" Topic: The Pentateuch I & Genesis
" Topic: The Pentateuch II & Exodus
Introduction:
In these books, the author attempts to demonstrate certain episodes in the Bible which have become life changing and which affect the way we observe religion in this day and age. They also include incipit references to salvation by God and man who is constantly in danger of losing all he has worked for.
The first six books of the Old Testament are loosely referred to as the Pentateuch and the first of these is Genesis which is perhaps one of the best known of them all. Genesis describes the way the Earth was created and it is also descriptive of the way in which man fell for the charms of a woman who was in her turn inspired by the Devil to make him fall. The writer teaches us a lot of lessons in this respect with his description of Adam and Eve and how this couple made their own decsiions in flagrant denial of God who then threw them out of the Garden of Eden for a life of hardship and shame. It is perhaps one of the greatest parables of all time as if one denies God then the consequences are there for all to see, the emptiness, the desolation, the unhappiness of everything in a life without the grace of God.
The story of Cain and Abel is also instructive as it demonstrates how sibling rivalry can lead to violence and eventual death. One has to evaluate Cain’s story which is a sad one in any case as he felt that his brother was better than him in everything and there was no real reason for this. Favoritism by parents is also an issue here as it confirms that these feel maternal or paternal instincts more strongly in favour of one child or the other with the predictable disastrous consequences. Flanders expands on this subject extensively especially with regards to the sibling rivalry which can also be taken to be something rather over the top. Bandstra is also very much critical of the way Cain acts but we are also made to reflect upon Abel who is also slightly more circumspect and mystical in his role.
Genesis continues with the story of Noah as well as the important story of Abraham followed by that of Isaac and Jacob. Here we experience the founding of Israel and the importance of the son to the nation where Isaac almost ends up being given as a sacrifice to God by his father Abraham. The powerful symbolism of this moment is extremely well depicted and demonstrates the magnamininity of God who only wanted to observe the faith Abraham had in him, a faith which was truly great and without any boundaries or limitations. The story of Jacob is also instructive as this shows that brothers would do anything to advance their own situations even if the family is put in jeopardy. Here one can observe a kind of parallel with the story of Cain and Abel where Joseph is sold to the Egyptians but in the end he makes good and becomes a powerful man. There is much to learn from these stories as all contain a certain element of realism in them without being too fantastic but the hand of God can also clearly be seen and observed at work here.
Exodus:
The second part of the Pentateuch deals with the Exodus and the exit of the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt. Here the story of Moses is perhaps the most poignant as after hundreds of years in slavery, the Jewish people had perhaps lost all hope that they would eventually be saved from bondage. This also meant that Moses had a difficult role to play in convincing the Pharoah to let his people go. God’s intervention is seen through the Seven Plagues which culminated in the death of the first born child of every Egyptian family and this included the Pharoah’s own son, it was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back.
Flanders and Bandstra expound upon the power of Moses’ message who was a strange character in some respects but was also strong and very much inspired by God. In this sense, the Exodus teaches us a lot of things on God’s message and how we are to interpret it when it comes to us. The Jewish people were in consistent bondage for centuries and in one fell swoop, through the intervention of their God, they managed to get out of slavery. It is important to note that God had not abandoned the Jews to their fate but wanted to test their strength, something which unfortunately disappeared when in the desert where they eventually resorted to adoring false Gods while Moses was on the mountain of Tabor to receive the Ten Commandments. In fact the whole generation had to die out before entering the Promised Land of Canaan, God’s punishment to those who doubted Him. This is probably one of the most crucial parts of the Exodus as it shows that if God is left by the wayside then his wrath would be great especially after he saved the Jews from bondage.
Works Cited:
Anderson, Bernhard W. Understanding the Old Testament. 4th edition. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1987.
Bandstra, Barry L. Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Grand Rapids, New York. Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1995.
Flanders, Henry J., Robert W. Crapps and D. A. Smith. People of the Covenant: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 4th edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
SDA Bible Commentary,Volumes 1 and 2
