Southern Heights Baptist Church

Hebrew Bible

Books of Moses

We invite you to study God’s Word with us every Tuesday evening beginning at 5:00 taught by Pastor Otha Aden, on "Deuteronomy".

You are invited to study with us this fall and winter at Southern Heights Baptist Church located at 4001 S. Anthony Blvd. You may join the class anytime during the year. The first Class and discussion began on September 22, 2009 at 5:00 P. M. Learning in this study will be fun! There will be no tests but you are encouraged to bring your Bible and to read the book of Deuteronomy.

You may study with us on line by answering the following questions and bring your answers to class or E-mail them to: shbc@onecommail.com.

Study questions:

1. What books are included in the Pentateuch? a) Joshua, I Samuel, b) Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomny, or c) Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

2. Summarize the books of the Pentateuch.

3. Who wrote the Pentateuch?

4. How many spies were sent to check out the land?

5. How many people, who came out of Egypt, went into the promise land?

6. What were the borders of the land that God promised to Abraham?

7. What was the purpose of the cities of refuge?

8. Israel was taught to believe in-(choose one): a) Many gods, b) One god, or c) No god.

9. Bonus question - Name the Books of the Old Testament.

The Book of Deuteronomy gets its name from the Greek and it is called, “The Second Law-giving,” or it is a repeat of God’s Law for the younger generation.

(Deut. 17:18) “And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his Kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites (19) And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them.”


This book deals with God’s Covenant with Israel and repeats some of what is given to us in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. Deuteronomy ends the five books of Moses and is called the Pentateuch.

Genesis is the Book of the Beginnings – of creation, of the Fall of man, of the rebellion of mankind against God, of the calling of Abraham and the beginning of the Hebrew people and the twelve tribes of Israel.

Exodus is the book of the exodus or the going out or redemption of the Hebrew people from the land of Pharaoh in Egypt. It records the birth of Moses and the family of Amram and Jochebed with the birth of Aaron, Moses and Miriam. Exodus records the ten plagues upon the land of Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea with the Armies of Pharaoh being destroyed. God sends his people to school to teach them His ways and Laws through Moses, written with the finger of God.

Leviticus is the book of worship. It tells Israel what God requires of his people in worship. God called Israel to meet with Him at the door of the Tabernacle and told them that they must bring a lamb of the first year and sacrifice it in order for them to come to worship (Leviticus 1:1-5).

Numbers is the book that records the second numbering of the children of Israel. Those who left Egypt were not permitted to enter the promised land because of their rebellion against God at Kadesh-Barnea (Deut. 1:19). They wandered in the wilderness for forty years until those who came out of Egypt had perished. Even Moses did not enter. Although God did let him view the land; Joshua and Caleb were the only two who had come out of Egypt and were allowed to enter into the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy is the book that gives a Second Law, or a restatement of the Law of God that Moses gave for the younger generation.

All five books are called the Pentateuch which means the Five Books of Moses.

Singing the Books of the Bible every time we meet, before prayer.
The books of the Bible (to the tune of "The More We Get Together".

Let us sing the Books of Moses, of Moses, of Moses. Let us sing the books of Moses, for he wrote the Law.
First,Genesis; second, Exodus; third
Leviticus; fourth Numbers; and fifth is Deu-ter-o-no-my, the last of them all.

Let us sing the books of his-t'ry, of his-t'ry, of his-t'ry. Let us sing the books of his-t'ry. Which tell of the Jews. There's Josh-u-a, and Judg-es, and the sto-ry of Ruth - Then first and sec-ond Samuel, and first and sec-ond second Kings Then First and Second Chronicles,which gives us the records. Then Ez-ra, Ne-he-mi-ah, and Esther, the Queen.

Let us sing the Books of poe-try, of poe-try, of poe-try. Let us sing the books of poe-try. The songs the Jews sang. Job the pa-tient, Psalms of Da-vid, The Prov-erbs of a wise one; and then ec-cles-z-as-tes, and the songs of Sol-o-mon.

Let us sing the Ma-jor Pro-phets, Ma-jor Pro-phets, Ma-jor Pro-phets. Let us sing the Ma-jor pro-phets. The great-est of them all. I-sai-ah,
Jer-e-mi-ah, Who wrote Lam-en-ta-tions; Then E-ze-kiel and Dan-iel, who were true to their God.

Let us sing the Mi-nor Pro-phets, Mi-nor Pro-phets, Mi-nor Pro-phets. Let us sing the Mi-nor Pro-phets there are twelve of them all. Hos-e-a, Joel,
A-mos, o-ba-diah, Jo-nah, Mi-cah,Na-hum, Ha-bak-kuk, Zeph-a-ni-ah, Hag-ga-i, Zech-a-ri-ah and Mal-a-chi.

1. Moses’ Birth in Egypt (Exodus 2:1-10) “drawn from the water” (2:10).
2. Family of Moses: Amram and Jochebed (Exodus 6:20; Numbers 26:59), Father and Mother.
3. Aaron and Miriam, brother and sister children of Amram and Jochebed (Exodus 6:20; Numbers 26:59).
4. Moses, God’s Chosen Leader (Exodus 3:1-17; Numbers 12:6-10).
5. Moses the Prophet of God (Exodus 7:1-2; Deuteronomy
18:15-22). “What Moses said, God said; What God said."
6. Moses said. Do we have this kind of prophet today? Moses returned to Egypt (Exodus 4:1-8).

September 29, 2009 at 5:00 P.M."Deuteronomy",
"You and Your Bible at 6:00 p.m.

1. The Book of Deuteronomy contains 4 sermons that God directed Moses to give. The sermons divide themselves from 1:7—4:43 This is the first sermon; from Deut. 4:44 to 26:19 is the second sermon and Deut. 27:1- 30:20 is the third sermon and the fourth sermon begins at Deut 31:1- 34:12).
2. The first message dealt with God’s Regulations for the children of Israel. The message was given at Mount Sinai (Deut. 1:6-18).
3. The Land (Deut. 1:6-12).
4. Choose wise and discerning and experienced leaders to assist with the work (Deut. 1:13-18).
5. Israel at Kadesh-barnea (Deut. 1:19).
6. Spies sent into the Land (Deut. 1:24- 35; Num. 13 and 14).
7. Caleb and Joshua the only two to enter the Land (Deut. 1:36).
8. Turn and take your journey by the Red Sea (Deut. 1:40).
9. Israel’s journey from Kadesh to Moab (Deut. 2:1—3:29).
10. The conquest of Transjordan (Deut. 2:24- 3:11).
11. Allotment of the Land (Deut. 3:12-29).
12. On the Plains of Moab—A Call to Obedience (Deut. 4:1-43).
13. Cities of Refuge (Deut. 4:41- 43).

October 6, 2009 at 5:00 P. M. on Deuteronomy" and "You and Your Bible" at 6:00 p.m.

Moses Second Sermon (Deut. 4:44-26:19)
1. The Ten Commandments (Deut 4:44- 5:33).
2. Command to Love the LORD (Deut 6:1-25). Qal imperative, command from God “to Hear O Israel,” “Intention,” “volition.” Waltke and O’Connor, Introducion To Biblical Hebrew Syntax, p. 135, Eisenbrauns-- comment on this verse (6:4), “After the initial imperative and vocative,… Hear , O Israel,” there follows four words. However they are construed, it is agreed that no closely comparable passage occurs. The simple solution is to recognize two juxtaposed verbs less clauses: “YHWH is our God’… an Identifying clause,…” “YHWH is ONE” a classifying clause… and “Our ONE God is YHWH.” This was called the Shema (Deut. 6:4) and later other verses were added to it. The fact is that every Jewish family repeated this verse twice daily.
3. Commands to destroy the Canaanites (Deut. 7:1-26).
4. Command to Remember God’s past dealing (Deut. 8:1-10:11).
5. A Call to Commitment (Deut. 10:12-11:32)
6. The Command concerning the Central Sanctuary (Deut. 12:1-32).
7. Commands concerning False Prophets (Deut. 13:1-18).
8. Commands concerning Food (Deut. 14:1-21).

October 13, 2009 at 5:00 P. M. Book of Deuteronomy at 5:00 P. M.
You and Your Bible at 6:00 with Charles Howard.

1. Commands Concerning the Tithes (Deut. 14:22-29).
2. Commands Concerning the Sabbath Year (Deut. 15:1-23).
3. Commands Concerning Festivals (Deut. 16:1-17).
4. Commands Concerning (1) Leaders (Deut. 16:18-22); (2) Judges (Deut. 16:18- 17:13); (3) Kings (Deut 17:14-20); (4) Levites (Deut. 18:1-8); (5) False Diviners (Deut 18:9-14); (6) Messiah (Deut. 18:15-19); (7) Prophets (Deut. 18:15-20)
5. Commands Concerning Human Relationships (Deut. 19:1-26:9) (1) Cities of Refuge (Deut. 19:1-13); (2) Boundary Mark (Deut. 19:14); (3) Witness (Deut. 19:15-21); (4) Warfare (Deut 20:1-20); (5) Manslaughter (Deut 21:1-9) (6) Marriage and Family life (Deut 21:10- 22:30) (7) The Assembly (Deut. 23:1-18); (8) Protection for the weak (Deut. 23:19- 25:19); (9) First Fruits (Deut. 26:1-19).

October 20, Book of Deuteronomy at 5:00 P. M.
Your and Your Bible with Charles Howard at 6:00 P. M.

Moses’ Third Sermon (Deut. 27:1- 30:20). Ratification of Israel’s Covenant.
1. Prerequisite Ceremonies (Deut. 27:1- 26).
2. Promise of Blessings (Deut. 28:1-14).
3. Promise of Curses (Deut. 28:15- 68).
4. Provision of the Palestinian Covenant (Deut. 29:1- 30:20).

October 27th "Deuteronomy" at 5:00 P. M.
"You and Your Bible" with Charles Howard at 6:00 P. M.

No Class on November 3rd. Missions Conference

November 10, "Deuteronomy" at 5:00 P. M.
"Your Bible Map of the Twelve Tribes of Israel"

Moses’ fourth Sermon is the Conclusion (Deut 31:1-34:12).
1. Charges Related to Moses (Deut. 31:1-29).
2. Song of Moses (Deut. 31:30-32:47)
3. Treatment of Moses (Deut. 32:48- 33:29)
4. Death of Moses (Deut. 34:1-12).

November 17, 2009 "Deuteronomy" at 5:00 P. M.
1. "Map of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. You are to color for your exercise.

2. How God has preserved the Holy Text of Scripture.
3. Who were the Ammonites, Moabites (Deut. 2:1-5), Midinites (Gen. 19:37-38; Deut. 29:1)

5. In the book Introduction to Hebrew Bible: A Guided Tour of Israel’s Sacred Library, by James E. Bowley, Copyright @ 2008 James F. Bowley, Published by Pearson Education, Inc, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458.
6. Who was Katurah?
7. “Early Hebrew Songs and Poems.
8. “The dates presented here are currently debated by scholars, but they are a credible estimate of the date of composition of the earliest pieces of literature Found in biblical texts. Other scholars argue for dates not quite so old. Some believe that these older dates apply only to oral forms of the poems, but the written forms come from the eighth century BCE of later.
Poem
Composition Date, by Century
Genesis 49 11th
Exodus 15 12th
Numbers 23-24 11th
Deuteronomy 33 11th
Judges 5 12th
Source: Based on D. N. Freedman 1980.” Pg. 82
Time periods of composing the Scrolls
“When were they written? We know it was before the invention of the codex, before “the Bible,” but when and by whom?” Who began collecting them? What is the precise history behind the many different compositions of our Bible today? We must first acknowledge that we do not have detailed answers to these and hundreds of other questions often asked about the history of our Bible.” We have the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. They give a snapshot of the first century Judaism. “Israelites first appear in historical records of the ancient world in the late thirteenth century BCE. The 1200s to about 1000 saw this loose amalgam of tribes and clans become more or less stable,and organized politically, and a land-holding group. These gains became firmly established in the tenth to eighth centuries BCE with the rise of the centralized monarchies of Judah and Israel(in Scrolls, clay or stone tablets, for example). Passed down Orally and letters written into the Hebrew language. This is the oldest language in the world. Scribes, priests, and prophetic groups used the Hebrew language. YHVH was the dominant deity of Israelite clans but not the only one. The story of the Israelites living in Egypt and of their escape from Egypt became the dominant story in the oral recitations before the time of the scrolls and is now written into the history we find in our libraries today.

November 24, 2009 "Deuteronomy" at 5:00 P. M.


1. The Kings and Chronicles as historical sources (e. g., the Book of the Acts of Solomon (I Kings 11:41). “None of the documents have been preserved in their original form, but it is probable that parts of them were incorporated into scrolls that now form part of modern Bibles.” Bowley, 83- 84 “One scholar calls it “truly astonishing” (Stern 2001, 2:169) and another calls it an “epigraphic explosion” (Schniedewind 2004, 98).
2. “These writing contained an indeterminate number of narratives about the past, traditional myths and tales, songs and hymns, rituals, oracular pronouncements and visions, royal annals and tax rolls, epigrams, legal complications, event chronicles, and genealogical records.” Bowley, 84. (Copy picture of page 85 for scrolls).
3. Narratives such as I Kings 15:29- 21:30 (North) and most of 2 Kings (South) and in the names of sources such as the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel (North, I Kings 14:19) and the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah (South, I Kings 14:29). Scholars have reasonably speculated that when the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian forces in 722 BCE, some persons with access to northern writings must have escaped to the South, bringing with them not only oral traditions but probably some written sources as well.” “In 2 Kings 22-23, one of the South’s most famous kings, Joshua (who reigned 640 to 609 BCE), is reported to have launched a religious reform based on the interpretation by Huddah, a prophetess, of a scroll found in the temple by a priest (ca 621 BCE).
4. Writings of scribes, priests, and other prophets (Jeremiah 7:22; 8:8-9; 29:24-31).
5. The written scrolls of Jeremiah, penned by his scribe Baruch (Jer. 29:1-31; 36:1-32).
6. The oral proclamations of Jeremiah (Jer. 37:38).
7. Oracles of other prophets, reports of which have been preserved in written form (Jeremiah 23:16-32; 29:8-9).
8. “When Jerusalem and the small country of Judah were decimated by Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian forces in 597 and 586 BCF, many documents were lost in the flames, undoubtedly forever. But some including Jeremiah’s writing, survived and were apparently transferred to Babylon with Judean exiles.” Exodus and Leviticus.
9. “When the exiled Jews were allowed to travel the 500 plus miles (805 km) (a 2-3 month trip) back to their homeland beginning in 538 BCE under the more liberally minded Persian empire, the Persian-appointed Jewish governors were charged with shaping the newly constituted Persian-controlled Jewish state, according to ancestral law in a written form and in harmony with Persian policy and with royal financial support (Ezra 7:11-26). Ezra 9:10-11; Nehemiah 8:14-15)
10. “Jews of the sixth and fifth centuries possessed documents that they considered to have the authority of God through Moses and the prophets.”


Bibliography:
1. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible Commentry, 205, Nelson Electronics
2. Kevin J. Vanhoozer, G. e., Crig, G Brtholomew, Daniel J. etal. Dictionary of Theological Interpretation of the Bible.
3. Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositor's Bible Commentary Vol. III, 1992, Zondervan
4. John Joseph Owens, Analytical Key to the Old Testament, Vol I. Genesis - Joshua, 1989.
5. J. P. Green, Sr., The New Englishman's Hebrew Concordance Coded to Strong's Concordnce Numbering System, Wigam, Henderickson Publishers, 1984
6. Robert Duncan Culver, Systematic Theology: Biblicl and Historical, Christian Focus Publications, , 2005
7. A. Philip Brown II and Bryan W. Smith, AQ Reader's Hebrew Bible, Zondervan.com Authortracker, 2008
8. Charles Caldwell Ryre, Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition, New American Standard Bible, 1995
9. Halley, henry Hamption, Hally's Bible Handbook with the New international Version / by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2000.