The Kingdom & The Pentateuch
The Kingdom & The Pentateuch
The Kingdom of God is more than something that awaits the Christian in the future. Its concepts and implications run through all of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation.
In this post, we will look at the theme of the Kingdom of God as it appears in the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch.
As a reminder, the Kingdom of God is about more than the King’s power, it also includes the King’s people in the King’s place.
Genesis
- CREATION: By the power of his word, King Jesus separates the waters and establishes a land upon which his creation will live and have dominion.
- God creates for himself a people, made in his image, and places them in a place where they will dwell in his presence forever.
- FALL: The King’s creation rejects his rule and reign in the lives through their disobedience. They seek false kingdom and animosity and conflict grows between people seeking their own power.
- The people of God are lost, removed from the place of God’s dwelling
- God’s power is expressed through the promise of man who would come from a woman to ultimately defeat the serpent and restore hope (Genesis 3:16).
- Generations come and go. Kingdoms being built and kingoms falling.
- Mankind seeks to built their own way back to God at the Tower of Babel in a demonstration of their own power.
- God scatters and confuses the people even more, furthers separating the peoples and places from the presence of God.
Abraham- God calls Abraham to himself, promising to be his God and that they will be his people.
- God is taking Abraham a land he will show him (place).
- God promises to bless all peoples through Abraham (power).
Exodus
It is at this point that many people begin to lose sight of the Kingdom of God because they fail to see how the Mosaic Covenant demonstrates God’s determination to advance his kingdom on earth through his people.
- Kingdom of Priests (People)
- Holy Nation (Place)
Leveticus
God is constructing a community, a nation, through whom, the King would regein (power), with his people (Jews), in Israel (place).
- Laws of the Tabernacle (Place) – Leviticus 1-16
- Laws of the Community (People) – Leviticus 17-27
Numbers
Numbers begins with the people of God sitting on the edge of the place of the God. Reminiscent of Eden, we see palm groves and trees planted beside rivers.
- Imperfection though is part of the Kingdom because the people of God will continue to fail and fall short
- An annual sacrifice is needed to purify what the people continually defile.
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomu summarizes this story and renews God’s covenant with Moses before they enter the promised land.
- Words of blessings and curses as people obey and disobey
- The King talks about expectations for how they should live in the land to the glory of God.
The Kingdom
Through the Pentateuch, we see the King displaying his power while calling to himself a people and establishes them in a specific place.