LIVING WATERS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

“A Ministry of Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe”

Linking Academic Excellence with Spiritual Profundity
Address: No. 23C Maribou Close, Tynwald, Harare
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.livingwaters.ac.zw
NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN THEOLOGY & RELIGIOUS STUDIES
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT COVER PAGE

FULL NAME: TAWANDA MAPOSAH

CANDIDATE NUMBER: L023320N
LECTURER: REV PARADZA
COURSE: PENTATEUCH
DUE DATE: 05/09/2023
SUBMISSION DATE: 05/09/2023

ASSIGNMENT TOPIC; EXPLAIN FULLY THE BASIC CONTENTS OF THE

PENTATEUCH.

Key Assignment Areas Possible Mark Mark Brief Comment Area

Introduction & 3
Definition of Terms
Main Discussion, 15
Evidence of Research &
Conclusion
References 2
Total 20

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MARKERS’ COMMENTS: ………………………………………………….........................

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EXPLAIN FULLY THE BASIC CONTENTS OF THE PENTATEUCH.

The Pentateuch can be defined as the first part of the Bible, consisting of Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy Sailhamer (2009). Since the Pentateuch consists of
God’s revelation of himself, his creation, and his redemption of his creation, the Pentateuch
studies and presents the concepts of God, Humanity, and Salvation within the first five books
of the Old Testament. The content of the Pentateuch is made up of three basic themes and
these include God’s character, Creation Care and Covenant. The Pentateuch entails God’s
character in stories of divine creation and destruction, promise and fulfilment, battle and
redemption. The Pentateuch has a lot to tell about the role of humanity’s relationship with
God and the rest of his creation. Another significant theme found throughout the Pentateuch
is that of the Covenant promise, which God establishes between himself and his people. This
essay seeks to elaborate the basic content of the Pentateuch.

One of the main contents of the Pentateuch is the Character of God. The Pentateuch develops
God’s character in stories of divine creation and destruction, promise and fulfilment, battle
and redemption. In the very first sentence of the Bible, “In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1) we are introduced to God as the creator of all things. The
first book of the Bible reveals the character of God as the Creator. Genesis also introduces us
to a God who is relational, showing the relationships with God and man, God and nature and
man and man Taylor, (1973). Exodus builds on these ideas of God’s character as a judge,
redeemer, deliverer and a sustainer for his desire for relationship with his people. The Ten
Commandments in the book of (Exodus 20) also shows the character of God and his plan for
how the Israelites should live, shows God’s ethics, morality, supremacy and grace. In the
book of Leviticus, a major character of God is Holiness. The basic purpose of Levities was to
provide instruction for the Hebrew community in, ‘holy worship’ and ‘holy living’, so that as
the covenant people might enjoy the blessing of God’s presence Hill, (2009). Loyalty is one
aspect of God’s character revealed in the book of Numbers. During their desert wanderings,
the Israelites complained bitterly (Numbers 10) and lost their faith in God’s promise (Num
14). Yet God continued to sustain and lead them, even when they begged to return to slavery
in Egypt (Num 1:18-20; 14:1-4). In the book of Deuteronomy, as the nation approached the
Promised Land and the formalisation of the covenant between God and Israel, we see a God
of love by his faithfulness to his people and his promises (Deut 6:4-9 & 10:12-13). Wenham,
(2003). Therefore, as discussed in this paragraph, God’s character is revealed across the Five
books of the Pentateuch. What can be seen throughout the Pentateuch is the revealing of
God’s character though each of the subsequent books.

Furthermore, another important theme of the Pentateuch is Creation Care. The Pentateuch has
a lot to say about the role of humanity and its relationship with God and the rest of his
creation. Through the study of the Pentateuch we can learn who God is and what he requires
of mankind Wolf, (1991). In the first chapter of the Bible, we are introduced to man. God had
created all things, yet man is shown as a specific focus of his creation. At the end of each day
of the creation story, God stopped and contemplated his work. Genesis 1:26-27 says, “Then
God said, ‘Let us make mankind 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. So God created mankind in his own image, in
the image of God he created male and female. As highlighted by Constable (2015) “subdue
does not mean ‘destroy’ or ‘ruin.’ It means to act as managers who have the authority to run
everything as God planned.” We see this idea of subduing the land again in the book of
Numbers 32:22 and 29, which could be seen as the fulfilment of increasing in number and
filling the earth. God created mankind not only to be fruitful and multiply, but also to care
over all of God’s creation. The Forth Commandment, Remember the Sabbath, (Exod 20:8-
10) also highlights the importance of caring for all of creation. God was commanding
mankind not to only rest or take care of themselves but to also rest their livestock, crops and
all living things. The almost identical Sabbath commandment in the book of Deuteronomy
5:12-15 again highlights the importance of caring for God’s creation and the high value God
places on all of his creations. The passage is calling for even the ox and donkey to rest. The
ox and donkey have most likely being singled out, as they would have been the hardest
working of all the animals (Taylor, 1973). In the book of Leviticus 25:4, the Sabbath year
shows the importance of man caring over God’s creation. The Sabbath year provided one
year in seven for the fields to recover and the people to rest. By resting the people renewed
their strength and rejuvenated their productivity in his service. By resting the land’s strength
likewise revived and its productivity increased (Constable, 2015). In the book of Leviticus
25:23 the Israelites are reminded that the land in not theirs, but God’s and they are to take
care of his property. Therefore, the theme of caring for God’s creation throughout the
Pentateuch can also be traced throughout the rest of the Bible. While many of the Old
Testament books allude to creation care, others clearly articulate Gods concern for all
creation.

Moreover, the other theme of the Pentateuch is the Covenant. A significant theme found
throughout the Pentateuch is that of the Covenant promise, which God establishes between
himself and his people. From the covenant with Adam in Genesis 1 through to the covenants
between, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Israel and the covenant renewal of Deuteronomy we see
the centrality of this concept. It is important to note that with each covenant has its own
character and scope; and each prepares for and provides the foundation for, the next (Wolf
1991). This progressive nature of the covenants between God and man takes its form in the
Pentateuch for instance, in the book of Genesis 1-2 we read of the first covenant between
Adam and God with the promise of paradise on the condition they do not eat from the tree.
The book of Exodus we see the miraculous deliverance of God’s people from bondage in
Egypt. Exodus 19-24, the covenant promises made in Genesis 15 and 17 with Abraham to
make his descendants into a great nation are now being realised, as God restates his
agreement with Israel. This covenant, made with the people of Israel, was regulated by an
extensive set of laws and regulations contained within Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers
(Bandstra, 2004). The book of Leviticus 26:14-45, states that God cannot and will not break
his covenant promise with the Israelites. Even after the Israelites broke their side of the
covenant, experiencing the worst consequences of the covenant curses, there was still
restoration if they repented. God’s purpose was not to destroy them but for them to grow and
retain hope. In the book of Numbers 25:10-13 a covenant of peace is made, maintaining the
family of Phinehas in a lasting priesthood, because he was eager for the honour of his God
and made redemption for the Israelites (Num 25:13). In the book of Deuteronomy we see the
history of Israel. It is the history of Israel’s failure to keep the covenants, thereby suffering
God’s judgement, wrath and punishment. Therefore, Each of the covenants contained within
the Pentateuch marked a significant development in God’s covenantal relationship with
Israel. Through each of the covenants we are able to see his grace and faithfulness to his
people, no matter how unfaithful they were. God progressively reveals himself through each
of the covenants through grace and faithfulness. Covenants are aptly described as acts of
divine grace; that is, they are arrangements initiated by God out of his spontaneous mercy,
not because of the deserts of those with whom the covenants are made (Wenham, 1978).
In conclusion, The Pentateuch is the story of mankind’s relationship with God and his
creation. It contains the highs and lows, the rebellion, and the positive and negative
experiences that being in a relationship brings. Throughout the Pentateuch we see man sin
time and again, yet God stands true to his covenants willing to do whatever it takes to make
the relationship work. The main theme was the God of Israel, the creator of all things wants
to be in relationship with his creations through covenants with his people, making them a
blessing to the world. This is still true today, making the contents of Pentateuch relevant to
today’s society. The God of all creation wants to be in relationship with mankind and it is
through this relationship that he can do amazing work in and though us. His unfailing and
steadfast love never ends.

REFERENCES

Bandstra, Barry L. 2004. Reading the Old Testament. 3rd ed. Belmont: Wadsworth.

Hill, A. E. And J. H. Walton. 2009. A Survey of the Old Testament. 3 rd ed. Grand Rapids:
Zondervan

John H. Sailhamer, The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition, and

Interpretation (Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 2009), 63.

Nelson, Thomas. 1993. Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts (Revised).
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Taylor, John. 1973. The ‘Five Books’ Introduction. Edited by David Alexander and Pat
Alexander, The Lion Handbook to the Bible Tring: Lion.

Wenham, Gordan. 1978. “Law, Morality and the Bible.” InterVarsity Press Accessed
25/4/2015

Wolf, H. 1991. An Introduction to the Old Testament Pentateuch. Chicago: Moody Press.