{"id":12928,"date":"2016-10-12T22:15:35","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T03:15:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=12928"},"modified":"2026-03-28T16:33:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T21:33:26","slug":"the-canon-of-the-old-testament-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-canon-of-the-old-testament-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Canon of the Old Testament &#8211; Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/CanonOfTheOldTestament1.mp3\" \/><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-12928-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/CanonOfTheOldTestament1.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/CanonOfTheOldTestament1.mp3\">https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/CanonOfTheOldTestament1.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\t<p>by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t<p>Text: Deuteronomy 31:9-13<\/p>\nI.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;As the last few years of a presidency winds down, people begin to discuss the legacy of\nthe current President.  How will the future remember him?  What will historians say\nabout him?\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;So what makes a President great?<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Is greatest determined by the writings of famous historians?<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Or does greatest come by the deeds done?<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Are not historians merely recorders of what has happened and what is believed?<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Wasn&#8217;t Abraham Lincoln considered a great President because of the\nthings he did and the popularity of his accomplishments?\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The historians didn&#8217;t make him great.  They recorded his greatness.<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Or what makes a musician great? Is Mozart, Beethoven, or Handel great because\nthe critics say so? Or were they already great and the critics are merely\nacknowledging what everyone already knows?\nII.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;You are probably wondering where am I going with all of this.  I have been challenged\nrepeatedly to prove that the Bible is our only source of authority in spiritual matters.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;There are several religious groups that believe that the Bible is &#8220;a&#8221; source of\nauthority, but that there are other sources as well.  In particular, they believe\nreligious leaders and church traditions are equal sources of authority in spiritual\nmatters.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;To prove this odd take on the Bible&#8217;s role, they ask, &#8220;How were the books of the\nBible selected?  Who made the decision that Galatians is in our Bible and the\nEpistle of Barnabas is out?&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;What they expect as an answer is that Origen, or Jerome, or Augustine, or\nsome early church council set the canon of the Scriptures and that is what\nwe follow today.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Then they can say, &#8220;See, you have accepted the authority of someone not\nin the Bible to control the contents of the Bible.&#8221; Therefore the Bible is\njust one of several authoritative sources.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;But the problem with this reasoning is the same as the one about what makes a\nPresident great.  Is a book of the Bible in our canon because Origen, or Jerome, or\nAugustine said it was to be in there, or did these men and others simply record\nwhat was already a known fact?\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Our question today is: &#8220;What makes a book accepted as the Will of God?&#8221; In\nparticular, we will look at the canon of the Old Testament and in a future lesson\nexamine the canon of the New Testament.\nIII.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;For as long as we have had recorded history, the books of the Old Testament have\nremained consistent.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The history we have is not that old.  The Israelites tended to write on papyrus (a\nform of paper) which does not survive the centuries very well.  Other societies\nused clay tablets, so we have older records.  So our Hebrew records only reach\nback to about 200 B.C.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;For years critics of the Bible said that the books in the Old Testament were\nrevered because they were old.  The Israelites did not have much in the way of\nwritings so what did exist was treasured.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;What we now know is that there were plenty of books written by the Israelites, but\nonly a few were treasured as God&#8217;s word.  The status of the Scriptures is what\ncause them to be carefully preserved and frequently copied.  Other books existed,\nbut they were allowed to decay or be lost in antiquity.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The records of historians<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A list was made in the late fourth century by a Jewish rabbi named Baba\nBathra.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;a.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The Law: the five books of Moses<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;b.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,\nIsaiah, and the Twelve\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;c.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The Writings: Ruth, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of\nSolomon, Lamentations, Daniel, Esther, Ezra, Chronicles\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;d.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Notice that there are only twenty-four books listed.  This is because\nthe scrolls were counted and today we divide the books differently. \nSamuel, Kings, and Chronicles are divided into two books each. \nThe Twelve are the minor prophets which we have separated each\ninto separate books.  Ezra contains both Ezra and Nehemiah, which\nwe separate today.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;e.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Some lists have twenty-two books listed to match the number of\nletters in the Hebrew alphabet.  These combine Lamentations with\nJeremiah and Ruth with Judges.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Even earlier is a statement by the Jewish historian Josephus in A.D. 70<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;a.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#8220;For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us\ndisagreeing from and contradicting one another (as the Greeks\nhave), but only twenty-two books, which contain the records of all\nthe past times, which are justly believed to be divine.  And of\nthese, five belong to Moses, which contain his laws, and the\ntradition of mankind till his death.  This interval of time was little\nshort of three thousand years.  But as to the time from the death of\nMoses til the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, who reigned after\nXerxes, the prophets, who were after Moses, wrote down what was\ndone in their times in thirteen books.  The remaining four books\ncontain hymns to God, and precepts for the conduct of human life.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;b.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Josephus&#8217;s statement is valuable because of its age and because\nwhen Titus conquered Jerusalem in A.D. 70, he took the items in\nthe temple back to Rome, but gave the sacred scrolls to Josephus.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Notice that Josephus is not the source of the canon, but a mere recorder of\nwhat was accepted by the Jews.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;4.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The historians tell us what was accepted but not how these books came to\nbe accepted.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;E.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;In fact, our only complete history of the Jews is the Old Testament itself, and it is\nfrom there we must learn how a book was accepted as divine in origin.\n<p>IV.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The primary test was the author of the book.  Was the author a known prophet of God?<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Moses was recognized as the founder of the Jewish religion.  Many miracles were\nwitnessed by millions of people showing the power of God was with the prophet.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Moses was command by God to make a record<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;a.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Exodus 17:14; Numbers 33:2 &#8211; Moses wrote the contemporary\nhistory of the people \n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;b.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The writing of the covenant &#8211; Exodus 24:4-8, 34:27-28<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;c.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The law was written and given to the priest to teach the people &#8211;\nDeuteronomy 31:9-13\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;d.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Moses recorded songs that were to be taught &#8211; Deuteronomy 31:22<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;e.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;He continued to write until the writings were complete &#8211;\nDeuteronomy 31:24-26\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Moses is never directly called the author of Genesis, but it is always\nincluded in his writings.  It is believed that he complied earlier writings\ninto the book we know as Genesis, so he was not the direct author though\nit was part of his writings.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Later books confirm the canon of Moses&#8217; work<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;a.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Joshua 1:7 &#8211; Joshua was to learn the law Moses commanded<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;b.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Joshua 8:30-32 &#8211; Joshua copied the law onto stone and references\nExodus 20:25)\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;c.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Joshua 23:6 &#8211; Israel was warned to follow the book of Moses<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;d.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;David charged Solomon to keep what Moses wrote &#8211; I Kings 2:3<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;e.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;David talks about what God made known to Moses in Psalm 103:7\nand then quotes Exodus 34:6-7\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;f.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Amaziah follows Moses commandments, quoting portions of\nDeuteronomy &#8211; II Kings 14:6\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;g.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The book of Moses was found in Josiah&#8217;s reign and Passover was\nreestablished (Exodus and Deuteronomy) &#8211; II Kings 23:21-25\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;h.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Chronicles and Ezra are full of references to the law Moses was\ngiven by God, such as Ezra 7:6\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;i.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Daniel testifies that Moses&#8217; prophecies given by the Lord have\ncome true &#8211; Daniel 9:11-13\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;j.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;We could continue on citing Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Amos,\nMicah, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi all stating that\nMoses recorded the law of God.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;k.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Christ and the apostles frequently quote from the works of Moses\nand interchangeably state that &#8220;Moses said&#8221; or &#8220;God said&#8221; or give\nit authority by saying &#8220;It is written.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;4.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The important point is to realize that the first five books were not\ncanonized because of their antiquity, their linguistic style, or the beauty of\ntheir words.  It was not by royal command or priestly decision.  The books\nwere accepted because they were written by God&#8217;s spokesman, Moses. \n&#8220;The human author, admitted by all to be a spokesman for the divine\nAuthor, guaranteed the writing.&#8221;\nV.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;This establishes the first five books are from God, recognized and testified to by many\nwitnesses. In a future lesson we will examine the other books of the Old Testament to see\nwhy they were added to the works of Moses.\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-canon-of-the-bible\/\"  target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Canon of the Bible\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Deuteronomy 31:9-13 I.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;As the last few years of a presidency winds down, people begin to discuss the legacy of the current President. How will the future remember him? What will historians say about him? &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;So what makes a President great? &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Is greatest determined by the writings of famous historians? &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Or&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[130,268],"class_list":["post-12928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-canon","tag-old-testament"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":94813,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-canon-of-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":12928,"position":0},"title":"The Canon of the Bible","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Inspired Books The Canon of the Old Testament - Part 1 The Canon of the Old Testament - Part 2 The New Testament Canon False Books The Book of Enoch The Book of Jasher The Apocrypha New Testament Apocrypha - Infancy Gospels","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34328,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-inspiration-and-preservation-of-scripture\/","url_meta":{"origin":12928,"position":1},"title":"The Inspiration and Preservation of Scripture","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by George P. Estes Sentry Magazine, December 1999 That Scripture is the word of God is accepted by all who believe in God and in Jesus. This includes the sixty-six books we call the Bible. ln this age, some nineteen hundred years from the apostles of Christ, we need proof\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12926,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-know-of-any-good-books-on-how-we-got-our-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":12928,"position":2},"title":"Do you know of any good books on how we got our Bible?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 27, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: You know of any good books on how we got our Bible and why we leave certain books out? I have two people who want to know a good book about this. I have read how we got our books, but I don't have those books anymore. I can't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16531,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/confidence-in-the-canon\/","url_meta":{"origin":12928,"position":3},"title":"Confidence in the Canon","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Allen Dvorak \u201cThe Lost Books of the Bible! Are you missing books from your Bible?\u201d It is not uncommon to see such advertisements in the supermarket rags or at bookstores. Sometimes they hint at the idea that there has been some deliberate and\/or covert effort to exclude certain books\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29411,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/drinking-in-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":12928,"position":4},"title":"Drinking in the Bible","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 4, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Old Testament Sermon with Audio: Drinking in the Old Testament Article: Old Testament Beverages New Testament Sermon with audio: Drinking in the New Testament Article: New Testament Beverages","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/scan0013_tif-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":50056,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-i-trust-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":12928,"position":5},"title":"Can I Trust the Bible?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ethan Longhenry via\u00a0de Verbo vitae By far, the most popular book in our culture is still the Bible, and for the Christian, the New Testament in particular. It is a text that is about 1,900 years old, and for some reason, we see many misconceptions about its textual validity.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12928\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}