About: The Pentateuch

The first twenty-eight readings in this book are taken from the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, which relates the stories of creation and the early history of Israel. It is fitting that these readings make up more than a quarter of this book, because the Pentateuch tells the central stories of Israel. Genesis relates the stories of creation and of the great patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Exodus tells of God’s deliverance of his people from oppression in Egypt and of the covenant between God and Israel. The books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy describe the Law—the rules and commandments that the people were given as their share in the covenant relationship.

The stories told in the Pentateuch take God’s people to the threshold of their possession of the Promised Land. The rest of the Old Testament takes place in the land of Israel. The historical books tell about the era of the judges and kings and about the eventual division of the kingdom. The prophetic books recount the people’s covenant failures and God’s response. The writings, which include the psalms, the wisdom books, and later histories, record Israel’s profound religious and spiritual reflections.

But the foundation of Israel’s history is the Pentateuch, particularly the stories told in Genesis and Exodus. The readings that follow tell of the “mighty acts” of God performed to create a people who would be his instrument of salvation for the world.