TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE

Abstract ………………………………………………………………. 2

Introduction ………………………………………………………….. 3-4

Definition of Terms …………………………………………………. 5

Genesis (The Foundation of Truth) ………………………………… 6-8

Exodus ……………………………………………………………… 8–9

Leviticus …………………………………………………………. … 9-11

Numbers ……………………………………………………………. 12

Deuteronomy (The Judgment Loving Arm of God) …………… 12

Implication for the church today ………………………………… 13

Conclusion …………………………………………………………. 14

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ABSTRACT

This work examined the salvation motifs in the Pentateuch and their implications for the

contemporary Church. The researcher adopted a survey method, closely considering the various

individual books of the Pentateuch, and found that all the books of the Pentateuch have in them

God’s salvation plan for humanity right from inception. In the book of Genesis, the seed of the

woman was going to crush the serpent. God also promised Abraham that through him all the

nations of the world shall be blessed. This also connotes salvation motifs. In Exodus, Moses is

the mediator between the Children of Israelites and God, which also portrays the salvation motif

in that book. In Number, the bronze serpent shall be looked upon as a means for their

deliverance from being bitten by the serpent. In Deuteronomy, we see the place of divine

responsibility and that of human responsibility. A call by God for total surrender. God's final

call was a set apart a people for himself who shall as priests to the Lord present the offerings of

the people to God. That is the salvation motif in the book of Leviticus. The conclusion of the

work agrees with the fact that the Pentateuch is a book of God's salvation plan for humanity.

The implication for the church is to rise to divine responsibility and a call also for live a holy

pure life. Our Salvation is not a function of our works, but that of God's grace and mercy. All

those whom God called were a symbol of His entire plans for the salvation of the whole world.

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INTRODUCTION

Salvation or soteriology motif in the Old Testament is vital. Anytime a question is asked

on salvation, people naturally delve into the New Testament. We know about the creation and

the world and man from the books of the Pentateuch. The researcher agrees with what Feinberg

says in his essay, Salvation in the Old Testament, “If it is difficult to find discussions on the Old

Testament’s approach to the broad theme of salvation, it is even harder to find treatments of the

Old Testament’s perspective on the specific matter of salvation of the individual.” (1).

Because of the difficulties attached to the study of Salvation in the Old and the little

attention given to the above topic in the field of Biblical theology, there is an urgent need for the

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excavation of this topic. We need to dig deeper into the mind of God concerning his plan for

saving His people in the Old Testament. This calls for a radical approach to this topic.

The question that thus arises is, was there a need for salvation in the Old Testament? Did God

plan for salvation before the creation of the world, or after the fall of man? It is very difficult to

discuss every aspect of the salvation motif in the Old Testation. I shall only focus on the motifs

of salvation in the Old Testament and its implication to the church today from the Pentateuch.

Do the scriptures give more than one way to be saved?

This paper shall consider the various motifs of salvation in the Pentateuch and correlate

them to New Testament assertion. Were the sacrifices in the Old Testament the same as that of

Jesus Christ in the New Testament? Dispensation is also crucial. Should we see the salvation

motif in the Pentateuch as a progressive event or a dispensational event?

THE THREE-FOLD THEMATIC SCHEME OF THE PENTATEUCH

The Pentateuch is woven together as the first major division of the Holy Scriptures with a three-

fold thematic scheme.

(A) Primary Theme - The primary, foundational theme of the Pentateuch is the claim found in

Deuteronomy 6:4 and known to the Jews as “the Shema,” a verse that declares the God of Israel

is one, true and living God, a theme that undergirds all five books of the Pentateuch.

(B) Secondary Theme - Each book of the Pentateuch has a secondary theme that supports this

central theme, providing the evidence to prove that the God of Israel is one God, who had

dominion over all other gods worshipped by depraved humanity. Collectively, the secondary

themes of the five books of the Pentateuch along with Joshua and Judges reveal the

establishment of the nation of Israel above the nations of the earth through the worship of

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YHWH, who has chosen Israel through His foreknowledge and divine election to be His chosen

method of bringing redemption to mankind. With their secondary themes, the Pentateuch—

Joshua—Judges form a thematic scheme of God's plan of redemption for the nation of Israel as

well as the heathen nations around them. This thematic scheme follows the structure found in

Romans 8:29-30, which is predestination, calling, justification, and glorification.

(C) The Third Theme - The third theme of the Pentateuch is imperative, and it is also found in

the Shema, where Moses commands Israel to love YHWH their God with all of one’s heart,

mind, and strength (Deut 6:5) (Everett 17).

SALVATION MOTIFS IN THE BOOKS OF THE PENTATEUCH

Kings in His work, Salvation in Genesis to Psalms Have this to say:

God as Savior is a prominent theme throughout biblical revelation.

One word captures God’s work in this manner and that is

“salvation”. The Hebrew word repeatedly used to convey salvation

is yeshuw` ah, a comprehensive term meaning help, prosperity, or

victory.The significance of Yeshua's ah is not only in its literal

meaning but also in its connection to the redemptive message of

God. Yeshuw` ah (also spelled Yeshua) is considered another name

for Jesus. This term, which is most commonly used to describe

Jesus in the New Testament, is also freely used for God in the Old

Testament. In short, God as the giver of salvation is not a New

Testament idea. (1).

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This is awesome. The Old Testament is the backbone upon which every theological thought

emerges. I agree with King on his idea that salvation is not a New Testament theme, but rather an

Old Testament narration. God diversely revealed Himself in the Pentateuch.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Salvation:

The state of being saved from the power of the devil. To pray for the salvation of the world

(Hornby 1292).

Motifs:

A design or a pattern used for decoration. An idea or phrase that is used repeated and developed

in a work of literature or a piece of music (Hornby 956).

Pentateuch:

The word ‘Pentateuch’ is a compound word from two Greek words: pent which means five and

teuchos which means scroll, document, book. When used in relation to the Old Testament, it

Means the first five books. Origen, one of the early church fathers, was the first to use the term

‘Pentateuch’ in reference to these books (Dada 16).

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GENESIS (THE FOUNDATION OF TRUTH)

Gordon in his work, exploring the Old Testament as a guide to the Pentateuch has this to

say: "The first mention of salvation in the Old Testament, using the Hebrew word yeshuw` ah, is

in Genesis 49:18. The verse reads, “I have waited for your salvation (yeshuw` ah), O LORD!" It

speaks to the national salvation of Israel but is also presented as a personal victory for the

Patriarch Jacob. The historical context is during the time of Joseph, Jacob's son, dated

approximately between 1650-1540 BC." (53). Genesis is the beginning of the promise of God to

save man and make him the perfect man that He desired him to be.

Furthermore, Evans in his work on the book of the Pentateuch, explains the need to have

and defend the foundation of the Bible from critics. Quotations from the book of Genesis in other

parts of the scriptures are numerous. According to him, in the New Testament alone, Genesis is

referred to sixty times. Our Lord Himself quotes the book fifteen times. Mathew 16:4-16, 24: 37-

39, Mark 7: 4-10 etc.) (16).

This book is crucial because it tells us the beginning of not only man but the whole

world. The beginning of everything is crucial. For example, if one wants to build a house, the

foundation of that house must never be joked with. People spend more on the foundation of a

building than on any other part or phase of the project. The Bible says, if the foundation be

destroyed, what would the righteous do? “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous

do?” (Psalm 11:3 ASV). Evans buttresses this point by further saying “Destructive higher critics

have turned their guns against the book of Genesis, it is probably seems to them that, if Genesis

can be dethroned, it an easy matter to do away with the other books of the Bible” (16). It is with

this that we consider God’s plan of salvation in the book of Genesis and the books of the

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Pentateuch after which a meaningful conclusion could be reached for easy understanding of the

God of the Pentateuch...

Evans's division of the book is so crucial to understanding the salvation motif of the book.

i. Generation ( The creation of the Havens and the Earth ( Chapter 1-2)

ii. Degeneration: The fall of Man and its consequences on Adam and the Rae (Chapters

3-6)

iii. Regeneration ( The call of Abraham and the development of a chosen race ( 7-50)

The Book of Genesis can also be divided into two major groups:

(1) The History of the Human Race

(2) The History of a chosen nation – Israel (45).

How many ways of Salvation does the Bible teach from the Pentateuch? Another name

for the Pentateuch is the (Law or Torah). Feinberg in his essay quoted Hodges and had this to

say: 'In opposition to these different views the common doctrine of the Church has ever been,

that the plan of salvation has been the same from the beginning. There is the same promise of

deliverance from the evils of the apostasy, the same Redeemer, the same condition required for

participation in the blessings of redemption, and the same complete salvation for all who

embrace the offers of divine mercy" (Feinberg 41).

This research work agrees with Hodges's point of view on the issue of Salvation in the

Pentateuch. The plan of salvation has been right from the beginning. In the book of Genesis for

instance God called Abraham and promised to make Him a great nation and through him all the

nations of the earth for example: God cured the serpent and told him that the seed of the Woman

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would crush him. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and

her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15 ASV).

God has a plan from inception. It was not the devil that made Him devise another means

of salvation. We see in the Pentateuch that Man was not able to keep the laws of God. God knew

that Man could not stand the test and made provision for his salvation. Paul the Apostle related

this to God's eternal plan of salvation and he said this to the Corinthians believers:

So also it is written, The first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-

giving spirit. Howbeit that is not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; then that which

is spiritual. ( 1 Co 15:45-46). Paul the apostle relates the first man Adam with the second man

Jesus Christ. His reference was actually from the Pentateuch specifically Genesis 3:15.

This promise of “a seed” will become the focused hope of one special seed/descendant, the

Messiah, who will bring all nations to God.

Abraham is also introduced. The correlation between the seed and the promise of

salvation could also be seen in the Pentateuch especially the story of Abraham. God's call and

promises to him were explicitly a redemptive plan. Abraham is but one act in the full drama of

redemption! It is also theologically significant that the original creation was blessed for growth,

but sin affected God's desire. Now He starts again, but with one man, one family, and one nation

to develop into a redeemed people from all nations (a reversal of the Tower of Babel; they, too,

wanted "a name" for themselves,). However, the focus is on the undeserved blessing (grace act,

15:7-21; 28:13-15) by God. This blessing/promise is conditional on obedience (a supreme

example is Genesis 22) and from Gen. 15:5, faith. It becomes a paradigm for how to relate to

God (Romans 4; Galatians 3).

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 To understand the Salvation motif from the Book of Genesis, one must focus on the word

"SEED" which was used in Chapter Three of the Book of Genesis, and the promised "SEED" To

Abraham. (Genesis 15-17). Every other story in the book is on this main theme of God's plan of

a seed that will be bruised and crushed by the head of the serpent.

EXODUS

What do we see in Exodus? We see Moses. Moses and the children of Israelites. They are

seen as the major people in the book of Exodus. How is Moses crucial to the salvation motif in

the book of Exodus? Gifford in his word has this to say: Moses had predicted, "The LORD …

will raise for [Israel] a prophet like me from among you" (Deut 18:15). Only a few specifics can

be mentioned here, but Moses and Jesus are like the man-child in many ways. Both were

threatened with death at birth (Matt 2:13; Ex 1:22). Both use a rod to rule nations (Rev 19:15; Ex

4:1–4; 7:1–12). (The rods of the man-child and Jesus are iron; Moses’s was wood.) Both enter

heaven and receive a throne (Num 12:7; Ex 19:6; Mk 9:4). Thus, the man-child born to

Revelation 12’s travailing woman is universally recognized as Jesus Christ.31 Verses 1–6 also

echo the Exodus motif through Moses and the theme of travail. (12).

Sproul, the Editor of the Reformation Study Bible in his words sees Moses' role of

redemption, pointed to Christ. The mediator of the new covenant. (94). It is obvious that the

book of Exodus reveals Moses as a typical example of Jesus Christ.

According to Hill and Walton, “Although Moses is the primary human character of the Exodus

narratives, the real story is the redemptive work of Yahweh in delivering Israel from slavery in

Egypt and establishing a unique covenant relationship with the nation…Along with the covenant

ceremony at Sinai, it constitutes the high-water mark of Old Testament salvation history (81).

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 The Pentateuch especially the Old Testament is considered as the New Testament

Concealed. While the New Testament is seen as the Old Testament revealed. One needs to open

his eyes wide, as one reads the Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch. A man without this

understanding hardly would understand the Old Testament.

Yet, the promise of the Exodus is far more than mere release from oppression. According

to Williams, The initial act of physical deliverance is just that, initial. More is to come. For all

believers, salvation is more than deliverance from the oppression of sin, guilt, and death. God

wants not only to save but also to enter a relationship with his covenant community and to bless

that community. Relationships and blessings lie alongside deliverance at the heart of redemption

(34).

God desires a serious relationship with His people. It is far from works but a covenant

relationship with his People. This is the crush of the Salvation motif in the book of Exodus.

Two passages in Exodus not only exemplify God as Israel’s Savior but also utilize the same

Hebrew word, yeshuw` ah, to articulate the thought. The first, Exodus 14:13-14, proclaims the

salvation that will occur shortly. The verse reads, "And Moses said to the people, "Do not be

afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation (yeshuw` ah) of the LORD, which He will accomplish

for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The

LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” At that moment, Moses is reassuring

the Israelites of God’s ability to rescue them from certain death. The people of Israel are standing

with the Red Sea behind them and the Egyptian army marching toward them, and they cry out to

Moses in desperation and fear (vv.12:37). Moses responds with reassurance that Yahweh would

act as their Savior. Their yeshuw` ah is yet to come (Kings 6).

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 The second example, Exodus 15:2, praises God for the salvation that has already come to

pass. Verse two is the second stanza of The Victory Hymn of Moses (Exodus 15:1-21) and also

utilizes the term yeshuw` ah to convey God’s salvific act. Moses’ prophetic words have been

fulfilled. Yahweh parts the waters of the Red Sea and allows His people to pass through to

safety. But the Egyptian army that follows them is crushed by the waters and by the hand of God.

Yahweh delivers the nation of Israel and redeems them to Himself. Verses 1-6 of the periscope

offer context and evoke the passion present throughout the body of the hymn. It states:

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:

“I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the

sea. The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation [yeshuw` ah]

He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a

warrior; the LORD is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his army were hurled into the sea. The

best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea. The deep waters have covered them; they

sank to the depths like a stone. “Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic in power. Your right

hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy (6).

LEVITICUS

The Levites were to offer themselves to the Lord in the divine service of the Tabernacle

for perpetual generations as a part of Israel’s redemption. Because the Tabernacle serves as a

type and figure of the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as well as Christian worship and

service, the application of the third theme for today’s reader is a similar call to divine service.

Each New Testament believer should endeavor to find his unique role in the body of Christ to

serve others (Everett 17).

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 Furthermore, Everett calls our attention to the secondary role of the book of Leviticus as

the book of Leviticus supports the primary theme of the Pentateuch by testifying to the priestly

service of the Tabernacle to bring mankind back into fellowship with the Lord. The book is a

book of the divine election of a particular people to a unique and distinct service to God. (18). A

call to fellowship by Yahweh. God desires fellowship, especially from his people. He demands

that we fellowship together.

The Levites were to usher people to service with God. He wants the people of Israel to

understand what it means to have fellowship with God. The book is named after the Levites.

They were chosen by God for divine assignment. After the Lord gave Israel the Mosaic Law and

instructed them to build the Tabernacle, He chose the tribe of Levi for the divine service of

ministering in the Tabernacle. For the first time since man’s fall in the Garden of Eden, God was

able to come down and communicate with man (Everett 21).

Another role of the Levitical Priest was the sacrificial pattern. They were given not only the

pattern but what kind of offering the Children of Israelites were to bring. Burnt offerings were to

serve as a means of God's fellowship and redemption for their sin.

For the burnt offering, the Israelite can choose between a bull from his herd of cattle (1:3-9) and

a ram from his herd of sheep or goats (1:10-13). The choice would be made based on one's

financial strength. The poor can even offer a dove or a pigeon (1:14-17). We may group these as

the rich, the middle class, and the poor (Everett 27).

Many aspects of the burnt offering symbolize the atonement of Jesus Christ. One

Christological feature of the burnt offering was the requirement for the chosen a nimal to be an

unblemished male (1:3). Those Israelites who did bring their unblemished male animals were

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themselves with blemishes. However, the priest never inspected the person for blemishes, only

the animal. Thus, the unblemished animal stood as a proxy for the blemished individual to pay

the penalty of death for the man's sins. This requirement of an unblemished animal symbolized

the need for the atonement to be accomplished by a sinless individual. Jesus alone was the

unblemished, sinless Son of God, so He was the only sacrifice that qualified to atone for man's

sins. There is a crucial demand upon a life whose savior became the sacrificial lamb. A call to a

blameless living.

NUMBERS

The Book of Numbers is part of the Pentateuch, written by Moses at some point in the

middle of the Second Millennium B.C.E. (David et al 271). The occasion for the writing of this

book is in some ways tied to one's understanding of the structure of the book. (Gordon 98). The

underlying motif of Numbers is “the tension between God's faithfulness to His promise and

Israel's propensity to disobedience and unbelief.” There are many pastoral concerns addressed in

the book as well. For example, it summarizes the 40 years of wandering that the people of Israel

endured.

Moreover, the bronze serpent narrative's short plot arc revolves around the impatience

and resulting complaint of the Israelites as they travel around Edom. As their impatience grows,

they speak against Moses and God and ask, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in

the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food?" As a

result, the LORD sends fiery serpents among the Israelites causing many of them to die. The

turning point in the passage occurs in verse seven. After the LORD sends down serpents as a

result of their complaint, the people ask Moses to intercede saying, "We have sinned, for we

have spoken against the LORD and you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from

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us.” God hears their plea and the plot is resolved as he tells Moses to build a bronze serpent to

hold up. If the people look at the serpent, they will be healed (Baughman 3).

DEUTERONOMY (THE JUDGEMENT LOVING ARMS OF GOD)

Hamilton in his article “The Glory of God in Salvation through Judgment” and also quoted Peter

Vogt, has this to say:

The first three chapters of Deuteronomy review Israel’s history

from Sinai to the plains of Moab. Deuteronomy 4–11 then seeks to

motivate Israel to keep the law. Chapters 12–28 set forth the

stipulations of the covenant, and in chapters 29–34 Moses gives his

last will. As Peter Vogt writes, “At the heart of the Deuteronomic

worldview is the supremacy of Yahweh. One of the primary goals

of the book is to inculcate a sense of total loyalty to him (20).

The goal of the book is very important. God demands we surrender all our wills to His will. He

instructed Moses to call the attention of the Children of Israelites to this. He wanted them to

completely be loyal to His instructions to them.

Moses called the attention of the Children of Israel to the Judgment that befell them on

their way to the Promised Land. Hamilton says: “Moses reminds Israel of the judgment that fell

on the wilderness generation that they might learn from the mistakes of their predecessors—that

they might be saved through the judgment that fell on them.”

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 In the book of Deuteronomy, we see the place of divine responsibility and that of human

responsibility. God has a free salvation for all. But He cannot force us to accept His salvation.

This is very crucial to our understanding of the salvation motif in the book of Deuteronomy.

Hamilton clearly explains this assertion: There is also divine sovereignty and human

responsibility in the taking of Sihon’s land. In Deuteronomy 2:31, Yahweh announces that he has

given Sihon over to Israel—divine sovereignty. But it is also true that Israel must take possession

and occupy his land—human responsibility. (21). we are called to responsibility in our trip to

assess the sovereign plan and will of God.

IMPLICATION FOR THE CHURCH TODAY

Firstly, there is a call to a divine responsibility. The book of Leviticus stresses the fact

that every individual has a unique role to play in the body of Christ by taking particular

responsibility for the call of God.

Secondly, God's promise cannot be thwarted by the enemy. The church needs to

understand God's divine leading and direction and follow Him even when it does not make

sense. Abraham followed God even when he was not very sure of the direction God was taking

him. Patience is vital and crucial to the church.

The Pentateuch serves as a guide to challenge the Church to look up to God in its difficult

times. In Numbers, the children of Israelites looked up to God and He delivered them from them.

God is in the business of delivering His people from the devourer as long as they submit to Him.

The Church must also know that God shall judge the living and the dead. We are going to

be judged by God. God’s judgment is not the absence of His love.

CONCLUSION

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 If there is any theme in the bible especially as it regards to salvation is found in the

Pentateuch. The Pentateuch is the foundation of the eternal plan of God to save mankind. God

Himself designed this unique pattern and plan to salvage man from the damnation of sin. He has

promised a lifelong fellowship with man.

There is a greater means of salvation, a greater life that is eternal, and a need for us to

believe. A proper understanding of the Pentateuch helps us to understand the type of belief and

life that we will receive. This research work opened my eyes to the redemptive plan of God in

the Old Testament. One can say that the Old Testament is all about God's hidden plan for the

salvation of humanity. Salvation is not only a New Testament concept but also an Old

Testament. The books of the Pentateuch all give us a clearer picture of Jesus Christ. Some say

that the Old Testament is the New Testament Concealed while the New Testament is the Old

Testament revealed.

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WORKS CITED

Andrew, E. Hill and John H. Walton, a Survey of the Old Testament Grand Rapids, MI:

Zondervan, 2000.Print.

Durham, Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 3: Exodus, 198. Print.

David, W. Baker, Dale A. Bruegemann and Eugene H. Merrill, Leviticus, Numbers,

Deuteronomy

(Cornerstone Biblical Commentary), ed. Philip W. Comfort (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale

House Publishers, Inc., 2008). Print.

Everett H. Gary, Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures: A Thematic-Based Approach to Identify

Literary Structures Gary H. Everett 2022. Print.

Feinberg John S., “Salvation in the Old Testament” Tradition and Testament. Essays in Honor

Of Charles Lee Feinberg. Chicago: Moody Press, 1981. Print.

Gordon Wenham, Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Pentateuch Vol. 1 Downers

Grove, IL. Intervarsity Press, 2003).Print.

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Gordon J. Wenham, Numbers (Old Testament Guides) Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press,

1999.

Print.

Hamilton, James M., and God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment Crescent St., Wheaton:

Crossway, Good News Publishers. 2010. Print.

Hornby, A.S., Oxford Learners Dictionary of Current English, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

2005. Print.

King, Yvelte. “The Biblical Theology of Salvation or Yeshu’ah” from Genesis to Psalms. New

York: Nyack Alliance Theological Seminary Press, Print.

Michael D. Williams, Far as the Curse is found. Philipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2005. Print.

Sproul R.C., (ed). The Reformation Study Bible, “English Standard Version”, Orlando, Florida:

Reformed Trust 2015. Print.

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