Summary: God calls his chosen people

Get Ready

From the creation of the first man and woman God has sought a relationship with humans. The first two sections of the Old Testament tell the story of God’s actions to establish an ongoing relationship with people. The first part of the story covers an indefinite period of time from creation to the call of Abram. The second part covers 1,500 years (approximately) to the re-establishment of Israel.

The highlights . . .

• Adam and Eve, the first humans lived with God in a “garden in Eden;” but they disobeyed God’s commandment to not eat of the “tree of knowledge.” As a result God expelled them from the garden into a harsh world. Their firstborn child, Cain, killed the second, Abel, and was banished.
• After several generations, in which humans became increasingly evil, God decided to start over with a single family: Noah. God cleansed the earth with a massive flood. Only Noah and his family (including three sons and their wives) and the animals that Noah took aboard the ark, survived. God gave the rainbow as a sign to Noah that he would never flood the earth again.
• After another ten generations (according to the genealogy in Luke) God called Abram, a man living in what is now Iraq, to bring his family to Canaan, an area along the Mediterranean Sea. Abram and his extended family follow God to Canaan. God named him Abraham and promised to make him a blessing “to all the families of the earth.”
• Abraham’s family story reads like a modern “soap opera.” Along with God’s blessings there were lies, cheating, sexual misconduct, killings, stealing – even attempted murder. Abraham’s first son, Ishmael (by his wife’s servant), became the originator of the Arab people. His second son, Isaac, received God’s promise; but Isaac’s second son, Jacob, conned the birthright and promise from the firstborn, Esau.
• Jacob had twelve sons who became the head of the twelve tribes of Israel. The jealous older sons tried to murder the youngest, but he ended up in Egypt as Pharaoh’s chief of staff. When a severe famine gripped the region Jacob and his sons traveled to Egypt for food and the family was reconciled.
• Eventually a new pharaoh enslaved the Israelites and they lived in misery for 400 years.
• God responded to the Israelites’ pleas and called Moses to lead his people to freedom. After a series of plagues, God killed all the firstborn Egyptian boys, including Pharaoh’s son (after telling the Israelites to put lamb’s blood on their doorways so the angel of death will “pass over” their homes). Pharaoh released the Israelites, but then decided to try to get them back with his army. God parted the  waters of the “Reed” sea to allow the Israelites to pass safely, then released the water and destroyed the Egyptians.
• The Israelites moved toward Canaan, but they failed to trust God for his protection and leadership in capturing the people who lived there. As a result they wandered in the Sinai  “Wilderness” for forty more years.
• During this time, God led them to Mount Sinai and gave Moses the Ten Commandments as part of the covenant he wanted to have with the Israelites. He also gave Moses detailed directions for organizing civil society as well as worship and sacrifice.
• Joshua led the Israelites in their conquest of Canaan, in which they were mostly successful, although they did not conquer all the people living there. Joshua then divided the country among the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe of Levi did not receive any land because  their responsibility was worship and sacrifice; they lived on the offerings of the other tribes.
• Following Joshua the Israelites lived more as individual tribes rather than a nation with a central government. This made them vulnerable to attack and subjugation by other nations, especially when their worship life deteriorated. When the people repented God raised up a “judge” who led them to victory over their oppressors – until the next time the people failed to follow God’s laws.
• After roughly 400 years the people demanded a king, like the other nations had. After warning the people about the dangers of a king, God appointed Saul to be king. However, Saul failed to follow God’s directions, so God anointed David to be king. Saul tried for several years to eliminate David as a rival but failed. Eventually Saul and his son, Jonathan (David’s best friend), died in battle with the Philistines.
• David became king of a united Israel (1010 BCE). He established Jerusalem as his capital and brought the Ark of the Covenant (containing the tablets of the Mosaic Law) there. He intended to build a temple for the Ark, but God told him his son, Solomon, will build the temple.
• Even though David was “a man after God’s own heart,” he sinned. His most notorious sin was adultery with Bathsheba and then arranging her husband’s death in battle to try to cover up the sin. Even though the son conceived in adultery died, Bathsheba’s second – legitimate – son was Solomon.
• Solomon became king on David’s death. When God asked him what he wanted as king, Solomon asked for wisdom to lead God’s people. God granted that as well as wealth and power. Solomon was very successful and built the temple according to God’s directions to Moses. However, Solomon allowed his many wives to bring their false gods and idols into Israel’s spiritual life. God removed his blessing and told Solomon his kingdom would not outlive him.
• God was right! Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, succeeded him, but ten of the tribes refused to accept him and split off from Judah, choosing Jeroboam as their king. Interestingly the northern tribes took the name, “Israel.” 
• For the next 200 years Israel and Judah existed together – sometimes peacefully, but often at war with each other. Israel had a total of 19 rulers and none of them are recorded as “doing right” in the eyes of the Lord.
• Judah lasted an additional 130 years. Of the 20 rulers. Five were considered “good:” Asa, Jehoshaphat, Amaziah, Hezekiah, and Josiah.
• In 586 BCE, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the temple and took the leaders to Babylon. God’s chosen people had been a nation for 464 years.
• The Persians defeated the Babylonians and allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and restore the temple and the nation in 541 BCE. At this point the Biblical history of Israel goes silent.

But the Jewish people continued to live in Palestine. Other sources, including the Apocrypha [check page 6] provide some details.

• Under Persian rule, pairs of leaders – one political and one “teacher of the law” – led the province of Israel. This led, over time, to formation of the Sadducees and Pharisees who “led” Israel in Jesus’ time.
• Alexander the Great defeated the Persians in 332 BCE. 
• The Jews revolted in 165 BCE, led by the Hasmonean (also called “Maccabeean”) family and established a (relatively) independent nation for the next 100 years.
• In 63 BCE, the Roman general Pompeii conquered Palestine. The Roman Senate appointed Herod (“the Great”) as “king.” The Jews chaffed under Roman rule and revolted in 66 CE. The Romans crushed the revolt in 70 CE and destroyed the temple – ending Israel’s existence as a nation until 1947.