The story of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, and Moses

God Calls the Early Leaders of Israel

Abraham and Sarah

• Book of Genesis tells us that despite humanity’s sin, God chose to stay in a relationship with man, he chose the Hebrew people to call his own.

• In Genesis Chapter 12, God calls Abram to serve him. Abram and Sarai are semitic nomads wondering the Near East.

“Look up to the sky and count the

stars, if you can. Just so …

shall you descendants

be” Genesis 15:5

Genesis 12:1-8Covenant – is a solemn agreement between human beings or God and a human being in which mutual commitments are made

•God asks Abram to leave everything behind; what does God promise to Abram?• “ I will make you a great nation and I will

bless you…” Genesis 12:2•Abram takes Sarai, Lot (his nephew) and all their possessions and move to Canaan.• How would you describe this

decision?•Sarai and Abram find their faith tested and strengthened.• How does Hagar’s pregnancy and

Ishmael birth show Sarai and Abram’s faith being tested?

•God speaks to a 99 year old Abram, and establishes his covenant with him and his descendants

Genesis 17:3-7Sarai becomes known as Sarah

and Abram becomes known as Abraham

Sarah gives birth to a son IsaacThrough Abraham God chooses

to make his covenant, that he later reveals his law to his people through Moses

God commands that Abraham sacrifice his son Isaac, another test.

Genesis 22:1-19

How would you feel if you were Abraham?

If you were Isaac?Because of his

faithfulness and complete trust in God, Abraham and Sarah are blessed with countless descendants.

Article 34: Isaac, Jacob and JosephPatriarch

•the father or leader of a tribe, clan, or tradition.•Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were the patriarchs of the Israelite people.•In Christian tradition, the Twelve Apostles, the Church Fathers, and certain bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches are considered patriarchs.

Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah

His father almost sacrificed him, God saved him at the last minute

Isaac’s wife Rebecca gave birth to twins

Esau – first bornJacob – tricked his brother into giving up

his birthright and received their father’s blessing

Genesis 25:19-34 & 27:1-45Genesis 25:19-34 – Rebekah gave

birth to twin boys – Esau was a born first, he was a

hunter and sold his birthright to Jacob

Jacob was a quiet and peaceful, tricked his brother out of his birthright for a bowl of soup

Genesis 27:1-45 – Jacob tricked Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing – making Esau his servantJacob left because Esau

threatened to kill him

Jacob’s Dream Genesis 28:10-22The Lord promises to give the land he is

sleeping on to him and his descendants – making them “like dust of the earth” spreading to the “east and west, north and south” and in you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed

Jacob, Rachel and Leah: Article 34Renewed Covenant with God

Esau symbolizes Abraham’s descendants who will not live directly under God’s Covenant

Jacob represents God’s plan of a people more numerous than the stars

Jacob becomes a patriarch upon Isaac’s deathProves to be repentant and successful

Marries Rachel and Leah, has 12 sons through his 2 wives and their maidservants

In 2 dreams God renews his covenant and renames Jacob Israel – making 12 sons and descendants Israelites – Jacob’s large family becomes a large tribe and will become 12 even larger tribes.

Joseph; son, slave and patriarch

Jacob’s favorite sonHe could interpret dreamssold as a slave by his

brothersEgypt he becomes second

in command to Pharaohbothers come to Egypt

looking for foodTest his brothers & forgives His family moves to Egypt,

and this is how the Pharaoh enslaves the Israelites

What makes a good patriarch?

They obeyed GodHeard God’s word and followed it – aligned with

GodThey knew God wanted his people to treat all people

with justiceJustice =righteousness All humans have dignity and worth, all God’s

childrenThey lived good, moral lives

Committed to ethical responsibilityThey understood that God wanted his People to come

back to him with their whole selvesGod wanted a “full return of his People” – body,

mind, spiritLeaders were men and women committed to a

relationship with GodSpoke on his behalf

Sacrifice – to make holy, a rite offered to God on behalf of the people, presided over by a priest who leads and represents the community in adoration, repentance, gratitude, and honor.

Was needed for atonement, as a healing rite to restore holiness, cleanse the people from infractions against the Law

At this time (The Sinai Covenant – not entered into) the early patriarchs believed in a specific ethical standard complete devotion and sacrifice to God

God invited men and women to share his willThe invitation or “calling” can be seen in

nearly all biblical stories about the early leaders of Judeo-Christian people

Directions for start of classCheck for

papers in file crates

Turn in “God’s not Dead” movie questions

Student note packets due Friday

Test next Tuesday

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy

name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done

on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day

our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and

lead us not into temptation, but deliver

us from evil. Amen.

Moses and the Exodus“I have witnessed the affliction of my people

in Egypt and have heard their cry…I know well what they are suffering” Exodus 3:7

Moses’ Early LifeArticle 35

Joseph and family – the “sons of Israel” are in Egypt

Pharaoh Ramses II, 1290-1224 BC – feels threatened by Israelite

Enslaves them – then orders all Israelite baby boys killed

Moses’ sister Miriam floats him down river, where is raised as a Prince of Egypt

He has sympathy for the Israelites, tries to help

Runs from his family, meets Reuel, priest of Midian and marries his daughter

God Call

Moses Theophany –

God’s manifestation of himself in a visible form to enrich human understanding of him

Genesis 3:4-17 – Burning BushThe way God reveled himself to

Moses

How does Moses’ encounter begin to change his community’s understanding of God?God promises to deliver them

from their situation and take them to a “land flowing with milk and honey”

God identifies himself as “I am who am” – calls Moses to be his voice of truth and arm of justice

Through Moses, God unleashes 10 plagues on Pharaoh and Egypt

Passover: Exodus 12What is Passover?

The Lord passes over all houses marked with the blood of the sacrificial lamb, but enters the unmarked homes and kills all first born children and animals

Pharaoh lets the Israelites go, but changes his mind and chases them to the shores of the Red Sea where God defeats the Egyptians

40 Year Journey to the Promise Land

Article 37:Building Trust in God

Traveled cross vast wilderness

Forgot how God saved them and promised to protect

Disgruntled by conditions in desert and questioned Moses leadership

God provided manna and water when they were hungry and thirsty

Manna – little flakes that people collected, boiled or baked into bread like substance; from God

Covenant at Sinai & the Ten Commandments

Exodus 20

On Mount Sinai is the sacred ground where God forms a Covenant with his Chosen People

The Ten Commandments are the laws and obligations; will govern the people religiously, morally and civically

Moses takes these back to the people – God declares himself “to be their God, a God of fidelity, love and justice”.

I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange Gods before

me.You shall not take the name of the

Lord your God in vain.Remember to keep holy the Lord’s

Day.Honor your father and mother.

You shall not killYou shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.You shall not bear false witness

against your neighbor.You shall not covet your neighbor’s

wife.You shall not covet your neighbor’s

goods.