The Prophets

This is the second major division of the Tanakh, also known as the Nevi'im in Hebrew. It is made up of two sub-groups, namely the 'Former Prophets' and 'Latter Prophets'.

The former prophets is a collection of narrative books that covers the period from the conquest of Canaan up until the Babylonian captivity. The latter prophets comprise writings of various prophets before, during and after the exile, and are divided into the major and minor prophets. Thus:

Former Prophets        Latter Prophets

Joshua                           Isaiah

Judges                           Jeremiah

Samuel                          Ezekiel

Kings                             The 'Twelve'

The book of 'Twelve' is essentially the minor prophets, namely, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. These are treated as one single book, or scroll, by the Jews.

From both historical and prophetical perspectives, the initial triumphs and incessant troubles Israel found herself embroiled in as a result of her idolatry and injustice, is a testimony to the sure Word of God based on His covenant with the unstable and unfaithful nation. But God's purpose was not overturned nor defeated despite Israel's failure.

The Holy One of Israel is the Creator of the cosmos, not just the Protector of a small nation—and any nation or people which fears Him and fulfills His demands on justice and faithfulness will, without exception, be blessed by Him.

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy is a call to obedience and covenant renewal to a new generation of Israelites. Moses, at the age of 120, had passed the mantle of leadership over to Joshua and with little time left before his death, he gathered the people and gave a final discourse of the Law. Hence, the book is also known as 'the second giving (repetition) of the Law'.

There are three parts to Moses' message: he first reminded the people what God had done for them in the past (1-4); next, he emphasized what God expected of them as His chosen people (5-26); and lastly, he assured the people what God would do for them in the future (27-34). So while Leviticus is mainly written to the priests, Deuteronomy is addressed directly to the people as a whole.

Structured in the form of a treatise, Moses challenged the new generation to make the right choice to obtain God's blessing and life, and not repeat the mistakes of the old generation that resulted in God's cursing and death. God has and will remain faithful to His part of the covenant, but it is up to the people to fulfill their part of the deal; and Moses spared no effort in his discourse to repeatedly plead with them to 'hear', 'do', 'keep' and 'observe' God's Law out of love for Him.

30:19-20
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live: that you may love the LORD your God, and that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him: for He is your life.

Jesus Christ often quoted from this book, including the verses He used against Satan during His temptation. And no wonder —while Genesis to Numbers portray God's ways, Deuteronomy reveals His love.

OUTLINE OF DEUTERONOMY

1. Past: What God Has Done (1:1-4:43)

a. Journeys (1:1-2:23)

Horeb | Kadesh-Barnea | Moab

b. Conquests (2:24-3:20)

Sihon | Og | Leadership Transition

c. Warnings (4:1-43)

2. Present: What God Expects (4:44-26:19)

a. Prologue to God's Law (4:44-49)

b. Exposition on the Decalogue (5:1-11:32)

Reiteration of the Law | Response of the People

Reminders:   Teach the Law | Trust God

Turn away from Idolatry | Love God

c. Exposition on Sundry Laws (12:1-26:19)

Ceremonial Laws

Sanctuary | Idolatry | Food | Tithes | Debts

Slaves | Firstborn | Feasts

Civil Laws

Judges | Kings | Priests and Prophets

City of Refuge Witnesses | Warfare

Social Laws

Justice | Family | Community

Harmony | Obligations

3. Future: What God Will Do (27:1-34:12)

a. Ratification of the Covenant (27:1-28:68)

Altar | Admonition | Proclamation

Blessings and Curses

b. Entering into the Covenant (29:1-30:20)

Parties involved

Warnings of Dispersion and Restoration

Reiteration to Obey

c. Transition of Leadership (31:1-34:12)

Moses Blessed the Tribes | Viewed the Land

Death of Moses | Joshua succeeded Moses

Eulogy 

 

Numbers

It took God only one night to bring Israel out of Egypt, but forty years to get Egypt out of Israel. Numbers recorded the tragic consequences of the unbelief and stiff-necked rebellion of an old generation (1-12) as they faded into oblivion during the thirty-eight years of wandering in the desert (13-20), only to be replaced by a new generation (21-36) that was eager to trust God and ready to depend on Him to lead them into the promised land.

In this painful account, we see how God disciplined His erring people, yet remained faithful to His covenant promises despite their stubborn and self-willed ways. In the same way, God deals with our old man, the Adamic nature, by putting it to death because flesh and blood can never inherit His kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:50). The old nature with its sin and rebellion must die in order that the new nature can live to its fullest in total obedience to the will of God.

Murmurings, complaints, ingratitude, lust, insolence, defiance, rebellion—these are the trademarks of the old generation and that of our old nature. Burning, epidemic, leprosy, pestilence, judgment and death—these are the consequences that befell the old generation and all who refuse to let God deal with their old self with its sinful nature.

The failures of the first generation were a grim reminder and also a stern warning to the next generation not to follow the footsteps of their parents, but to implicitly trust God before they could enter to possess the land. There are no shortcuts to obtaining God's blessings—obedience does come with a price, but the price of disobedience is even higher.

1 Corinthians 10:11
Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, especially for those living in the last days.

OUTLINE OF NUMBERS

1. The Old Generation (1:1-12:16)

a. The First Census (1:1-4:49)

Numbering the People

Arrangement of Tribes around the Tabernacle

Numbering the Priests

Assignment of Levites to duties of the Tabernacle

b. Sanctification of the People (5:1-10:10)

Separation | Nazarite Vow | Worship

Divine Guidance

c. Fumbles and Failures (10:11-12:16)

People Complained | Moses Complained

God's Provision for Moses and the People

Moses's Authority Challenged | Miriam Punished

2. The Transition (13:1-20:29)

a. The Kadesh-Barnea Incidence (13:1-14:45)

12 Spies | Evil Report | Disobedience

Defiance | Judgment | Defeat

b. The Korah-Israel Incidences (15:1-19:22)

Offerings Reviewed | Korah Rebelled

Israel Rebelled | Priesthood Reaffirmed

c. Incidences en-route to Moab (20:1-29)

Miriam's Death | Moses and Aaron Disciplined

Edom Denied Passage | Aaron's Death

3. The New Generation (21:1-36:13)

a. Victories and Failures (21:1-25:18)

Canaanites | Serpents | Ammonites | Bashan

Moabites | Balak and Balaam

b. The Second Census (26:1-27:23)

Land Allotment | Joshua Appointed

c. Regulations of Offerings and Vows (28:1-30:16)

Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Yearly

d. Conquest and Division (31:1-36:13)

Midianites Destroyed | Land East of Jordan

Journeys Recounted | Land West of Jordan

 

Leviticus

At the end of the Exodus narratives, we saw how God's glory filled the Tabernacle at its completion and dedication, and how Moses was unable to enter as a result of God's holy presence. Leviticus shows how sinners can approach a holy God through the ministration of the priesthood and sacrifices, detailing the way to obtain forgiveness through purification, and how to walk in continual fellowship with Him. With all the necessary provisions in place, Moses was thus able to enter into the Tent of Assembly and commune with God (Numbers 1:1).

Five types of ritual sacrifices are mentioned in the beginning to facilitate fellowship with God via the burnt, meal and peace offerings, and to restore the fellowship by means of the sin and trespass offerings when offence arises. Only when the people and the priests are sanctified can they keep the yearly feasts of the LORD—seven in total: the Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles. These feasts foreshadowed God's divine plan in the history of mankind, of which the first four Spring feasts were fulfilled in the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Leviticus is really about the sanctification of God's redeemed people in a living relationship with Him. Both ritual and moral purity are emphasized, the former being a reminder to Israel that God's holiness affects every area of life, while the latter deals with the practical outworking of a sanctified people in terms of social responsibilities, such as charity, integrity and justice. The imageries and instructions contained in this book paint a sharp contrast between the impurity of man that leads to death and the purity of God that leads to life.

As a chosen people, we are called to a life of holiness and purity:

20:7-8 Sanctify yourselves therefore and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God…who sanctifies you.

OUTLINE OF LEVITICUS

1. Worshipping God (1:1-10:20)
a. Five Types of Offering (1:1-6:7)
Burnt | Meal | Peace | Sin | Trespass
b. Ministration Laws (6:8-7:38)
Details | Summary
c. Regulations for Priests (8:1-10:20)
Consecration of the Priesthood
Cleansing | Attiring | Anointing | Consecrating
Functioning of the Priesthood
Priests | People | God
Failures of the Priesthood
Nadab and Abihu | Eleazar and Ithamar
2. Walking with God (11:1-27:34)
a. Personal Purity (11:1-15:33)
Food | Childbirth | Leprosy | Bodily Discharge
b. Focus: Day of Atonement (16:1-17:16)
Regulations for the High Priest
Sacrificial Goat | Scapegoat
Atonement for Priests | Tabernacle | People
Observation of the Day
Sanctity of the Blood
c. Corporate Purity (18:1-22:33)
People—Prohibitions | Practices | Penalties
Priests—Practices | Prohibitions | Purposes
d. Feasts of the LORD (23:1-44)
Passover | Unleavened Bread | Firstfruits
Pentecost | Trumpets | Day of Atonement
Tabernacles
e. Sundry Laws (24:1-27:34)
Sabbath Year | Jubilee
Obedience | Disobedience
Consecration of Persons | Animals | Properties
Exclusions from Consecration
Firstborn Animals | Devoted Items | Tithes

Exodus

The Exodus story picks up where the Genesis account left off—following the death of Joseph and the rise of a new Pharaoh who oppressed the Hebrew people which, after four hundred years, had multiplied into a nation that rivaled or outnumbered the Egyptians.

The first half of the book covers the birth of Moses, his calling and commission by God to be His spokesman to Pharaoh and deliverer of His people, the signs and wonders he performed through the ten plagues that decimated Egypt, and the crossing of the Red Sea that wiped out its entire army. The remaining half deals with the legislative aspects of a nation in transition as God laid down His requirements for His redeemed people through the ten commandments, the blueprint for worship via the building of the tabernacle, the institution of the priesthood and the sacrificial system.

Exodus is foundational to an understanding of the redemptive history of the nation of Israel as God's covenant people, and the Mosaic law with its intricate ceremonies and customs formed an important framework to a right relationship between a holy God and a chosen people. Prominent events like the Passover, the crossing of the Red Sea, the ratification of the covenant at Mount Sinai, God's provision of Manna and life-giving water in the desert, the legislation of worship, civil rights and duties, etc. are rich in spiritual meanings and found fulfillments in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Make no mistake about it: Exodus teaches that obedience to God is the hallmark of a redeemed people:

19:5-6
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure to Me above all people… a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

OUTLINE OF EXODUS
1. From Slavery to Salvation (1:1-15:21)
a. The Need for Deliverance (1:1-22)
Israel Multiplies | Israel Moans
b. The Shaping of the Deliverer (2:1-4:31)
Birth of Moses | Rise and Fall of Moses
Call and Commission of Moses
c. The Acts of Deliverance (5:1-15:21)
Confrontations with Pharaoh | Ten Plagues
The Passover | The Exodus | The Pursuit
The Red Sea Crossing
2. From Salvation to Sinai (15:22-18:27)
a. Physical Provisions (15:22-17:7)
Bitter-Sweet | Manna | Water from Rock
b. Physical Protection (17:8-16)
War with Amalek | Jehovah-Nissi
c. Physical Delegation (18:1-27)
Jethro's Visit | Jethro's Council
3. From Sinai to Sanctification (19:1-40:38)
a. Establishing the Covenant (19:1-31:18)
Preparing the People to receive the Law
The Ten Commandments
Laws on Social Conducts and Regulations
Instructions for the Tabernacle
Institution of the Priesthood
Implementation of the Covenant
b. Responding to the Covenant (32:1-40:38)
The Golden Calf Incident
Moses' Intercession
The People Repented | Covenant is Renewed
Gifts Presented
The Tabernacle and Priestly Attires
Built | Inspected | Dedicated
Filled with God's Glory

Genesis

Genesis is the book of beginnings which traces the history of mankind since creation from the antediluvian period to the re-distribution of human settlements on the post-flood earth. The book is divided into two parts—the initial one-fifth is devoted to four major events in human history, while the rest of the book focuses on four main figures in the Hebrew lineage.

Of all the Old Testament books, Genesis is considered the most important since it has a pivotal role in shaping the theology of the Christian faith. From the literal six-day creation to the fall of man, from the worldwide flood to the formation of nations, and from the call of Abraham to the death of Joseph, we see God's salvific plan unfolding as He lay the groundwork to make good His promise of the Messiah solution:

3:15 And I will put enmity between thee (the serpent) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it (Messiah) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Taken literally in its historical context, Genesis leaves no room for assumptions on the origin of life such as that purported by atheistic evolution, nor fabrication of facts to support human progression and enlightenment. The inevitable conclusion that can be drawn from reading the Genesis account is this: man is created by God in His image but through rebellion is alienated from his Creator and in desperate need of redemption.

Mankind since Adam has been plagued by the problem of sin that invariably leads to despair and death. Thankfully, God has provided the answer in the second Adam personified through His beloved Son, offering a new and unending beginning to anyone who is willing to exchange his or her old nature for a glorious and incorruptible one.

OUTLINE OF GENESIS

1. Primeval Period: Four Major Events (1:1-11:9)

The Beginning of the Human Race

a. Creation: The Divine Act (1:1-2:25)

The Beginning of All Things

The Beginning of Man

b. Corruption: The Fall of Man (3:1-5:32)

The Beginning of Sin

The Beginning of Sorrows

c. Condemnation: The Deluge (6:1-9:29)

The Beginning of Worldwide Devastation

The Beginning of a Cleansed Earth

d. Confusion: The Great Rebellion (10:1-11:9)

The Beginning of the Noahic Families

The Beginning of Nations

2. Patriarchal Period: Four Life Stories (11:10-50:26)

The Beginning of the Hebrew Race

a. Abraham: A Father of Nations (11:10-25:18)

Calling and Obedience | Faith and Fears

Promise and Patience | Rescue and Reward

Covenant of Circumcision | Testing of Faith

Sodom and Gomorrah | Intercession and Destruction

Birth and Offering | Marriage and Deaths

b. Isaac: The Son of Promise (25:19-26:35)

Family | Failures | Faith

c. Jacob: A Prince with God (27:1-36:43)

Deception and Flight | Life and Labour

Struggle and Salvation | Return and Residence

Defilement | Devotion | Deaths

Esau and Edom

d. Joseph: The Dreamer (37:1-50:26)

Dreams and Betrayal | Trials and Temptations

Glory and Exaltation | Reunion and Reconciliation

Last Words and Death

The Law

The Law is foundational to the Old Testament and the vital key to understanding God's dealings with His chosen people within the framework of their national identity, way of life and form of worship.

Modern Christians interpret the Law to mean a set of rules or regulations, when in fact the ancient Israelites understood it to be God's revelation of Himself and how they could know and approach Him rightly. No wonder the prophet Jeremiah could see beyond his own people's failure and proclaim:

Jeremiah 31:33

After those days, says the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Bible scholars generally agree that Moses wrote the first five books that is called the Law or Torah. The account of Genesis predates his birth beyond the time of the Patriarchs and into the beginning of creation itself, leading many to believe that its Source must of necessity be divine revelation, possibly given to Moses during his forty days of solitude with God on the summit of mount Sinai.

We should never dismiss the Law as irrelevant just because we are justified by faith and living under grace. Paul says that the Law is holy, just and good (Romans 7:12) if we understand its purpose and apply it correctly (1 Timothy 1:8). Indeed, the Law is the manifestation of God's nature and character, and while it cannot save but reveal our true sinful condition, it is the inseparable companion of grace and finds fulfillment in the person of Christ, of which John wrote:

John 1:17

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

 

Tanakh - Hebrew Old Testament

 

Foreword

There is no shortage of books that help Christians read through the Bible in one year. Some examples are The One Year Bible available in various English translations, and Cover to Cover—Through the Bible Chronologically. However, most of these merely reprint the text of the Bible. There are no expository or devotional comments to help the reader understand the Bible text or questions for reflection.

One notable exception which includes more than just the text to be read is God’s Destiny for You (devotions for one year) by John SH Tay (Singapore: Armor Publishing, 2008), a book that I compiled—selected and edited from the weekly bulletin John wrote when he was dean of St Andrew's Cathedral, from May 1996 to April 2004. While this devotional contains many deep spiritual insights, they are based only on one verse of Scripture at a time and not a larger context.

Ng Keng Tiong, a Singaporean writer in his fifties, has 'added value' to the devotional resources available to help you read through the Bible in one year. His passion for the Word as well as meticulous way of reading the Bible, together with his knowledge of the Hebrew language, resulted in this volume which takes you through two-thirds of the Old Testament in 157 days. I recommend it for several reasons:

First, it is a good model of how to read through large chunks of the Bible systematically, and not just a verse here or a verse there. This is essential to get the proper context of the Bible. Many wrong interpretation and applications have been made because verses were often taken out of context.

Second, the author's decision to follow the structure of the Tanakh—the Hebrew equivalent of the Old Testament, not only neatly divides the Old Testament into two manageable halves, but more importantly, establishes the priority of The Law and the Prophets over The Writings, an order that Jesus Himself referred to in Luke 24:44—

Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses (TORAH), the Prophets (NEVI'IM), and the Psalms (KETUVIM).

Third, each day's reading is accompanied by a page of journal notes. These are a concise summary of the salient points of the reading for the day—easy to read and yet thorough enough to further refresh and retain what you have read.

Fourth, there is a 'ponder and reflect' section each day about how to apply a Biblical truth learned from the reading. These key questions or keen observations may be reflected upon and prayed through not only by individuals but also in groups.

Fifth, there is an occasional bonus section on Interesting Facts. These are not Bible trivial but engaging facts that can help the reader understand and appreciate the Bible better.

Finally, I am delighted that the author has put to good use the insights he gained through his study of the Hebrew language from my classes.

May this book be a blessing to you as you seek a closer walk with God through reading His written Word daily. May it help you to receive, live, share and teach others the truths that He longs to reveal to you.

Dr Mary Tay Wan Joo

Head of Biblical Languages

Bethany International University

August 29, 2019

 

OT: The Law and the Prophets

 

To

THE MOST HIGH

Who first appeared to Moses as

The Great I AM

and proclaimed by the Prophets as

The LORD of Hosts.

To

His CHOSEN PEOPLE

Called out of all nations of the earth

to show forth His light

and to declare His marvelous works

to every tongue and tribe.