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Bible books - the books of the law

Bible overview
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Contributed by Phillip Martin
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The first five books of the Bible are thought to be written by Moses and are known as the ‘Torah’ or Pentateuch. <br/>The Torah in Hebrew means ‘Instruction’, ‘Teaching’ or ‘Law’ and is the compilation of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. <br/>The word Pentateuch is a Greek term meaning 'five scrolls'. – Slide 1
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Genesis <br/>God creates the universe and fashions humans in His own image and places them in a perfect environment. The humans rebel against God and lose their paradise. The rebellion gets so bad that God wipes out humanity with a flood, but He graciously preserves Noah and his family. Later, God chooses and blesses the family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (or Israel) and promises them a land for their many descendants. Through this family God plans to bring a Saviour to reconcile the sinful world to Himself. – Slide 2
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Exodus <br/>The children of Israel, now living in Egypt, are forced into slavery. God prepares an Israelite named Moses to lead the people to free-dom. The king is loath to let the slaves go, so God sends a series of plagues upon the Egyptians. <br/>Moses leads the Israelites through the Red Sea, which God miraculously parts for them, and to Mt. Sinai. Camped at Sinai, the Isra-elites receive the Law of God, including the Ten Commandments. The Law is the basis of a covenant between God and people He has rescued, with promised blessings for obedience. The people promise to uphold the cov-enant. – Slide 3
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Leviticus <br/>In the Law, God establishes a sacrificial system to atone for sins and a series of festivals for Israel to observe as days of worship. God gives Moses plans for a tabernacle, a tent where the sacrifices can be offered and God will meet with His people. God specifies that the rituals and ceremonies of the tabernacle are to be overseen by the family of Aaron, Moses’ brother. – Slide 4
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Numbers <br/>The Israelites arrive at the border of Canaan, the land God had earlier promised to Abraham. But the people following Moses refuse to enter the land, due to their lack of faith and their fear of Canaan’s inhabitants. As a judgment, God consigns the Israelites to wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, until the unbelieving generation passes away and a new generation takes their place. God sustains His rebellious people with miraculous provisions throughout their time in the wilderness. – Slide 5
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Deuteronomy <br/>The new generation of Israelites is now ready to take possession of the Promised Land. Moses gives a series of final speeches, in which he reiterates the Law of God and promises that one day God will send another Prophet reminiscent of the power and mission of Moses. Moses dies in Moab. – Slide 6
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Slide 7