Christians are religious and cultural successors of the original Jews, who lived from

the times of Abraham, whose ancestors formed the People Israel. Over time, among the
descendants of the People of Israel, the one foretold in Scripture, Jesus the Christ, the
Messiah, came on earth. As a result, it is critical for Christians today to comprehend the
history of those many years, as well as the complicated interplay between God and His chosen
people, the People of Israel. As a matter of fact, history can tell us the salvific love of God
when in every period of time, God is with us and His love is extended to us since ancient
times. In short, the salvation history. Salvation history is a narrative account of mankind’s
deliverance from sin since the Fall of Adam and Eve, as well as the acceptance of divine grace
which was highlighted through the redemptive actions of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Indeed,
salvation history is part of God’s salvific plan to save from us from sin and welcome us into
His kingdom in Heaven. How can we say that salvation history is different from world history
or other kinds of history?

Unlike secular or world history, which restricts its focus to human actions and
concerns, biblical history tells the human story from God’s perspective, with its focus on
divine actions and concerns. God’s Word, then, is mainly about God’s saving work. The Bible
gives us nothing less than the drama of salvation history told from God’s point of view!

The Bible is divided into two sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The
Bible's tale begins with creation (Gen 1:1) and concludes with the joyful reveal of a "new
heaven" and a "new earth" at the second coming (Rev 21:1). The cross of Christ is at its core.
This indicates that salvation history is divided into two parts. It is a recounting of God's
promises before to the arrival of Jesus, as well as a narrative of God fulfilling those promises
in Jesus' paschal mystery, the life, death, and resurrection, so that all of history of mankind
following his coming is characterized by the redemption he achieved. In short, the timeline
of the history of Salvation started after God promised the Savior, Jesus Christ stated on the
Book of Genesis into the conclusion of Jesus’ proclamation about His second coming.

Thus, unlike secular history, the perspective of history portrayed in the Bible is known
as salvation history because the events chronicled in it are considered as God's deeds for the
salvation of the world. Because German Biblical scholars were the first to identify that history
in the eyes of the inspired writers of the Scriptures is primarily religious history, the German
term for salvation history, Heilsgeschichte (ayls-ge-shik-teh), was accepted and became the
proper term even among English-speaking scholars.

Now, for the most important part of our discussion for today, I am going to introduced to you
a detailed account of salvation history based from biblical sources and historical researches
which centers in the Book of the Pentateuch. The Greek term Pentateuch, which means "five
books," pertains to the first five books of the Bible, which are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These five books are also generally categorized as Torah, or The
Torah, by Jews. With the exception of the concluding chapter of Deuteronomy, chapter 34,
which chronicles Moses' death and burial as well as the turning over of Jewish leadership to
Joshua, it is often assumed that the Pentateuch was probably written by Moses.

Abstract

Salvation history is a narrative account of mankind’s deliverance from sin since the Fall of
Adam and Eve, as well as the acceptance of divine grace which was highlighted through the
redemptive actions of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Indeed, salvation history is part of God’s salvific plan
to save from us from sin and welcome us into His kingdom in Heaven. In this manner, it is necessary
to dig into the detailed account of salvation history based from biblical and reliable sources which
can be taken from the Book of the Pentateuch. The Greek term Pentateuch, which means "five books,"
pertains to the first five books of the Bible, which are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy. These five books are also generally categorized as Torah, or The Torah, by Jews. In line
with this, it is also important to look for the spirituality in the Pentateuch based on Christian
God has shown Himself in many ways
perspective, or Christian Spirituality. Thus,
throughout salvation history. He first appeared as the Creator of Heaven and
Earth. Then He showed Himself as Israel's covenant-keeping God. Of all
these, the life and works of Jesus Christ, God the Son, the Messiah, the
Redeemer, and our Savior, took on human form to save those who believe in
Him, was the conclusion of His divine revelation. And through inspired
account of the Sacred Scripture, followers gain access to this divine
revelation. Furthermore, there is nothing else like God, who is honored in
salvation through revelation of his justice and mercy by Jesus Christ.

Keywords: Torah, Pentateuch, Salvation History, Messiah, Covenant

What Is the Content of the Pentateuch?

As Christians who follow the footsteps of Christ, it is very important to understand first
the rich historical background of our Lord, Jesus Christ in order to understand the
redemption he did 2000 years ago. Probably, you had also asked yourself, why am I having
a craving for crabs? Why am I black? Who are my ancestors? Why am I Quilaton or Pacifico?
Was Quilaton came from lightning or Pacifico once lived in the middle of the ocean? Of all
names, why my parents gave me a name Winston? Actually, all of those questions could not
be answered if we look upon the present times but rather history. It is a recheck of our family
background to answer all the things that is happening with you right now. Since Jesus is
our eldest brother, we need to figure out why he died and sacrificed himself even before we
were born? How was this possible? Thus, the Pentateuch can tell us that through the mighty
plans of God, our father, we may understand throughout the discussion that aha, because
of His clever plan, we are saved. I am a Christian, and I am proud to proclaim the Good News
that I am a member of the Household of God and I am also a part of God’s history of salvation.

I. Genesis

Summary:

In six days, God created the universe and all living things, including Adam and Eve.
Devil, who is accountable for the Fall, brings sin into Eden. The patriarchs and matriarchs
are discussed. God demonstrates that He may get tired of human wrongdoing and kills the
majority of humanity and other living animals during the flood. Later on, God promises His
chosen people that they will live in Canaan. For a while, they live in Canaan, but due to a
long crisis, they went to Egypt, where food is plenty.

Details of salvation history:

As we figured out the opening of the Book of Genesis, it talks about the perfect creation
of God. However, when Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil, they committed sin. Due to
this, God made a perfect plan to wash away the sins of our first parents by means of series
of revelations for our reconciliation. He proclaimed himself through chosen people and
prepared the humanity for the coming of our Savior. Sins became inevitable on earth and
due to this, the natural consequence of Sin is death. To wash away the sins of the world,
imperfections must be washed away also through flood. This is the only way to remove it and
so therefore he had chosen his first person to reveal his salvation.

A. Noah’s Ark

First from the list among all chosen people, there was once named Noah. The righteous Noah
and his family built an ark and saved other species that are excluded for the flood.
8
But Noah found favor in the sight of the LORD. (Genesis 6:8 NRSVCE)

22
Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him. (Genesis 6:22 NRSVCE)

7 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation. 2 Take with you
seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the air also,
male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights; and every living thing
that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” 5 And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him. (Genesis 7:1-5 NRSVCE)

8
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature
that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. [a] 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never
again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I
make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant
between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every
living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting
covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between
me and all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:8-17 NRSVCE)

Now, the story of flood is actually a symbol of baptism, the same account of Baptism
in the New Testament:

For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. - 1 Corinthians
12:13 NRSVCE

I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and fire. - Matthew 3:11 NRSVCE

Flood is a representation of water and the sacramental sign of holy water is to purify and
cleanse our sins. The Jews and even Jesus in the New Testament followed the tradition of
the people because it is also the plan of His Father. Baptism is the saving work of our
redemption from sin. Ultimately, despite the presence of evil and sin around us, God's loyal
people in his ark, the Church, were rescued. With the renewal of creation, God established a
special relationship – a covenant – with Noah, his family, and their generations. The salvation
history does not end on Noah’s generation because sin still follows throughout generations.
For this he had chosen more righteous people to continue Noah’s work.

B. Abraham, the Father of all Nations

Abraham continued the story. The Lord entrusted Abraham's descendants to make
himself known to the world, which symbolizes the Church.

“The remote preparation for this gathering together of the People of God begins when he calls
Abraham and promises that he will become the father of a great people. Its immediate
preparation begins with Israel's election as the People of God. By this election, Israel is to be
the sign of the future gathering of all nations. But the prophets accuse Israel of breaking the
covenant and behaving like a prostitute. They announce a new and eternal covenant. ‘Christ
instituted this New Covenant.’”(CCC 762)
12 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all
the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3 NRSVCE)

15 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said,
“O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” [l] 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring,
and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” 4 But the word of the LORD came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your
heir.” 5 He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants
be.” 6 And he believed the LORD; and the LORD[m] reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7 Then he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans,
to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female
goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other;
but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. (Genesis 15:1-11 NRSVCE)
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty;[t] walk before me, and be blameless. 2 And I will make
my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with
you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram,[u] but your name shall be Abraham;[v] for I have made you the ancestor
of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me
and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring [w] after you. 8 And I will give to
you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:1-8
NRSVCE)

The Lord established a strong covenant with the patriarch and his descendants here,
committing himself to his people in a relationship of faithfulness, similar to how a husband
vows fidelity to his wife, and promising to build them a great nation in a country of
abundance. The heavenly kingdom is likewise foretold in this way. The covenant sign was
inscribed in the flesh of Abraham and his male descendants, just as the New Covenant sign
in the Holy Spirit is inscribed on our hearts.

C. Covenant with Isaac

This bond was reaffirmed with Isaac, who was born to the elderly Abraham and Sarah after
his birth had been predicted by three visitors whom Abraham addressed as one,
demonstrating the Holy Trinity. When Abraham demonstrated his complete trust in the Lord
by sacrificing everything, even his precious son Isaac, the Lord alone provided the sacrifice,
just as God would supply his own Son Jesus as the sacrifice on Calvary.
16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16 NRSVCE)

8
But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NRSVCE).

21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NRSVCE).

A. Covenant with Jacob

God even kept his promise to Isaac's son Jacob, whose twelve sons resemble the twelve
Apostles.
10
Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. 11 He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the
place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. 12 And he dreamed that there was a ladder[a] set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels
of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And the LORD stood beside him[b] and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the
land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; 14 and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the
east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed[c] in you and in your offspring. 15 Know that I am with you and will keep you
wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said,
“Surely the LORD is in this place—and I did not know it!” 17 And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this
is the gate of heaven.” (Genesis 28:10-17 NRSVCE).

9
God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and he blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall you be called Jacob, but
Israel shall be your name.” So he was called Israel. 11 God said to him, “I am God Almighty:[a] be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come
from you, and kings shall spring from you. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13 Then
God went up from him at the place where he had spoken with him. 14 Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured out
a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. (Genesis 35:9-15 NRSVCE).

Following a negative portrayal of Jacob's identity, Genesis wants to tell how he struggled
with a strange man, eventually revealed to be the Lord, who decided to give him the name
"Israel." For Pope Benedict XVI, he understood this event as "a long night of seeking God, of
the struggle to learn his name and see his face." The covenant God established with the
patriarchs, as well as the divine goal of producing one people, are not merely historical facts,
but a living and developing reality. Eventually, as we try to interpret it from the letter of Paul
to the Galatians, the covenant is completed in Christ as God's pledge of his unconditional
love for his people, and we will become bearers to the pledge through baptism:

26
for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer
Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham’s offspring,[a] heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29 NRSVCE)

II. EXODUS
Summary:
The People of Israel had been slaves in Egypt for many years. A Jew,named Moses,
was born among them. To keep Moses from being killed by royal authority, the princess of
Egypt adopted him and raised him as an Egyptian prince. When an Egyptian slave master
kept on harming a Jew, Moses accidentally murdered him and escaped into the Median desert
where he got married and became a shepherd. From there, Moses encountered God in the
burning bush at the foot of Mount Sinai. He was sent back into Egypt by God to tell Pharaoh
to set His people free. Through the miracles and plagues: water turning into blood, frogs, lice,
flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the killing of firstborn children,
the people were finally freed from enslavement. They crossed across the Red Sea and set up
camp near Mount Sinai. Moses ascended Mount Sinai and met God once more. God
established a covenant with the Israelites. God delivered Moses the Ten Commandments
(also known as the Asceret Hadevarim—or "Ten Utterances" in Hebrew). Moses proclaimed it
to the people after he went down from the mountain. Meanwhile, while Moses was away, the
People of Israel became impatient and self-centered. They built a golden calf to worship rather
than God. Moses was angry and broke the tablets and returned to the mountain to carve a
new set of God's commandments. The rest of Exodus discusses the construction of the
Tabernacle, which will hold the new tablets (and hence the commands of God Himself).

Details of salvation history:

The Exodus is one of the most well-known narratives in the Bible. This narrative has
attracted the attention for centuries. However, the Exodus is far more than a captivating
narrative or a significant historical event. The Exodus is the Bible's salvation history—a plan
not just of Israel's deliverance from slavery and tragedy in Egypt, but also of our own
deliverance from sin and death in Christ.

A. Freedom from Slavery

At the start of the book of Exodus, the Israelites are brutally mistreated in Egypt, where they
are slaves and compelled to labor on Pharaoh's construction projects:
11
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. (Exodus 1:11 NRSVCE)

13
The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor.
They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them. (Exodus 1:13–14 NRSVCE)

Because of the threat of increasing numbers of Israelites, they did not only enslave them but
also ordered to kill young Hebrew boys and infants.
23
After a long time the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God. (Exodus 2:23
NRSVCE)

By God’s plan, Moses as infant was saved from the verdict and was adopted by the princess.
He became the savior of the Israelites and the salvation history came into succession.

2 Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him
three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among
the reeds on the bank of the river. 4 His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him. 5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while
her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and
she took pity on him. “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said. 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the
Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her,
“Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. 10 When the child grew up, she brought him to
Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses,[a] “because,” she said, “I drew him out[b] of the water.” (Exodus 2:1–10 NRSVCE).

The salvific plan was accomplished when God commissioned Moses to save His people from
enslavement by defeating the Pharaoh. This occurred due to the plagues recounted in Exodus
7-12.

1. The Plague of Blood - Exodus 7:14-24 NRSVCE

14
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water; stand
by at the river bank to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was turned into a snake. 16 Say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you to say,
“Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness.” But until now you have not listened. 17 Thus says the LORD, “By this you shall know that I am
the LORD.” See, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall be turned to blood. 18 The fish in the river shall die, the river itself
shall stink, and the Egyptians shall be unable to drink water from the Nile.’” 19 The LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over
the waters of Egypt—over its rivers, its canals, and its ponds, and all its pools of water—so that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout the whole
land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”

20
Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and of his officials he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the river, and all the water
in the river was turned into blood, 21 and the fish in the river died. The river stank so that the Egyptians could not drink its water, and there was blood throughout the
whole land of Egypt. 22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts; so Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as
the LORD had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians had to dig along the Nile for water to
drink, for they could not drink the water of the river.

2. The Plague of Frogs - Exodus 8:1-15 (NRSVCE)

8 [a] Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I
will plague your whole country with frogs. 3 The river shall swarm with frogs; they shall come up into your palace, into your bedchamber and your bed, and into the
houses of your officials and of your people,[b] and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 4 The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your
officials.’” 5 [c] And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, the canals, and the pools, and make frogs come up on
the land of Egypt.’” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But the magicians did the same
by their secret arts, and brought frogs up on the land of Egypt.

8
Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, “Pray to the LORD to take away the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to
the LORD.” 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “Kindly tell me when I am to pray for you and for your officials and for your people, that the frogs may be removed from you and
your houses and be left only in the Nile.” 10 And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “As you say! So that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God, 11 the
frogs shall leave you and your houses and your officials and your people; they shall be left only in the Nile.” 12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and
Moses cried out to the LORD concerning the frogs that he had brought upon Pharaoh.[d] 13 And the LORD did as Moses requested: the frogs died in the houses, the
courtyards, and the fields. 14 And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart,
and would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

3. The Plague of Gnats or Lice - Exodus 8:16-19 (NRSVCE)

16
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats throughout the whole land of
Egypt.’” 17 And they did so; Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and gnats came on humans and animals alike; all the dust of the
earth turned into gnats throughout the whole land of Egypt. 18 The magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, but they could not. There were gnats on both
humans and animals. 19 And the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God!” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as
the LORD had said.

4. The Plague of Flies - Exodus 8:20-32 (NRSVCE)

20
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: Let
my people go, so that they may worship me. 21 For if you will not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you, your officials, and your people, and into your
houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies; so also the land where they live. 22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where
my people live, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I the LORD am in this land. 23 Thus I will make a distinction[a] between my people and
your people. This sign shall appear tomorrow.’” 24 The LORD did so, and great swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh and into his officials’ houses; in all of
Egypt the land was ruined because of the flies.

25
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so; for the
sacrifices that we offer to the LORD our God are offensive to the Egyptians. If we offer in the sight of the Egyptians sacrifices that are offensive to them, will they not
stone us? 27 We must go a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he commands us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to
sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness, provided you do not go very far away. Pray for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to
the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his officials, and from his people; only do not let Pharaoh again deal falsely by not letting
the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”

30
So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. 31 And the LORD did as Moses asked: he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his officials, and
from his people; not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and would not let the people go.

5. The Plague on Livestock - Exodus 9:1-7 (NRSVCE)

9 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 2 For if
you refuse to let them go and still hold them, 3 the hand of the LORD will strike with a deadly pestilence your livestock in the field: the horses, the donkeys, the camels,
the herds, and the flocks. 4 But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing shall die of all that belongs to
the Israelites.’” 5 The LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.” 6 And on the next day the LORD did so; all the livestock of the
Egyptians died, but of the livestock of the Israelites not one died. 7 Pharaoh inquired and found that not one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of
Pharaoh was hardened, and he would not let the people go.

6. The Plague of Boils - Exodus 9:8-12 (NRSVCE)

8
Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw it in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It shall become fine dust all
over the land of Egypt, and shall cause festering boils on humans and animals throughout the whole land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from the kiln, and stood before
Pharaoh, and Moses threw it in the air, and it caused festering boils on humans and animals. 11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for
the boils afflicted the magicians as well as all the Egyptians. 12 But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had
spoken to Moses.

7. The Plague of Hail - Exodus 9:13-35 (NRSVCE)

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let
13

my people go, so that they may worship me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues upon you yourself, and upon your officials, and upon your people, so that you may
know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have
been cut off from the earth. 16 But this is why I have let you live: to show you my power, and to make my name resound through all the earth. 17 You are still exalting
yourself against my people, and will not let them go. 18 Tomorrow at this time I will cause the heaviest hail to fall that has ever fallen in Egypt from the day it was
founded until now. 19 Send, therefore, and have your livestock and everything that you have in the open field brought to a secure place; every human or animal that is in
the open field and is not brought under shelter will die when the hail comes down upon them.’” 20 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD hurried
their slaves and livestock off to a secure place. 21 Those who did not regard the word of the LORD left their slaves and livestock in the open field.

22
The LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven so that hail may fall on the whole land of Egypt, on humans and animals and all the plants of the field
in the land of Egypt.” 23 Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire came down on the earth. And the LORD rained
hail on the land of Egypt; 24 there was hail with fire flashing continually in the midst of it, such heavy hail as had never fallen in all the land of Egypt since it became a
nation. 25 The hail struck down everything that was in the open field throughout all the land of Egypt, both human and animal; the hail also struck down all the plants of
the field, and shattered every tree in the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were, there was no hail.

27
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Pray to
the LORD! Enough of God’s thunder and hail! I will let you go; you need stay no longer.” 29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out
my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s. 30 But as for you and your officials, I
know that you do not yet fear the LORD God.” 31 (Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the
spelt were not ruined, for they are late in coming up.) 33 So Moses left Pharaoh, went out of the city, and stretched out his hands to the LORD; then the thunder and the
hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured down on the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned once more and
hardened his heart, he and his officials. 35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.

8. The Plague of Locusts - Exodus 10:1-20 (NRSVCE)

10 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his officials, in order that I may show these signs of mine among
them, 2 and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I have made fools of the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them—so that you may know
that I am the LORD.”

3
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let
my people go, so that they may worship me. 4 For if you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country. 5 They shall cover the surface of the
land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They shall devour the last remnant left you after the hail, and they shall devour every tree of yours that grows in the
field. 6 They shall fill your houses, and the houses of all your officials and of all the Egyptians—something that neither your parents nor your grandparents have seen,
from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

7
Pharaoh’s officials said to him, “How long shall this fellow be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God; do you not yet
understand that Egypt is ruined?” 8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, worship the LORD your God! But which ones are to
go?” 9 Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; we will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, because we have the LORD’s festival
to celebrate.” 10 He said to them, “The LORD indeed will be with you, if ever I let your little ones go with you! Plainly, you have some evil purpose in mind. 11 No, never!
Your men may go and worship the LORD, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

12
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, so that the locusts may come upon it and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has
left.” 13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night; when morning came,
the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 The locusts came upon all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had
never been before, nor ever shall be again. 15 They covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was black; and they ate all the plants in the land and all the
fruit of the trees that the hail had left; nothing green was left, no tree, no plant in the field, in all the land of Egypt. 16 Pharaoh hurriedly summoned Moses and Aaron
and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. 17 Do forgive my sin just this once, and pray to the LORD your God that at the least he remove this
deadly thing from me.” 18 So he went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. 19 The LORD changed the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and
drove them into the Red Sea;[a] not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt. 20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.

9. The Plague of Darkness - Exodus 10:21-29 (NRSVCE)

21
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be felt.” 22 So Moses
stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was dense darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 People could not see one another, and for three days they
could not move from where they were; but all the Israelites had light where they lived. 24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses, and said, “Go, worship the LORD. Only your
flocks and your herds shall remain behind. Even your children may go with you.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings to
sacrifice to the LORD our God. 26 Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must choose some of them for the worship of the LORD our
God, and we will not know what to use to worship the LORD until we arrive there.” 27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was unwilling to let them
go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take care that you do not see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” 29 Moses said, “Just as
you say! I will never see your face again.”

10. The Passover Feast and the Plague on the Death of Firstborn -12:1-30 (NRSVCE)

Moses then brought the people of Israel through the Passover feast with the tenth and last
plague. This was one of the most remarkable histories of salvation.
12 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: 2 This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell
the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household…
14
This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual
ordinance. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day
until the seventh day shall be cut off from Israel…
28
The Israelites went and did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. 29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the
firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 Pharaoh arose in the night,
he and all his officials and all the Egyptians; and there was a loud cry in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

After the salvation of God’s people, Moses delivered Israel out of enslavement and into
freedom by leading them on dry land through the Red Sea, while Pharaoh and his army were
destroyed in its waves (see Exodus 14). This is the first part of salvation history in the Book
of Exodus. The second part is the Law of Love, which narrates the Ten Commandments or
Utterances of God.
 B. Law of Love

Moses led God's people from the Red Sea to Mount Sinai, where he spent forty days and
nights praying and fasting before receiving God had inscribed the Ten Commandments
(Exodus 24:12–18). These are the laws of the covenant God had made with his chosen people
at Sinai.

“The ‘ten words’ sum up and proclaim God's law: ‘These words the Lord spoke to all your
assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with
a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them upon two tables of stone, and gave
them to me.’ For this reason, these two tables are called ‘the Testimony.’ In fact, they contain
the terms of the covenant concluded between God and his people. These ‘tables of the
Testimony’ were to be deposited in ‘the ark.’ (CCC 2058)

As a form of covenant, God promised to them that he will make a nation holy.
5
Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, 6 but you shall
be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.” (Exodus 19:5–6 NRSVCE)

The commandments are not made at random. They define Israel's connection with God.
“The Commandments properly so-called come in the second place: they express the
implications of belonging to God through the establishment of the covenant. Moral existence is
a response to the Lord's loving initiative. It is the acknowledgement and homage given to God
and a worship of thanksgiving. It is cooperation with the plan God pursues in history.” (CCC
2062)
God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt in order for them to come into this covenant
with him, and the commandments define how that relationship should be carried out.
Actually, the fulfilment of God’s Ten Commandments was done by Jesus Christ himself which
was accounted in the New Testament.
17
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17 NRSVCE)

Jesus said these words by himself. However, he also clarified that he has come to fulfill
the Law and the Prophets. This means that he is not against the Law or added something to
it. The Law remains the Law but what the Law stated was all about Jesus. He fulfilled it
through his sacrificial offering to the Calvary. He even summed up it into two Greatest
Commandments:
37
He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first
commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-
40 NRSVCE)

Because of His love for His Father and for His brethren, He offered Himself as the
fulfillment of the Law. This is the second salvation history in Exodus but this is not yet the
end of the salvation history. The third and final salvation is the miracle of manna from
Heaven.

C. Manna from Heaven

Although Moses has led Israel out of Egypt, they are not yet free; Israel's salvation is not
yet complete. God intended for his people to reach the Promised Land. The road to freedom
is long and winding, and the people could not make it on their own. God fed the people with
manna from heaven (quail and bread) while Moses led them through the dry desert.

16 Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the
second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. 2 The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The
sons of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the LORD’S hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of [a]meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you
have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

4
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them,
whether or not they will walk in My [b]instruction…

13
So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of
dew [i]evaporated, behold, on the [j]surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. 15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said
to one another, “[k]What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. 16 This is [l]what
the LORD has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man [m]as much as he should eat; you shall take [n]an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in
his tent.’” 17 The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. 18 When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and
he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered [o]as much as he should eat. 19 Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.” 20 But they did
not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. 21 They gathered it morning by
morning, every man [p]as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt… (Exodus 16 NRSVCE)

The Israelites eat manna every day for forty years in the desert. It would appear in
numerous times until they arrive at the Promised Land and end their quest:
35
The sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. (Exodus
16:35 NRSVCE).

However, due to their sins and Abraham’s neglect on God’s advice, in the end, they did
not make it to the Promised Land. As a result of breaking God's promise, they were captured
and exiled by Babylon. This enslavement was heartbreaking, but God still kept His promise
to have mercy on Israel and rebuilt it. Hed still save them from slavery in Egypt and guided
them through the desert to the Promised Land, just as he did in Egypt (see Ezekiel 20:33–
44; Hosea 2:14–16). Later, p eople returned back to Jerusalem around the end of the sixth
century BC, yet they were not completely free. As a result, people continued to look forward
to the Lord's prophesied New Exodus and New Moses. This promise was fulfilled by the
salvific coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The term "Messiah" was derived from
a Hebrew word "mashiach", which means "anointed one" or "chosen one," and it represents
the Jewish expectation of a future savior of the world promised in Old Testament prophecy,
which was confirmed in Jesus the Messiah (Roat, 2020).

III. LEVITICUS
Summary:
This book centers on the norms of spiritual life and how the People of Israel are to use
the Tabernacle that they built. One issue was that there were just 10 Commandments, but
they formulated 613 commandments. These were known as mitzvoth in Hebrew. It is any
directive, regulation, law, or legislation included in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible)
and, as such, should be followed by all practicing Jews. The laws were explicit, urgent, clear,
and covenantal; therefore, they could not be avoided. They contained things like clean and
unclean animals, ceremonial sacrifices, cooking procedures, right and illegal use of fire,
Shabbat customs, cleansing from human contamination, social relations, sexual behaviors
to enjoy or despise, and so on. The book of Leviticus is all about rewards and punishments.

Details of salvation history:

According to Peter Kreeft (You Can Understand the Bible, p33-34), the book of Leviticus
can be explained as follows:

“The Hebrew title for this book is its first word, Wayyiqra, ‘and he called’. God, not man,
called into being these laws and their administrators, the Levites. The English title Leviticus
means ‘the things of the Levites’. Leviticus is the book of laws God gave Israel through Moses
(Kreeft, 2005).”

Some of the laws accounted on mitzvoth were as follows:

19 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

2
Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. 3 You shall each revere your mother and
father, and you shall keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make cast images for yourselves: I am the LORD your God.

5
When you offer a sacrifice of well-being to the LORD, offer it in such a way that it is acceptable in your behalf. 6 It shall be eaten on the same day you offer it, or on the
next day; and anything left over until the third day shall be consumed in fire. 7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination; it will not be acceptable. 8 All
who eat it shall be subject to punishment, because they have profaned what is holy to the LORD; and any such person shall be cut off from the people.

9
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 You shall not strip your vineyard
bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God.
11
You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another. 12 And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I
am the LORD.

13
You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning. 14 You shall not revile the deaf or
put a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

15
You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go
around as a slanderer[a] among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood[b] of your neighbor: I am the LORD.

17
You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge
against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

19
You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your animals breed with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; nor shall you put on a
garment made of two different materials.

20
If a man has sexual relations with a woman who is a slave, designated for another man but not ransomed or given her freedom, an inquiry shall be held. They shall
not be put to death, since she has not been freed; 21 but he shall bring a guilt offering for himself to the LORD, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, a ram as guilt
offering. 22 And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of guilt offering before the LORD for his sin that he committed; and the sin he committed shall be
forgiven him.

23
When you come into the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, then you shall regard their fruit as forbidden;[c] three years it shall be forbidden[d] to you, it must
not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all their fruit shall be set apart for rejoicing in the LORD. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat of their fruit, that their yield may be
increased for you: I am the LORD your God.

26
You shall not eat anything with its blood. You shall not practice augury or witchcraft. 27 You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your
beard. 28 You shall not make any gashes in your flesh for the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

29
Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, that the land not become prostituted and full of depravity. 30 You shall keep my sabbaths and reverence my
sanctuary: I am the LORD.

31
Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

32
You shall rise before the aged, and defer to the old; and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

33
When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. 34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love
the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

35
You shall not cheat in measuring length, weight, or quantity. (Leviticus 19:1-35 NRSVCE)

Leviticus, Israel's law book, comprises hundreds of ordinances covering every aspect of
Israel's social life and religious service. Unless you are a lawyer, it is plainly not an interesting
reading. It is, however, when you realize that certain essential lessons underlie all of these fine
details:

“1. God's loving care of His people reaches down into even the tiny details of their lives. Nothing
is too small to be an occasion for His care or our obedience.

2. Law is good. It is not "repressive" of good, only of evil. God is the author of law and good
order, not of confusion. He gives us law out of love for us, for our instruction, discipline, and
protection.

3. The key word and idea in the book is holiness--a word that occurs over eighty times. They
key text is 11:45: "I am the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God;
you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy." That gives our essential motive for sanctity.

4. The laws in Leviticus were God's gracious provision for sinful man to approach a holy God.
Like the New Testament, Leviticus unites two apparently opposite ideas: law and grace,
justice and mercy, the demand for obedience and the promise of forgiveness for disobedience.
The God of Leviticus is both absolutely holy and absolutely loving, uncompromisingly just and
uncompromisingly merciful.

5. Most important of all, Leviticus foreshadows Christ. The New Testament Epistle to the
Hebrews interprets these laws messianically and symbolically. Hebrews should be read
together with Leviticus as companion books (Kreeft, 2005).”

However, there is something wrong with the mitzvoth because they had forgotten the core
meaning of it. They no longer waited for the New Exodus and New Moses to come. They became more
focused on the ritual sacrifices and strict laws but did not live with it. As apostle Paul on the New
Testament reads the book of Leviticus:
15
Brothers and sisters,[a] I give an example from daily life: once a person’s will[b] has been ratified, no one adds to it or annuls it. 16 Now the promises were made to
Abraham and to his offspring;[c] it does not say, “And to offsprings,”[d] as of many; but it says, “And to your offspring,”[e] that is, to one person, who is Christ. 17 My
point is this: the law, which came four hundred thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For if the
inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.

19
Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring[f] would come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained through angels
by a mediator. 20 Now a mediator involves more than one party; but God is one.

21
Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would indeed come through the
law. 22 But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ [g] might be given to those who
believe.

23
Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came,
so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God
through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free,
there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring,[h] heirs according to the
promise. (Galatians 3:15-29 NRSVCE)

Thus, Taylor concluded:

“Perfect obedience is demanded from those who place themselves under the law, for the
atonement provided by Old Testament sacrifices no longer avails with the coming of Christ.
Perfect obedience was not demanded in one sense under the Sinai covenant, for the law
provided forgiveness via sacrifices for those who transgressed (Taylor, 2012).”
As a result, individuals who live under the law must observe it precisely in order to be
saved, for too much adhering strictly to the law means rejecting Christ's salvation. Adhering
to the law, therefore, was pointless since the redemptive sacrifices under the Sinai covenant
are directed forward to the sacrifice of Christ. Hence, animal sacrifices are no longer
necessary now for a reason that the atonement of our sins are now in Christ's ultimate
sacrifice that has been made.
13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”. (Galatians 3:13 NRSVCE)

IV. NUMBERS
Summary:
The term "Numbers" is a Septuagint translation of Arithmoi, and it was used since the
dataset includes numbers, many statistics, census count, tribe and priestly numbers, and
other mathematical calculations. The Hebrew name is derived from the opening phrase of the
book and means "in the desert of". It may be a more appropriate term of the book's content,
which traces the Israelites through over forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Numbers
captures the narrative once again by tracing Israel's journey in the desert as God's chosen
move forth toward Canaan, the country previously promised to them by God. Unfortunately,
because of subsequent rebellions against God and recurring periods of disbelief, the Israelites
were sentenced to wander for forty more years until they arrived.

Details of salvation history:

Numbers follows Exodus in the progression of the salvation story. Exodus chronicles the
first year of Israel's liberation from Egypt, whereas Numbers covers the next 40 years of desert
wandering. Numbers contains some of the most remembered and repeated episodes in the
Bible. For example, Chapter 13 contains the spies' report on Canaan's scenery and the
fearsome and formidable inhabitants. Chapter 16 tells the frightening narrative of Korah's
insurrection and, a day later, the rebellion that Moses faced from all of Israel. The argument
at Meribah that resulted in Moses' grave disobedience is described in Chapter 20. Chapter
21 describes the rebellion that resulted in God's punishment and the deadly serpents.
However, we will only focus on some of the narratives, which can be read on Chapters 13 and
21.

A. Spies' Report on Canaan

The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites; from each of their ancestral tribes you shall send a man, every
one a leader among them.” 3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the LORD, all of them leading men among the
Israelites. 4 These were their names: From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur; 5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori; 6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb
son of Jephunneh; 7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph; 8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun; 9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu; 10 from
the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi; 11 from the tribe of Joseph (that is, from the tribe of Manasseh), Gaddi son of Susi; 12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of
Gemalli; 13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael; 14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi; 15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi. 16 These were
the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses changed the name of Hoshea son of Nun to Joshua. (Numbers 13:1-16 NRSVCE)

All of the spies selected were 12 leaders of Israel's original tribes. They were dispatched
to figure out the best paths, the types of people they'd meet, and the cities they'd possess.
Caleb of Judah and Hoshea of Ephraim were two of the men chosen by tribe, and Moses
renamed them Joshua, which means "Yahweh is salvation." Moses also chose Shammua of
Reuben, Igal of Issachar, Palti of Benjamin, Gaddiel of Zebulun, Gaddi of Manasseh, Ammiel
of Dan, Sethur of Asher, Hahbi of Naphtali, and Geuel of Gad tribe.
25
At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. 26 And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the Israelites in the wilderness of
Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which
you sent us; it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Yet the people who live in the land are strong, and the towns are fortified and very large; and besides, we
saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the land of the Negeb; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites
live by the sea, and along the Jordan.” (Numbers 13:25-29 NRSVCE)

Moses directed these leaders to travel through the Negev to the Hill Valley.
Consequently, the 12 leaders were to submitted a report what they discovered about the
weaknesses and strengths of the inhabitants who lived on the land, as well as how fruitful it
was, using their faith instead of eyesight. They traveled 250 miles in 40 days and came
carrying grapes, pomegranates, and figs to demonstrate how fortunate the place was.
30
But Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 Then the men who had gone up with
him said, “We are not able to go up against this people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 So they brought to the Israelites an unfavorable report of the land that they had
spied out, saying, “The land that we have gone through as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people that we saw in it are of great size. 33 There we saw
the Nephilim (the Anakites come from the Nephilim); and to ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” (Numbers 13:30-33 NRSVCE)

The country, as per Caleb and Joshua's report, overflowed with milk and honey, and
they advised that they could seize it right now. They recognized several prospects in the land.
The other 10 leaders, on the other hand, sensed a danger. Their greatest worry was that the
country would be overrun by the Amalekites, Hittites, Amorites, Jebusites, and Canaanites,
who were said to be extremely powerful and made the Israelites look like grasshoppers in
their sight.
11
And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among
them? 12 I will strike them with pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.” (Numbers 14:11-12 NRSVCE)

Fear spread among the Israelites as a result of this disagreement. They had forgotten
that the all-powerful God had promised them this territory and had liberated them from
Egypt. The story of salvation recounts how God saved them all throughout their journey,
freed them from slavery, blessed them with manna from Heaven, and even gave them a land
they could inherit. Because of their behavior, they still show the despise and mistrust in
God’s mighty work for them.
Thus, in the end, Numbers is all about the faith. We are much like the stubborn and
rebellious Israelites when left to our own devices. We would not ever reach the promised land
if we got what we deserved. Yet, because of God's love and mercy, he has provided a means
for our sin to be pardoned. In John 3:14-15 (NRSVCE), Jesus said,
“14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

If so many of us have not been saved, look to him in confidence and repent. If you recognize
Jesus, constantly look to Him. He will serve as a motivation to spend each day for His honor.
 B. The Bronze Serpent
6
Then the LORD sent poisonous[a] serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned
by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the LORD said to Moses,
“Make a poisonous[b] serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and
whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live. (Numbers 21:6–9 NRSVCE)

By passing through Edom, the Israelites move towards the Red Sea. The path here was
difficult, and because they were traveling south and Canaan would have been to the north,
they were doubtful of Moses and God. They even expressed their hunger and thirst. They also
said that the manna they had was little and so they had no more energy to keep pushing
further. As a result, in His displeasure, God released snakes to bite them and killed several
of them.

As a result, they begged God through Moses to speak on their side. But, since God is
merciful, He sent Moses to cure the people. Moses raised a bronze serpent on a pole so that
faithful Israelites may be cured from snake bites. God promised that anybody who looked at
it would be saved. Jesus likened Himself to being raised up like this bronze serpent on a pole.
The idea is that this serpent on a pole is identical to how Jesus was exalted up on the cross
for our sins. The message is that, just the same as we look to Jesus' death to grant us new
life, the Israelites must turn to this serpent to give them fresh start.
13
No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. [a] 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must
the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. (John 3:13-15 NRSVCE)

V. Deuteronomy
Summary:
From Devarim (Hebrew meaning "Words") is the fifth book of the Old Testament, given
by Moses as a final message to the Israelites before they reached the Promised Land of
Canaan. After arriving at the border of Canaan, across the plain from Jericho, this book
largely features addresses by Moses warning the rebellious People Israel not to doubt their
trust in God. God has fulfilled His promise. Israel must do so as well. It must give up its
desire for idolatry. It must avoid from following the Canaanite religious traditions. Then God
takes Moses to the summit of Mount Pisgah. After then, he was permitted to peek the
Promised Land, but he was not permitted to visit there due to his own transgressions. Then
Moses died suddenly.

Details of salvation history:

The concept of loving God was first mentioned in the Bible in Exodus 20:6 (NRSVCE),
where it is said, “6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.” However, the
concept of loving God is not fully established until Deuteronomy. In Leviticus, Israel was
encouraged to accept Yahweh's commandments based on his existence, with the phrase "I
am Yahweh" frequently before and after his commandments. In Numbers, the God who was
a burning fire took His people's sin in the desert. Before Moses' death, he prepared the people
to inhabit the land in Deuteronomy.

The Covenant Conditions (Exodus and Deuteronomy)

 Conditions play a role in God's covenantal relationship with Israel. God is the ultimate
reality in the story of creation, and in Deuteronomy 12–26, he lays forth the conditions of the
covenant he made with Israel. They will be saved beyond their wildest dreams if they obey,
and tragically punished if they do not. The threat of the curse is intended to urge loyalty. The
promise of justice for the glory of God is to preserve Israel. If they do not, they will be
condemned, and there will be salvation through the exile's justice, as Deuteronomy 4:25–31
and 30:1–10 imply. In between are the rules that Israel must follow. Parallel to the exposition
of the Ten Commandments or Utterances in the Book of Exodus, everything that occurs in
Chapter 5 helps to exposit those ten points.

- (Just, 2022)

That is why the last book is also called the “second law”. In that context, Moses merely
instructs the king to create a "copy of the law." Deuteronomy preserves this "second law,"
namely Moses' series of speeches in which he reaffirmed God's commandments first delivered
to the Israelites in Exodus and Leviticus some forty years earlier.

1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan—in the wilderness, on the plain opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and
Di-zahab. (Deuteronomy 1:1 NRSVCE)

As a result, the book gave Israel God's conditions for living a good life in the Promised
Land. In contrast to God's selfless covenant with Abraham, the covenant between Yahweh
and Israel was different. If the people stayed faithful, God would honor His promise to protect
the nation. The adult Israelites were too young to understand and participate in Mount
Sinai's initial covenant. As a result, Moses repeated the Law at the border of the Promised
Land, pushing this young generation to reconcile with God and pledge to His ways.

Above all, the covenant of Deuteronomy foreshadows Christ implicitly. God foresees
Israel's inability to maintain the covenant because it could not transform minds. However,
Moses foresees an unknown prophet similar to himself and can persuade Israel to heed to
him when he arrives. Christ is obviously seen as the fulfillment of this salvific prophesy.
15
The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet[a] like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. [b] 16 This is what you requested of
the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the LORD my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will
die.” 17 Then the LORD replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet[c] like you from among their own people; I will put my
words in the mouth of the prophet,[d] who shall speak to them everything that I command. (Deuteronomy 18:15–18 NRSVCE)

Moses concluded by begging the people,

19
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may
live, 20 loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that
the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. (Deuteronomy 30:19–20 NRSVCE)

In verse 20, "that" alludes to loving the Lord your God, following Him, and remaining
faithful to Him. That's life. Faithfulness, loyalty, love, and devotion should characterize our
connection with God. Consider a perfect marriage as a model for how God wants us to
attach to Him.
28
In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own body, but he
nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 because we are members of his body.[a] 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:28–32 NRSVCE).

CONCLUSION

To synthesize everything, God has shown Himself in many ways

throughout salvation history, even after the narrative account on the Torah.
He first appeared as the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Then He showed
Himself as Israel's covenant-keeping God. Of all these, the life and works of
Jesus Christ, God the Son, the Messiah, the Redeemer, and our Savior, took
on human form to save those who believe in Him, was the conclusion of His
divine revelation. And through inspired account of the Sacred Scripture,
followers gain access to this divine revelation (which we did not personally
experience). Furthermore, there is nothing else like God, who is honored in
salvation through revelation of his justice and mercy by Jesus Christ.