THE TORAH
Survey of the Old Testament • Sermon • Submitted
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· 14 viewsA series covering the entire Old Testament in survey fashion
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THE OLD COVENANT: A SURVEY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
THE OLD COVENANT: A SURVEY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
This morning we begin a series of three sermons that will address the Old Covenant, or what we call the Old Testament. The importance of the Old Testament cannot be overstated. Consider the words Merrill Unger,
“The Bible, although consisting of two testaments, is nevertheless, as we have already noted, one book....The Old Testament is a vital and inseparable part of that one Book. It is foundational and preparatory to the New Testament. “ —Merrill Unger
[Merrill F. Unger, Introductory Guide to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978), 15.]
We cannot dismiss the Old Testament, though the legal requirements of the nation of Israel no longer apply, because it truly is a foundational document for the New Testament. Even the New Testament authors relied upon the importance of the Old Testament. For example, in the Gospel of Matthew there are 96 quotations alone. By one calculation (Blue Letter Bible), there are over 800 quotations of the Old Testament within the New Testament. And this does not include allusions.
However, there is one particular passage that I think presents the importance of the Old Testament that Christians would be wise to follow. Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, tells his young protege Timothy, “And how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” ()
Paul is calling attention to the Old Testament, which was instrumental in Timothy’s salvation. He offers four purposes for the Scriptures:
Teaching- to establish our knowledge of God and a life that honors God
Reproof
Correction
Training in righteousness
We see, then, that Paul offers four uses of the Scriptures. And, as we perform a flyover of the first five books of the Bible, we will look for things we can learn, ways we can adjust our lives, areas we need to sharpen, and practical ways we can live in righteousness.
I. THE BOOK OF GENESIS
I. THE BOOK OF GENESIS
We have been working our way through the book of Genesis on Sunday evenings, and I have thoroughly enjoyed our study. I have also continued to learn lessons that apply even today. This book is a book of beginnings. It describes the creation of everything, including humanity, those whom the Scriptures describe as created in the image of God. It describes the first marriage, the first sin, the first judgment, the first promise of redemption, the first murder, the first death of an animal, the first covenant, the first cataclysmic event, and we could go on. I believe you get the point.
Like the introduction section of a book, if we fail to read it we cause a greater difficulty in understanding the rest of the book. This book is instrumental in several important ways:
It establishes God as Creator and Owner of the universe
It provides an understanding of how sin entered creation and altered everything
It offers hope in the coming of the Seed of the woman
It is all framed within the context of a covenant
These are all extremely important to understand the Bible, God, and the plan of salvation. But since we are limited on time, we will draw out the implications that this book offers of salvation (which is established in covenant). In , shortly after the fall of man, God promises that redemption would come through the seed of the woman.
After the creation account, the description of the fall, and the promise of a redeemer, Genesis begins to focus on four primary individuals: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. This storyline progresses as the promise of the Seed of the woman begins to take shape.
For example, in God promises to Abram “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
As we read the book of Genesis, we are amazed that many seemingly unimportant details are offered while historical ones are ignored. For instance, we are not given much information about world leaders and such. But, as Unger reminds us,
“The narratives are chosen, not for their secular interest our purely historical importance, but for the vital relation they sustain to God’s dealings with mankind in His great purpose of redemption.” —Merrill Unger
[Unger, Introductory Guide to the Old Testament, 190.]
This great purpose of redemption is mentioned again in , where God promises that Abraham (now that his name has been changed) nations of seed and kings from his descendants (17:6). The important feature, however, is seen in when God describes the “everlasting covenant,” and then says “to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” This purpose of redemption is displayed when Abraham and Sarah have a boy at an old age. this reminds us (teaching) that salvation, just as the birth of Isaac, is through grace.
So much more could be said at this point. But since we have four more books to cover, we must press on.
II. THE BOOK OF EXODUS
II. THE BOOK OF EXODUS
The book of Exodus, so named because of the departure of the people of Israel from Egypt. It is an analogy of our own salvation, our deliverance from slavery, but not from the Egyptians, but from sin (see Romans 6:118). Another important feature of Exodus is God’s presence, not only with the suffering of His people but also their escape from Egypt, and their establishment through the Mosaic covenant. This covenant builds upon the Abrahamic Covenant and further clarifies it. We will discuss this more in detail in our examination of Deuteronomy.
Exodus, however, provides details on the establishment of the seed of Abraham as the people of God, Israel. Notice what God tells Israel in . If they would keep His commandments He would be their God. Sam Renihan, a pastor I have quoted frequently, beautifully describes this book and its importance to the rest of Scripture,
“God swept Israel off its feet as their redeemer, their husband, here to take her home to safety and blessing and prosperity, ready to shower her with good gifts. The rest of the Old Testament is full of direct references and allusions to the Exodus as one of the most foundational events in its history.” —Sam Renihan
[Sam Renihan, The Mystery of Christ: His Covenants & His Kingdom (Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2019), 104.]
God delivers the people through the means of 10 plagues, the last being the Passover. The roots of our observance of the LORD’s Supper are here seen. And in Exodus we see the giving of the 10 Commandments, what is also called the natural law (due to the fact that even the Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature, though corrupt, do, see ). These 10 Commandments, or words, would serve as the foundational agreement for Israel to obey and for God to bless. Then God proceeded to give Israel rules and laws for all their lives, for them to serve and obey God and for God to bless their obedience or punish their disobedience. God is, in the book of Exodus, solidifying the people through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. And we end the book of Exodus with the construction and commissioning of the Tabernacle, the physical space that represented God’s dwelling with His people once again. The images echo back to the Garden of Eden, that paradise lost through the fall of man. The people have been chosen, through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and now the 12 sons of Israel. Priests are ordained to speak to God on of the people, and to the people on behalf of God. God instructed His people how to build His Tabernacle. And now He must tell His people how to be holy.
III. THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS
III. THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS
The book of Leviticus is often overlooked due to its curious customs, odd laws, and wild ideas. Gleason Archer provides 5 key pillars to understanding the book of Leviticus, which I think help us gather a better idea of how it fits within the larger framework of the Torah, and the entirety of Scripture.
“As a unique people of God, redeemed Israel is…(a) to keep holy…(b) to maintain access to God on the basis of the substitutionary atonement”
“…the believer must come before God only in the specific way which God has appointed.”
“…Israel must rigorously abstain from all sexual unchastity, all violation of the marriage bond, and from contact with corruption and decay.”
“Nothing corrupt or liable to speedy decay may be presented as an offering to God.”
“The religious year is dominated by the sacred number seven.”
While we do not have time to unpack all of these, important as they may be, I do want to discuss one in particular. Number 2 says, “…the believer must come before God only in the specific way which God has appointed.”
This primary focus of this book is key in our understanding the Bible in general. Our goal of these overviews is to see how interconnected the Bible is, and how the story of redemption is displayed. And the chapter of this story in the book of Leviticus focuses on the holiness of God and the resulting need for holiness in the people of God. As we understand the progression of Scripture, we realize that among many consistent themes is our desperate need for holiness. We need to be made right with God, and Leviticus, through the people of Israel, shows us how, through the substitutionary death of another (animals).
But we move on to the 4th book, the book of Numbers.
IV. THE BOOK OF NUMBERS
IV. THE BOOK OF NUMBERS
The book of Numbers records much of the journeying of Israel through the wilderness, and as Gleason Archer comments,
“The spiritual lesson enforced throughout the book is that God’s people can move forward only so far as they trust His promises and lean upon His strength.”—Gleason Archer
[Gleason L. Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction Revised and Expanded (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2007), 219.]
So, if we were to apply the books we have read so far, Genesis covers the creation and fall of humanity, Exodus addresses the deliverance of Israel (a picture of us), Leviticus describes how we can be made right and live right with God, and Numbers, as Archer quips, describes how we, as we trust God, we experience His working in our lives.
Now, the English title comes from the word for numbers (in Latin) because of the census figures. However, the Hebrew title means “in the wilderness of,” which describes the journey of Israel through their wilderness wanderings.
One key point in the book of Numbers is God’s constant and continual presence with the nation of Israel (; ; ; ; etc.). God is with the people of Israel, even as they constantly fall back in unbelief (; ; and 21:1-20).
One of the benefits of redemption, demonstrated by the book of Numbers, is God’s presence. Jesus says it like this, “I am with you always, to the end of the ages.” (, quoted, ESV)
V. THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY
V. THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY
The final book of the Torah is called Deuteronomy, meaning the second law-giving. You can basically sum up the book with three main decisions:
1:1-4:49- covers the history of God’s Working through the nation of Israel
5:1-26:19- covers the Laws (specifically the 10 Commandments) that Israel is to live by
27:1-31:30- Warnings and predictions of Israel’s future
These three divisions, though not exhaustive, do help us see some implications for the Christian life. We are called to remember our past (), to rejoice in our present salvation (, ), and to live according to our deliverance ().
Before we end our overview of the Torah, however, I want to mention one important feature of this book. Concerning the 10 Commandments, the central commandments of God (found written in hearts and on tablets, and now in our Bibles), are exposited. That is, they are unpacked, because when we begin to examine the 10 Commandments in chapters 6-26. God’s Word is unimaginably rich and deep. It is meant to be studied, applied, examined, meditated upon, and lived.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
One of the difficulties of an overview, particularly of 5 books, is that we leave so much out. These books, the Pentateuch, form the foundation of our Faith and practice. The set the stage for our understanding of humanity, the role and nature of sin, and the progression of God’s working out of His plan of redemption.
I end with the words of Sam Renihan,
“Though this will be discussed in greater fullness later, the Mosaic Covenant advanced the mystery of Christ in monumental ways, the priesthood and the sacrifices being chief among all. The blessing for the nations will emerge not just within Canaan and the circumcised offspring of Abraham, but also within this complex of laws and statutes, within this system of priests and sacrifices, within this system of blessings and curses. declares that “the law has but a shadow of the good things to come.” Its shadowy status was its great privilege.”— Sam Renihan
[Renihan, The Mystery of Christ, 122.]
That great privilege was the development and description of God’s unfolding plan of redemption.