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Your Window into the Bible Lesson 2 (Deluxe Version) The Story of the Jewish People To make it easier, let's break the Jewish story down into seven parts. The chapters in the Bible where you can read more about each part are given, too. I hope this helps give you "the big picture" of the story behind the Old Testament! Part 1 Genesis chapters 1-11 (Creation and "setting the stage" for the story to come) Begins with the creation story, and Adam and Eve. Sin enters God’s good
world through their disobedience, leads to murder when Cain kills Abel. In
the flood God tried to wipe out sin, but still saved Noah and family. God
promised not to destroy the world again, but the rest of the Bible records
God’s ongoing efforts to win humanity back and overcome the damage of sin. Part 2 Genesis chapters 12-50 (God's Promise to Abraham and Israelite Slavery in Egypt) Creating a special relationship, God promises Abraham numerous
descendants, and a “promised land.” The Jewish family tree begins with Abraham, father of Isaac,
who was the father of Jacob, who was father of 12 sons, including Joseph.
The descendants of these 12 sons become the “twelve tribes of
Israel.” Joseph was sold into
slavery by his brothers, but rose to a position of power later enabling him to
protect his family from famine in Egypt. Over
time the Hebrews multiplied so much the Egyptians enslaved them out of fear they
would take over. Part 3 Exodus, Leviticus, & Numbers (Moses,
the Exodus from Egypt After confronting
Pharoah, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt through
the Red Sea. For the next 40 years,
Moses led the people in the desert. They received the 10 commandments at Mt. Sinai. As
a community and nation they became stronger and more structured. They grew in numbers, became a great nation, and worked on living
faithfully in relationship to God. They
tried unsuccessfully to go into the Promised Land from the south side, but
they were defeated and had to go back to wandering in the desert, without
a permanent home. This section ends, however, when after all
their wanderings they wind up on the East side of the Jordan River with
the Promised Land in clear view right across the river. Part 4 Deuteronomy and Joshua (Joshua
is the new leader; takes over Promised Land Deuteronomy
is Moses’ farewell speech before his death on the East side of the Jordan
River (the Promised Land was in view on the west side of the river, so
Moses got to see it but not go into it himself). In his long speech,
he reminds the Jewish people of all they have been through together, and
how faithful God has been to them. He also names the
young, military-minded Joshua as the new leader. The people remained
on the east side of the river until Moses' death. Then Joshua led the people in the takeover and settlement of the Promised Land. Part 5 Judges, Chronicles, Samuel, and Kings (The “Good ‘ole days” of
the Kingdom These books tell the story of the Israelite People while they lived in
the Promised Land. First they had
Judges to be earthly rulers, in order to honor God alone as their “king.”
However, soon they wanted a King, so Samuel was the last Judge, and Saul
the first King. Great Kings David
and Solomon followed, ruling over the whole Kingdom.
Thereafter the kingdom split into north and south pieces, ruled by
separate Kings. Part 6 Judges, Chronicles, Samuel, & Kings (continued) (The Fall of the Kingdom The
prophets were really active during this period, warning the people to turn back
to God or face disaster (see discussion of prophets below).
In 721 BC the North Kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians, and in 586 BC
the South Kingdom (including Jerusalem and the Temple) was crushed by the
Babylonians. Those who survived
were forced to leave the Promised Land and live elsewhere.
This event, called the “Exile,” could have been the end of the Jewish
people’s story (Lamentations, written by the prophet Jeremiah after the exile,
captures the mood). Part 7 Ezra & Nehemiah (Restoration of the Promised Land Ezra/Nehemiah:
Eventually the Persian Empire rose to power.
Cyrus, a Persian ruler, encouraged the Jewish people to return to their
land and even rebuild the Temple! Even
though many had gotten comfortable where they now lived, some returned and
resettled the Promised Land. The
Jewish people then remained in the Promised Land (Israel) until after the life
of Jesus, even though by then they had become subjects of the Roman Empire. Thank you for your interest in studying the Bible!!!! Return to Bible Study Main Menu Return to Camp Point United Methodist Church Main Page
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