The book of Joshua is the first of the history books in the Old Testament. It is named for Joshua the son of Nun, who led Israel after Moses’ death. His name means “Yahweh is deliverance,” and is the Hebrew name for Jesus (Gr. iesous).
The fifth book of the Torah or Pentateuch is Deuteronomy. The name means “second law” or “copy of the law” and comes from the Greek δευτερονόμιον, which appears in Deuteronomy 17:18 of the LXX. That said, this text doesn’t appear to be the source of naming the book. The book retells the Law for the new generation ready to enter the promised land. The book is called mydbr, in Hebrew, meaning, “These are the words” (1:1).
The fourth book of the Torah or Pentateuch is Numbers. The name is descriptive, for in the book the children of Israel are numbered twice. The first census is the exodus generation (1:2-3), the second census is of their children (26:2-4). The Hebrew name for the book is rbdm, “in the wilderness,” coming from Numbers 1:1, “Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting…”
The third book of the Torah or Pentateuch is Leviticus. The name of the book in English is from the Greek leuitikon, which associates the book with the priestly tribe of Levi. The Hebrew title for the book is arqyw, “And He called,” which is how the book begins (Leviticus 1:1).
The second book of the Torah or Pentateuch is Exodus. The name of the book in English is from the Greek exodov, which means “going out.” The Hebrew title for the book is twms, “Names,” derived from the opening phrase of the book, “Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt…” (Exodus 1:1).
Exodus is the continuation of Genesis. The last verse in Genesis (50:26) spoke of Joseph’s death. After reminding us of the sons of Jacob who had journeyed to Egypt, Exodus 1:6 says, “…Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation.”
We begin our overview by identifying the Law or Torah (instruction), as the first five books of the Bible. They are also known as the Pentateuch, which literally means “five volumes.” The first in this series of books is Genesis, a name which comes from the Septuagint (Greek) translation of Genesis 2:4, “This is the book of the generation (genesewv) of heaven and earth…” The word means “creation or generation.”1 The Hebrew name for the book is “Bereshit,” which is the opening word, “beginning.”
A search on Facebook reveals a number of groups and fan pages that have been set up to focus on Jesus Christ. You can “Like” and “Follow” Jesus on Facebook, but you can’t “Friend” Him. He doesn’t have an account. Why then are we speculating about what He would do if He were on Facebook? Well, that’s not really our aim. Many of His people are on Facebook. All Christians must be careful how we use Facebook, for what we do will reflect upon the Lord and His church.
Hydrogeology is the science of water distribution through the earth. Consider a simple description of the hydrological cycle:
Have you ever received other people’s mail? There have been times when we’ve received envelopes addressed to the former occupant of our house. Of course, the accepted practice is to write “Return to Sender” or “Not at this address” on the envelope and send it back through the postal system. Hopefully, through time, the stray items no longer show up in the mailbox.
We have come to the end of Solomon’s “to everything there is a season” statements in Ecclesiastes 3. As we look at verse 8 today, we will deal with strong emotions, societal interaction, and our relationship with God.
