The narratives in Genesis begin with God creating an orderly universe. The central theme of obedience unfolds in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve ignore God's warning about eating fruit from the tree of knowledge. Giving in to the temptation, they find themselves banished from the …show more content…
The remaining three books of the Pentateuch, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, offer in great detail how to please God. The Law of Moses, laws of purity, worship, and financial practices, express faithfulness in action, not just in …show more content…
Later, in the New Covenant, Jesus stresses the condition of the heart and the spirit of the law over the letter of the law in both importance and reasons for compliance.
Unfortunately for the people of Israel, they, like the rest of humanity, experience the constant struggle between earthly desires and obedience to God. As a result, many of the Mosaic laws focus on the atonement of sin (Leviticus), and the need for repentance (Deuteronomy).
The Book of Numbers, or in Hebrew, BaMidbar, which means wilderness, is a combination of law and history. The Israelites keep to the code, but at times with hearts grumbling against God. Following the law for compliance sake, without repentance and without appreciation, the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years.
The final book of the Torah, Deuteronomy, recaps the Israelites’ journey, and ends with Moses never reaching the Promised Land. On his deathbed, Moses gives his final instructions to obey God and the law.
The common themes associated with obedience in the Pentateuch, atonement, repentance, and God’s mercy, remain constant throughout the great story of salvation. God seeks to unify His people by covenants, first with Moses, and later, sending His Son, Jesus Christ to fulfill the old law and begin