Subject: Eschatology in the Pentateuch
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 1998 00:17:59 +0000
To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"

 

From:          Caleb Cheung
To:            
Subject:       eschatology in pentateuch

Structure and Eschatological Perspective of Pentateuch

STRUCTURE OF PENTATEUCH

INTRODUCTION

There are two main parts to make up of the Pentateuch. That's perimeval history (Gen 1-11) and restoration plan (Gen 12 ff.). Between these two sections, an important pivot text (Gen 12:1-3) links up the two sections.

PRIMEVAL HISTORY

FAILURE CYCLES

The primeval history is composed by four failure cycles. In the cycles, following pattern concurs: a creation , uncreation and then re-creation appeared. Each cycle contains human failure and then divine speech and Punishment. Except the last one, each failure leads to both God's judgment and compassion that gives human race has new chances to begin again. The four cycles are as following:

  Sin Speech Punishment
Fall 3:6 3:14-19 3:22-24
Cain 4:8b 4:11-12 4:16b
Flood 6:1-2 6:5-7 7:6-24
Babel 11:4 11:6-7 11:8-9

MAJOR THEME

In part of primeval history, through the failure cycles, the author wants to convey one prefatory theme to the reader, that is 'A Spread of Sin, and Spread of Grace'.

Clines' words stated this theme clearly:

"From Eden to Babel by way of the sins of Cain, Lamech, the 'sons of God', and the generation of the Flood, there is an ever-growing 'avalanche' of sin, a 'continually widening chasm between man and God'. There is a movement from disobedience to murder, to reckless killing, to titanic lust, to total corruption and violence, to the full disruption of humanity.

God responds to the extension of human sin with increasingly severe punishment: from expulsion from the garden to expulsion from the tillable earth, to the limitation of human life, to the near annihilation of mankind, to the 'dissolution of mankind's unity'.

Nevertheless, these are also stories of divine grace: God penalty of death; he not only punishes Adam and Eve, but also withholds the threatened penalty of death; he not only drives out Cain, but also puts his mark of protection upon him; not only sends the Food, but saves the human race alive in preserving Noah and his family. Only in the case of the Babel narrative does it appear that the element of 'grace' is lacking."

PIVOT TEXT

After each failure cycle, we had already been shown that a new beginning was granted to human race, except the last one (i.e. dispersion of the nations at Babylon). The author places the call of Abraham after the dispersion of the nations at Babylon for showing Abraham's call as God's gift of salvation in the midst of judgment. The whole primeval history likes a preface to raise reader expectation for God's restoration plan, which comes through by Abraham and his descendants. The promise at Gen 12:1-3 links up both Gen 1-11 and Gen 12ff.

Besides, there are three elements in the promise of Gen 12:1-3: seed, land, and divine-human relationship (blessing). God wants to restore his plan through these aspect of restoration. Basically, seed, land and divine-human relationship are the three themes from Genesis onwards. All the events recorded are seen in the light of these three main elements.

RESTORATION PLAN

GENESIS (12-50)

Basically, this part of Genesis focuses on four characters, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. These four characters have their own details but as a line of succession, they all participate their own parts in order to contribute the overall theme. This part of bible is primarily concerned with the fulfillment of the posterity of seed in the divine promises to the patriarchs. Clines summaries the theme in two question: "First, will there be even on son, let alone a posterity? Secondly, once the son is born, will he survive to produce a posterity?"

The thematic elements of the land and of the relationship also appear in Genesis, but in a subsidiary role. Both the promise of land and of blessing are depended on the seed to fulfill.

EXODUS AND LEVITICUS

In these two books, the promise of God's relationship with the descendants of Abraham is clearly shown. At the exodus event, Pharaoh expresses his ignorance about the LORD: 'Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go?' Ex 5:2. In the Exodus, the expression 'I am the LORD' Ex. (3:15; 14:4, 8; 15:11) repeats many times. In various occasions, God shows his own characters to Israel, e.g. in the vision of Moses, in ten plagues, and in Sinatic laws.

Leviticus is the continuation of the Sinatic covenant, its major concern is to teach Israelites how to maintenance the normal relationship with the LORD.

NUMBERS AND DEUTERONOMY

In these books, the aspect of the patriarchal promise most in evidence is that of the land. In Numbers, Israelites are moving towards the land in the beginning. And after failure and 38 years wandering, Numbers recorded how the second generation of Israelites prepared to enter the land.

In Deuteronomy, Moses re-stated the Sinatic laws to the second generation of Israelites before they entering the promise land. Although there are many things mentioned in the speech, all of them are focused for preparing the Israelites so that they can last long in the land.

ESCHATOLOGY IN THE PENTATEUCH

INTRODUCTION

The Pentateuch records events in the past, however, the past events themselves are not the author's ultimate concern. What the author wants to convey in the Pentateuch is using the past events in order to stimuli the readers' hope toward the future. Therefore when we read the Pentateuch, we read lot of things like pointers to direct our attentions toward the future. We can justify this perspective in the following two characteristics.

POETIC SEAMS IN THE PENTATEUCH

In the Pentateuch, there are three important poetic texts as conclusions for the previous narratives. Before each poetic discourse, there exists outstanding remarks to relate the discourse to "the end of days".

In Sailhamer words:

Several major poetic texts are found interspersed throughout the narratives of the Pentateuch. ... At three macrostructural junctures in the Pentateuch, the author has spliced a major poetic discourse onto the end of a large unit of narrative (Gen 49; Num 24; Deut 31). In each of the three segments, the central narrative figure (Jacob, Balaam, Moses) calls an audience together (imperative: Gen 49:1; Num 24:14; Deut 31:28) and proclaims what will happen in "the end of days" (Gen 49:1; Num 24:14; Deut 31:29).

SENSE OF MOVING IN THE PENTATEUCH

In each books' ending, sense of moving can be observed as following:

The sense of moving appears in above as a pointer to stimuli reader to look forward to the future. Since we(readers) will not expect the story to be ended at the border of the promise land, the author arranged the Pentateuch as an unfinished story to raise readers expectation toward the future.

Let us examine following topics to see how the author arrange the narratives as an pointer to the future things.

GARDEN OF EDEN

There are lot of similarities between Garden of Eden and the tabernacle.

TABERNACLE

NEW JERUSALEM

Besides the similarities between the Garden of Eden and the tabernacle, there are lot of similarities between them and New Jerusalem in Revelation 21-22.

Author shows us that the tabernacle is the prototype of the restoration of Eden, however, the fullest form are still not manifest. The tabernacle is a pointer to Solomon's temple and the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21-22.

MOSES

Moses is one of the most important character in the Pentateuch. He plays two important roles in the story. The two roles he played are type and pointer to the hope of future.

SUPREME PROPHET

In the narrative, Moses acted a supreme prophet to transmit the LORD's will to the Israelites. God said he spoke to Moses "month to month, even openly, and not in dark sayings" (Num 12:8). In two occasions, the LORD granted Moses's entreat that Israelites will not be killed.

However, Moses has such supreme status above all other prophets (cf. Deut 34:10). He still has fault that even he could not enter the promise land (cf. Deut 32:51). At the end of his day, he draws the Israelites' attention to another prophet who will raise after him (Deut 18:15), that such prophet will lead the Israelites into the whole counsel of God (Deut 18:18).

LAW GIVER

Moses is a great Law giver, through him the Law was given to Israelites. However, such law was not useful to the disobedience Israelites. Accompany with the Sinatic laws, two covenants was made to two different generations of Israelites. The first one was Sinatic covenant, the LORD made it for the adults after exodus under the foot of Sinai (Exo 24:3-8). After they refused to enter the promise land at Kedash (Num 14), the LORD renewed the covenant again to the next generation before they were entering the promise land at Moab (Deut 29).

Although the LORD repeated his covenant to the Israelites again, Moses foretold they will fail (cf. Duet 4:25; Deut 31:29). After the failing of Sinatic and Moabite covenants, a new covenant and law is needed in order to secure the Divine-Human relationship. And the author draws readers' attention that at the 'latter day' (cf. Deut 4:30; 31:29), God will give Israelites a willful heart to obey the LORD's Law (cf. Deut 30:6). Which is a foreshadow of the new covenant in Ezek 36:24-32 and Jer 31:31-34.

PROMISE

Throughout the whole Pentateuch, the themes on Seed, Land and Blessing are repeat frequently in different occasions. These three themes composes the whole counsel of God's dealing with his people. After men fall, God intends to restore his blessing through Abraham. In Gen 12:1-3, God's promise to Abraham therefore is composed of these three components. However, within the Pentateuch, the three components were only partially fulfilled. The fully fulfillment is lay in the future.

SEED

Although Abraham had a promised son Isaac in his old age and Israelites were great in number in Egypt (cf. Exo 1:7), the promise about seed had not fully fulfilled. The promise seed, that through him will reign the whole earth, is still not yet come. In several important places, author places the prophecy of such royal seed to rise readers hope in the future. (cf. Gen 3:15; Gen 49:8-10; Num 24:17-19)

LAND

The patriarchs were sojourn in the land as strangers (Heb 11). Obviously, in the Pentateuch, Israelites hadn't get the promise land, they just arrived to the border of the promise land. In addition, whether they can live long in the land is a open question, it depends on their obedience after they entering the land (Deut 23-30).

BLESSING

In Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph lives, other nations were blessed through them. And in Numbers 24, Balak intended to curse Israelites leaded to the curse came back to himself. However, the promise of blessing to all nations still far from fully fulfill in the Pentateuch. The blessing to all nations through Israelites will not fulfill until the blessed Seed come and reign the who earth.

In the Pentateuch, the promise to Abraham in Gen 12:1-3 only partially fulfilled. And the partial fulfillment like a signal to strengthen readers' faith that God is faithful, and he will surely fulfill his promise in the future.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

  1. John Sailhamer, The pentateuch as narrative
  2. Desmond Alexander, From paradise to the promise land
  3. David Clines, The themes of the pentateuch
  4. W.S. LaSor, D.A. Hubbard & F.W. Bush, The O.T. survey
  5. Dillard & Tremper Longman III , The O.T. introduction

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