This is one of twenty reliefs on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III (825 BCE), discovered in 1846 and currently housed in the British Museum. This relief features the King of Israel, Omri, kneeling in tribute before the Assyrian King.

In our English Bibles Kings is a two part volume within the collection of what are known as the history books of the Old Testament. However, Kings was originally one book. Like all histories, Kings is not objective. It was written from a prophetic point of view; that is, from God’s angle. In the Hebrew Bible Kings is found within the collection of what are known as the books of the “Former Prophets.” Most conservative historians agree Kings was written during the seventy-year Jewish exile in Babylon. Kings explains why God allowed his people be taken into exile. The reason is not that God no longer cared for his people, but that God’s people had betrayed their covenant with him. They had worshiped other gods, assimilated with other nations, and drifted into immorality, as is evidenced in Kings. Though his people were unfaithful, God demonstrated his faithfulness to his covenant promises by punishing his people for their sins with the exile.

The authorship of Kings is anonymous. The author depends more explicitly on written sources than does any other author of the Bible. The author repeatedly mentions three sources: The Acts of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41), which served as a source for the opening chapters, The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel (mentioned 18 times), which served as a source for the history of the northern kingdom, and The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah (mentioned 15 times), which served as a source for the history of the southern kingdom.

The book of Kings may be outlined along the three stages of the monarchical period of Israel:

• The United Kingdom (1 Kings 1-10)
• The Divided Kingdom (1 Kings 11-2 Kings 17)
• The Single Kingdom (2 Kings 18-25)

The Kingdom of Israel was united under three kings – Saul, David, and Solomon. Saul’s and David’s reigns are recorded in Samuel; Solomon’s reign is recorded in Kings. Solomon started out a good king, requesting wisdom from God so that he might rule judiciously. God gave Solomon wisdom and made him and the nation prosper greatly on the heels of his father David’s political and military successes. Solomon built great buildings, the greatest of all being the temple, which he dedicated to God with great festival. Though Solomon did much good, just as God did much good for Solomon, Solomon ultimately betrayed God by building high places for idols (1 Kings 11:6-10), sending the kingdom into a downward spiral from which it would never recover. In response to Solomon’s idolatry, God initiated the kingdom division, taking ten tribes from Solomon’s house, leaving only Judah and the remnant of Benjamin for the sake of the covenant God made with David (cf. 2 Samuel 7) to preserve a line of kings through him (1 Kings 11:11-39).

The era of the divided kingdom followed Solomon. The northern kingdom took the name Israel; the southern kingdom took the name Judah. The two kingdoms warred against each other for the next 80 years (1 Kings 12-16), enjoyed 80 years of peace (1 Kings 16-2 Kings 10), and then another 50 years of war (2 Kings 11-17).

The first king of Israel, Jeroboam, led Israel deeper into idolatry by erecting high places for idols in an effort to draw the northern kingdom away from the centralized worship of their God in Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:25-33). With each successive king Israel became more and more evil in the sight of the Lord and, though God sent the prophets Elijah and Elisha to call them to repentance, they ignored God’s messengers, lost everything, and were taken into Assyrian captivity.

The southern kingdom, Judah, lasted about 150 years longer than the northern kingdom. The final few chapters of the book of Kings chronicle Judah as a single kingdom, following the exile of Israel. The reader might think that, having seen the northern tribes taken out of the Promised Land, Judah would repent from their sins and turn to the Lord. Efforts were made to reform Judah. Judah’s two best kings – Hezekiah and Josiah – ruled during the era of the single kingdom, instituting widespread religious reform, tearing down idols, and calling the people back to God. But their efforts had little lasting effect. Judah was taken into Babylonian captivity. Kings ends halfway through the Jewish exile in Babylon.

The historical material in Kings is organized around the reigns of the individual kings. After the division of the kingdom (1 Kings 12-14), the author uses a predictable framework to introduce and conclude the material concerning an individual king, beginning with a notice of the king’s accession and ending with a notice of the king’s death. An outline of this framework is as follows:

Accession notice:

• Synchronism (while two kingdoms)
• Age at accession (Judah only)
• Length of reign
• Capital city
• Name of queen mother (Judah only)
• Theological verdict

Death notice:

• Source citation
• Death and burial
• Notice of succession

The patterns are slightly different for each kingdom, and not all elements are present for every king, but the most important element is consistently present – the theological verdict, which addresses whether the king was good or evil in the sight of the Lord. Prior to Kings, the Old Testament history books focus on what the people did. Kings focuses on what the kings did. Generally speaking, the people followed their kings.

In the theological verdicts, the northern kings are consistently compared to Jeroboam. All the northern kings are judged as evil in the sight of the Lord for walking “in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he committed, making Israel to sin.” In the south the kings are compared to David, their direct ancestor. If they are good, they are said to be like David. If they are bad, they are said not to be like David.

Though Kings focuses on the reigns of the kings, several prophets are mentioned, most notably Elijah and Elisha. The prophets consistently brought “the word of the Lord” (a keynote in Kings) to the Israelites. They informed the people of their sins and warned them of impending doom if they did not repent. The prophets were largely ignored by God’s people, but God consistently provided information and opportunity for repentance. Kings provides a framework for many of the books of the prophets, which state explicitly during which reign they were written.

Though Kings is largely a dark book, recounting a downward spiral of idolatry and immorality (much like Judges), it should be seen in the greater context of the Old Testament, which anticipates, and then details, a return from exile. Though God punished his people for their covenant failure by allowing them to be exiled, he demonstrated compassion and faithfulness to his people by preserving a remnant who would return to the Promised Land.

Conscientious readers of Kings will recognize a vital theological message – leaders of God’s people may be politically savvy and might even be good in the sight of God, but no human leader will ever fully meet the needs of his people. The words of Gideon, the judge, are applicable. After his victory over the Midianites, the men of Israel wanted Gideon and his son to rule over them as a king. Gideon responded, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you” (Judges 8:23). Gideon emphasized to the Israelites that their ultimate ruler is God. The Old Testament concept of God as king serves as the backdrop for the New Testament concept of the “kingdom of God.” God’s kingdom is his rule and reign over people. In the monarchical period of Israel, God allowed human kings to rule over his people in order to demonstrate to them that the success or failure of a kingdom depends largely on the character of the king. What would it be like to live under a king who is perfectly just, perfectly benevolent, and perfectly loving? Such is the nature of God’s kingship and kingdom expressed through his Messiah.

The book of Kings can be a difficult read – the names of the kings run together and the chronology is hard to follow – but, in addition to providing a context for the present to its first readers, Kings provides a universal context, a living message, for understanding how God relates to his people in terms of covenant, kingship, worship, and more.

PODCAST SUMMARY: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Kings

FULL AUDIO: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Kings

Samuel is about leadership in Israel, first by Samuel, who was judge, prophet, and priest, and then by Israel’s first two kings – Saul and David. One way to summarize the contents is around the three main characters and their roles in Israel:

Samuel: Israel’s last judge (1 Samuel 1-12)
Saul: Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 13-31)
David: Israel’s “ideal” king (2 Samuel 1-24)

The central and most critical issue of Samuel, and of all Old Testament books from Deuteronomy through Kings, is God’s rule over His people. The essential question is, Will Israel submit to God’s rule or to someone or something else? God’s rule may be expressed through human leaders, such as a king, but will people submit to it in whatever expression is current at the moment? Samuel opens with a leadership crisis. God’s word was infrequent. Eli, who was judge and priest, had corrupt sons. The Philistines were pressing against Israel. A crises of leadership in Israel is made clear in the closing chapters of Judges. A refrain is repeated four times in the appendices of Judges – “In those days there was no king in Israel” (Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:25). Two times another statement is added – “every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges17:6, 21:25). When we put these observations together against the dark and sinful dealings recorded in the appendices, it is most likely that Israel having no king is a positive statement about kingship. The point is that without a king, anarchy reigned … that having a king could help this situation.

These statements should be read against earlier statements God made about kings. As early as God’s promise to Abraham, God spoke of Israel having kings (Genesis 17:6). God even gave prospective laws and instructions for Israel’s king (Deuteronomy. 17:14-20). Neither Samuel nor God was happy with the people’s demand for a king in the days of Samuel. But read carefully to see that the people demanded a certain kind of king – “a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5); and even when Samuel explained what this would mean, the people were adamant about it – “No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go our before us and fight our battles” (8:19-20).In response to this demand, God gave them a king and used the situation to help them learn, among other things, what kind of king they needed and should want.

This brings us to another theme in Samuel – Saul’s failure as king. God made Saul king, and, it seems, he was also the kind Israel wanted. God chose Saul and through Samuel anointed him. God equipped Saul when the Spirit came mightily upon him (10:6). God also gave Saul divine endorsement by a victory on the battlefield (chs. 10-11). The text says that the people chose Saul (10:17-19) and that God chose him (10:20-21). A reasonable way to reconcile these statements is to conclude that God chose the kind of king that people wanted and demanded, and yet, God explained that it could work … if ….” Read 1 Samuel 12:14-16 to see this.

It didn’t work, however. Saul developed a pattern of mistakes and sins. As a result, God sent Samuel to anoint another king (ch. 16), and the selection focused on the man’s heart (16:17). God found this person in David. The Spirit of God left Saul and came mightily upon David. Saul grew increasingly paranoid and this clouded his judgment and severely diminished his leadership ability. We are able to see both the potential and the tragedy of Saul’s kingship. God would have been with Saul in every way, if Saul had been with God. Instead, it seems that God used Saul’s kingship to teach His people about the kind of king they needed and should want and support. All this made way for David to be Israel’s king – David who is shown to have precisely the virtues that Saul lacked.

Over time, it became clear that David would be Israel’s next king, though this took some time since Saul was still on the throne. When Saul died, David became king immediately in Judah (2 Samuel 2) and eventually over all Israel (2 Samuel 5). Once David consolidated his leadership and nation, he acted to establish a capital city and to bring the ark of the covenant, the symbol of God’s presence, into the city (ch. 6). David planned to build a house for God, but God intervened for the moment to explain he would instead build a house for David. This is the covenant God made with David for the sake of His people (2 Samuel 7). God would make David a great name (9) and give His people their own place (10) and rest (11). He would build a house for David (11) – a dynasty;. his descendants would sit on the throne (12), and God would establish the throne of his kingdom forever (13, 16). One striking feature of this covenant is the similarities with God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3, 17:1-8). It is in the same stream and, in effect, developed and perpetuated the covenant from many years before.

The covenant God made with David gives expression to the nature of David’s kingship. It was by no means “like all the nations”; it served as a charter for David’s dynasty, promoted David as an ideal king, and established an eternal throne for David. But what happened to the physical line of David’s descendants is what always happens when people are involved – people sin. The physical line of Davidic kings eventually ended (Jeremiah 22:30, Psalm 89:49), but God’s purpose never depended on human accomplishment. God’s promises would be fulfilled by a David-type king – who was like David in his role and function as an ideal king.

Now let’s consider the message of Samuel. Samuel makes a big point about God being king. He rules, but He doesn’t force people to submit to His rule. God exercised His kingship through human kings, and people would enjoy and benefit from His rule only by being loyal to Him and obedient to His covenant. God’s will will be accomplished, but whether or not one participates in it and enjoys its blessings and benefits is conditioned upon what each person does about God’s will.

Samuel tells a familiar story as other Old Testament books. God wanted for His people what He always wants – that they will be His people and He will be their God. In the passing of time and circumstances, God made clear what would, and especially what would not accomplish His purpose. God made people into a nation, gave them a land, provided law, sacrifices, priesthood, and leadership in the roles of both kings and prophets. But none of these addressed the critical problem or provided for people’s deepest needs. For this, God would provide a redeemer. God’s true and only Son would sit on David’s throne and accomplish what could be accomplish in no other way except through redemption. What God wants for people finally depends on God’s faithfulness, sovereignty, and remarkable grace.

PODCAST SUMMARY: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Samuel

FULL AUDIO: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Samuel

“The book of Ruth contains one of the most delightful stories in the Bible. In it we see things “working out right” for all the main characters, and the reader finishes the story with the satisfied feeling that all is well.” ¹

The book’s title comes from its main character, Ruth, a young Moabite widow who, out of love for her widowed Israelite mother-in-law, abandons her own culture, declaring, “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (1:16). Though she is destitute and relies on the kindness of others, Ruth’s disposition and character captures the attention of Boaz, a close relative of her deceased husband. Boaz fulfills the role of kinsman-redeemer and takes Ruth as his wife. Ruth serves as a wonderful example of God’s providential care of his people, and of his willingness to accept Gentiles who seek him.

On first reading, the plot of the book of Ruth is simple, clear, short, yet engaging. However, the plot turns on a number of legal customs that seem strange to modern readers. These customs are rooted in the Old Testament (cf. Deuteronomy 25:5-10 and the law of levirate marriage), but provide some problems for interpretation since they are not applied as the reader might think from their parallels in the Law of Moses. However, Ruth is not a legal document; it is narrative. This should be kept in mind when reading Ruth.

There is a significant contrast in tone between the book of Ruth and the book of Judges. Ruth accounts for the moral strength of its main characters and its plot resolves peacefully. Ruth demonstrates that the period of the judges was not characterized totally by chaos; that human virtues such as kindness and loyalty still had a place in Israel.

Ruth serves as a bridge between the book of Judges and the book of Samuel. Ruth is best understood as an introduction to David (cf. 4:17-22) and, by extension, the royal line of the Messiah. Ruth is a wonderful commentary on God’s inclusiveness. The book of Ruth communicates powerfully that God’s purposes are not limited to Israelites. Ruth, though a Gentile, placed herself in line with God’s purposes and became part of the royal line of David.

¹ (Howard, David M. An Introduction to the Old Testament Historical Books. Chicago: Moody, 1993. Print.)

Note to listeners: Judges and Ruth were originally presented as one message, but have been separated for the purposes of this blog. The summary podcast below covers only the book of Ruth; the full audio covers both Judges and Ruth.

PODCAST SUMMARY: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Ruth

FULL AUDIO: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Judges & Ruth

Joshua chronicles the successful conquest campaigns led by Joshua, the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham to give his descendants a land of inheritance, and the allotment of the inherited Promised Land. Joshua begins with notes of hope and ends with notes of peace. The book of Joshua portrays God fighting for his people and his people living in covenant relationship with him.

Judges starts out positive, but quickly turns negative, and then goes from bad to worse. Judges follows God’s covenant people as they drift into idolatry and immorality. The hints in Joshua that the conquest had been incomplete, and that Israel’s obedience had been less than total, become full-blown realities in the book of Judges. We find that the warnings repeatedly sounded against foreign religious entanglements were well spoken, since, in the era of the Judges, Israel repeatedly turns away from the Lord to follow after the Canaanite gods, adopts the Canaanites’ twisted morality, and suffers the consequences of their covenant failure.

Judges may be outlined as follows:

• 1:1-2:5 – Prologue
• 2:6-3:6 – Introduction
• 3:7-16:31 – The Downward Spiral of Idolatry and Immorality
• 17:1-21:25 – Appendixes

1:1-2:5 serves as a prologue to the book of Judges. The first half of the prologue (1:1-26) is entirely positive, describing highly successful campaigns led by Judah against the Canaanites and Perizzites in the south. However, a repeated refrain in 1:21-33 tells the reader that success was not shared throughout all Israel. Nine times the text states that various tribes of Israel “did not drive out” or “let go” various peoples of Canaan, directly disobeying God’s command to devote to destruction all the Canaanites (cf. Deuteronomy 7:1-5). The prologue ends with the angel of Lord delivering a message of judgment (curses) to the Israelites, causing them to weep for their failures (2:1-5).

Following the prologue we have what might be called an introduction (2:6-3:6). This section is vital to the structure and purpose of the book of Judges. The rest of the narrative reflects what is stated here. Let’s focus on a few key verses and words:

• “And [Joshua’s] generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10, ESV)
•  “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.” (Judges 2:11, ESV) Vs.11-15 describe the cause of the Israelites’ failures during this era – their own sins. The refrain “and the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” is seen throughout the book of Judges (2:11; 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1).
• God’s response to the Israelites’ evil is anger (v.12, 14, 20). In his anger, he does not drive out the enemies of his people (2:21-3:6) and even fights against his people (v.15), just as he promised he would if they betrayed him (Deuteronomy 7 & 20; Judges 2:1-3).
• Vs.16-19 describe the downward spiral of idolatry and immorality during of the era of the judges: “Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so. Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.” (Judges 2:16–19, ESV)

The main section of the book of Judges (3:7-16:31) illustrates the downward spiral described in chapter two:

• Israelite rebellion against God (2:11; 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1).
• Israelite oppression by foreign powers (2:14; 3:8; 4:2; 10:9)
• Israelite cries for help (3:9, 15; 6:6-7; 10:10)
• Pity and deliverance by God through judges (2:16; 3:9, 15; 10:1, 12).
• Peace, followed by a return to rebellion

The main section of Judges is shaped by the stories of thirteen individual judges, who served sequentially and concurrently, during this period. In some respects the title of the book is a bit misleading to English readers. The “judges” were not primarily judicial officials; rather, they were military leaders and clan chieftains who appeared periodically in different areas among the tribes to bring deliverance from enemies threatening parts of Israel. Generally, the judges become morally weaker as Israel drifts deeper into idolatry and immorality.

The final section of the book of judges contains two appendixes (17:1-21:25), which portray the horrible idolatry and immorality of the Israelites during this era. The first appendix (17:1-18:31) records a failure in the north of Israel; the second appendix (19:1-21:25) records a failure in the south of Israel.  In both cases, it is a Levite who is at the heart of great sin. The first appendix tells the story of an Israelite named Micah who designs his own idolatrous religion and hires a Levite priest to oversee it. The second appendix tells the story of a Levite priest whose mistress is raped in Gibeah, prompting Israel to go to war against Benjamin. The civil war leads to the deaths of tens of thousands of Israelites and almost completely wipes out the tribe of Benjamin. The final statement of the book of Judges well sums up the era: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25, ESV)

Judges should be understood as a covenant failure of God’s people. The Israelites rebelled against God and God, true to his word, punished them for their rebellion. Readers are meant to evaluate the events of the book of Judges as horrendous illustrations of where idolatry and immorality can lead.

God emerges as the true hero of Judges, a savior who delivers his people. While Judges shows the consequences of disobedience to God by the Israelites, it also shows the grace and providence of God toward the Israelites. The book shows God’s faithfulness to his people. As a holy God who demands the allegiance and submission of his people, he cannot tolerate sin and rebellion and allows the Israelites to suffer curses as a result of their sin. But as a God of mercy, love, and covenant, who cannot keep his anger forever, God consistently delivers his people from their struggles when they cry out to him. He even uses flawed human judges to accomplish his purposes.

May Judges serve both as a warning and an encouragement to us.
Note to listeners: Judges and Ruth were originally presented as one message, but have been separated for the purposes of this blog. The summary podcast below covers only the book of Judges; the full audio covers both Judges and Ruth.

PODCAST SUMMARY: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Judges

FULL AUDIO: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Judges & Ruth

The book of Joshua is named after its principal character – Joshua, the son of Nun. Joshua was Moses’ apprentice and military general during the wilderness wanderings and became the leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death. Joshua is the traditional author of the book that bears his name, though the authorship and date of the book are disputed.

The book of Joshua details the successful conquest campaigns led by Joshua, the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham to give his descendants a land of inheritance, and the allotment of the inherited Promised Land. The book portrays God fighting for his people and his people living in covenant relationship with him.

Though written in narrative form, Joshua, with the other historical books of the Old Testament, should be viewed as prophetic – not in the strict sense of predicting the future, but in the sense of declaring the word of the Lord. Joshua does not give an exhaustive history or a political account (as modern history writing would do). Rather, it interprets Israel’s history from the theological perspective of God’s covenant with Israel.  Joshua, with the other historical books of the Old Testament, shows that Israel’s success or failure as a nation was determined by God’s intervention in its history. God’s grace or judgment was in response to the people’s faithfulness or unfaithfulness to the covenant God made with them through Moses (Exodus 20–24; Deuteronomy).

Though Joshua can be considered a transition book – in leadership and in geographical location – continuity is the keynote of the opening passage. It reports a smooth succession from Moses to Joshua, following Moses’ death. The book of Joshua opens with God’s promise to give his people the land of Canaan as an inheritance. God also assures Joshua that he will fight for his people, pledges never to leave or forsake Joshua, and calls for Joshua to be strong and courageous and to dedicate himself to the study, practice, and teaching of the Book of the Law of God.

The book of Joshua divides naturally into two major sections, with an introductory notice concerning new leadership at the beginning and appendixes at the end.

• 1:1-9 – Introduction
• 1:10-12:23 – The Conquest of the Promised Land
• 13:1-22:34 – The Division of the Promised Land
• 23:1-24:33 – Appendices (Joshua’s Farewell Addresses)

The first half of Joshua details the conquest of the Promised Land (1:10-12:23), picking up the narrative from the book of Numbers. The conquest begins with preparations, both military (2:1-24) and spiritual (4:1-5:12). Joshua sends two spies to view the land, especially Jericho (2:1), which was the first target of the conquest. Joshua’s sending of spies into the land is reminiscent of Moses sending spies into the land forty years earlier (cf. Numbers 13). The words of the spies upon returning to Joshua indicate a perspective similar to the two faithful spies from the previous generation: “And they said to Joshua, “Truly the LORD has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.”” (Joshua 2:24, ESV)

Chapter 3 records Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land. Both Israel’s exodus from slavery in Egypt and entrance into the Promised Land are marked by miraculous water crossings. In Egypt, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. As they enter the Promised Land, they cross the Jordan River on dry ground. The parallel is intended (cf. 4:23-24).

Following the Jordan River crossing, Joshua leads the people in three spiritual ceremonies, recorded in chapters 4 and 5. First, Joshua erects a memorial of twelve large stones, one for each tribe, at Gilgal so future generations would remember the works of the Lord (4:1-24). Second, the Israelites participate in a mass circumcision, which served as a permanent reminder that God had chosen them to be his people (5:2-9). Third, the Israelites participate in the Passover memorial, which served as a reminder of their exodus from Egypt (5:2-12). All three ceremonies underscore God’s covenant relationship with his people.

The battles of Jericho (5:13-6:27) and Ai (7:1-8:29) serve as the model victory of the conquest, and the model defeat on the conquest, respectively. Not all the battles of the conquest are recorded in Joshua and few contain details. The battles of Jericho and Ai make clear at least two things – God fights for his people and God expects his people to do all he commands them. God had spelled out clearly the rules of war before the children of Israel set foot in the Promised Land (cf. Deuteronomy 7 & 20). God promised to give them success as long as they did what he said and God promised to allow them to be defeated if they did not obey him. In the book of Joshua God does great things for his people, but he does not tolerate sin from them.

At the end of chapter 8, Joshua conducts a covenant renewal ceremony at Mounts Ebal and Gerizim (vs.30-35). This ceremony had been commanded by God through Moses (cf. Numbers 27). As God’s representative, Joshua constantly holds before the Israelites God’s covenant relationship with his people.

Chapters 10-11 record the two major conquest campaigns. At the time of Israel’s conquest, the land of Canaan was occupied by Canaanite city-states, each with its own king. These city-states were grouped in ever-shifting coalitions. Though they were powerful, even the combined efforts of the Canaanites could not withstand the God of Israel. Chapter 10 records the defeat of the allied kings of the south, in which God grants Joshua’s request for the sun and moon to stand still until the victory was complete. Chapter 11 records the defeat of the allied kings of the north.

Chapter 12 summarizes the conquest, including both the victories of Moses east of the Jordan and the victories of Joshua west of the Jordan. Chapter 10 concludes by explaining why the Israelites enjoyed success: “And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.” (Joshua 10:42, ESV)

The second half of Joshua recounts the division of the Promised Land (13:1-22:34).  After the recap of the conquest in chapter 12, the text notes: “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.” (Joshua 13:1, ESV) God then details all the land that had yet to be possessed and then says: “I myself will drive them out from before the people of Israel. Only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you.”” (Joshua 13:6, ESV) That land and peoples remained yet unconquered foreshadows the events of the book of Judges.

Ten chapters detail the allotment of the inherited Promised Land to the twelve tribes. The allotment may be broken down as follows:

• 13:8-33 – to Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, who received their inheritance east of the Jordan, per their request (chapter 13 recaps the events which led to this request [cf. Numbers 32]).
• Chapters 14-17 record the first major phase of the allotment, administered at Gilgal
  • 14:6-15 – Caleb’s inheritance
  • 15:1-63 – Judah’s inheritance
  • 16:1-17:18 – Joseph’s (Ephraim’s and Manasseh’s) inheritance
  • Chapters 18-22 record the second major division, administered at Shiloh:
    • 18:11-28 – Benjamin’s inheritance
    • 19:1-9 – Simeon’s inheritance
    • 19:10-16 – Zebulun’s inheritance
    • 19:17-23 – Asher’s inheritance
    • 19:24-31 – Naphtali’s inheritance
    • 19:32-39 – Dan’s inheritance
    • 19:49-50 – Joshua’s inheritance
    • 20:1-9 – the cities of refuge (a brief recap is given of what God had commanded Moses [cf. Numbers 35]).
    • 21:1-45 – Levi’s inheritance (Levi is not allotted a land, like his brothers. Rather, he is allotted cities in which to dwell and pastures for livestock. According to Deuteronomy 18: ““The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the LORD’s food offerings as their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the LORD is their inheritance, as he promised them. For the LORD your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for all time.” (Deuteronomy 18:1–2, 5 ESV)
    • 22:1-34 records the return of the warriors of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh to their inheritance east of the Jordan. On their way home they build an altar to the Lord. The altar is misinterpreted by the other tribes, which almost leads to civil war, but the misunderstanding is addressed and the altar is called “Witness,” a reminder that God is witnessed their peace.

“Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:43–45, ESV)

The book of Joshua concludes with two appendixes which occur “a long time afterward” (23:1). The appendixes are primarily the record of two speeches delivered by Joshua to the people before his death – one to the leaders and the other to the whole congregation. The speeches are reminiscent of Moses’ final speeches, which frame the book of Deuteronomy. The second speech includes the famous words: ““Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”” (Joshua 24:14–15, ESV)

The book ends with the record of the deaths of Israel’s two main leaders during this period – Joshua and Eleazar, the high priest.

Joshua is a wonderful commentary on the holiness of God, the fulfillment of promise, the necessity of solidarity among God’s people, and the value of covenant relationship with God.

PODCAST SUMMARY: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Joshua

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Deuteronomy is far more than a second presentation of the law, as the title indicates. It is a record of Moses speeches to Israel just before the nation entered the Promised Land. Moses would not be going with them, due to his own sins. The book opens with 120 year old Moses (31:1) standing before Israel in the plains of Moab, just across the Jordan to the east speaking “according to all the Lord had commanded him to give them” (1:3). He spoke with love, passion, and perhaps a tinge of regret that he would not set foot in the land he had heard and thought about for so long. Moses spoke clearly and forcefully, urging his people to obey God and enjoy the blessings God wanted to give them. Let’s listen to Moses and understand the message of Deuteronomy.

We begin by briefly surveying the contents of Deuteronomy. It was time for Israel to remember the past, to plan for the near future in the land, and most importantly to commit themselves to God. In short, Moses help his people took backward from where they had come, and then onward to what lay ahead, and upward to God who pledged to be with them and enormously bless them. Moses was urging a rather small and inexperienced nation to commit itself wholeheartedly to the Lord. What Moses said in that setting provides both a model and motivation for us to renew our commitment to God and to face the future with confidence and hope as we participate in His wonderful blessings and take hold of His great promises. We may look at the content of Deuteronomy in two ways.

The book comprises Moses speeches to His people, each marked out by a reference to the location and setting in which it was given.

1. 1:1-4:13 – “across the Jordan in the land of Moab” (1:1-5)
2. 4:44-28:68 – across the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth-peor” (4:44-49)
3. 29:1-32:52 – “in the land of Moab” (29:1)

The first speech – chapters 1-4 is oriented toward the past, recounting Israel’s journey from Sinai through the wilderness and on to their present location, the place from which they would enter Canaan. The second speech – chapters 5-28 is oriented to the future and concerns Israel’s life under the law in the land. And the third speech – chapters 29-32 is Moses leading Israel to covenant renewal.

Deuteronomy may also be viewed as a treaty or covenant document. Discoveries of ancient treaties, especially Hittite suzerain treaties, has shed light on the form of Deuteronomy. The ancient treaties typically had five parts:

1. Preamble
2. Historical Prologue
3. Stipulations
4. Curses and Blessings
5. Arrangements for the Treaty: Witnesses & Provisions for reading

It is impressive and quite remarkable to see that Deuteronomy follows this form:

1. Preamble (1:1-5)
2. Historical prologue (1:6-3:29)
3. Stipulations (4-26)
4. Curses and Blessings (27-30)
5. Arrangements for the Treaty (31-34)

One other view of Deuteronomy is helpful, that of the large central section (5-26). This section may be an exposition of the Decalogue or Ten Commands. To put this another way, the ten commands (ch. 5) supply a framework for the more extensive presentation and application of the law (chs. 12-26).

1. No other gods (5:6-7) – Worship (12:1-21)
2. No idols (5:8-10) – Loyalty (13:1-19)
3. Name of God in vain (5:11) – respect (14:1-21)
4. Sabbath (5:12-15) – rest & remembrance (14:22-16:17
5. Honor parents (5:16) – authority (16:18-18:22)
6. Murder (5:17) – respect for life (19:1-22:8)
7. Adultery (5:18) – purity (22:9-23:19)
8. Stealing (5:19) – honesty (23:7-24:7)
9. Lying (5:20) – fairness (24:8-25:4)
10. Coveting (5:21) – coveting (25:5-16)

Now we turn our attention to the message of Deuteronomy. This book is clear evidence that God is still with His people. He delivered them from slavery in Egypt, directed them towards the Promised Land, and then disciplined them in the wilderness, but He was still with them. God entered a covenant with Abraham and His descendants, and He never forgot or turned back from it. He had to deal with the people’s fear and lack of faith, but He did not abandon them. Listen to Moses talk to the people about God – 7:6-9. He chose these people out of His sovereign love and faithfully stayed with them because of His remarkable grace. He is the great and powerful and loving and only God – 4:32-38. He speaks to His people and made arrangements for His word to be before them perpetually.

Deuteronomy also emphasizes the land … the Promised Land, to be exact. God had promised a land to Israel for many years, and the people had been thinking about it. In Deuteronomy, Moses calls it a “good land” (8:7-10), one for which God cared in a special way. Israel’s possessing the land was directly related to keeping God’s commands. God gave the land for Israel’s good, and it must be settled and lived in on God’s terms.

In Deuteronomy, Moses is firm about people both fearing and loving God. Moses called people to fear God – 6:24-25, a fear that hovers between dread and devotion, fear that is a healthy respect for God. And Moses urges the people to love God from within their hearts. To made a contrast, we often explain the Moasic law as “completely external” and as “outward forms of obedience,” but was not and never has been God’s intention of way of dealing with His people. God wants people to love with their whole being,

Deuteronomy shows God as patient and powerful, gracious and serious. He is God who directs and disciplines His people, who gives them a good land, and warns that He will take it away if they turn away from Him. He is a God who blesses and curses, depending on what people do about loving and obeying Him. Could any message be more relevant or more needed today? To do what God says to do is not legalism. It is love! Listen to Moses’ clear words and passionate plea to his people – Deuteronomy 30:15-20.

PODCAST SUMMARY: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Deuteronomy

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1. Will we recognize and respect God’s presence and guidance?
2. Will we grumble, complain, and rebel?
3. Will we trust and obey God so we can participate in His great and wonderful blessings?  Will we live, think, and act so we may receive something like Aaron’s blessings on the people: “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift His countenance on you, And give you peace” (6:24-26).

PODCAST SUMMARY: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Numbers

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Leviticus is a difficult and demanding book for modern readers. The reading is tedious, the details are many, and the instructions appear strange and cumbersome. But if the book is difficult and demanding, it is also impressive and valuable for those who take the time to learn its contents and grasp its meaning.

Leviticus opens with the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai and the Lord speaking to Moses at the tent of meeting. God had given detailed instructions about the tabernacle, and skilled workmen followed them carefully to construct it. Once the tabernacle was built, a cloud covered the tent and God’s glory filled it. The book of Exodus ended here. Now, what were the people to do with this glory-filled place? The book of Leviticus answers this question. If the last half of Exodus regulates a place for people to worship, Leviticus presents at length the way to worship. To put this another way, Exodus emphasizes where to worship God, while Leviticus deals with how to worship Him (Arnold and Beyer, Encountering the Old Testament, p. 119).

A cursory glance at Leviticus might yield the conclusion that the book is all laws and regulations. But a closer look reveals that short narrative sections are included – especially in chapters 8-10 and again in 24:10-23, reminding us that the book is not merely law; it is law in real life.

Leviticus presents three areas of life in which people who are both human and sinful can be holy … three areas designed to help people be holy as God is holy.

First are sacrifices (Leviticus 1-7). Several types of sacrifices are described in great detail. In fact, the focus is on description and not on purpose or significance. The meaning of the sacrifices appears to be assumed for the most part, while the emphasis is on the proper procedures. Sacrifices helped people because they were the divinely sanctioned way for restoring covenant relationship with God. In short, Israelites could seek God’s forgiveness by offering a substitute to take the penalty of their sin (Longman & Beyer, p. 77).

The second part of Leviticus in which God was helping people be His people relates to priests (Leviticus 8-10). Priests spent much of their time in close proximity to God and thus were to be holy. Priests’ work was to help people with sacrifices and also to teach people the way of holiness: “to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and clean, and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them through Moses” (10:10).

The third part of Leviticus in which God was helping people be His people pertains to purity (Leviticus 11-27). Since God was present with His people, the purity of the camp must be maintained. This brought holiness into everyday life. God’s people were to be “clean” regarding food, childbirth, skin diseases and mildew, and discharges, to name a few of the areas addressed.  The laws and rituals guided Israel and the priests in keeping the camp pure. People must respect the distinction between the holy and profane and between clean and unclean in all walks of life

Now let’s pause in our Route 66 journey to see where we’ve been and where we are. We saw in Genesis that God created everything and chose to have people of His own. He chose Abraham as the man through whom this would happen, but His promise to Abraham was a promise to the entire world (Genesis 12:1-3). God chose a people, formed them into a nation, delivered them from slavery, and set them on their way to a land which He promised them. He explained that they would be His people and He would be their God. This meant they would be a holy nation, because God is holy (Exodus 19:6). He would live among them (Exodus 29:45-46). He came in glory to be with them and stay with them (Exodus 40:34-37). But this relationship had implications and demands. How can human, sinful people be God’s people? The answer is twofold – by means of sacrifices and law.

With sacrifices and related rituals, God provided the means for sin, unholiness, and uncleanness to be addressed and the ramifications to be covered and reversed. By means of law God explained how people could live in the world and still be properly related to Him. The stipulations of the law preserved and protected people to live within a covenant relationship with God and to enjoy its blessings and benefits. The law explains who God is and what He is like, and calls people to bring all corners of their lives to conform to Him. Thus by law people were not called to earn a standing with God, but were guided to match their lives to God – thus the motto of Leviticus: “Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).

PODCAST SUMMARY: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Leviticus

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Exodus, with Genesis, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, traditionally has been ascribed to Moses.

Exodus is theological history. It is a fusion of narrative and law, in which the focus is always on God and his relationship with his people.

The biblical story that begins in Genesis continues in Exodus. The opening chapters of Genesis depict a serious problem: God made the world and human beings for blessing (Genesis 1:27-28), but the world fell under a curse due to human sin. Humanity became deeply corrupted (6:5), alienated from their Creator (3:23-24) and from one another (4:14). Death, violence, and confusion were rampant (4:8, 23-24; 11:9). According to Genesis 12 God initiated a plan to restore the world through Abraham. God chose Abraham and his descendants to be in a special covenant relationship with him, promising to make them into a great nation through which the entire world would be blessed (vs.1-3). A short time later God began to fulfill his promises (21:1-7). The rest of the book of Genesis traces God’s activities to preserve his chosen people. The book of Genesis ends with Abraham’s descendants settled safely in Egypt, greatly blessed, but far from the good land God promised Abraham his descendants would receive. Four hundred years pass between the events of Genesis and Exodus. Exodus opens by informing the reader that the generation of Joseph died “but the people of Israel increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them” (Exodus 1:7). The reader is also informed that, though the Israelites had increased in number, they had not increased in fortune.

Darkness and gloom hang over the Israelites in the initial chapters of Exodus. The deeds of Joseph, who saved Egypt from a devastating famine (Genesis 37-50), had largely been forgotten (Exodus 1:8), and the Egyptians had turned against the Israelites. Fearing the Israelites had become too large and mighty and that they might join with Egypt’s enemies to fight against Egypt, the Egyptians began to deal harshly with the Israelites, forcing them to build store cities for the Egyptian Pharaoh (1:11), make bricks, and work in the fields. The Egyptians ruthlessly enslaved the Israelites and made their lives bitter (1:14). The Pharaoh even attempted to control the Israelite population by having the midwives to the Israelite women kill all male newborns by throwing them into the Nile river (1:15-16, 22). The midwives feared God, however, and did not kill the children, and God caused the Israelites to multiply and grow very strong (1:17-22).

Into this context, the main human character of the book of Exodus is born. Genesis has many human protagonists; Exodus essentially has one. The reader is introduced to him in chapter 2. A Hebrew mother refuses to kill her newborn boy as the Pharaoh had commanded and hides him three months (2:2). When she could hide him no longer, she places him in a basket of bulrushes among the reeds by the river (2:3). The sister of the infant boy watches at a distance as the daughter of the Pharaoh comes to the river to bathe, discovers the child, adopts him, and names him Moses, which means “drawn out” (2:4-2:10). Moses grows up in the Pharaoh’s house, though he seems to be aware of his origin. Moses is disturbed by the injustices committed by the Egyptians against the Israelites and one day, seeing an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, rises up against the Egyptian, kills him, and hides his body (2:11-12). Fearing retribution, Moses flees from Egypt and becomes “a sojourner in a foreign land” (2:22) for many years.

The final three verses of chapter 2 interrupt our introduction to Moses. These verses tie together Genesis and Exodus and set the stage for the rest of the book. “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew” (Exodus 2:23–25, ESV). Though this passage says God “remembered” his covenant, it does not mean he had forgotten it. Rather, God had been making good on his promises to Abraham all along, even during those four hundred years of slavery. According to Genesis 15 God made clear to Abraham that the promises made to him and his descendants would not be fulfilled immediately. In fact, God predicts four hundred years of slavery for Abraham’s descendants before they would take possession of the Promised Land (cf. Genesis 15:13–14). God’s promises were being fulfilled each year the children of Israel were in slavery in Egypt. God’s providence was active in the interim between Genesis and Exodus. We can’t be sure to what extent the Israelites were aware that the four hundred years of slavery were part of God’s plan, but God clearly had not forgotten his plan. When the four hundred years of slavery were fulfilled, the time came for deliverance. The Israelites’ cries for salvation and redemption went up to God. The rest of the book of Exodus demonstrates God’s faithfulness to his covenant promises.

According to Exodus 3 Moses is commissioned to be God’s human partner in executing his plan of redemption. Though Moses is reluctant, and at first makes excuses not to do what God commanded, he eventually obeys and returns to Egypt to be God’s agent of deliverance for the children of Israel. Upon his return to Egypt, Moses rendezvous with his brother, Aaron, and confronts Pharaoh with words from the Lord: “Let my people go…” (5:1).

Pharaoh initially refuses and orders that the Israelites be given more work. This discourages the people and discourages Moses, who becomes somewhat agitated with God (cf. 5:22-23). But God remains steadfast and true to his promises and delivers the descendants of Abraham from slavery in Egypt. He sends plagues to harden the heart of Pharaoh, who finally lets the people go. God also parts the Red Sea so the children of Israel can walk out of Egypt on dry ground.

God’s purposes in delivering the people are many. Prior to the plagues, God explains what he will do for the Israelites and why. “Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD’ ”” (Exodus 6:6–8, ESV). God’s purposes include deliverance, redemption, judgment against the Egyptians, proof of his power as God, and the initiation of intimate relationship with the Israelites. He promises to take the children of Israel as his people, to be their God, and to take them to the Promised Land. The Israelites’ entrance into the Promised Land would come with time, but God first establishes, seals, and confirms covenant relationship with his people.

The two major themes of Exodus are deliverance and covenant, or redemption and relationship. Some form of the word “deliver” is used 9 times. Exodus describes the need for deliverance, the might of the Deliverer, the character of deliverance, the duty of the delivered, and the provision for the failure of the delivered. God’s purposes went beyond deliverance to include covenant. The theme of covenant is introduced in Genesis and developed in Exodus. What began in Genesis as a covenant with one man, Abraham, is in Exodus confirmed to an entire nation.

The development of the covenant occurs at Mount Sinai, en route to the Promised Land. Exodus 19 records the seal of the covenant. Exodus 20-23 contains the initial regulations for covenant relationship, including the Ten Commandments, laws about altars, laws about slaves, laws about restitution, and laws about social justice. Each of these laws sits upon the foundation of loving God and loving people. Exodus 20-23 begins to develop the concept of community. Covenant relationship with God involves corporate relationships with others who are in covenant relationship with God. Just as those in covenant relationship with God have duties to him, they also have duties to one another. Following the presentation of the basic laws in Exodus 20-23, the covenant is sealed in Exodus 24 though burnt offerings, the reading of the Book of the Covenant, and the purification of the people.

Chapter 32 details a great failure on the part God’s covenant people – the worship of another god. God is furious with the betrayal, and the people are punished, yet God is gracious and faithful and, according to chapter 34, renews his covenant with the Israelites, even after their disloyalty.

The instructions concerning, and the preparation of, the tabernacle occupy about one-third of the book of Exodus (chs.25-31, 35-39). The tabernacle is designed to be the representation of God’s presence with his covenant people. Exodus focuses on the presence of God. God reveals himself – his nature, his character, his power – throughout the book, blessing his people with his presence. His continual presence is at first represented by pillars of cloud and fire but, in the end, his presence comes to rest on the tabernacle, indicating God’s presence was to be a permanent fixture in the Israelites’ camp. The book of Exodus ends with the glory of the Lord filling the tabernacle.

Exodus takes the reader from the groaning of the Israelites in the first chapters, to the glory of God in the final chapter. In between, God, the main character of the book, is portrayed as active, powerful, providential, faithful, and covenantial. He is presented as a God of redemption and relationship.

PODCAST SUMMARY: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Exodus

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The English title of the book of Genesis comes from the Greek translation of the Old Testament and means “origin.” The Hebrew title is translated “in the beginning,” using the first phrase of the book. Genesis is a book of beginnings. It speaks of the origin of the world, of humanity, of sin and its catastrophic effects, and of God’s plan to restore blessing to the world through his chosen people.

Traditionally Genesis has been ascribed to Moses. Modern critical scholarship does not hold with tradition, but for our purposes we will assume Genesis was written, at least in large part, by Moses. Mosaic authorship implies a specific cultural context into which Genesis was written. The NLT study Bible elaborates:

“When Genesis was written, the children of Israel had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years…

“While enslaved in Egypt, the Israelites had adopted many pagan ideas and customs from their Egyptian masters (e.g. Exodus 32:1-4). They were influenced by false concepts of God, the world, and human nature (e.g., Exodus 32), and were reduced to being slaves rather than owners and managers of the land. Perhaps they had forgotten the great promises that God had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or perhaps they had concluded that the promises would never be fulfilled.

“Before entering the Promised Land, the Israelites needed to understand the nature of God, his world, and their place in it more clearly. They needed to embrace their identity as descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Genesis provided the needed understanding.”¹

The message of Genesis is as relevant now as it was when it was written. Genesis orients the reader to the rest of the Old Testament, and thus to the rest of the Bible. It explains in story form the nature and character of God, the place of man in God’s creation, and how God relates to his creation. Genesis provides a context for cosmic themes of creation, light and darkness, good and evil, fullness and emptiness, and knowledge. Genesis introduces readers to a personal, generous, gracious, just, merciful, covenential, providential God, who intimately relates to his creation. Genesis introduces readers to the nature of humanity, the devastating consequences of sin, and the desperation of life without God. Genesis traces the beginning of God’s work to overcome with blessing the curse that came on the world because of sin. Genesis lies at the heart of the Christian worldview and lifeview.

Genesis naturally divides into eleven sections. Each section but the first has the heading, “These are the generations of…” or “This is the account of…” and explains the history of a line of descent, usually focusing on the activities of one or a few individuals in each line. Genesis may be outlined as follows:

• Creation (1:1-2:3)
• The Generations of the Heavens and the Earth (2:4-4:26)
• The Generations of Adam (5:1-6:8)
• The Generations of Noah (6:9-9:26)
• The Generations of Noah’s Sons (10:1-11:9)
• The Generations of Shem (11:10-26)
• The Generations of Terah (11:27-25:11)
• The Generations of Ishmael (25:12-18)
• The Generations of Isaac (25:19-35:29)
• The Generations of Esau (36:1-37:1)
• The Generations of Jacob (37:2-50:26)

Genesis begins with the account of creation “in the beginning” (1:1). God is featured as the creative force behind the heavens and the earth; the one who gives form to that which was without form, and creates inhabitants for that which was void (1:2). The word of God is the impetus for creation. God speaks and the earth reacts (1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14-15, 20, 24, 26). God is depicted as a personal God who interacts with and communicates with his creation (1:22, 28-30; 2:16-17). The work of creation is wrapped in God’s approval and blessing. God repeatedly sees that his creation is “good” (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31).

Genesis 1-2 is our introduction to the relationship between God and people. Male and female are created in God’s image (1:26-27) and animated by his breath (2:7). God gives people dominion over the other inhabitants of the earth (1:28), plants for food (1:29), a place to live (2:8), work to do (2:15), and moral responsibility (2:16-17).

Genesis 3:7-6:8 details the downward drift of humanity. Though God deals with Adam and Eve generously, they rebel against God, reject his expectations, and sin against him. Upon succumbing to the craftiness of the serpent, Adam and Eve’s eyes are opened to the knowledge of good and evil (3:7). Their initial reaction is shame and they begin to create barriers to intimacy by retreating behind fig leaves (3:7). These barriers extend to their relationship with God; they hide from him (3:8), deliberately separating themselves from him. When questioned about their behavior, Adam blames Eve for his sin, demonstrating the instantaneous decay of human intimacy (3:12). As a result of their sin, God casts Adam and Eve out of their home (3:24), curses the earth (3:17), and subjects Adam and Eve and, by extension, all humankind to hardship and death (3:16-19). God created a perfect world, characterized by light, life, and order. But the devastating effects of sin replaced light with darkness, life with death, and peace and order with confusion and pain.

As humanity drifts downward, the reader witnesses increasingly troubling moral behavior on the part of individuals. The reader meets Cain, whose jealousy and anger (4:5) leads him to murder his brother, Abel (4:8). Lamech is acknowledged by the author for corrupting the design of marriage (4:19; cf. 2:24) and displaying a disturbing arrogance and pursuit of power and vengeance (4:23-24). The devastating effects of evil are seen in the sharp decrease in the lifespan of people during the generations of Adam (5:1-6:8). The most dramatic decline is seen between Methuselah and Lamech – a 20 percent decrease. Soon after, God designates a lifespan limitation (6:3). The decline of humanity culminates in God’s seeing that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart” (6:5-6)

There are glimmers of hope for humanity scattered throughout the detail of its initial decline. God anticipates the defeat of the serpent, which tempted Eve (3:15). God extends his grace by clothing Adam and Eve after their sin (3:21). God encourages Cain to overcome temptation (4:7) and, even after Cain kills Abel, God protects Cain from danger (4:15). In the days of Enosh, people begin to call on the name of the Lord (4:26). Enoch walks with God (5:24).

Though God is gracious as humanity declines, he is also just. In response to the wickedness of humanity, God determines to destroy the inhabitants of the earth (6:7) and sends a flood. Even in justice, however, God shows grace to Noah, who finds favor in the eyes of the Lord (6:8). Through Noah, God saves a remnant of humanity, as well as the other inhabitants of the earth, from the destructive force of the flood, and promises to Noah that he will never again curse the ground because of humanity or strike down every living creature as he had done (8:20-9:17).

God’s grace to Noah introduces the concept of covenant, which is central to the message of the Old Testament. From Genesis onward, the covenant becomes the most persistent metaphor for God’s relationship with his people. A covenant is a relationship that gives promises and imposes obligations. The term covenant describes the relationships God established with humanity and all creation through Noah (8:20-9:17), with Abraham and his descendants (12:1-9; 15:1-21;17:1-14; 26:1-5; 28:1-22), and later with Israel in the days of Moses (Exodus 19:3-42:11), with David and his offspring (2 Samuel 7:8-16). God’s relationship with Adam also has the character of a covenant, complete with commands, promises, and warnings. Through his covenants, God establishes special relationships with people. All of God’s covenants are gracious. He invites his human partners into a special relationship and calls on them to respond with faithfulness to him. The prophet Jeremiah anticipates a new covenant of heart and mind which God would one day establish with his people (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Christians believe this covenant was established through Jesus Christ.

Following the flood, humanity multiplies, and returns to deliberate rebellion against God. Having made his covenant with Noah not to destroy his creation as he had previously, God instead initiates a plan of redemption and blessing for all humanity through the line of Terah. God develops a covenant with Abram (who is later renamed Abraham) to bring blessing to all. The rest of the book (11:27-50:26) tells of God blessing Abram and his descendants and providentially preserving the line of blessing (cf. 50:15-21). The stories of the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph – explain in story form the nature and character of God, the place of man in God’s creation, and how God relates to his creation.

Genesis demonstrates God’s faithfulness to his covenant of blessing, though individuals are inconsistent, at best, and, at worst, unfaithful to him. This dynamic is seen throughout the Bible.

Let us identify with Genesis and allow it to instruct, encourage, and admonish us as we begin this journey down Route 66.

¹NLT Study Bible. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2008. Print.

PODCAST SUMMARY: Route 66: A Journey Through The Bible – Genesis

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