Merry Christmas! The Books of Moses – The Law of God: Questions and Answers

Merry Christmas!

The Books of Moses
The Law of God: Questions and Answers

The first five books of the Bible are the Law.

Question: What do you mean by “Law”?

For the law was given through Moses.… John 1:17

The Hebrew Bible—our Old Testament—is divided into three sections: Law, Prophets, and Writings, or Torah, Naviim, and Ketuvim—the “Tanak.” “The Law” refers to the first five books of our Old Testament, which are ascribed to Moses. Moses, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is the author of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (except perhaps 34:5-12).

This is not to say that Moses had no other sources than the Spirit of God. Certainly a good bit of oral tradition was in existence, and Moses may even have had access to some written “documents.” But these five books first came into their present form under the editorial hand of Moses, writing some 1250 years before Christ.

These five books are foundational for all Scripture. They tell us about the beginnings of the world and of God’s dealings with men; of His promises and covenant; of the creation of nations and of the nation of Israel; and of God’s purpose for creation and humankind. All other Biblical themes have their roots, to at least some extent, in the Torah, the Law of God. The themes, stories, characters, doctrines, and so forth contained in the Law of Moses are absolutely essential for understanding the rest of Scripture.

Whenever I download a new app, install a new program, or start working on a new device, the part I dread most is the initial stage: “Let’s get started.” Those first instructions are crucial. I know this information is important, but it seems so basic and can be tedious and confusing—terms I don’t understand and won’t understand until I begin using the thing, situations that might or will occur which I can hardly envision, big ideas or functions I don’t yet understand but need to be aware of from the get-go. Plus, it doesn’t seem to address all the questions, concerns, or functions I’m thinking I need, at least, not at first.

But I have to plow through that stuff, and be ready to come back to it again and again, if I’m going to get the most out of my investment.

This is what the Law of Moses, the first five books of Scripture, is like.

Got a question about the Law of God? Write to T. M. at tmmoore@ailbe.org, and your answer might appear in this series of In the Gates columns.

Visit our website, www.ailbe.org, and sign up to receive our thrice-weekly devotional, Crosfigell, featuring writers from the period of the Celtic Revival and T. M.’s reflections on Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition. Does the Law of God still apply today? Order a copy of T. M.’s book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, and study the question for yourself.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T. M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.