Recreation: Call of Abraham

• Sin was destroying everything but God had a plan: Abraham

• Prehistory:• Origin of the world• Origin of life

• Style of Writing• Symbol stories • Adam and Eve• Cain and Abel• Noah• Tower of Babel

• Folk History• Easy to remember stories• passed orally from generation to generation• Abram/Sarai• from Ur to Haran• Leave your country and go to Canaan• “call” pattern of history• “certain people experience a call from god to

leave everything and fulfill his mission.”

Mission of Abraham

• I am the Almighty God your name will no longer be Abram, but Abraham You and your descendants must all agree to circumcise every male among you to show that my covenant with you is everlasting.• No longer call your wife Sarai, Her name is Sarah. I will bless her, and I

will give you a son my her…You will name him Isaac.

• This third encounter results in a new name and a mark for the father of God’s new people.

• A new name for a biblical person is generally the sign of a new vocation.

• Abraham's new name fits his new calling “father of many.”

• Sara's new name, Sarah means “princess”

• Abraham’s mark is a sign. of God’s covenant. It identifies them as the chosen people.

• After Isaac’s birth, hostility erupts between Sarah and Hagar (Sarah’s slave) Hagar is sent out into the desert alone with her child but God protects her and makes of her son a nation (Arab nations -- son Ishmael)

• Sarah Vs. Hagar• Isaac Vs. Ishmael• Jews Vs. Arabs• both sides have Abraham as the father.• Camp David 1970’s Egypt’s Anwar Sadat, Israel’s

Menachem Begin and U.S. Jimmy Carter.• Sadat’s forehead-mark from touching the ground

in prayer so much• Begin: rises 5x’s per day to pray• Carter: teaches Scripture every Sunday

3 Men of Prayer

• Reaching success in peace

• Anwar Sadat became a hero….November 27, 1977 the day of Id al-Adha, Islamic holy day commemorating Abraham’s willingness to offer his son as a sacrifice --- a token of peace to the Jewish world -- a recognition that the Jews and Arabs were really one nation.

Abraham’s day

• Human sacrifice is normal.• “Take your only son, Isaac, offer him as a sacrifice.”• Abraham’s test:• 1. Abraham trusts God - faith.• 2. Abraham faith involves ongoing struggle• 3. Abraham’s faith involves a dark period - like St. Therese.

• I groped for God and could not find God.• I prayed to God…..• And God did not answer• I wept at night for the loss of God• Then, one day, God was there again• I had never understood till this moment the

meaning of the words….

• “gift of faith”

Isaac to Jacob• Isaac marries Rebecca• Rebecca has twin sons: Jacob and Esau• Jacob tricks Isaac and steals Esau's first son status.• TEACHING:• 1. God took biblical people where they were and used

them for divine salvation.• 2. Power of the spoken word -- once Isaac blessed

Jacob -- there was no changing his word.

Jacob’s Ladder• Jacob fled to Haran• stops at Bethel to sleep “dreams of a ladder to

heaven with angels going up and down.”• “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham and Isaac, I

will give to your and your descendants this land….”• “Your name from now on shall be “Israel”• Stories take the form of folk history-preserved the

past in colorful and easily remembered stories--real history-preserved by oral tradition.

• Prehistory dealt with important revelation such as the origin of the world and evil.

• Folk History deals with such things as origin of tribal traditions and customs.

• 12 tribes of Israel• Israel’s twelve sons• Jacob loved his first son of Rachel most, Joseph•

• Joseph’s brothers hated him because Jacob loved him best.• They sold Joseph to a caravan for slave trade.• Joseph becomes the Pharaoh's assistant.

• Origin Stories:

• Israel - “let El rule” - El is a name for God• or one of several names that refer to God by the

Hebrew people.

• “JEALOUSY IS THE TRIBUTE

• THT MEDIOCRITY PAYS TO GENIUS”

Dreams

• 1. Joseph had a dream predicting the famine.• 2. Niels Bohr (1885-1962) got his idea for the atom model in a dream• 3. Mozart, Einstein, and Poe got their ideas from dreams

Israelites in Egypt

• Joseph dies• The new pharaoh does not know about what Joseph had done to save

Egypt.• Israelites multiply and are hated by Egyptians.• Egyptians enslave the Israelites.

Moses

• 1. The Pharaoh's daughter finds him in the river• 2. When he grows older he kills an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew

slave.• 3. Moses goes to Midian

Yhwh…Yahweh

• “I cannot be named or defined”

• Jews pronounced God’s name out of fear --so they changed it to Adonai - Lord

• To tell others your name is to enter into a personal relationship with them

• 1. Moses did want to lead the Jews out of Egypt….He had a speech problem.• “I will be with you” Exodus 3:11”• 2. Pharoah refuses to let them go so God sends the

10 plagues: frogs, gnats, flies, water turned to blood, boils, darkness, and finally death to the first born male• 3. Passover: the Angel of death passed by Hebrew

doors painted with blood.

National Geographic on the Nile River• Silt and microbes redden the Nile in flood….• Frogs breed gnats and mosquitoes• As frog swarms die, vermin breed on the carcasses.• Pests such as the screwworm fly inflame skin of man and beast - boils

• A mother asked her six year old what things he learned in school that day. “well,” he said, “our teacher told us how God saved the Israelites at the Red Sea. Moses’ engineers built a pontoon bridge over the water. After everyone crossed that saw the Egyptian tanks coming. In a flash, Moses radioed headquarters, bombers came blew up the bridge, and saved the Israelites…..• His mother asked, “Is that really what you

learned?” Well, not exactly..but if I told you the story the way she told it, you would never believe me.

Church History 4

Sinai Desert• 1. Pillar of cloud by day/• pillar of fire by night• 2. The appearance of quail• food• 3. Appearance of manna• sap that oozes from desert• shrubs when insects puncture• them.

Three ways to interpret the events that took place in the Sinai Desert.• 1. True miracles worked by God• 2. Ordinary events that God used in an extraordinary way• 3. Literary symbols expressing Israel’s faith that God protected them

and guided them.

• John Newman• “Lead kindly light, amid the encircling

gloom, Lead thou me on; The night is dark and I am far from home; Lead thou me on.• Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see

The distance scene one step enough for me.• I was not ever thus, nor prayed that

thou shouldst lead me on; I loved to choose and see my path; not now Lead thou me on….

Moses’ Encounter with God

• 1. Worship no god but me• 2. Do not use my name for evil• 3. Keep holy the Sabbath• 4. Respect your parents• 5. Do not kill• 6. Do not commit adultery• 7. Do not steal• 8. Do not accuse anyone falsely• 9. Do not desire another’s wife• 10. Do not desire another’s property

New Covenant at Sinai

• 1. New identity• (God’s people)• 2. New Destiny• (Priestly people)

• Israel is not a natural nation it is indeed not a nation at all. It is a supernatural community called into being by God’s special act of covenant, first with Abraham, then with Israel. Apart from the covenant, Israel is nothing.

• Christianity and Islam owe their religion in part to Israel, no other religion began as did Judaism. It did not spring from nature, as others did, but from an encounter with God, at a specific point in time and at a specific point on the planet.

Mt. Sinai Introduces the Jews to two revolutionary changes:• 1. New Worship Style• a. Ten commandments• b. Ark of Covenant• c. Sacred Tent • d. Tent becomes foreshadowing of the Temple• e. New Celebrations:• Passover/Yom Kippur

• 2. New Life Style• a. commandments free them from their own ignorance and passion

and free them for love and service

Abraham Lincoln• We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as

no other nation has grown. But we have forgotten God…• It behooves us then to humble ourselves before

the offended Power, to confess our sin…I designate and set apart Thursday the 30th day of April 1863 as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer…that the united cry of the nation will be heard on high.

Sinai: problems from within and without• Within• 1. Israelites grew weary and complained about the food, • 2. Rebels began to challenge the leadership of Moses•

• Without• 1. Foreign kings refused to let the Israelites and their flocks pass

through their land.• 40 years - Israelites emerged to the plateau of Moab.

Promised Land

• Canaan• a land of milk and honey -- fertile land• between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee

• Remember the Lord your God led you through the desert these past forty years, sending hardships to test and teach you that you must not depend on bread alone to sustain you but on everything that the Lord says.

• Crossing into the promised land ends the Torah, the first five books, and Moses’ death.• Moses explained to the

people that their time in the desert was a time of teaching and testing.

• Joshua leads the people across the Jordon River into Jericho…the river stopped…..• “in 1927 an earthquake shook that region and blocked the Jordon

River for a day.”

The “Ban”

• The Israelites are ordered to destroy everything in the city.

Primitive Portrait of God

• 1. God orders wars

• 2. God takes Israel’s side

• 3. God destroys Israel’s enemies.

• With time, and modification by the prophets, a new vision of who God is emerges.

• The book of Joshua is listed as a historical book: • the battles are simplified• the time between them is telescoped • this is typical or oral communication

• The editor of Joshua wanted to make sure that we didn’t miss the religious message: God, not Joshua’s armies is responsible for the takeover of the promised land.

Era of the Judges

• 1. Military leaders/religious leaders• 2. Israelites had turned to false gods.• 3. God corrected by allowing their enemies to defeat them.• 4. Pattern: • Israel sin Israel repents• Israel is punished God forgives

Judges-Charismatic leaders

• Deborah/Barrack• Gideon’s Vow• Jephthah• Samson• provide strong leadership from the death of Joshua to the era of Kings

1240 B.C. to 1040 B.C.

Era of Kings

• 1. At the end of the era of Judges,• everyone did whatever they pleased.”• 2. Samuel anoints the first king, Saul• 3. Saul forgets that God made him King, and drifted from God• 4. David succeeded Saul

DAVID

• 1. Made Jerusalem the political and religious capital• 2. Brought the Ark to Jerusalem• 3. United the 12 tribes• “You will always have descendants, and I will make your kingdom last

forever. Your dynasty will never end.”• 4. First of the Messianic Prophecies.

Covenant

• 1. Abraham• New identity: chosen person• New destiny: father of nations• 2. Israel (Jacob)• New identity: chosen people• New destiny: priestly people• 3, David• New identity: chosen king• New destiny: Messiah’s ancestor

David

• 1. Defeats Goliath• 2. Spared Saul’s life even when Saul repeatedly tried to kill him• 3. Wanted to build a temple for the Ark but God said no…..• 4. Credited with writing some of the Psalms.

The Book of Psalms

•The book of Psalms is more a school of prayer than a book of prayer.

The Book of Psalms

• 1. Is a Prayer Book:• It gives us a glimpse into the soul of Israel• We see how the people prayer to God in times of doubt, sorrow, and joy.

• 2. Is a Hymnbook• It gives us a glimpse into Israel’s heart.• We see how the people worshiped God

• around the campfire• in the temple worship

Temple Worship• Included music, song, and dance.• Psalms were divided into: praise, wisdom, royal,

lament, and thanksgiving.• Praise Psalms concern God’s glory and frequently begin

“Praise the Lord.”• Wisdom Psalms concern human conduct and often

begin “Happy are those”• Royal Psalms concern the king who is a symbol of the

coming Messiah.

• Lament psalms are “songs of woe” about a bad situation. “I am like a lonely bird on a housetop.”• Thanksgiving Psalms express thanks