Daniel P Warner

OT Books of Law

Loving God’s Commandments

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Equipping Men with Biblical Knowledge and Leadership Skills

Category: Personal Study

Thread: New to the Bible – Bible Structure

Post Topic: OT Books of History/Law

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Scripture: Genesis through Deuteronomy;

Deuteronomy 6:1-2;

Deuteronomy 6:20-25

Key Verses:
20 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” 21 tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”

Deuteronomy 6:20-25

Note on this post

This post fits within a continuing series meant for readers who are less familiar with Scripture. Unlike most Burning Bush blogs, this series is designed to explore the organizational structure of the Bible more than a particular topic. The same introductory overview is included in each post in case someone jumps into the middle of the series.

Books of the Bible – Overview

Imagine two bookshelves – one with 39 books, and one with 27 books. The shelves have dividers between groups of books. Each group belongs to its own genre. There’s a group of historical fiction, a group of thrillers, a group of how-to books, biographies, etc.

Now imagine that the top shelf is the Old Testament and the bottom shelf is the New Testament. The genres, or categories, of each testament, is what we’re going to discuss. This post will deal with the Old Testament.

OT Books of History

The books of history can be subdivided into the books of the law and the remaining books of history. This post covers the first five books – the books of the law.

Books of the Law

Observations

  • The first five books were written by Moses.
  • They fall under the History category because they tell the story of the beginnings.
    • Creation and the Garden of Eden
    • The Flood
    • The Patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph
    • The Exodus from Egypt, and the creation of the Jewish nation
    • Wandering in the wilderness prior to entering the promised land
  • They fall under the sub-category of books of Law because they include the 10 commandments and all the rules and regulations God gave to his people to follow
  • They end in Deuteronomy, with the people on the verge of entering the Holy land.

Interpretation

Setting – Moses probably wrote most of this during the last years of his life while his people were wandering in the wilderness. Moses never made it into the promised land.

Genre – Historical narrative. Even the laws are presented as a narrative of what was presented to the people to follow.

Note – some scholars believe portions are written in a poetic tone, and don’t believe in a literal interpretation of creation, the garden of Eden, and other stories. While I believe in a more literal interpretation, my mission is not to take a side on these debates but to provide a backdrop about the structure of the Old Testament.

Author – Moses. The stories in Genesis would have been passed down to him via an oral tradition of storytelling. The other four books are his firsthand account.

Types of Mosaic Laws

  • Moral laws, including the 10 commandments, still applicable today
  • Ceremonial laws, to set apart the Jews as devoted to God
  • Civil/Judicial laws, given to the Jews after they left Egypt and became a nation

Takeaways

  • God’s plan for humanity focuses on his chosen people, the Israelites, through the line of Abraham.
  • Moses was God’s first great leader of these people, leading them to the brink of the promised land.
  • God provides guidelines for his people to live by.
  • These laws are meant to bring us closer to God, not to condemn us.
  • The laws are meant to be passed down to our children and future generations (see the key verses in Deuteronomy).

Correlation

  • Matthew 22:37-40 – Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 when He says to love your God with all your heart. Moses encouraged the people to carve the commandments into the doorposts and teach them to their children.
  • Psalm 119:9-16 – The psalmist describes how he delights in the laws of God and hides them in his heart. He delights in God’s decrees, and pledges not to neglect God’s word.

Application

Generic Applications
  • Obeying God’s commandments shows my love for Him.
  • It’s okay if you don’t know all of Scripture inside and out. Strive to learn it-that’s why you’re here.
Personalize it
  • How can I grow my love for Scripture like the Psalmist? Do I value it more than riches?

Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:

Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.