notes for us. I find myself settling on Moses as the primary or only author, and either through other sources, or through God we come to learn those things to which Moses was not a primary witness. Purpose: Once again, as we look throughout the book of Numbers, and evaluate its stories, we see some basic themes begin to develop. This book also further develops the importance of obedience to YHWH and encourages all Israel who reads this to understand and act based upon that concept. It is also a key point to this book that Israel is punished for their faithlessness and the generation of people die in the wilderness. This becomes a later New Testament way of understanding categories of people, the faithful and the disobedient. This also highlights Israel's faithlessness in the presence of God's continuing love and grace toward them. This book potentially gives reasoning for why the people ought to follow Joshua, because he alone (well, with Caleb) was faithful to God and was spared. Something we need to consider with the entire Pentateuch is that the Israelites considered the Law as being God's grace toward them. He had identified them as his own people, and given them a way to live and please him, something which he did not do for any other nation. Therefore, law was a type of grace, given to them not because they deserved it, but because God had chosen them. Emphasized throughout this book is God's continuing mercy toward the rebellious and hard hearted Israelites. Following much of the narrative, the people are given laws in relation to how to deal with the land, and how it should be divided and passed down. In addition to these things, the last part of the book concludes without actually ending the story. It's as if they have their whole future ahead of them, and potential to dwell in the promised land forever. Moses is not even mentioned as nearing death by this time. Concluding: In seeing the actions of Israel, we are exhorted to not act like the generation that saw the mighty acts of God and remained hardened. We are also blown away by the mercy in the dealings of the Lord, and his kindness toward a people who fail continually. We also see the potential of the generation who was to enter the promised land and take it.
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[leviticus-numbers] Name: Leviticus Name is fairly appropriate because the book itself deals with priestly and levitical codes of conduct and instructions for the function of the Jewish cultic worship. However, it is also deeply concerned with the part that laity play in the worship of God. Notable Things: Leviticus is very orderly and well organized in its construction. It is arranged under these basic themes: Laws on sacrifice (1:1-7:38), Institution of the Priesthood (8:1-10:20), Uncleanliness and its Treatment (11:1-16:34), Prescriptions for Personal Holiness (17:1-27:34). This book, though it seems to be a very regimented manual, it is set within the context of a narrative framework. Throughout the book we see the note that "Then the Lord said..." or something like that. This indicates the ultimate source and authority of these laws, and places them within a narrative. Even the place it has been given within the Jewish Torah it is seen in the midst of narrative and has significance because of that and places itself within that context. Author/Time: The literary style of Leviticus is not uniform. It is considered to be completely (or mostly) from a priestly source. Some suggest that these different groups must have circulated independently of one another originally, but then been put together into a book. Even with slight differences in literary form, they did not have to be circulated independently. The book claims to be the record of what God told Moses, though it does not claim Moses as the
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author. Traditionally, the view is that Moses provided the content of the book even if he was not the final editor. The book presupposes that this is the case (the law is given to Moses, Moses is the only one present to have knowledge of this, who else but Moses?). The wilderness setting is often alluded to as concurrent with the giving of the law? There is also nothing that could not have come from that time period included within the pages of the book. Additionally, there is nothing within its pages that hints at later concerns being discussed and dealt with by the law. Finally, the book of Ezekiel refers to Leviticus a number of times, thus dating it before the writing of Ezekiel. Some view it as late because they view religion as necessarily being loose -> well-defined and organized. Thus, this must out of necessity be late. It is likely early because Deuteronomy and Joshua quote Leviticus. Purpose: The purpose of the book is more than to simply report a bunch of dated laws and restrictions to the people. Through reading and understanding the laws we come to understand who God is a little better. One of the foci of the book is the presence of God with the people of Israel. He is constantly with. Another major theme in the book is holiness, and what it means to be holy as a person living under the rule of God. One would think that though we are no longer bound to the law, looking at these Laws and understanding God's heart would greatly aid us in understanding nuances of what it means to love as a Christian. (Note the contaminating power of uncleanliness) Note the understanding throughout the book that it is the responsibility of the follower to progress ever toward holiness. Also notice throughout the book that one of the major concerns is sacrifice and its place in the whole sinner/God relationship. Leviticus may help develop our understanding of the need which prompted Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, and those of the whole world. Concluding: When one begins to think through the laws, and look at the broad undertones which run through them, they are able to come to a better understanding of what God expected, and may still expect. Since much of the law comes under the command that we
Studying the Bible are to love our neighbor and to love God, wouldn’t it be foolish to not search for examples and flesh out the one commandment that Christ gave to his people, not so we can make a new law, but so we may act wisely. Name: Numbers This is the LXX title of the book, where as the Hebraic titles of the book coming from the first or fourth word in the book are "And he spoke" and most appropriately "In the wilderness." This is the continuation of the narrative from the book of Exodus which deals with much of the rest of Israel's early history. This leads them to just before they enter into the promised land. Notable Things: Most commentators have structured the book of Numbers into three different sections based on their general location at the time that the stories take place: Mt. Sinai (1:1-10:10), Kadeshbarnea (10:11-19:22), and the plains of Moab (20:1-36:13). The location of the first section of the book is the same as Exodus 20Leviticus 27. Another commentator has divided the book into two sections, namely the death of the old generation (1:1-25:19) and the new Generation preparing to enter Canaan (26:1-36:13). This would make a present theme in the book out to be the failure of one generation, and the hopeful promise of the next. Author/Time: There is, as with the other books, no stated author to the book of Numbers itself. There is a note (33:2) that Moses has written down the "starting points" of the Hebrews' journey "stage by stage" which though it could support that he is the author, it does not make that a necessity. It is highly possible that he has given the information recorded here to another so that they could compose this book. That being said, this book fits into the same context as the rest of the Pentateuch, and therefore is likely to have been composed by the same author. Also, there is nothing inherent within the book that would make us think it was composed any time other during (or very near) the life of Moses. Did some editing happen? Was God just delivering the entire thing (even events outside of Moses' knowledge)? Sure, why not. I am open to a number of different possibilities, but stand firm that whoever wrote or edited it, that it has the authority of God behind it, and was authoritative to the Jews, and holds relevant meaning