“Torah”, the Hebrew word for instruction or law, is the collective name for the first five Books of the Tanakh, or Jewish Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. They first appeared widely in written form among English-speaking Christians with the Geneva Bibles of the 16th century. This 21st century modernization of that text is called the Revised Geneva Translation. It is intended to make the Received Text as actionable as possible to a modern audience.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of the Torah in Judeo-Christian history. It is more central to the Jewish faith than any other institution, certainly more any other text. The “Book of the Torah” is referenced no less than 20 times by 6 different authors throughout the rest of the Old Testament, from Joshua 1:8 to Malachi 4:4. And it is referenced in the New Testament (as “The Law of Moses”) at least 11 times by the Apostles John, Luke, and Paul.
It's also easy to see the Torah's influence on the founding of relatively modern democratic republics like the United States. The Book of Deuteronomy is widely regarded as the most-quoted text by the US Founding Fathers in both their personal diaries and official writings. Furthermore, of all the possible inscriptions for the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, they chose this one:
"... proclaim liberty in the land to all its inhabitants." ~Leviticus 25:10 (RGT)
We thank God that He has appointed this time for you to engage with His Word-simply, openly and honestly. We do not take lightly our responsibility to present that Word passionately and reverently, in the pursuit of His peace. We expectantly pray that the Holy Spirit will make His Word as fruitful for you as Joshua predicted.
