The Pentateuch consists of the first five books of the Holy Bible that are believed to have been written by Moses. 1 They include; Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. This paper will try to put into perspective the nationality, person-hood, and legitimacy of Jesus and His message of salvation; using the Pentateuch as evidence. Generally, the Old Testament (OT) is divided into three categories including; The Law, The Prophets, and The Writings. The Law (The Pentateuch) books, tell the historical background of the creation story and God's choosing of Abraham and the Jewish nation as His chosen nation.
Genesis
Genesis talks about the beginning of creation, the promise of redemption, the fall of man at the beginning of human civilization, and the beginning of the covenant of God with Israel; His chosen nation. 2 The book reveals God's plan for His people who are set apart to worship him. Redemption is rooted in the book of Genesis. In the Christian context, recovery means Jesus Christ through the sacrifices He made through His death and purchase of believers from the sin slavery to set His people liberated from the burden of sin. Generally, redemption means going from one situation to another. In the case of the Christ, He frees us from the oppression of law to freedom of a fresh life in Him. The principal characters in the book of Genesis are; Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob, Isaac, Joseph, and Rebekah. Also, the book gives a hint of the coming of the Messiah who would offer salvation and forgiveness to His people by sacrificing His life in the cross. There are several verses from the book of Genesis that predict the coming of the Messiah. We can anticipate these prophecies by examining many Bible prophecies. These promises formed an incredible basis for the Old Testament-the coming of the Messiah 3 .
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The word Messiah is a term used to mean the anointed one or Christ in Greek. According to the Bible, the name was applied mainly to suggest a ‘Ruler' who would be anointed and sent by God to occupy David's throne forever. For instance in Genesis 3:15, the Bible prophesizes that the Messiah would be borne by a woman and would destroy Satan by crushing head. The Prophesy was fulfilled in the New Testament when Mary Magdalene gave birth to Jesus Christ. Additionally, in Genesis 12:3, the Bible says that the Christ would come from the lineage of Abraham and He wouldbless all the nations on earth. Other prophecies are available to explain the coming of the Messiah:
Jesus Christ would be a descendant of Abraham : In Genesis 18:18, the Bible says that Abraham would become a nation that is great and powerful, and all nations on the land would be blessed through him. 4 The prophecy is fulfilled in the New Testament especially in the book of Acts 3:25 where God speaks to His people by telling them that they are the heirs of prophets. God revealed to Abraham that all his people would be sanctified through his offspring.
The Messiah will descend from the tribe of Judah : In Genesis 49:10 the scripture states that the scepter will not disappear from the nation of Judah. Additionally, God said to Abraham that power of the nation would not leave it until the Messiah comes to the nation to guide it. The prophecy is fulfilled in the book of Luke 3:33 when Chris is born in Judah.
Exodus
Exodus is the second book of the Bible, and it details the call of God to the Israelites to leave Egypt as slaves for Canaan the Promised Land. 5 I the book of Exodus, there are more records of miracles than in any other book in the Old Testament. Subsequently, God delivers the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and guides them to the Promised Land which He says is the land of Milk and Honey. It is believed that Moses wrote the book from 1450 to 1410 B.C. In Exodus, the main theme is about aninsight into sin and slavery through the Israelites suffering under the rule of Pharaoh. Consequently, only through God's divine intervention and guidance to the Israelites escape the bondage to sin. God gave Moses the chance of leadership to guide His people through his word and wise leadership 6 . Moses and the Israelites were supposed to apply patience, courage, and obedience to the directives of God.
The mainpeople in the book of Exodus include Aaron, Moses, Jethro, Miriam, Joshua, and Pharaoh. The book of Exodus does not talk about the Messiah. God laments about the sufferings of His people in Egypt as in the book of Exodus 3:7-10 which states that the LORD said that He had indeed noticed the suffering of His people in the land of Egypt and that He had heard them cry out because of their slave drivers. Additionally, God says that He is concerned about the suffering of the Israelites. Furthermore, through Moses God delivered the Israelite from the oppressive rule of the Egyptians and that He was going to get them out of the land of Egypt to the Promised Land that is spacious, good, and flowing with milk and honey.
Leviticus
Leviticus is the third book of the Pentateuch and talks about the rules and regulations to Christians today. It opens with God's people camping at the foot of Sinai Mountain after delivery from Egypt. Here, God speaks to Moses to educate His priests and people about offerings, holy days, sacrifices, celebrations, and feasts. The glory of the Lord is with the Israelites here. Leviticus is a guidebook for God's instructions to His people. The book contains rules and regulations about the physical, spiritual, and moral aspects of Christian lives. The book of Leviticus highlights in three essential premises:
The Holiness of God : The Holiness of God is mentioned the most number of times in the book of Leviticus, more than any other book in the entire Bible. The teaching of God through Moses devoted their lives to God, but their sins are dealt with first before they can obey the Holy God and worship Him. 7
The Way to Deal with Sin : The Israelites were involved in offerings and sacrifices to show the symbol of obedience to God and repentance from sin 8 . The offerings made for the sacrifices were required to be spotless, without any defect, and perfect which signified the image of Jesus Christ who is referred to as the Lamb of God (the Messiah) and who sacrificed his life for His people as the perfect son of God, to ensure that we would not die. Here we get the idea of human-hood of Jesus Christ the Messiah. It is revealed, Jesus is perfect, without any defects, and spotless.
Worship : In the book of Leviticus, God revealed to His people that the path into worship, ways into God's presence, was only possible through offerings and sacrifices made by priests. Therefore, worshipping suggests the relationship of God with His people and allowing Him into every part of our lives. Furthermore, in Leviticus, we learn that worship begins with the acceptance of Jesus Christ's sacrifice for our sins and worship is both horizontal and vertical. It generally involves the Christian relationship with other Christians and God. For instance in Leviticus 17:11 the word of God says that because the life of a being is in the blood, it is the same blood that makes one pure and He has provided it for us in the altar.
Numbers
Numbers is the fourth book of the Pentateuch that is believed to have been written by Moses during 1450-1410 B.C. The book of Numbers explains to us why the Israelites took 4o years to reach Israel from Egypt. Consequently, the Israelites lack faith and disobedience thereby God making them stray in the wilderness until most of the people of that generation had perished. The Numbers depicts a bleak account of the Israelites' stubbornness. This book teaches us, Christians, many valuable lessons in life 9 .
Firstly, the census carried out on the Israelites was meant to prepare them for future tasks; planning is essential. For example in Numbers 14:21-23the Bible says that as He lives and as long as His Glory feels the Earth, no person who disobeyed his teachings and commands would ever see the Promised Land 10 . Additionally, God is seen as cursing any person who treated Him with contempt would never reach Canaan. Secondly, rebellion against God has terrible consequences such as the people of Israel wandering in the wild lands for 40 years before reaching Canaan. For instance in Numbers 20:12 the Bible says that the LORD told Aaron and Moses that because they did not have faith in Him enough to honor his words and the Holy Spirit in the eyes of the people of Israel, they would not reach Canaan with His people. Thirdly, reaching Canaan was the fulfilment of God's promise to Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac. For instance in Numbers 27:18-20the Bible says that the Lord told Moses to take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man God believed had the gift of the Holy Spirit of Leadership, and lay his hand on him. Further, God instructed Moses to makeJoshua stand before Eleazar and the whole assembly and make him take an oath in the presence of the Israelites.
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy is the last book of the five Pentateuch books and is also referred to as the "second law." The book retold the covenant between the Israelites and God and was written when the Israelite were about to enter Canaan, and it reminds us that God requires obedience and worship. The book tells us that God's laws are not for punishment but protection. It is a reminder that obeying God brings goodness and blessings while disobeying Him brings disaster 11 . For instance in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 God commands the Israelites to love their only one God with all their all their soul, with all their hearts, and with all their strength 12 . The book of Deuteronomy highlights several themes:
History of God’s Help : This reviews God's miracles in freeing the Israelites from oppression in Egypt by the Pharaoh's kingdom. Moses too discusses the disobedience shown by the Israelites towards God. Consequently, the defiance and rejection of God brought calamities to them.
Review of the Law : When entering the Promised Land, the Israelites were bound by the same God’s laws as their ancestors and parents. Before entering the Canaan, the Israelites had to renew their covenant with God.
God’s Love Motivates Him : The book teaches us to obey our elders and people in power For instance in Deuteronomy 7:9 the God tells the Israelites that they should recognize Him as their God and that He is a faithful God and would want the Israelites to keep His covenant with Him and the generations that would come. Furthermore, God loves an emotional, conditional, and hearty love 13 .
God Gives Freedom of Choice : The Bible states that God requires obedience and nothing less, but people are free to disobey or obey God 14 . The Bible further states that the consequences of disobedience are severe and could even be dead as in the case of Moses in Deuteronomy 34:5-8whichstates that Moses died in Moab, as the LORD had already said and he was buried in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor. The Bible says that no one knows where Moses was buried until this day. Additionally, the Bible says that Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died but he was still strong, and his own eyes had not weakened yet.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the only book in the Pentateuch that seems to give Prophecies about the coming of the Messiah in Genesis. The arrival of the Messiah Prophecies is fulfilled in the New Testament. These Prophecies gives us the clues into perspective the nationality, person-hood, and legitimacy of Jesus and His message of salvation; using the Pentateuch as evidence.Consequently, in the fulfilment of the Prophecy about Jesus being born in Jacob's lineage, Jesus was born in Nazareth.
Bibliography
Dake, Finis J. Proof the Bible is Genuine, Authentic, Inspired Revelation of God . Unidentified place of publication: Dake Publishing, n.d.
Fairchild, Mary. Book of Genesis. ThoughtCo . March 7, 2017. Accessed November 24, 2018. https://www.thoughtco.com/book-of-genesis-701143.
Frydland, Rachmiel. What the Rabbis Know about the Messiah . Cincinnati, OH: Messianic Publishing Company, Messianic Literature Outreach, 1991.
Paget, James Carleton and Joachim Schaper (eds). The Bible: from the beginnings to 600: The new Cambridge history of the Bible . New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Zavada, Jack. What Does Redemption Mean? ThoughtCo . November 27, 2017. Accessed November 24, 2018. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-redemption-700693.
