A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
by Fred G. Zaspel
Why was Moses not allowed into the promised land? How could Abraham, before Moses, be said to have kept God’s “commandments” (Gen.26:5)? How is it that Abraham, and not Moses, is said to have kept the law?
In his remarkable book, Introduction to Old Testament Theology: A Canonical Approach, John Sailhamer concludes:
The narrative strategy of the Pentateuch contrasts Abraham, who kept the law, and Moses, whose faith was weakened under the law. This suggests a conscious effort on the part of the author of the Pentateuch to distinguish between a life of faith before the law and a lack of faith under the law. This is accomplished by showing that the life of God’s people before the giving of the law was characterized by faith and trust in God, but after the giving of the law their lives were characterized by faithlessness and failure. Abraham lived by faith (Gen.15:6), in Egypt the Israelites lived by faith (Exod.4), they came out of Egypt by faith (Exos. 14:31), and they approached Mount Sinai by faith (Exod 19:9). However after the giving of the law, no longer was the life of God’s people marked by faith. Even their leaders, Moses and Aaron, failed to believe in God after the coming of the law.
If we have accuratedly described this aspect of the compositional strategy of the Pentateuch, then we have uncovered an initial and clear indication of the Pentateuch’s view of the Mosaic Law. The view is, in fact, remarkably similar to that of Jeremiah 31:31ff…” (pp. 270-271).
Contents
Part 1: Introduction
Chapter 1: Introduction
Part 2: The Methodology of Old Testament Theology
Chapter 2: Methodology
Chapter 3: Text or Event
Chapter 4: Criticism or Canon
Chapter 5: Descriptive or Confessional
Chapter 6: Diachronic or Synchronic
Part 3: A Canonical Theology of the Old Testament
Chapter 7: A Proposal for a Canonical Theology
Appendices
Appendix A: The Mosaic Law and the Theology of the Pentateuch
Appendix B: Compositional Strategies in the Pentateuch
Appendix C: The Narrative World of Genesis
Appendix D: 1 Chronicles 21:16: A study in Inter-Biblical Interpretation
About the Author
John H. Sailhamer was professor of Old Testament at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Brea, California, and was formerly senior professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. His works on the Pentateuch especially stand out for their unusual grasp of and insights into these foundational biblical books.
Related Works by John Sailhamer on the Pentateuch:
- The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary (Kindle)
- The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation (Kindle)
- Genesis: Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Kindle)
- Genesis Unbound: A Provocative New Look at the Creation Account
Sailhamer’s Zondervan Quick Reference Library: