What is the Pentateuch?

The Greek name given to the first five books of the Old Testament, which are also called "the five books of Moses." The many references to and quotations from them in other parts of Scripture, and the way Christ refers to them under the name of Moses, show plainly that Moses was the inspired writer of them — except, of course, the small portion that records his death and burial.

The section running from Genesis to Deuteronomy forms one book of five volumes — popularly called the Pentateuch, but called in Scripture the Torah (Law, Neh. 8:1, etc.) — divided into five parts, each having its own peculiar character, like the Psalms and other portions of Scripture.

Each of the four books which, besides Genesis, make up the Pentateuch begins with this little word. It fully establishes the fact that these books form one great record and must have been written by one instrument. Originally the present division of the writings of Moses into five books did not exist. He wrote in a continuous way, which formed one record. The division into five parts, we have no doubt, was made under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Genesis: the ages of promise, and the birth of Israel. Exodus: the people redeemed and taken into covenant with God. Leviticus: their sanctification in view of His holiness. Numbers: their trial in the wilderness. Deuteronomy: the moral summing up as wisdom for the land.

Genesis begins the account with the story of the new life received from God, in its varied aspects and stages of development. Exodus then narrates his redemption; Leviticus details the holiness which suits and is demanded by his new relationship. Now he is qualified for a walk through the world, and this is the reason for the apparent descent in the character of the truth which Numbers next shows... Deuteronomy completes the picture with the full recital of God's ways with us and ours with Him.

We come now to one Scripture which sets its seal on the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch: "If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?" This is most significant. It is unbelief which has attacked the authorship of the Pentateuch — unbelief not merely in Moses' writings, but in Him of whom Moses wrote... It is one harmonious work, whose author is not only declared on its face to be Moses, but our Lord confirms that statement.

One thing meets us at the very outset. We have here not a book to answer curious questions, or merely to give us interesting historical information. Every sentence was uttered with a distinct purpose — not to give us lessons in geology and other sciences, nor to furnish us with a history of the human family in the earliest times, but rather to bring us face to face with the purpose of all revelation, which is to know God and to be brought into harmony with His character and thoughts.

It is important to understand that all the Scriptures speak of Christ. He is the Key. Without Him, we cannot understand the writings of Moses. In Genesis 1, we meet the Creator: how great He is! In Exodus, Moses describes many details linked with Israel's redemption from Egypt. But when we understand that the Lord Jesus is the Key, we start to see that He is portrayed in the Passover lamb (Ex. 12), in the bondservant of Exodus 21, and so on.