Covenant Comunicación y Gerencia Click to add Text

The Flood Evil spreads, God regrets creating humans Only Noah and his family please God. He is told to build an arc.Only Noah and his family please God. He is told to build an arc. –Noah is 600 when flood comes. –If real, arc would have been largest boat EVER, until –Story repeats, as if two versions of it are cut and pasted together. (i.e. One pair of each animal vs. seven, two promises not to do it again.)

In the story, we get our first covenant – a promise between God and His people. God will not destroy the world again… by flood.

EVERYTHING UP UNTIL NOW (including Tower of Babel) IS PREHISTORY There may be SOME historical basis for it. For example, the Black Sea was mostly dry land during the last age. –They have found evidence of people living in what is now under water. –When the ice melted, water gradually rose until it went over a peak and then the area would have flooded almost instantly.

Abraham and Sarah God calls Abram and Sarai to leave their homeland and go where God lead –God will make of them a great nation (descendents) –Land –God will bless his friends, curse his enemies –Abram is 75, Sarai 65, and their nephew, Lot comes with them

Another covenant God promises that Abram will have descendents as numerous as the stars. God predicts the enslavement of Abram’s descendents in a foreign land, and their rescue.

Descendents? But How? Sarai was old, and barren. So she offered Abram her slave-girl, Hagar, to have a child with. Hagar “looks with contempt” on Sarai after getting pregnant. Sarai mistreats her and Hagar runs away. An angel appears to Hagar, promises her countless descendents, she returns to them. Ishmael is born.

Yet another Covenant Ancestor of a multitude of nations. Name changed to Abraham, and Sarah. Land promised to them again. Circumcision Sarah will give him descendants At this time, Abraham is 99, Sarah is 89

God Makes Another Promise God appears to A & S as three men They are told she will give birth the next year. Sarah laughs upon hearing this. Isaac means “they laughed”.

Sodom and Gomorrah God not only makes promises, but can be negotiated with in this story: God tells A. He will destroy S. & G. for their great evil. A. begs God to spare the city if 50 innocent people can be found. (Then 40, 30, 20, 10)A. begs God to spare the city if 50 innocent people can be found. (Then 40, 30, 20, 10) Two angels enter the city of Sodom, and everyone wants to rape them. God tells Lot to take his family and leave the city. Fire and sulfur rain down from the heavens, and Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed.Fire and sulfur rain down from the heavens, and Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed.

It’s a Boy! When Abraham is 100, Isaac is born. Sarah is jealous to see Ishmael play with Isaac, so Hagar is sent away. –God protects Hagar and Ishmael.

Why is all of this allowed? In Genesis, God often does not condemn those who mistreat, but fixes it. –Women not valued because they are barren have kids. –A slave, Hagar, is protected, and promised her son will be the father of a great nation (same promise as Abraham gets). –When Abraham tries to sell his wife, God interferes twice. –When one of Jacob’s wives is not loved, she is blessed with many children.

Test time! God tests Abraham, asking that he kill Isaac, his 8-year-old son, as a sacrifice. Human sacrifice was VERY common in ancient pagan religions. Abraham is willing to sacrifice Isaac, but is told not to as the knife is about to fall. Reward: countless descendents, who will prevail against enemies, and through whom all nations will gain blessings.

Eligible Bachelor Sarah dies, at the age of 127. Abraham marries Keturah, who bears six children, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. He dies at the age of 175.

Moses Jacob’s favorite, Joseph, is sold into slavery in Egypt, where he predicts a famine, and in doing so saves the country. Jacob and his family move to Egypt.

Centuries later, the pharaohs have forgotten what the Hebrews did for their country, fear their numbers, and enslave them. Newborns are ordered to be killed.

Moses’ mother saves him for 3 months, then sends him in the river in a basket, where Pharaoh’s daughter saves him and raises him.

At 40, Moses sees a Hebrew whipped by an Egyptian, kills the Egyptian, and flees to the desert for 40 years.

He then has God appear to him in a burning bush (a THEOPHANY), being told to tell Pharaoh to let his people go and worship Him.

10 Plagues Moses asks his people be allowed to leave, Pharaoh says no, Moses gives warning, Pharaoh ignores warning, plague happens. 10 times

The final time, the Angel of Death takes the life of the first born of each family and livestock. It passes over those who mark their doors with the blood of the lamb (hence, “Passover”).

Go!...Wait, don’t really go! Pharaoh is so upset at his son dying he allows them to go. Then he changes his mind and chases them.

Moses parts the Red Sea, the Hebrews cross it…

then the sea returns and drowns Pharaoh’s army.

Thanks, but no thanks The Hebrews start to question their going into the desert plan, doubting Yahweh, wishing they stayed in Egypt. God gets angry. He gives them the Law to know how to please Him.

Covenant of Moses “I will be your God and you will be My people.”

The Ten Commandments 1.Worship no false gods. 2.Don’t use God’s name in vain. 3.Keep holy the Sabbath (do no unnecessary work). 4.Honor your parents. 5.Don’t kill. 6.Don’t commit adultery. 7.Don’t steal. 8.Don’t bear false witness against your neighbor (lying). 9.Don’t covet your neighbor’s wife. 10.Don’t covet your neighbor’s goods.

The age of kings God doesn’t want them to have kings when the Jewish people ask for one. God even warns them kings will lead to taxes, enslavement, wars. They still want one and God concedes.

And the first king of Israel is Bum ba da bum………..

SAUL!!!! Saul is first anointed king, God is not happy with him, and the prophet Samuel anoints a second king, David.

David defeated Goliath

Though flawed (slept with a married woman, had her husband killed), David is generally seen as a good leader, causing Israel’s golden age.

God’s Promises and the Dynasty of David God promised David that his kingdom would stay united under Solomon and that his dynasty would last forever. After Solomon (who was from the So. and oppressed the No.), the kingdom split into two, Israel (No.) and Judah (So.)

The North was conquered in 722 BC by the Assyrians; the South in 586 BC by the Babylonians (who destroyed the Temple). Each time, many people were exiled.

Conquered Again and Again After the Babylonians were overrun by the Persians (who returned those in exile), Israel had some independence for a time. The Greeks, led by Alexander the Great, conquered Israel in 333 BC. Around 164 BC, Jews expelled their Greek rulers, celebrated each year at Hannukah.

Rome About a century after the Maccabean revolt, Rome conquers Israel in 63 BC. SO WHAT ABOUT THAT PROMISE OF AN ETERNAL LINE OF KINGS?!?!?

Messiah Jews believe that the promise is still valid, and that God will restore the kingship of David. So a descendent of David will be king and save them from being conquered all the time. They call this person the Messiah. In Greek, the word for Messiah is Cristos