The first five books of the Bible are known as the Pentateuch (pent = five; teuchos = vessel, scroll, or book) Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In the ancient world, it was assumed they were written by Moses and are also referred to as the Books of Moses, the Law of Moses, or simply “The Law.”
Genesis tells the stories of creation (there are two distinct accounts). We hear of the good creation and how people tend to get themselves into trouble and challenge God (The tower of Babel, The Great Flood) and we also hear of God’s persistent attempts to bring people back into loving right relationship with each other, with creation and with God. We hear of the matriarchs and patriarchs, God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah (and Hagar), Issac and Rebekah; Jacob (who becomes Israel) (and Esau), Leah and Rachel; and Joseph (and his technicolour dream coat). Fleeing drought, Joseph invites his family down into Egypt where they prosper under Joseph’s protection as an advisor to Pharoh.
Exodus takes place generations later. Israel’s children have prospered and multiplied but the Egyptians have forgotten Joseph’s deeds. Pharoh enslaves the Israelites. The Israelites plea to God and God hears their pleas and sends Moses to release the captives. There are lots of themes and images that should sound familiar from the story of the exodus: Moses in the rushes raised by Pharoh’s daughter; Moses kills an Egyptian guard and flees Egypt to Midian; Moses marries Zipporah; the Burning Bush; Moses’ staff; 10 Plagues (Nile turns to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, disease, boils, thunder and hail, locusts, death of the first born). There is the institution of the Passover Feast; the flight from Egypt; the parting of the sea. One of the oldest texts in the Bible is the Song of Miriam (Moses’ sister) Exodus 15:20-21. We have stories of Mana (Bread from Heaven); Water from rock; and the events at Mt Sinai; the Ten Commandments and other Laws; some very explicit instructions for liturgy and worship; The Golden Calf and smashing of the tablets; New Tablets; Moses Shining face; The making of the Ark of the Covenant; The wandering in the wilderness begins (40 years).
Leviticus and Numbers chronicle the wandering in the wilderness. It is in Leviticus that we hear more detail about Jubilee (Sabbath year when all debts are forgiven, all land is returned to the original family, slaves are all set free).
Deuteronomy is Moses’s last great discourse. Joshua is named Moses’ successor to lead the people. The Law is re-uttered. The land is parcelled out (despite the fact that people are still dwelling in those lands).
The next set of books, from Joshua to Esther are known as “The Histories” or sometimes “The Writings” in which they include Job through the Song of Songs. The latter are often separated and called “Poetry and Wisdom.”
After Moses dies, the people are lead across the Jordan by Joshua and years of conquest follow. The Book of Joshua chronicles the conquest and ends with the death of Joshua. The book of Judges begins by observing that the Conquest of Canaan was not complete. The settled people of Israel continue to be oppressed by their neighbours. A regular pattern develops in which the Israelites forget God’s promise and turn away from God’s laws given by Moses. They become oppressed by their neighbours (often the Philistines). The people plea to God and God hears their cries and sends them a hero called a Judge. The Judge liberates the Israelites, and the Israelites forget God’s promise and turn away from God’s laws given by Moses. Judges is full of great stories, some more familiar than others: Gideon, Jephthah (his daughter is remembered explicitly by Easter Star participants), Samson. The last three chapters of Judges, 19-21, are a story of absolute horror. It would seem the Israelite experiment is a complete failure.
Then we have the book of Ruth recounting the narrative of a Moabite woman (Naomi) who will be King David’s grandmother.
1 Samuel tells the story of the prophet Samuel who, against his better judgement, at God’s command, anoints Israel’s first king, Saul. Saul establishes the beginnings of the Israelite kingdom. But Saul disobeys God, so Samuel anoints David. We hear the story of David and Goliath. 1 Samuel accounts the long intrigue of Saul, Saul’s son Johnathan, and David. It ends with the death of Saul and all his sons.
2 Samuel begins with David grieving the death of Saul and Johnathan (whose love surpasses that of women v26). David extends his Kingdom. The Divine Grant is given to David in which God promises that David’s family will reign on the throne in Jerusalem forever and ever. David dances before the Ark but is a king of war and is not permitted to build a Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant. At the death of Samuel, Nathan becomes the judge/prophet who challenges the King and keeps him accountable to the promise. There is the story of Bathsheba. David’s son Absalom tries to usurp David’s power and fails. The Psalms are traditionally attributed to King David.
1 Kings starts with the Accession of Solomon who becomes known as Solomon the Wise. The Divine Grant is repeated to Solomon. Solomon builds the first Temple, known as the Temple of Solomon. When Solomon dies things get more complicated. The Northern Kingdom of Israel follows Jeroboam who had rebelled against Solomon, and only Judah stays with Solomon’s son Rehoboam. The Glory Days of the United Kingdom of Israel are over (they only lasted about 50 years between David and Solomon).
Now we enter into the era of the prophets. In the rest of 1 Kings we will hear the stories of Elijah and Elisha. What I find most interesting about the stories of Elijah and Elisha is that everything Jesus does, Elijah and Elisha did. (Remember, when Jesus ask, “Who do people say that I am,” Peter’s response is “Elijah or one of the prophets.”) We hear about Jezebel.
2 Kings continues the stories of Elisha including the healing of Naaman. In 2 Kings 16, the Kingdom of Israel is carried off captive by Assyria and the land becomes known as Samaria. We hear about Hezekiah’s attempts to reform Judah and restore Temple worship. We here about Isaiah. Josiah also tries to impose reforms. An ancient lost scroll is found as they are renovating, and the prophetess Huldah confirms that they are genuinely the law of Moses (2 Kings 22:14-20). Many scholars believe that this was when an early draft of Deuteronomy may have been added to the canon. 2 Kings ends with Judah being conquered by Babylon and taken into exile.
1 and 2 Chronicles are a very high level, brief account of the history of the Israelites. It is very concerned with genealogies, and has a few short narrative accounts.
Ezra and Nehemiah recount the return from exile, the rebuilding of the Temple, and the renewal of cultic worship.
Esther takes place during the exile.
Job is possibly some of the oldest text in the scriptures and grapples with the question of why bad things happen to good people.
The Psalms, attributed to David, are prayers that take on different characteristics. In our worship, the psalms are usually understood as a response to the reading of the Hebrew Scriptures. They are “paired” with the Old Testament texts.
Proverbs are attributed to Solomon the Wise. They are often pithy aphorisms, but also introduce us to the character of Hokma, or Lady Wisdom who was with God, dancing before him as he created.
Ecclesiastes, also attributed to Solomon, is an author who has seen it all and in it all has seen that we must live each day as it comes and rejoice and be grateful.
The Song of Solomon is a rather “ungodly” romantic poem. It is a highly erotic love poem, often read as a metaphor of God’s love of Israel and Israel’s love of God.
The Prophets are divided into the “Greater Prophets” and the “Lesser Prophets” which amounts to “long winded” and “brief.”
The Prophets will be active from around 750 until 520. Prophets do not predict the future. Prophets assess the present in the context of the past and foretell the consequences of current choices before the leaders of the people. Oracles often take the shape of judgement and reconciliation. God is punishing Israel for abandoning the promise. But that punishment will come to an end, and the people will be reconciled, collected back together and made greater than ever before.
During exile, the tradition of a Messiah develops (Hebrew for anointed, or Christ in Greek), a chosen one of God will be raised up from the line of Jesse (David’s descendant) and he will gather the people of God into a new era in the promised land. The Qumran Community was a sect of Israelites that built up in the desert, perhaps associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls. Some scholars will associate John the Baptist with the practice and expectations of the Qumran Community.
When Jesus refers to the Scriptures, he is referring to what we call the Old Testament, the Law, the Histories and Writings, and the Prophets. Jesus was a Jew, born to Jewish parents and raised in the Jewish tradition. Matthew and Luke go out of their way to tell us that Jesus observed Jewish rites and asserted the law. Mark depicts Jesus as a student of John the Baptizer. Jesus’ self understanding was as a reformer within the Hebrew Tradition. He most likely understood himself as standing well within the tradition of the prophets, calling the rich and powerful to account before an intimate and loving God.
The writers of the Gospel, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, will interpret these passages as foretelling the coming of Jesus. To Mark, Jesus is the “son of man” (a title used extensively by Ezeliek, Daniel). To Matthew, Jesus is a New Moses. To Luke, Jesus is the “suffering servant” of Isaiah. John combines Jesus as a new Moses performing signs and wonders and the suffering servant. Paul will argue again and again for the continuity of the Hebrew Tradition and the welcome of gentiles into the same covenant God made to Abraham and Sarah. For Paul, in Christ Jesus, the promise of God is expanded to all creation.
Ultimately, Paul will argue that God’s promise is fulfilled. So why does evil still flourish? We are in an “in-between” time. God’s kingdom arrives in Jesus. But we wait for it to be fully completed in his return. God has paused Jesus’ return so that as many people as possible can be welcomed into the promise.
A Tinier Nutshell
God creates and it is good. We make a mess of things. God promises to Abraham to make things right. We keep messing it up and end up in slavery in Egypt. God liberates us from Egypt and gives Moses laws for us to get things right. We keep messing things up. God gives us kings to help us keep our side of the promise. We keep messing things up. We are dragged off into exile. God reasserts the promise through the prophets, a Messiah will bring us back from exile. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John understand Jesus as the Messiah. Paul understands the Messiah to be for all people, not just those descended of Abraham who keep the Law. We are still making a mess of things. God is still calling us back to the promise. We are still waiting for the Second Coming.
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