jew is thus related to his Scriptures: "... and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Is.53:6). The justification for the palm waving is also found in Scripture: "And ye shall take unto you on the first day the fruit of the goodly tree, branches of palm trees,... and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days" (Le.23:40).

e. Pentecost

This feast observed fifty days after the resurrection (First Fruits, Le.23:9-16) and is known as the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot. Since devout Jews believe that this day marks the anniversary of the occasion when God gave the Law they carefully review the sacred Torah, the Pentateuch, if necessary remaining up all night in order to do so. This feast occurred at the end of the wheat harvest, fifty days after the Feast of First fruits. On this day God's people gave thanks for His abundant gifts of food and for all that sustained them. It was on the Day of Pentecost that God poured out the Holy Spirit on Christ's disciples (Ac.2:1-4).

f. Hanukkah

Although not strictly a Biblical feast, Hanukkah, or the Feast of Lights, is rooted in events prior to the time of Christ. However, it is mentioned in the New Testament and there called the Feast of Dedication (Jn.10:22). It commemorates the victory of the Jews over Antiochus Ephipphanes in the



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time of the Maccabees and reenacts the miracle whereby a single day's supply of oil in the temple lasted for eight days. Thus the festivities include the lighting of one candle each day for eight days, daily prayer in the synagogue and the reading of the Hallel Psalms (Ps.113-118), together with other hymns of thanksgiving. Hanukkah begins on the thirteenth of Kislev and continues for eight days so that it roughly corresponds to the Christian's Christmas. Modern Jews have added the practice of the exchange of gifts at this time.

2. Priestly duties

The twenty-fourth (24th) chapter of Leviticus is concerned with three (3) main topics; the continually burning lamp, the shewbread, and the sin of blasphemy (Le.24:1-9).

a. The lamp is a type of Christian.

The continually burning lamp is a noteworthy type of the Christian. The lamp of beaten gold signifies the crucified Christ upon whom the New Testament message depends. The pure olive oil speaks of the indwelling Holy Spirit Who empowers the believer for a continual and consistent Christian testimony.

b. The shewbread indicates the partaking of Christ.

The shewbread, as previously noted in Exodus 25:30 consisted of little flat cakes. They were arranged on the table in two rows of six, and were renewed each seven days. Only Aaron and his sons were authorized to eat the bread that was removed. The eating of the shewbread speaks to the believer of spiritually partaking of Christ, the Bread of Life. c. The sin of blasphemy.

The crime of the man who lost his temper as a result of a petty scuffle was that he used the name of deity and holy things irreverently and improperly is venting his wrath upon his adversary. For this sin of blasphemy he suffered stoning. This incident served as a pattern for all of Israel's later dealings with blasphemers.

H. Laws Concerning the Land (Le.chp.25)

1. The Sabbatical Year and the Year of Jubilee

The Sabbatical Year was to be observed when the people were settled in the land. Every seventh year was to be counted as a Sabbath and in that time the land was to rest entirely. The people, except the very poor, were forbidden to gather even that which grew itself. The Lord promised ample provision through an increased harvest each sixth year. During the seventh year the people were free to hunt, feed



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their flocks, repair their buildings, and engage in commerce. The people failed to observe this provision for the Sabbatical Year, and the Babylonian Captivity was one of the consequences (2Ch.36:20-21).

God designated that every fiftieth year was to be counted a Year of Jubilee. The word “Jubilee” appears to be an adaptation of the Hebrew word for trumpet and it was evidently attached to the year because this is the way in which it was announced. As this year was launched, all civil, property and personal rights and possessions were automatically to revert to their original owners. Prisoners were to be released and lost estates were to be restored. The provisions for the Year of Jubilee thus prevented the accumulation of wealth by a Jew and taught the fact of God's ownership of Palestine. God maintained prior right to the land, and had determined that it might never be sold. In all business dealings at all times, the Israelite would have to bear in mind the fact that within a given time another Year of Jubilee would be announced and no contracts would extend beyond that period. Inasmuch as this year followed the forty-ninth, itself a Sabbatical year, only the special intervention of God made it possible for the people to be sustained without a harvest.

Today in modern Palestine, some Jews have made an effort to observe the old Sabbatical year. In 1951, for instance, since there was not real sentiment to observe the Law the rabbis technically "sold" the entire territory of Israel to an obliging Arab. At the end of the year they bought it back. Only a few hundred people were not satisfied by this device, but these latter faithfully let their fields lie fallow and then duly celebrated the close of the period with the first ceremony of Hakhel since 42 A.D. in the time of King Agrippa. 2. The blessing and the curse predicated on obedience.

The Lord took occasion once more to remind the Israelites that they would be blessed for obedience and cursed for disobedience. If they were obedient they were to enjoy such blessings as : rain, a fruitful land, peace, deliverance from wild beasts and victory over their enemies. If they were disobedient they would suffer: disease, famine, defeat by enemies, inroads from wild beasts, dispersion and the desolation of the land.

Historically, of course, Israel fell beneath the curse. One has commented: "The tragedies of Israel's history constitute her people's monuments of Jehovah's inflexible truth and justice." The exercise of God's government toward Israel in this era has historically led them into suffering; the exercise of God's grace to His people during the millennium will lead them into happiness.

3. The keeping of a vow was a serious matter.

The Lord prescribed that whatever or whoever was given to Him in a moment of religious devotion was thenceforth to remain His and could be recovered by the



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original owner only by due payment. There was no compulsion about taking a vow but strict compulsion about keeping it once it was made. However, as one person points out: "No man was allowed to impoverish his family by vowing all that he had. Simply saying 'Corban' (“it is a gift,” see Mark 7:11-12), did not relieve a man from responsibility for the care of his family." The one exception to compulsion in keeping a vow was in the case of the man who vowed more than he had. In this case God chose to exercise certain sentimentality. One observer states the following on vs. 8: "... if it be a question of a man's undertaking to meet the claims of righteousness, then he must meet the demand; but if a man feels himself wholly unable to meet these claims, he has only to fall back upon grace, which will take him up just as he is."

To recover a devoted person it was necessary to pay into the tabernacle treasury a sum equal to the value of the person to the Lord's service. A clean beast could not be recovered but the unclean could be redeemed by a payment of its value, plus one-fifth more. A house and field, likewise, could be redeemed only by payment of its value, plus one fifth. Neither firstlings nor tithes could be dedicated to the Lord, for they were already His.

I. Key Words and Verses

Some of the most prominent key words and phrases of Leviticus are "holy," about ninety times. "Blood," "life," and "before the Lord" (about sixty times). Key verses suggested for Leviticus are 17:11 and 19:2.

To understand Calvary, we must view it with all the light of the atonement story centered upon it. With Isaiah, the evangelical prophet of the old dispensation, and with the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, we must turn to Leviticus and read of the great Day of Atonement and of the explanation which is given of it there: "For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for the soul."

X. OUTLINE OF NUMBERS Part One: The Preparation of the Old Generation to Inherit the Promised Land (1:1 - 10:10)

A. The Organization of Israel 1:1-4:49

1. Organization of the People 1:1-2:34

2. Organization of the Priests 3:1-4:49

B. Sanctification of Israel 5:1-10:10

1. Sanctification through Separation 5:1-31



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2. Sanctification through the Nazarite Vow 6:1-27

Sanctification through Worship 7:1-9:14 4. Sanctification through Divine Guidance 9:15-10:10

Part Two: The Failure of the Old Generation to Inherit the Promised Land (10:11 - 25:18)

A. The Failure of Israel Enroute to Kadesh 10:11-12:16

1. Israel Departs Mount Sinai 10:11-36

2. Failure of the People 11:1-9

3. Failure of Moses 11:10-15

4. God Provides for Moses 11:16-30

5. God Provides for the People 1 1:31-35

6. Failure of Miriam and Aaron 12:1-16

B. The Climatic Failure of Israel at Kadesh 13:1-14:45

1. Investigation of the Promised Land 13:1-33

2. Israel Rebels against God 14:1-10

3. Moses Intercedes 14:11-19

4. God Judges Israel 14:20-38

5. Israel Rebels Against the Judgment of God 14:39-45

C. The Failure of Israel in the Wilderness 15:1-19:22

1. Review of the Offerings 15:1-41

2. Rebellion of Korah 16:1-40

3. Rebellion of Israel against Moses and Aaron 16:41-50

4. Role of the Priesthood 17:1-19:22



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D. The Failure of Israel Enroute to Moab 20:1-25:18

1. Miriam Dies 20:1

2. Moses and Aaron Fail 20:2-13

3. Edom Refuses Passage 20:14-21

4. Aaron Dies 20:22-29

5. Israel's Victory over the Canaanites 21:1-3

6. The Failure of Israel 21:4-9

7. Journey to Moab 21:10-20

8. Israel's Victory over Ammon 21:21-32

9. Israel's Victory over Bashan 21:33-35

10. Failure with the Moabites 22:1-25:18 Part Three: The Preparation of the New Generation to Inherit the Promised Land (26:1 - 36:13)

A. The Reorganization of Israel 26:1-27:23

1. The Second Census 26:1-51

2. Method for Dividing the Land 26:52-56

3. Exceptions for Dividing the Land 26:57-27:11

4. Appointment of Israel's New Leader 27:12-23

B. The Regulation of Offerings and Vows 28:1-30:16

1. The Regulations of Sacrifices 28:1-29:40

2. The Regulations of Vows 30:1-16

C. The Conquest and Division of Israel 31:1-36:13

1. Victory over Midian 31:1-54

2. Division of the Land East of Jordan 32:1-42



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3. The Summary of Israel's Journeys 33:1-49

4. Division of the Land West of Jordan 33:50-34:29

5. Special Cities in Canaan 35:1-34

6. Special Problems of Inheritance in Canaan 36:1-13

A. Numbers: Journey to Gods Rest Land

Numbers is the story of God leading His people, Israel, through the wilderness on their way to Canaan, the rest land He promised. God did not intend for them to go through the wilderness for forty years. Numbers was written to tell why Israel did not enter the Promised Land immediately after leaving Mount Sinai. It illustrates God's requirement of faith for His people, His chastisements and judgments for rebellion, and how His ongoing purpose was eventually realized.

The journey moves from Mount Sinai to the plains of Moab, opposite Jericho. First, it was a brief journey into places unknown, demanding the utmost in trust and patience. Then, it became a long, aimless wandering in judgment for unbelief, consuming all but a few of the original travelers. Finally, it was a new and swift journey by the new generation with a few of the old leaders, reviving the hopes of the nation to appropriate the original promise of the land of rest and blessing.

As the Book of Numbers closes, the people can expect to hear the trumpet as the signal to cross over the Jordan into the land. They have to drive the enemy out of the land, but success is assured, for their God has said, "I will give it you" (Nu.10:29). The five books of Moses, the Pentateuch, as noted earlier, constitute a whole. Numbers, as the fourth part of that whole, makes its indispensable contribution.

BOOK

NATION OF ISRAEL

MAN

GOD

Genesis

Birth; infancy

His creation, fall, hope

Sovereignty

Exodus

Delivered from Egypt

Deliverance

Mercy

Leviticus

Given law of worship and living

Access to God and fellowship with Him

Holiness

Numbers

Traveling to Canaan

Conditions for inheritance

Patience

Deuteronomy

Final preparations for entering Canaan

Consecration

Lordship



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B. The Christ of Numbers

Perhaps the clearest portrait of Christ in Numbers is the bronze serpent on the stake, a picture of the crucifixion (Nu.21:4-9): "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up" (Jn.3:14). The rock that quenches the thirst of the multitudes is also a type of Christ: "...They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (1Co.10:4). The daily manna pictures the Bread of Life who later comes down from heaven (Jn.6:31-33).

Balaam foresees the rulership of Christ: "I shall see Him, but not now; I shall behold Him, but not nigh; there shall come a Star out of Jacob; and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel..." (Nu.24:17). The guidance and presence of Christ is seen in the pillar of cloud and fire, and the sinner's refuge in Christ may be seen in the six cities of refuge. The red heifer sacrifice (Nu.chp.19) is also considered a type of Christ.

C. Keys to Numbers

1. Key word: Wanderings

Numbers records the failure of Israel to believe in the promise of God and the resulting judgment of wandering in the wilderness for forty years.

2. Key verses: Numbers 14:22-23; 20:12

3. Key chapter: Numbers 14

The critical turning point of Numbers may be seen in Numbers chapter fourteen (14) when Israel rejects God by refusing to go up and conquer the Promised Land. God judges Israel "according to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year; namely, forty years, and you shall know My rejection" (14:34).

D. Survey of Numbers

Israel, as a nation is in its infancy at the outset of this book, only thirteen months after the exodus from Egypt. In Numbers, the book of divine discipline, it becomes necessary for the nation to go through the painful process of testing and maturation. God must teach His people the consequences of irresponsible decisions. The forty years of wilderness experience transforms them from a rabble group of ex-slaves into a nation ready to take the Promised Land. Numbers begins with old generation (Nu.1:1 - 10:10), moves through a tragic transitional period (Nu.10:11-25:18), and ends with the new generation (Nu.chp.26-36) at the doorway to the Land of Canaan.

The primary message of Numbers is clear: God's people progressed forward only by trusting Him and His promises and by obeying His Word. Although passing through the desert was necessary for a season, it was not God's original intention that the desert



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test be prolonged so that a whole generation of Israelites live and die there. The short journey from Mount Sinai to Kadesh, however, became a thirty-nine (39) year affliction and judgment because of their unbelief. Throughout most of Numbers, the exodus generation of Israelites was faithless, rebellious and ungrateful for God's miracles and provisions. Major murmuring occurred among the people soon after leaving Mount Sinai (Nu.chp.11); the congregation talked against advance into Canaan (Nu.chp.14); Korah and many Levites rebelled against Moses (Nu.chp.16); pushed to the limits by a rebellious people, Moses finally sinned in angry exasperation (Nu.chp. 20); and Israel worshiped Baal (Nu.chp. 25). All Israelites who were twenty (20) years old and older at Kadesh, except Joshua and Caleb, perished in the desert. A new generation of Israelites was finally brought to the eastern border of the Promised Land (Nu.chp. 26-36).

1. The old generation receives directions from God (Nu.1:1 - 10:10).

The generation that witnessed God's miraculous acts of deliverance and preservation receives further direction from God while they are still at the foot of Mount Sinai (Nu.1:1 - 10:10). God's instructions are very explicit, reaching every aspect of their lives. He is the author of order, not confusion; and this is seen in the way He organizes people around the tabernacle. Turning from the outward conditions of the camp (Nu.chp.1-4) to the inward conditions (Nu.chp.5-10), Numbers describes the spiritual preparation of the people. 2. The tragic transition from faith to unbelief with disastrous results (Nu.10:11 -

25:18).

Israel follows God step by step until Canaan is in sight. Then in the crucial moment at Kadesh they draw back in unbelief. Their murmuring had already become incessant, "And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it..." (Nu.11:1). But their unbelief after sending out the twelve spies at Kadesh Barnea is something God would not tolerate. Their rebellion at Kadesh marks the pivotal point of the book. The generation of the exodus will not be the generation of the conquest.

Unbelief brings discipline and hinders God's blessing. The old generation is doomed to literally kill time for forty years of wilderness wanderings - one year for every day spent by the twelve spies in inspecting the land. They are judged by disinheritance and death as their journey changes from one of anticipation to one of aimlessness. Only Joshua and Caleb, the two spies who believed God, enter Canaan. Almost nothing is recorded about these transitional years.

3. The new generation prepares to go into the Land (Nu.chp.26-36):

When the transition to the new generation is complete, the people move to the plains of Moab, directly east of the Promised Land (Nu.22:1). Before they can enter the land they must wait until all is ready. Here they receive new instructions,



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a new census is taken; Joshua is appointed as Moses' successor and some of the people settle in the Trans-Jordan.

The Book of Numbers record two generations (Nu.chp.1-14), (Nu.chp.21-36); two numberings (Nu.chp.1 and 26), two journeyings (Nu.chp.10-14 and 21-27), and two sets of instructions (Nu.chp.5-9 and 28-36). It illustrates both the kindness and severity of God (Ro.11:22) and teaches that God's people can move forward only as they trust and depend on Him.

E. Background

1. Title

This fourth book of Moses has had various titles, "Book of Journeying," and "Book of Murmuring." According to the Hebrew custom of deriving its title from the first word of the Hebrew text, it has been called 'Bemidbar,' meaning simply "In the wilderness."

When the Septuagint translators affixed a title to the book they chose the Greek word "Arithmoi," meaning Numbers. The title was based on the two numberings, or censuses, of the people as recorded in the book (Nu.chp.1 and 26). The Latin Vulgate named it "Liber Numeri," "Book of Numbers," which was carried over into the English versions.

It is both an exciting and inspiring story and all who spend time studying it receive much benefit.

2. Author

Authorship has historically been ascribed to Moses by the Jewish and Samaritan Pentateuch, by Jewish tradition, by Jesus and New Testament writers, by ancient Christian writers, by modern conservative scholars, and by internal evidence of the book itself (Nu.33:1-2). Moses undoubtedly kept a diary during the desert wanderings and then put the contents of Numbers in narrative form sometime shortly before his death, probably 1405 B.C. Moses practice of referring to himself in the third person was commonplace in ancient writings and does not weaken the credibility of his authorship.

External and internal evidences point conclusively to Mosaic authorship of all five books of the Pentateuch, which includes Numbers. Moses certainly was a logical choice of God to write Numbers since he was the chief eyewitness of its events.

3. Date

Moses probably wrote Numbers when he was at Moab with his people, toward the end of his life at the close of the fifteenth century B.C.



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4. The chronological sequence of events in Numbers covers thirty-nine years.

Numbers is a sequel to the history recorded in the book of Exodus. After approximately one year at Mount Sinai, during which time God established His covenant with Israel, gave Moses the law and the pattern for the Tabernacle, and instructed him about the contents of Leviticus, the Israelites prepared to continue their journey to the land God had promised them as the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Shortly before departing from Mount Sinai, however, God directed Moses to take a census of all the Israelite men who were eligible to go to war (Nu.1:2-3). Nineteen days afterwards, the nation departed from there on a brief journey to Kadesh (Nu.10:11). Numbers records Israel's serious rebellion at Kadesh and her subsequent thirty-nine (39) years of judgment in the desert, until God brought an entirely new generation of Israelites to the plains of Moab, which lay across the Jordan River from Jericho and the promised land.

F. Subjects

1. The censuses counted the fighting forces of Israel (Nu.chp.1 and 26)

Both censuses of this book were counts of the fighting forces of Israel, not of the total population. On the basis of those censuses, the total population has been estimated to be around two million. The people occupied a very large area as they traveled and were miraculously fed and sustained along the way.

2. Final instructions are given for individuals before the journey (Nu.5:1 - 10:10)

The first four chapters of Numbers records the directions which Jehovah gave Moses regarding preparations for the journey as related especially to the community of the camp as a whole.

In chapter 1, the instructions were, "Count the warriors of the camp." In chapter 2, the instruction was "Arrange the tribes in the camp." Beginning in Chapter 5, the instructions were aimed at individuals within the camp. Read these chapters in Numbers with the following outline in mind:

a. Put out the unclean (5:1-4)

b. Judge the guilty (5:5-31)

c. Separate yourselves (Nazarite vow) (6:1-27)

d. Offers gifts (7:1-88)

e. Cleanse the Levites (7:89 - 8:26)



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f. Keep the Passover (9:1-14)

g. Follow your leaders (9:15 - 10:10).

3. The spies' reports causes unbelief amongst the people (Nu.13:1-33).

As the Israelites approached the Land of Canaan from the south, Moses sent spies ahead to see what the Israelite armies would be facing. The people actually decided (perhaps insisted, De.1:19-46). God chose to use this situation as a terminal test of faith. He knew what the report would be, overwhelmingly fearful from a human standpoint.

What God wanted to do was to face the people with the ultimate in the test of their faith: Would they move on in faith into the jaws of apparent annihilation? Joshua and Caleb's recommendation was to go in and possess the land, impregnable as it seemed. Ten of the spies' conclusions were that a conquest of the land was impossible. In unbelief, all the people went along with the pessimistic report and rebelled against the Lord and His promises of deliverance. They cried out, "Let us make a captain and let us return into Egypt” (Nu.14:4).

Judgment by God was inevitable: death and disinheritance (Nu.14:11-12). Everyone who murmured against Jehovah would die in the wilderness in the course of forty (40) years. Only Caleb and Joshua, along with the children of the murmuring Israelites, would enter Canaan at the end of the forty years.

4. Unbelief caused the desert wanderings for a whole generation (Nu.15:1 -

19:22).

The next thirty-seven (37) years or more were transitional years in the history of the nation of Israel. When the commencement and closing days of the wilderness experiences are included the total time period was forty years. (Nu.15:1 - 19:22)

Numbers records very few events of these transitional years for in a real sense these were years of void; one generation of Israel's sacred history was quickly dying off and its rising youth as yet had no history at all. But though the period lacked events it did not lack in its significance as a transitional period.

a. Geographically

The people neither advanced nor retreated geographically. They wandered aimlessly about the wilderness and desert areas between Kadesh and the Red Sea (Nu.14:25), consuming the years of God's calendar of judgment. Some names of the camping places are listed (Nu.33:19-36).

When the judgment years came to a close, the nation returned to Kadesh (Nu.20:1), ready then to advance toward Canaan.



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b. Population

The thirty-seven (37) years produced a major population change. The approximately six-hundred-thousand (600,000) warriors met their appointed death over the space of the years, some by violent causes (Nu.16:49), and were buried in the wilderness, daily reminders of God's great judgment. Children and youth under twenty (20) years of age grew up, were married and reared children. By the end of the wandering years a new generation of the seed of Abraham had appeared. c. Spiritually

In a spiritual sense, new seeds of hope were sown; the original covenant and promise reaffirmed and preparation for entering God's land renewed. For this spiritual ministry among the people God still had His servants; namely, Moses, Aaron, Aaron's sons, the Levites, Joshua and Caleb. The next chapters of Numbers put into focus the major spiritual issues of these transitional years.

5. The entrance to the land would be opposite Jericho (Nu.22:1 - 36:13).

The Israelites had now arrived at the gate to the Promised Land. Geographically that gate is described as by "in...the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho" (Nu.22:1).

For the Israelites God would keep the gate closed until the day of entrance arrived. The delay was for the accomplishment of God's sovereign business at this crucial junction in the history of the Israelites. In the midst of new problems the people would experience God's hand of vindication and judgment (Nu.22:2 - 25:18)

For preparation for life in the new land, a new census must be taken, a new leader identified to succeed Moses and the law of God finalized (Nu.chp.26-30). Actually, Deuteronomy contains the bulk of legislation given to the people at this time.

Good strategy called for completing the disposition of the Trans-Jordan, land on the east side of the Jordan where the Israelites were now settled, before crossing into Canaan proper (Nu.chp.31-32). Finally, specifications were given as to the geographical distribution of the lands of Canaan with an identification of cities of refuge and recognition of the stability of inheritance within the respective tribes, (Nu.chp.34-36).

Joshua became the new leader before entrance to the land. This was an important item of business, as previously noted, the designation of a new leader to succeed Moses. After telling Moses to take one last view of the Promised Land before his death (Nu.27:12-14), the Lord instructed him to commission Joshua, son of Nun, as his successor (Nu.27:18-21).



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Moses, one-hundred-twenty 120 years old, a mature man of God and faithful leader of his people through agonizing years of tribulation was still in prime physical condition (De.34:7). He would have loved to be there when his brethren finally crossed the Jordan into the land of rest. He unflinchingly obeyed his Master to the very end and "did just as the Lord commanded him" (Nu.27:22). Before his death, recorded in Deuteronomy, Moses was to manifest this obedient attitude in a few more tasks as God's servant.

G. Special Features

Six major features characterize numbers.

1. Desert wanderings

It is the book of desert wanderings, revealing clearly why Israel did not immediately possess the Promised Land after leaving Mount Sinai but instead had to wander aimlessly in the desert for thirty-nine (39) more years.

2. Book of murmuring

It is recorded again and again the murmuring discontent and bitter complaint of the Israelites against God and His dealings with them.

3. Numbers demonstrates the principle of faith.

The book illustrates clearly that without faith, it is impossible to please God (He.11:6). Throughout the book one sees that God's people move forward only by trusting Him with unwavering faith, believing His promises and leaning on Him as their source of life and hope.

4. God's plan will be fulfilled.

Numbers profoundly reveals the principle that if one generation fails, God will raise up another one to fulfill His promises and carry out His mission.

5. Censuses prove the size of Israel's army sufficient.

The census prior to Kadesh (Nu.chp.1-4) and the census later at the plains of Moab before entering Canaan (Nu.chp.26) reveal that it was not the insufficient size of Israel's army that kept her out of Canaan at Kadesh but the inadequacy of her faith and obedience.



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6. Numbers is a book of discipline.

It is the book of divine discipline, demonstrating that God does discipline and exercise judgment against His own people when they persist in complaint and unbelief (Nu.chp.13-14).

H. New Testament Fulfillment

Israel's murmuring and unbelief are mentioned as warnings for believers under the New Covenant (1Co.10:5-11; He.3:16-4:6). The seriousness of Balaam's sin (Nu.chp.22-24) and Korah's rebellion (Nu.chp.16) are mentioned (2Pe.2:15-16; Jude:11; Re.2:14). Jesus refers to the bronze snake (Nu.21:7-9) to illustrate His being lifted up so that those who believe in Him might not perish but have eternal life (Jn.3:14-16); also, Christ Jesus is compared to the rock from which the Israelites drank in the desert (1Co.10:4) and the heavenly manna they ate (Jn.6:31-33).

XI. OUTLINE OF DEUTERONOMY Part one: Moses' First Sermon: "What God has Done for Israel" (Deu. 1:1 - 4:43)

A. The Preamble of the Covenant 1:1-5

B. The Review of Gods Acts for Israel 1:6-4:43

1. From Mount Sinai to Kadesh 1:6-18

2. At Kadesh 1:19-46

3. From Kadesh to Moab 1:1-23

4. Conquest of East Jordan 2:24-3:29

5. Transition of Leadership 3:21-29 6. Summary of the Covenant 4:1-43

Part Two: Moses' Second Sermon: "What God Expects of Israel” (Deu. 4:44 - 26:19)

A. The Introduction to the Law of God 4:44-49

B. The Exposition of the Decalogue 5:1-11:32

1. Covenant of the Great King 5:1-33

2. Command to Teach the Law 6:1-25



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3. Command to Conquer Canaan 7:1-26

4. Command to Remember the Lord 8:1-20

5. Commands about Self-righteousness 9:1-10:11

6. Commands Regarding Blessings and Cursings 10:12-11:32

C. The Exposition of the Additional Laws 12:1-26:19

1. Exposition of the Ceremonial Laws 12:1-16:17

2. Exposition of the Civil Laws 16:18-20:20

3. Exposition of the Social Laws 21:1-26:19

Part Three: Moses' Third Sermon: "What God Will do for Israel" (Deu. 27:1 - 34:12)

A. The Ratification of the Covenant of Canaan 27:1-28:68

1. Erection of the Altar 27:1-8

2. Admonition to Obey the Law 27:9-10

3. Proclamation of the Curses 27:11-26

4. Warnings of the Covenant 28:1-68

B. The Institution of the Palestinian Covenant 29:1-30:20

1. The Covenant is based on the Power of God 29:1-9

2. Parties of the Covenant 29:10-15

3. Warnings of the Covenant 29:16-30:10

4. Ratification of the Palestinian Covenant 30:11-20

C. The Transition of the Covenant Mediator 31:1-34:12

1. Moses Charges Joshua and Israel 31:1-13

2. God Charges Israel 31:14-21

3. The Book of the Law is Deposited 31:22-30



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4. The Son of Moses 32:1-47

5. The Death of Moses 32:48-34:12

A. Deuteronomy: Book of Remembrance

The last book of the Pentateuch records Moses' address to the nation of Israel as the people prepared to enter the promised land of Canaan.

"These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan in the wilderness” (De.1:1).

Since the time of Joshua no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face who accomplished all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel (De.34:10-12).

B. The Christ of Deuteronomy

The most obvious portrait of Christ is found in Deuteronomy 18:15. "The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear" (see also De.18:16-19; Ac.7:37). Moses is a type of Christ in many ways as he is the only biblical figure other than Christ to fill the three offices of prophet (De.34:10-12), priest (Ex.32:31-35), and king (although Moses was not king, he functioned as ruler of Israel (De.33:4-5). Both were in danger of death during childhood; both were saviours, intercessors, and believers; and both were rejected by their brethren. Moses is one of the greatest men who ever lived, combining not just one or two memorable virtues but many. C. Keys to Deuteronomy

1. Key word: Covenant

The primary theme of the entire Book of Deuteronomy is the renewal of the covenant. Originally established at Mount Sinai the covenant is enlarged and renewed on the plains of Moab.

2. Key verses: Deuteronomy 10:12-13; 30:19-20

3. Key chapter: Deuteronomy 27

The formal ratification of the covenant occurs in Deuteronomy 27 as Moses, the priests, the Levites, and all of Israel "...take heed and listen, O Israel: This day you have become the people of the Lord your God” (De.27:9).



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D. Survey of Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy, in its broadest outline, is the record of the renewal of the Old Covenant given at Mount Sinai. This covenant is reviewed, expanded, enlarged and finally ratified in the plains of Moab. Moses accomplishes this primarily through three sermons that move from a retrospective, to an introspective and finally to a prospective look at God's dealings with Israel.

1. Moses' first sermon (De.1:1 - 4:43)

Moses reaches into the past to remind the people of two undeniable facts in their history;

a. The moral judgment of God upon Israel's unbelief

b. The deliverance and provision of God during times of obedience. The simple lesson is that obedience brings blessing and disobedience brings punishment.

c. Moses was summoning the new generation to fear God and obey him.

2. Moses' second sermon (De.4:44 - 26:19)

This moral and legal section is the longest in the book because Israel's future as a nation in Canaan will depend upon a right relationship with God. These chapters review the three categories of the law:

a. The testimonies (De.chp.5-11).

These are the moral duties, a restatement and expansion of the Ten Commandments, plus an exhortation not to forget God's gracious deliverance.

b. The statutes (De.12:1 - 16:17).

These are the ceremonial duties; sacrifices, tithes, and feasts.

c. The ordinances (De.16:18 - 26:19).

These are the civil (De.16:18 - 20:20) and social duties (De.chp.21-26), the system of justice, criminal laws, laws of warfare, rules of property, personal and family morality and social justice.



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3. Moses' third sermon is history before it happens (De.chp.27-34)

In these chapters Moses writes history in advance. He predicts what will befall Israel in the near future, blessings and cursings, and in the distant future, dispersion among the nations and eventual return. Moses lists the terms of the covenant soon to be ratified by the people. Because Moses will not be allowed to enter the land he appoints Joshua as his successor and delivers a farewell address to the multitude. God Himself buries Moses in an unknown place, perhaps to prevent idolatry. Moses finally enters the Promised Land when he appears with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mt.17:3). The last three verses of the Pentateuch (De.34:10-12) are an appropriate epitaph for this great man. 4. Deuteronomy is a covenant renewal document.

As a covenant renewal document, Deuteronomy is organized like a suzerainty (the position or power of a ruler and his political control) covenant treaty of that time:

a. Preamble (De.1:1-5)

b. Historical Prologue (De.1:6-4:43)

c. Main Stipulations (De.4:44-26:19)

d. Curses and Blessings (De.27:1-30:20)

e. Arrangements for Its Continuation (De.31:1-33:29)

5. Renewal on the plains of Moab.

After the rebellious and unfaithful generation of Israelites had died during their thirty-nine (39) years of wandering in the desert, God called a whole new generation of Israelites and prepared them to enter the Promised Land by renewing the covenant with Him. To conquer the land of Canaan successfully would require their commitment to this covenant and the assurance that the Lord God would be with them.

a. Covenant renewal is the main focus of Deuteronomy.

This covenant renewal is the main focus of the book of Deuteronomy. After an opening preamble, Deuteronomy summarizes the history of God's dealings with His people from the time they left Sinai, recites the main stipulations of the covenant, reminds the Israelites of the curses and blessings of the covenant, and closes with the arrangements for its continuation. Though not specifically mentioned in the book, we may assume that the nation of Israel with one voice



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agreed with a hearty "Amen" to the covenant stipulations, even as the previous generation had done at Mount Sinai.

b. The same basic covenant is revealed in Deuteronomy.

The basic format of this covenant remained the same as the covenant at Mount Sinai. A recurring theme throughout Deuteronomy is that if God's people obeyed all the words of the covenant, God would bless them; if they did not, God would curse and punish them instead. The only way in which they and their descendants could remain forever in the land of Canaan was by keeping the covenant through loving the Lord and obeying God's law.

c. The covenant refreshed in memory of the Israelites in Deuteronomy.

Moses instructed the people to refresh their memories periodically concerning the covenant. Every seven years, at the Feast of Tabernacles, all the Israelites were to appear in the place God would choose; there they would be reminded of their covenant by listening to the reading of the Law of Moses and by promising to obey what they had heard.

d. Several covenant renewals are in Scripture.

The Old Testament records several notable examples of this covenant remembrance and renewal. After the land had been conquered and shortly before Joshua died, he called all the people together for this purpose (Jos. chp.24). The people's response was clear and unmistakable (Jos. chp.24). Thereupon Joshua made a covenant for the people. Similarly, Jehoiada led a covenant renewal ceremony at the crowning of Joash (2Kg.11:17), as did Josiah (2Kg.23:1-3), Hezekiah (2Ch.29:10) and Ezra (Ne.8:1-10:39).

e. The covenant remembrance is relevant today.

The call to covenant remembrance and renewal is relevant today. The New Testament is God's covenant with us. We remember His covenant with us as we read and study His revelation with its promises and stipulations, as we hear it proclaimed in the preaching of God's Word, and most specifically, as we participate in the Lord's Supper (1Co.11:17-34). Through the Lord's Supper we also renew our commitment to love the Lord and to serve Him with our whole heart (1Co.11:20).

6. There are major ethical concerns in the covenant.

a. Personhood - everyone's person is to be secure (Ex.20:13; De.5:17;

Ex.21:16-21).



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b. False accusation - everyone is to be secure against slander and false accusation (Ex.20:16; De.5:20; Ex.23:1-3).

c. Women - no woman is to be taken advantage of within her subordinate

status in society (Ex.21:7-11, 20, 26-32; 22:16-17).

d. Punishment - punishment for wrongdoing shall not be excessive so that the culprit is dehumanized (De.25:1-3).

e. Dignity - every Israelite's dignity and right to be God's freedman and

servant are to be honored and safeguarded (Ex.21:2, 5-6; Le.chp.25; De.15:12-18).

f. Inheritance - every Israelite's inheritance in the Promised Land is to be

secure (Le.chp.25; Nu.27:5-7; 36:1-9).

g. Property - everyone's property is to be secure (Ex.20:15; De.5:19; Ex.21:33-36).

h. Fruit of labor - everyone is to receive the fruit of his labors (Le.19:13;

De.24:14; 25:4).

i. Fruit of the ground - everyone is to share the fruit of the ground (Ex.23:10-11; Le.19:9-10).

j. Rest on Sabbath - everyone, down to the humblest servant and the

resident alien, is to share in the weekly rest of God's Sabbath (Ex.20:8-11; De.5:12-15).

k. Marriage - the marriage relationship is to be kept inviolate (Ex.20:14;

De.5:18).

l. Exploitation - no one, however disabled, impoverished or powerless, is to be oppressed or exploited (Ex.22:21-27; Le.19:14, 33-34; 25:35-36).

m. Fair trial - everyone is to have free access to the courts and is to be

afforded a fair trial (Ex.23:6, 8; Le.19:15).

n. Social order - every person's God-given place in the social order is to be honored (Ex.20:12; De.5:16; Ex.21:15, 17; 22:28).

o. Law - no one shall be above the law, not even the king (De.17:18-20).

p. Animals - concern for the welfare of other creatures is to be extended to

the animal world (Ex.23:5, 11; Le.25:7; De.22:4, 6-7; 25:4).



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E. Background

1. Title

Our English title, Deuteronomy, is traced back to the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament, where the title was given as 'deuteronomion' meaning literally, "second law". This latter title came from the Septuagint's mistranslation of the phrase, "a copy of this law" (De.17:18) as to 'Deuteronomion Touto', "this second law". Actually, the book of Deuteronomy does not present another or second law but repeats and amplifies the basic laws which had been given to the people on Mount Sinai.

The book consists of Moses' farewell messages in which he reviewed and renewed God's covenant with Israel for the sake of the new generation of Israelites. They had come to the end of their desert wandering and were now ready to enter the land of Canaan. For the most part this new generation had no personal recollection of the first Passover, the Red Sea crossing or the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. They needed an inspired recounting of God's covenant, law and faithfulness, as well as a fresh declaration concerning the accompanying blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Unlike Numbers, which records the desert wanderings of the rebellious exodus generation of Israelites over a span of thirty-nine (39) years, Deuteronomy covers a short span of perhaps one month at one location on the plains of Moab directly east of Jericho and the Jordan River. 2. Author and date

Evidence for Mosaic authorship is overwhelming. At specific places in the text he is expressly identified as the author: De.1:1-46; 4:44-46; 29:1; and 31:9, 24-26.

Jewish and Samaritan tradition has assigned the book to Moses. Jesus and the New Testament writers, who quote Deuteronomy more than any other Old Testament book (about eighty (80) times; e.g., Ro.10:6-8; He.12:29, 13:5; Mt.4:7, 22:37-38), associate the book with the Law. Internally, its message best fits the times and ministry of Moses, but certainly is relevant to today.

The words are replete with the warm feelings of a great leader for the people whose experiences he had shared.

Deuteronomy chapter 34, which records Moses' death, was written by another person, possibly Joshua. As for the date of composition, Moses probably wrote the book soon after he delivered the addresses (De.1:3) and shortly before his death (1405 B.C.). The Book of Deuteronomy was bequeathed to Israel as a covenant document to be read before all the people in its entirety every seven years (De.31:10-13).



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Moses probably completed the book shortly before his death about 1405 B.C., except for post-mortem of chapter 34, possibly written by Joshua.

3. Setting

The circumstances under which Deuteronomy was written are clear. Israel has reached the border of Canaan. Forty (40) years earlier the nation had been on the border of the land but because of unbelief and disobedience the people were not allowed to enter. This time they had to tarry on the banks of the Jordan until they learned this one lesson: They must obey their God.

God was willing and ready to lead them on to victory and to give them the delights of the land on the condition that they would bend their stubborn wills and surrender entirely to Him. Moses, the lawgiver, was about to leave them so he gathered his beloved people around him for the last time and delivered his farewell address, Deuteronomy.

His object in the address, hence, the object of the book, was to impress upon them the one lesson: Obey.

4. Leviticus and Numbers differ from Deuteronomy in certain ways.

Within the group of the Pentateuch Books, Deuteronomy resembles Leviticus in its paucity (scarcity or lack) of action sections. The books are also similar in that the instructions contained in each were given to Israel while they were in standby encampment; at Sinai (Leviticus); on the plains of Moab (Deuteronomy). In Leviticus they were anticipating their wandering life and in Deuteronomy they were making preparations for their settled life in Canaan.

The two books are different in that:

a. Leviticus was given mainly for the instruction of the priests and Levites.

b. Deuteronomy was given to instruct the Israelite laymen.

c. Deuteronomy also supplements, by additions or explanations, some of the

things already recorded in the earlier books.

-For example: In Numbers we are told that elders were appointed to assist Moses but the instructions that Moses gave these elders at that time are recorded in Deuteronomy (1:16-17).

-Also, in Numbers, we are told that the spies were sent from Kadesh-Barnea, but not until Deuteronomy (1:19-23), do we hear of the request originating with the people.



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d. Further, in Numbers, Moses was forbidden to enter Canaan but the conversation between him and God is not recorded until later (De.3:23-26.

5. Purpose

Moses' original purpose in addressing Israel's new generation before turning the reins of leadership over to Joshua for the conquest was to exhort and instruct them about:

a. God's might, deeds and promises

b. Their own covenant obligations of faith and obedience

c. Their need to consecrate themselves to fear the Lord, to walk in his ways,

and to love and honor Him with all their heart, soul and strength.

F. Subjects

Deuteronomy is composed mostly of Moses' farewell addresses. Some of the prominent subjects of those addresses are:

1. Remembrance of the Past: (De.1:1 - 4:43)

It was natural for Moses to refer to history first and let experience be a teacher. Not every event in Israel's journey from Egypt was reviewed but only those from which Moses would draw his arguments. In substance, what he said was:

"You see how it has been for the past forty years. Whenever this nation obeyed God it has been blessed and whenever it has disobeyed Him it has been punished. Therefore, in the future, obey."

2. Commandments for the Present (De.4:44 - 26:19)

Most of Deuteronomy records Laws of God for Israel. God gave these as guides for leading His people into a faith relationship with Him and to instruct them how to live their daily life acceptable to Him. Lest the people think lightly of that Law, Moses had reminded them of the great event at Sinai when the Maker of heaven and earth talked to them from the fiery, smoking, quaking mountain (De.4:32-33). To guard against any idea that this Law had been given only to their fathers and was therefore out-of-date and not binding upon this new generation, Moses reminded the people: "The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all those of us alive here today" (De.5:3). Here is a general outline of these chapters:



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a. Basic Commandments (De.4:44 - 11:32)

b. Laws of Worship and Holy Living (De.12:1 - 16:22)

c. Punishment for Specific Offenses (De.17:1 - 26:19)

3. Options Affecting the Future (De.27:1 - 30:20)

One of the first things Israel was to do on establishing themselves in the land of Canaan was to march to Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, two mountains in the center of the country, and there set up great plastered stones on which the Law of God was to be written. Six tribes were to stand upon Mount Gerizim to declare blessings upon the people for obedience to this Law and six tribes were to stand upon Mount Ebal to declare curses upon the people for disobedience.

The consequences of obeying this Law as well as the consequences of disobeying it are set forth in Deuteronomy chapter 28.

The first fourteen verses give a bright picture of the nation's future if they will take the path of obedience. From these verses we learn how blessed, rich and powerful Israel could have been if they had been true to God.

The tone changes at Deuteronomy 28:15, and from there onward, we have a picture of the bleak future awaiting the nation if they should take the path of disobedience.

A key subject of Deuteronomy is that of God's covenant. The word "covenant" appears seven (7) times in chapter 29. Moses' addresses were delivered to Israel as a reaffirmation of the covenant relationship between God and His people.

4. Parting Words of Moses: (De.31:1 - 33:29)

The people who have been camping on the east side of Jordan, waiting to cross over, are given:

a. Their final charges

b. Interpretation of the philosophy of God's judgments in history

c. A reminder of the blessings awaiting the people in the land

The parting words of Moses are not bitter ones, but bright, warm and hopeful. This patriarch remained a spiritual giant to his dying day.



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G. Special Features

Four major features characterize Deuteronomy.

1. Inheriting the land It provided the new generation of Israelites, who were soon to enter Canaan, the necessary foundation and motivation for inheriting the Promised Land by focusing on the nature of God and His covenant with Israel.

2. Reiteration of God's Words

It is the "book of the second law" in that Moses, Israel's one-hundred-twenty (120) year old leader, restated and summarized, in sermon form, the Word of the Lord embodied in the four preceding books of the Pentateuch. 3. It is the "book of remembrance."

A characteristic admonition of Deuteronomy is "Remember.... and never forget". Rather than representing a quest for "new truth," Deuteronomy exhorts Israel to retain and obey the previously revealed truth of God as already given in His absolute and unchanging Word.

4. Faith plus obedience.

An important keynote of the book is the "faith plus obedience" formula. Israel was called to trust God with their whole being and to obey His commands unswervingly. Faith plus obedience would enable them to inherit the promises with God's full blessing; the absence of faith and obedience, on the other hand, would introduce the cycle of failure and judgment.



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RESOURCE MATERIALS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS CITED Achtemeier, Paul J., General Editor, Harpers Bible Dictionary, San Francisco, California: Harper and Row Publisher, 1985. Halley, Henry H., Halley's Bible Handbook, Zondervan, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1964. Holy Bible, Amplified Expanded Edition, KJV, Zondervan Corporation and Lockman Foundation, 1987. Holy Bible, Dake's Annotated Reference Bible, KJV, Finis Jennings Dake, Lawrenceville, Georgia: Dake Bible Sales, Incorporated, 1985. Holy Bible, Full Life Study Bible, NIV, Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan Corporation, 1992. Holy Bible, Open Bible, NKJV, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1979. Holy Bible, Thompson Chain Reference, Frank Charles Thompson D.D., Ph.D., Indianapolis, Indiana, B.B. Kirkbride Bible Company, 1979. Musgrove, Raymond, Dr. Th.D., Inter-testament Course Notes, Ventura, California: Golden Grain Bible College, 1988. Strong's Concordance, James Strong, L.L.D., S.T.D. Nelson Publishers, 1995. The Biblical Illustrator, Joseph S. Exell, M.A., Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1973. The Pentateuch, Holdcroft, L. Thomas, Western Book Company, Oakland, California, 1966. Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, W.E. Vines, Merrill F. Unger, William White, 1985. Webster's Dictionary of the American Language, College Edition, Cleveland and New York: World Publishing Company, 1960.



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COURSE WORK RECOGNITION

COURSE RESEARCHED AND DEVELOPED: Thompson, Verda L., Th.D. 1991 EXPANDED/REVISED BY: Thompson, Verda L., Th.D. 1993

Shepard, Nellie, B.Th. REVISED/EDITED BY: Thompson, Verda L., Th.D. 1996

West, Katherine, B.Th. REVISED/EDITED BY: Price, Roger K., Th.D.

Thompson, Verda L. Th.D. 1998 REVISED/EDITED BY: Chapman, Del, Th.D.

Price, Roger K., Th.D. 2000 REVISED/EDITED BY: Price, Roger K., Th.D., Ph.D, D.R.E., 2000 REVISED/EDITED BY: Oakley, Elizabeth, M.MIn 2003

Oakley, Walter , D. Div. TECHNICAL REVISION BY: Reiman, Edie, B.Bs.

Oakley, Elizabeth, TH.D. D.D. 2006 REVISED/EDITED BY: Reiman, Edie, B.Bs.

Thompson, Verda, Ph.D., D.R.E., D.C.C., D.D., Th.D.

Price, Roger, Th.D., Ph.D., D.R.E., D.D., 2008 ICBT PASTORAL ADVISORS: Braswell, Dick, Th.D. Burden, Wendell, D.Div. Chapman, Del, Th.D.

Hall, Leo, D. Div., D. Min. AMT-ICBT BOARD MEMBERS & STAFF: Baldock, Michael, Th. D. Price, Roger, Ph.D., D.R.E., Th.D., D.Div. Brown, Eddy, D.Div. Sansfacon, Mario, A.Min. Burden, Wendell, Th.D. Sansfacon, Teresa, B.Min., D.Div. Carr, Mary, D. Min., D. Div. Shepard, Sally D.Min., D.Div. Craig, David, D.Div. Thompson, Verda, Ph.D., D.R.E., D.C.C., Th.D., D.Div. Cunningham, Kay, D.Div. Vance, David R., A.C.S. Goneau, Dean, M.A. Wootten, Charles A., Th.D., D.Div. Hall, Leo, D.Div., D.Min. Wootten, Margaret S. D.Div. Kisner, Brian, D.Div.



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THANK YOU

Information for International College of Bible Theology courses has been researched and compiled by many members in the Body of Christ. We have been blessed by gifted brothers and sisters from many areas of ministry. We thank those who have helped to write and compile courses for our curriculum. We gratefully thank all those in five-fold ministry, helps and lay ministry that have labored with us. A special thank you is extended to authors of various books, and leadership of other Bible Colleges that have been so very giving and gracious to us. It is not possible to name everyone by name. Laborers with the school have compiled over one hundred (100) courses. Let us all say "to God be the glory."

CHRISTIANS ARE CO-LABORERS

"Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

I Corinthians 3:5-11

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Old Testament Studies I Commentary · 2019. 7. 17. · Old Testament Studies I (The Pentateuch) 115 pages of Commentary 6 Homework assignments 6 Quiz assignments 1 Midterm Exam 1