My Sunday School lesson

I thought that I would share some of my lessons and notes of messages and lessons I teach. Today I filled in as teacher for a class for the deaf. There is a book called "The Pentateuch"  that I taught from. Here are some of my notes.

The Pentateuch

The word Pentateuch is used to describe the first five books of the Bible:

Genesis  The Beginning

Exodus The Exodus from Egypt

Leviticus The Laws

Numbers God has counted His people

Deuteronomy

The word Pentateuch comes from the Greek pente meaning five : teochos utensil, urn for holding a scroll, five part book or five volume.  The word Pentateuch is not found in the Bible. The Bible describes the first five books as “Law”

The Jewish people call the first five books the Torah which translates as law, teaching, doctrine guidance, or instruction. In the Jewish synagogue the Torah is given an honored place and each week a section is read publicly so that it can be covered in a year.

Who wrote the Pentateuch?

Moses is the writer of the Pentateuch , there is thought that other records were also used in the writing of the Pentateuch  Moses had the education to write the first five books of law. He was raised in the palace of Egypt. Some of the sources that Moses used could have come through several ways:

·       Divine revelation- Moses had to depend on divine revelation  to be able to report matters such as creation

·       Ancestor epics –The heritage of the Jewish people had been passed down through generations. Some of the history is told from one generation to another

·       Personal Experience and observation:

The dates of the writings take place in about 1450 BC.

What is in the Pentateuch?

1.     The early ages Genesis 1-11.  Creation, mankind’s fall, the first civilization, the flood and the tower of Babel.

2.     The patriarchal period, Genesis  12-50.  God’s development of a covenant people through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.

3.     The exodus, Exodus 1-18.  The birth of Moses through his assignment to lead the Israelites from Egypt.

4.     The Sinaitic Law  Exodus 19-1 – Numbers 10:10.  Gods law given to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. The tabernacle is constructed, and Israel’s worship system established.

5.     The wilderness wanderings Numbers 10:11-36:13. Israel’s failure to enter the land, resulting in God’s  judgment allowing them to  wander in the wilderness for forty years.

6.     Moses concluding messages Deut.1:1-34:12. A review and application of the lessons of prior events for the benefit of the new generation.

There are 613 laws in the Pentateuch. 248 commands and 365 prohibitions.

The Purpose of the Pentateuch:

1.     To detail the history and the calling of the Israelites to prepare the people to take their place as a nation in the land.

2.     To provide a treasury of accounts of the exploits of people of past ages that convey vital lessons for the present and future generations. Paul wrote Those things happened to them as examples and were written down as warning for us.

3.     To serve all humanity from Moses day to ours as the message of God’s redemptive plan and it’s outworking from creation to the time of Moses’s death.

4.     To provide a background and foundation to the faith for all believers. The law is a shadow the things to come.

5.     To provide insight into the ways of God and to prepare to receive the gift of His Son Jesus.

6.     The recount the events when God gave the Law to the people of Israel and entered into covenant promise with them.

This class went amazingly well. God knew I was nervous. The people that were there seemed to enjoy the class and some of them learned new things. I want to return to this class as a student, and maybe I can teach it again sometimes. I love to teach Gods word. I am praying to get over my timidness and lack of confidence.  There are several things I am praying for, the decision to finish my BS degree. I don't want to encounter a lot of debts that can't pay back. I don't want to be the lady with the walker paying off her student loan debt. (As in the Suddenlink commercial). I want God to restore my confidence that I had when I was working. I knew what I was doing and could stand up to any challenge, now I find myself sort of afraid.  I want to do some part time work, not for the same reasons I did last year. I want to see if I still have the skills and maybe me having more confidence will help me in ministry.  There was a picture of a guy jumping to the next cliff, there was a gap in between the cliffs. I feel like I am in that gap.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson.