Will Vaus

Today we are looking at the book of Deuteronomy. Jesus quoted often from this book, especially when answering the devil during his forty days in the wilderness. Deuteronomy is the third most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament, after Psalms and Isaiah. Deuteronomy is quoted forty-four times in the New Testament, and if you add to that the allusions to Deuteronomy in the New Testament the count comes to somewhere between 80 and 100 references. So, let’s look at the author, date, theme, and structure of this important book together…   Author   Over the course of the last three Sundays, we have talked about the traditional view that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. I have pointed out that there is no explicit internal claim to Mosaic authorship in any of these books. None of these books begin or end like a letter from Paul that clearly claims to be written by him. In fact, throughout Deuteronomy, Moses is referred to in the third person.   If this is...

Today we are continuing a new sermon series I have entitled “Route 66” because we are taking a journey together through all 66 books of the Bible in 66 Sundays. My challenge to you, after hearing a message about each book of the Bible is to read the book of the week.     Today we are looking at the book of Numbers. After the seeming interruption of the book of Leviticus with its seemingly tedious laws, we return to stories, some memorable, in this book. So, let’s look at the author, date, theme, and structure of the book together…   Author   Over the course of the last three Sundays, we have talked about the traditional view that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. I have also pointed out that there is no explicit internal claim to Mosaic authorship in any of these books.   If that is so, why did some people, traditionally, view Moses as the author of these books? The claim is based upon references to Moses’ writing activity throughout the Bible. (See...

Today we are continuing a new sermon series I have entitled “Route 66” because we are taking a journey together through all 66 books of the Bible in 66 Sundays. My challenge to you, after hearing a message about each book of the Bible is to read the book of the week.     Our study today is focused on a book that forms a major roadblock for some people in continuing their journey on Route 66. Almost everyone I have ever met, who has tried to read through the whole Bible from beginning to end, gives up, or is tempted to give up, when he or she gets to the book of Leviticus. Why is Leviticus such a stumbling block?   I think the main problem is found in the type of literature that Leviticus contains. Whereas Genesis and Exodus contain mostly story, Leviticus is full of laws. Thus, the book can read somewhat like bylaws or a constitution for an organization or a country. It can be, for some people, almost as boring as reading the phone book.   In spite of that fact, I do...