The Old Testament
“Your iniquities have separated you from your God.”
Isaiah 59:2
The Pentateuch
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
The first five books of the Old Testament are known as the Pentateuch, or the Torah. From creation to Israel’s arrival at the promised land, these books help us understand how sin separated us from God and how quickly the effects of sin spread throughout the world. But these are not just a collection of stories illustrating Israel’s sin; they prepare us to know Jesus and point to His grace.
Hope: A Gift from God
Genesis 1–11
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
Genesis 3:15
Many who are not familiar with biblical prophecy wonder if humanity is teetering on the brink of extinction. Between rogue nations, natural disasters, environmental pollution, and world powers standing on the edge of insolvency, the future doesn’t look bright.
What wouldn’t the average person give for a book that describes the future of the world and the human race! But such a Book does exist—God’s Holy Word. Starting from creation, it chronicles the history of the world. And looking forward, the Bible calms our fears with assurance for the future.
There was a time, in the beginning, when there were no promises of God, fulfilled or unfulfilled. The future of humankind stretched forth like a blank canvas. And then God spoke the first prophecy—directly related to man’s fall from grace in the garden of Eden. Addressing the serpent that deceived Adam and Eve, God prophesied his ultimate demise.
God gave hope to the first humans by promising that the Seed of Eve, Jesus Christ, would one day crush Satan’s head. By the time the apostle Paul wrote to the Roman church, Christ’s resurrection from the dead had partially fulfilled that prophecy. But Satan’s ultimate demise is still coming: “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20).
Dr. Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe, a science-faith think tank, estimates that the Bible contains “2,500 prophecies . . . about 2,000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter—no errors.”1 The remaining five hundred or so are yet to be fulfilled. By looking back at fulfilled prophecies, we can have tremendous confidence in the Bible’s remaining prophecies.
~ A Verse to Write ~
“I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.”
Genesis 6:18
~ Reflect On This ~
Read Genesis 6:5. What was the extent of man’s wickedness before the flood?
Read Genesis 6 and Hebrews 11:7. When Noah built the ark in Genesis 6, he did not have a written Bible or thousands of fulfilled prophecies. What reasons do you find for his faithful obedience?
Noah’s family survived the flood because Noah obeyed God and believed in His prophecy. The Bible warns that a fiery judgment is coming (Luke 12:49; 2 Peter 3:10). How have you prepared for that day? Who will enter the ark of God’s salvation because of your faithful witness?
Receiving God's Blessings
Genesis 12-50
“I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant.”
Genesis 17:7
When faced with a choice, we naturally select the most desirable option. Football teams draft the most promising young players. Colleges grant scholarships to students who excel academically. Single people spend time with those they find the most compatible.
Not so with God. He selected a childless couple with pagan names to be the ancestors of His chosen people. Nothing about Abram and Sarai’s pedigree qualified them for the honor, and there was nothing they could do to deserve God’s favor. The only asset they brought to the table was their obedience. And as we know from Scripture, even that was imperfect at best.
The Abrahamic covenant was and is entirely dependent upon God. When it was made, God alone passed through the fire because He was the only One who could fulfill its terms (Genesis 15). Also, there was no provision made for the covenant to be broken or annulled. It permanently established God’s unilateral, unconditional commitment to His people.
Horatius Bonar
What does this mean for us today? We, too, are beneficiaries of God’s unwavering commitment. God told Abram, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). We receive this blessing through the Bible and the Messiah. Abram’s descendants wrote every book of the Bible except Luke and Acts. Saving grace flowed through Abraham, through the Jewish people, and it has reached us. Praise God for His promise to Israel!
~ A Verse to Write ~
“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.”
Genesis 12:2
~ Reflect On This ~
God’s covenant with Abram extended beyond spiritual blessings. Looking at Genesis 12:1–3 and 17:1–22, what other blessings does the Bible describe?
Read Deuteronomy 7:6–8. What words describe God’s feelings for Israel? What reasons do you find for His love?
Read 1 Corinthians 1:26–28. Why does God often call people who are not the most qualified?
In what ways is God calling you to serve Him beyond your qualifications? How will you respond to His call?
God Loves His People
Exodus
“God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.”
Exodus 2:24
In the book of Exodus, we encounter a strange turn of events. A foreign power enslaved the people with whom God made an everlasting covenant. Did He forget His covenant? Was He unable to protect Israel?
Genesis 38 holds the key that unlocks the events of Exodus. After Judah convinced his brothers to sell Joseph into slavery, he left home, went to a foreign country, and married a pagan Canaanite woman. He was only three generations removed from God’s covenant, yet his lifestyle was indistinguishable from the wicked culture of his day.
Judah’s life is but one example of the Canaanites’ corrupting influence on Israel. Every time the Hebrews got mixed up with the Canaanites, sin and corruption followed. Joseph’s time in Egypt allowed God to prepare a protected place for His people to be free from society’s evil influence.
After 430 years in Egypt, the Israelites numbered more than two million people. They had maintained their distinct identity, and they were ready to journey to the promised land. So God provided a leader to guide them out of bondage and instructions for holy living.
Many people think of the Ten Commandments as an outdated list of dos and don’ts. But the commandments are best viewed as Almighty God’s principles for successful living. It would have been unloving for God to turn His people loose among evil influences without giving them the tools to thrive.
~ A Verse to Write ~
“Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying: ‘I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!’”
Exodus 15:1
~ Reflect On This ~
After the golden calf incident and the destruction of the first set of stone tablets, Moses met with God to receive a second set. How does God describe Himself at this meeting? (Exodus 34:6–7)
The first three commandments teach us how to revere and worship the Lord (Exodus 20:1–7). Why would God place such an emphasis on worship? Support your answer with Scripture.
Not all idols are made from wood and stone. Anything that interferes with your worship of Almighty God constitutes an idol. It could be a relationship, a goal, or a hobby. How has idolatry seeped into your life? How will you recommit your affections to the Lord?
Be Lifted Up
Leviticus and Numbers
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.’”
Numbers 21:8
Preachers stand on platforms; flags are raised to the top of poles; signs are put high up on billboards. Raising something high makes it visible to more people and gives it a sense of importance. That’s why God told Moses to make a serpent out of bronze, set it on a pole, and raise it up so the Israelites could see it. God had punished their sin by allowing serpents into their camp, and Moses’ bronze serpent became a source of deliverance for them when they gazed on it and believed (Numbers 21:4–9).
Knowing that the Jews would grasp the metaphor immediately, Jesus said that He would be “lifted up” and become a source of salvation to all who looked to Him (John 3:14–15; 12:32). By “lifted up,” He was referring to the Roman cross that lay ahead of Him. His words were prophetic—His death on a cross has drawn millions to Him for two thousand years. We continue to lift Him up today in the Lord’s Supper, “[proclaiming] the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). We also lift Him up as we praise Him for His blessings in our lives.
Knowing the Old Testament informs what we read in the New Testament. We, like those in the early church, can make connections to promises God made centuries ago. We have a depth of understanding that goes beyond the words on the page and extends to the meaning certain words and stories bring. Those layers of meaning not only point us to Jesus but also build our faith and compound our blessing for the world to see. Our lives should continually point the world to Jesus Christ—lifting Him up for all to see and be saved.
~ A Verse to Write ~
“Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.”
Numbers 21:9
~ Reflect On This ~
How do you “lift up” Christ in your daily life?
Read Leviticus 16:21–22. How did the goat that was freed into the wilderness redeem the sins of the children of Israel? How does this foreshadow Christ’s redemption of our sins?
Our Love for God and Others
Deuteronomy
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
Deuteronomy 6:4–5
After fleeing Egypt, the children of Israel spent forty years wandering in the Sinai wilderness. They were free from oppression, but they needed to learn how to live before a holy God. The Lord required more than empty words about their affection for Him—He demanded their obedience.
Nearing the end of his life, Moses gave a series of speeches to remind Israel of God’s commandments. Many of these are recorded in the book of Deuteronomy. Today’s passage is known as the Shema because this is the Hebrew word for “hear.” As the nation entered Canaan, a land filled with many gods, the Shema affirmed the nature of the one true God.
Receive Daily Devotions from David Jeremiah
Sign up to receive email devotions each day!
When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He answered by giving two. To the Shema, He added the command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Isn’t that an excellent summary of the Ten Commandments? The first four teach us how to live out our love for God, and the remaining commandments teach us what it means to love other people. First John 4:20 says, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”
Abraham Lincoln
In the Shema, there are three aspects of our love for God: heart, soul, and strength. When Jesus cites it in the Gospels, He adds “mind” to the list. Our love for God is to be all-encompassing. Our thoughts, decisions, desires, everything within us, and all the resources at our disposal are instruments we can use to demonstrate our love for God. This ancient prayer reminds us that true faith is rooted in our dynamic, loving, mindful relationship with the Lord our God.
~ A Verse to Write ~
“The Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
~ Reflect On This ~
The Bible’s definition of love is different from the popular idea of it being an emotional feeling. How do the following verses describe love? Deuteronomy 10:12; 11:1, 13, 22; 19:9; 30:16; John 14:15; 15:12–14.
Why should we love God? See Psalm 86:15; Romans 5:8; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:4–5; 1 John 3:1; 4:19.
We all know people who are more challenging to love than others. How will you commit to demonstrating the love of Christ in those relationships?
David Jeremiah
Notes:
1Hugh Ross, “Fulfilled Prophecy: Evidence for the Reliability of the Bible,” Reasons to Believe, August 22, 2003, https://reasons.org/explore/publications/articles.
2David Jeremiah, Captured by Grace (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 2010), 150.