Invitation to the Torah

A Guide to Reading, Teaching, and Preaching the Pentateuch

George Van Pelt Campbell

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781725277496, 9781725277489
• eBook ISBN: 9781725277502
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation

We all love a good story. The Torah, or Pentateuch, is regularly defamed as "law." Actually, it's a saga about our search for happiness and how the God of the Bible fits into it. Lacing legal material into narrative punctuated with poetry, the Torah contrasts two provocative personalities named Abraham and Moses. Fascinating and fickle, their adventures portray two visions of approaching God. The Torah was written to render a verdict on who is the best model. This book demonstrates that Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are a unified narrative, framed as contrasting biographies, proclaiming a coherent message. It surveys each book's structure and themes to determine its argument and then articulates the Torah's message for people of all time, its vision of human happiness. It establishes that the Torah is the core of the Jewish and Christian Bibles and shows how the rest of the Bible elaborates its message. Ending with suggestions to help you read it, this book is your invitation to the Torah.

Chapter 1

Invitation to the Torah

Four half-score and seven years ago, roughly, the first Star Wars film was released. I was a first-year seminary student in 1977 when Star Wars: A New Hope introduced my wife and me to Luke, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO. We anticipated three episodes, then were pleased when we learned that three more were coming! We met Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Padme Amidala, and Anakin Skywalker. We never believed we would see the last three episodes that were originally announced, but—wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles—we finally got to meet Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren. We saw each one and enjoyed following the tale. We loved the adventure (would Han be freed from the carbonite?), the suspense (“is it true that a Jedi can’t be killed?”), the surprises (who was Luke’s father?), and the drama of good versus evil (could Darth Vader turn?). Star Wars is a grand story told in nine action-packed episodes that kept us engaged for over forty years.1

The Torah, the opening section of the Jewish Bible, is also a grand story, but one told in five drama-filled episodes. These books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are called the “Pentateuch” (“book with five parts”) by Christians. But we will use its original name. Like Star Wars, the Torah covers a series of generations, tracing a continuous story. It has heroes and villains and people in between. It portrays people who display heroism and courage and those who fight for justice. It also showcases the greedy, the self-serving, and the base. Further, like Star Wars, it bears witness to a great power, above and around us all. But it is not an impersonal Force; it is a personal God, who loves and seeks out people to establish a relationship with them. Also, unlike the Force, the God of the Torah is not balancing good and evil. Instead, he is wholly good, hating evil. Paradoxically, this God deeply loves the people he created, yet who have partaken of the “dark side” (that’s all of us, in degrees). He is someone devoted to rescuing us from the dark side, which is the plot of the Torah’s grand story. So, early in the story (Genesis 3:15) he promises that he will defeat the dark side and put the world right.

Even more exciting, this adventure is not just a spectator sport! Unlike Star Wars, this is a real-life drama in which the God of the Torah invites us all to participate (and not just Jews!). He welcomes all who are willing to join the fight against the evil empire and to work to restore the noble republic. It’s an invitation to join the winning side of history’s greatest drama.

In order to demonstrate these things, we will begin our journey by asking and answering four questions in this chapter. What sort of literature is the Torah? Is it one book or five books? What subdivisions are there in the Torah? Does the Torah have a message?

What Sort of Literature is the Torah?

The first question is “What sort of literature is the Torah?” Getting this right can draw you in like the smell of freshly baked bread, or it can put you off like the smell of burnt toast.

Law or Instruction?

Most people think of the Torah as “Law.” While it is true that the Hebrew word torah is often properly translated “law,” its basic meaning is “instruction.” The Torah contains stories and poetry interwoven with laws, but the first laws, the Ten Commandments, or T...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Invitation to the Torah
• Chapter 2: The Torah Gave Birth to the Hebrew Bible
• Chapter 3: Jesus’ Bible was “Tanak”
• Chapter 4: Tanak is Intended to Show the Primacy of the Torah
• Chapter 5: The Message of Genesis: Finding Life
• Chapter 6: The Message of Exodus: Courtship and Marriage
• Chapter 7: The Message of Leviticus: Living Happily Ever After
• Chapter 8: The Message of Numbers: Remaining Faithful Over the Long Haul
• Chapter 9: The Message of Deuteronomy: Choose Life!
• Chapter 10: The Message of the Torah
• Chapter 11: A Guide to Reading, Teaching, and Preaching the Torah
• Glossary
• Bibliography