In my last post I introduced this series on "You Can Trust Your Bible" here Growing Christian Resources: Series: You Can Trust Your Bible - P1 Why Affirming Mosaic Authorship Of The Pentateuch Is Important. We began to consider how you can know that Moses wrote the Pentateuch or first five books of the Bible. I wanted to resume where I left off, and so I'll restate why this subject is vital in our defense of God's Word. Then, we will proceed to consider where we find in Scripture affirmations of Mosaic authorship.
Affirming that Moses wrote Genesis thru Deuteronomy.
In what will follow, I simply want to point out where we see assertions of Mosaic authorship made in the Biblical text, as well as by Jesus. In later posts, we will offer arguments and evidence that support the Biblical witness.
A. Moses is affirmed to be the author of the first five books in those books.
In Exodus 24:4a we are told: “Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord.” Numbers 33:2 states “Moses recorded their starting places according to their journeys by the command of the Lord, and these are their journeys according to their starting places.” Twice more Mosaic authorship is affirmed (Exodus 17:14; Deut 31:9).
As the chronology of Moses' life and the Exodus account would stipulate, Moses wrote Genesis and Exodus first, followed by Leviticus, all within the first year of the Exodus out of Egypt. Then, as he led the people of God through their wilderness wanderings for nearly 40 years, He wrote Numbers (known by its Hebrew name "m'dvar" or "in the desert") in the arid setting of the Sinai Peninsula, followed by Deuteronomy as a final set of sermons he preached before his death on the Eastern side of the Jordon on the plains of Moab.
B. The rest of the Old Testament affirms Moses wrote the first five books.
What do the authors of the Old Testament have to say about authorship
of the Pentateuch? Critics will contend that Mosaic authorship was not strongly affirmed after the book of Deuteronomy. However, a scan through the Biblical data suggests the contrary. At least six other Biblical authors affirm Moses wrote these books (Josh 1:8; 2 Kings 21:8; Ezra 6:18; Neh 13:1; Dan 9:11,13; Malachi 4:4). Let me just cite one of these examples, 2 Kings 21:8
“And I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.”
This passage was written during the final years of the wickedest king who reigned in Jerusalem – Manasseh. He ruled from 687-643 b.c. Before he died, the passage tells us how God was going to judge the land for the wicked acts Manasseh had done. In that passage, the first five books are mentioned, written by Moses. We will return to Manasseh later in these posts, since he is the grandfather of King Josiah, who ruled in Jerusalem. I'll only mention this now since critics of Mosaic authorship claim the Book of the Law was compiled mostly during or after the reign of King Josiah. Yet we see just in this short citation that the Torah or Book of the Law existed at least in the days of King Josiah's grandfather (again, more on this in a later post).
C. Jesus affirmed that Moses wrote the first five books.
What did Jesus teach about Genesis thru Deuteronomy? When He had healed a leper in Matthew 8:4, he referenced Leviticus 13:49, saying these words: “and Jesus said to him, ‘See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’” Jesus taught Moses wrote Leviticus.
Then in Mark 12:26 Jesus affirms Moses wrote Exodus, referencing Exodus 3 in his conversation with the Sadducees:
“But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?”
That’s pretty specific, isn’t it? In Matthew 19:6-8 Jesus affirms Moses’ authorship of Deuteronomy. In John 3:14, Jesus affirms the historical existence of Moses lifting up the serpent in Numbers 21, which consequently provides affirmation of his authorship of the book of Numbers. Over 30 places in the gospel records record Jesus affirming Moses’ authorship or linking the first five books to him. We have ample examples of the Bible claiming Mosaic authorship, including Jesus Himself.
What is the take away?
The fact of the matter is this: if Moses did not write the Pentateuch; if the events recorded in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy were much-later embellishments by post-exilic Jews trying to account for their claim to the land of Israel (as proposed by the Higher Critics, which we will see in later posts), rather than composed by Moses under the Divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, then not only in the Biblical record not the Word of God, but Jesus Himself would be in error at best, and a liar at worse. As we get more into these posts, I hope the reader will feel the weight of importance as to why we must defend the truth of the trustworthiness of the Scriptures.
