Pentateuch is a Greek word that means: penta “five” and teuchos “volume”. This was originally meant to be one five-volume book.  The first five books of the Holy Bible are called Torah by most Jewish people, which is a Hebrew term meaning “Law” or “teaching”.

The first section of the Pentateuch speaks of man’s beginnings, and failure to live according to God’s commands. The next section is the reason we have named the first five books, “Law.” The majority of these five books are precisely that, law. These were more than likely composed by Moses, through the revelation of God. The Old and New testaments support this (Deuteronomy 1:5, Joshua 8:31-34, John 1:17, Acts 13:39)

Here God reaches down to humanity to save them from an eternity apart from Him and teaches them how to live for Him. The Law contains the guidelines for life in those times. (Remember now we live by grace.) It is important to review the past because it teaches us what Israel went through and teaches us the laws that were essential to that day and age. The section of the law is given to us for an example so we can learn from their mistakes and so we can see the moral laws that still apply to us (1 Corinthians 10:5-6). So we will begin with the first five books of the Bible and see where we came from.

In this section of Scripture there are many types of literature. There is Hebrew “prose narratives”. This is more than just story-telling. Each story has its purpose in God’s design in our lives. The types of narratives range from comedic (happy ending with a plot that has a problem and has a solution), heroic (struggles of a hero), epic and tragic. It also contains poetry which include prayers, songs of praise and victory, and more. The Law also contains prophecy which tells the reader or hearer of future events. Finally of course this section contains law! This includes civil, ceremonial and moral laws. The form of laws or commands given by God is similar to suzerain covenants which were given in the ancient times to weaker peoples by independent overlords. Interesting: that it is exactly our position; we are weak vessels in need of God’s help.

As we will see throughout the Old Testament, the Law foreshadows Jesus, the Messiah, and gives us application to our daily lives.