Chapter 12

In A Survey of the Old Testament the authors share the biblical insight of the Pentateuch, which are the first five books of the Bible has two basic divisions, Genesis 1–11 and Genesis 12—Deuteronomy 34. In view of the fall of humankind and the broken fellowship between God and humanity, the first division poses the question:

“How can that relationship be repaired or restored?”

The second division then provides an answer, or at least a partial answer, to the human dilemma depicted in Genesis 1–11. The solution is rooted in the idea of covenant bonding between God and Abram in Genesis 12:1–3.

This passage constitutes the focal point of the second division and summarizes the key themes of the pentateuchal narratives:

God’s covenant, Abraham’s posterity, divine election and blessing, and the grant of a “promised land.”

Consider their biblical scholarly research as well, that there are more than six hundred legal “provisions” or instructions contained in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The purpose of these biblical instructions was to order the entirety of life for Israel in accordance with the holiness necessary for maintaining the covenant relationship with God.

Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament, 4TH EDITION (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2023), 33.

Part 2 explains how Israel (through Abraham) became the elect covenant people of YHWH and God’s instrument for revealing himself and restoring the broken and corrupted relationship between the Creator and his creation—divine presence reestablished. The pentateuchal accounts are significant both for Israel, due to their unique covenant relationship with the Lord, and for the nations of the world, since the destiny of humanity is ultimately tied to Israel’s covenant with God.

Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament, 4TH EDITION (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2023), 29. Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament, 4TH EDITION (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2023), 29.

Also,