the greenest grass around

In case you haven’t noticed, the Bible is a lot of books and information in one book.

There are different authors, time periods, and themes throughout. That can make understanding what you are reading difficult. 

To make studying the Bible easier, you can read it in chunks. Last week I posted a Book breakdown. Reading them together can help you better understand what you are reading and how it is related. 

The word Bible comes from the Latin and Greek word “book” (Biblia and Biblos). It is a book of books.

This week we will begin with “The Law” books. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Genesis

• Author: Moses
• Time Frame: It was likely written during the 40 years when the Israelites wandered the desert. (1446 BC-1406 BC)
• Breakdown: It can be divided into two sections. Primeval history (general history found in chapters 1-11) and Patriarchal history (focusing on God’s covenant with Abraham in chapters 12-20.)
• Major Themes: Genesis answers two big questions: “How God’s relationship with us began?” and “Where did Israel come from?”
• Purpose: Genesis lays the groundwork for everything else we read in scripture.
• Popular Verses:
  • 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
  • 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.“
  • 2:7 “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
  • 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.“

Exodus

• Author: Moses
• Time Frame: Could have been written anytime during Moses’ time in the wilderness. The events in Exodus begin with Joseph’s death around 1805 BC- and the building of the tabernacle in 1445 BC.
• Breakdown: It is true to its name. Exodus in greek means “departure” and follows God’s people from Egypt. In the book, God saves them from slavery in Egypt and enters into a covenant with them.
• Major Themes: God rescues the Israelites in order to make himself known to them, with his power and ongoing covenant with them. The record of Exodus helps them realize Him as their God and that he deserves their loyalty and obedience.
• Purpose: God is fulfilling his promise to Abraham. It is the high point of redemptive history in the Old Testament. Many patterns and ideas in Exodus are revisited in later books.
• Popular Verses:
  • 3:14 “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.“
  • 34:6 “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”
  • 3:2 “There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.“

Leviticus

• Author: Moses
• Time Frame: Written between 1446 BC- 1406 BC, after God established the covenant with Israel. During this time Moses received the covenant from the Lord and built the tabernacle (Ex 40:17). He received all the instructions in Leviticus and in the early chapters of Numbers. This block of history runs from Exodus 19-Numbers 10.
• Breakdown: God gives instruction to the Israelites. It is Broken into apodictic law (positive and negatives) and casuistic law (“if then” laws.)
• Purpose: Moses wrote this book as a guide for the Israelites once they enter the promised land. It gives regulations for worship, ceremonials, morals, and instructions for holy days. One key point in Leviticus is the sacrificial system being established as atonement for sins, which is a major deal in their lives until Jesus comes in the Gospels.
• Popular Verses:
  • 19:18 “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.“
  • 27:30 “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.”
  • 5:6 “And, as a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin.“

Numbers

• Author: Moses
• Time Frame: Moses likely wrote Numbers before the nation of Israel entered Canaan, about 1406 BC.
• Breakdown: The word Numbers comes from the Septuagint name Arithmoi, two military censuses in chapters 1-26. The Hebrew title “Bamidbar” means (in the wilderness) where the book takes place.
• Purpose: Because of their rebellion, the first generation was not allowed into the promised land. The book of Numbers was written to the generation of Israelites entering the promised land. Additionally, Numbers provides reminders to them that God rescued, saved, and guided them to the promised land, as well as the consequences of disobedience.
• Popular Verses:
  • 6:24 “The LORD bless you and keep you;”
  • 5:7 “And must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged.“
  • 11:17 “I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.“

Deuteronomy

• Author: Moses
• Time Frame: The events in Deuteronomy occurred over a short time as Israel prepared to enter Canaan in 1406 BC.
• Breakdown: Deuteronomy comes from a Greek word meaning “second law” Much of the book contains repetitions of the laws found in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
• Purpose: To give guidelines for the new community. God was telling them how to love one another and obey in the promised land.
• Major Themes:
  • 1. The nature of God’s character
  • 2. Covenant relationship with Israel
  • 3. The faithful actions of God’s people
• Popular Verses:
  • 6:5 “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.“
  • 6:6 “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.“
  • 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.“

I’m not going to lie to you. Some parts of these books are hard for me to read through and remain focused.

As an avid reader, sometimes I can skip through some of the less interesting beginning parts of a book and focus more when the action starts. Now is this a good piece of advice to share with someone, no. I do not generally do this but on occasion I need the book to get on with it. The same can be said for the first five books of the Bible. Some many people have a hard time reading them and they skim over them of skip them completely. The major issue with that is we learn so much in the first five books. We get to know key figures that are discussed throughout the rest of the Bible, events, and themes that reoccur again and again.

We get to know Adam and Even, Moses, Abraham, and Kind David just to name a few. We learn about creation, God’s promises, the flood, God saving the Israelites from Egypt, and Joseph’s dreams. Yes, there are some pieces in these books that are less thrilling but some of God’s best examples of the Christian walk come from these pages.

As we dig deeper into each book, we see that God is building a relationship with his people. He is doing the same for us. God is reaching for us in the same way he reached down and guided isural through the wilderness.

Exodus 13:21-22 “²¹ By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²² Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” NIV

I hope you will continue to join me as we dig deeper into the books of the Bible and how to study them.

-Ashley