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GOD’S PLAN UNFOLDSIN THEOLD TESTAMENT

Convenire: to come together; to bind tribes through marriage or blood pacts.

1. Testament means covenant; a sacred bond between God and man.

2. Each covenant builds and reveals Gods plan of salvation.

What is a Testament?

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.” (Gen 3:15)

An anticipation of a Savior; but from which of Eve’s bloodline..?

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Protoenvangelium

The First Gospel (Gen 3:15)

1. Cain tills the ground, & offers produce of the soil: unfavorable

2. Abel is a shepherd & offers first-born of flock: favorable

3. God tells Cain about avoiding sin.

4. Cain kills Abel.

The sons of Adam;Cain and Abel (Gen 4)

Enmity between 2 offsprings’…

1. Cain: The first murderer. Abel: The first martyr.

“..your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground..” (Gen 4:10)

2. Cain is banished, but protected by God. (Gen 4:15)

3. Abel was actually in the Messianic line..

Seth to Enosh to Enoch…

1. Cain builds & names city after his son, Enoch. (Gen 4:17) & down to … Lamech: marries (& threatens) two wives, (Gen 4:19) commits more murder, (Gen 4:23) and blasphemes against God!!! (Gen 4:24)

2. Seth is born. “…because God has granted me other offspring… because Cain killed Abel” (Gen 4:25) Enosh is born. “Then he was the first to call on the name of God.” (Gen 4:26) & down to … Enoch, who doesn’t die because: “…was no more, for God took him.” (Gen 5:24)

Overview… from Adam to Noah

Adam

Seth

Enosh

Cain

Enoch

Lamech

Noah

Enoch

Lamech

Abel

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1. The world is FILLED WITH EVIL…!!!

“When the Lord saw how great man’s

was man wickedness… His heart was

grieved.” (Gen 6:5) “I will wipe out

from the earth men… beasts…

creeping things… birds…” (Gen 6:7)

2. ”But Noah won God’s favour...“

(Gen 6:8) The offspring of Adam,

Seth, Enosh… down to Noah.

(Gen 5:28) an upright man…

walked with God” (Gen 6:9)

“…six hundred years old…” (Gen 7:6)

3. Noah is told to : “…build an Ark…” (Gen 6:14 ) and is warned of the coming FLOOD! (Gen 6:17)

Noah and the flood…

God commands Noah to take a pair of every kind of animal into the Ark. A week before the flood, Noah enters the Ark with his wife, & his 3 sons & their wives. It rains 40 days & 40 nights…!!! There is a flood for about 150 days….

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Noah and the Ark…

“…God made a wind sweep over the earth, and the waters began to subside…” (Gen 8:1) (Gen 1:2)

Noah sends out a dove, and it comes back... (Gen 8:8)

7 days later, Noah again

sends out the dove,

it returns back with an

olive branch.

(Gen 8:10- 11) Land…!!!

Covenant with Noah,

his sons, descendents

& all living things…(Gen 9:8)

“I set my rainbow in the clouds

as a sign of the covenant

between Me and the earth. (Gen 9:13)

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Noah and the Family Covenant

Overview… from Noah to Abraham

Noah

Japheth

‘Gentiles’

Shem Ham

Eber *

Abram

‘Canaan’

‘Babylon’

* Eber: Ancestor of the “Ebrews” or “Hebrews”. (Gen 10:21)

‘Assyria’

‘Philistines’

The world setting during Abram’s period…

The world spoke the same language.

"Come, let's build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the heavens, and let's make a name for ourselves…” (Gen 11:4)

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Sin of Pride spreads… (Gen 11)

God said: “Let us go down there and confuse their language…” (Gen 11:7)

So…

they stopped building.

Babel; Hebrew for Babylon…

Bab-ili: “Gate of the Gods!”

Babil: to be confused…

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The Tower of Babel (Gen 11)

1. Abram is a 75 year old nomad, Ur of the Chaldeans.

He’s a leader of a tribe; “…musters 318 armed servants of his own household…” (Gen 14:14)

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God calls Abraham…

God tells him to move away from his father’s house and kinfolk and move into the land of Canaan… (Gen 12:1)

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Abram; a nomad moves away from his ‘comfort zone’…

God gives Abram 3 promises…

- Land - Descendents/

Royal Name - Universal

Blessings

Gen 15:5 God builds Abram’s faltering faith; “…Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so… shall your descendants be.”

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1. At 99 years old…

His name changes from:

Abram (Exalted Father)

to

Abraham (Father of Nations)

(Sarai’s name becomes Sarah)

2. Covenant sealed by circumcision.

3. Every male, after 8 days, shall be circumcised.

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Abraham; the father of faith…

1. Sarai / Sarah had been barren & childless. Abram, upon Sarai’s request, has a child through the Egyptian maidservant, Hagar. Ishmael is born. (Gen 16) 2. But… God promises a son to Abraham by Sarah (Gen 17:16) Abraham laughs… 3. In the apparition at Mamre, God again promises a

child to Sarah by the following year, Sarah laughs. (Gen 18:12)

4. Isaac is born… (Gen 21:3) ‘Isaac’.. means ‘laughter’.18

‘Laughter’ is born…

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1. “Take your son Isaac, your only son, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah… offer him up as a sacrifice on a height which I shall show you.” (Gen 22:2) Abraham obediently leaves the next morning, with Isaac and two servants.

2. “On the third day, Abraham looked up, and saw the place from afar…” (Gen 22:4) His servant wait, while he “takes Isaac to worship…” (Gen 22:5)

3. “Father, here is the wood.. But where is the sheep for the sacrifice?” (Gen 22:7 ) Abraham: “God Himself will provide”(Gen22:8)

The Lord will provide… (Gen 22)

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4. “…Abraham built an altar… he tied up his son Isaac… put him on the wood of the altar…” (Gen 22:9) “…he reached out and took the knife to kill his son…” (Gen 22:10)

5. The angel stops Abraham: "Don't lay your hand on the boy… for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” (Gen 22:12)

6. “He (Abraham) reasoned that God was able to raise from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol…” (Heb 11:19)

Abraham to Isaac to Jacob…

1. Isaac marries Rebekah (Gen 24) She has twins in her womb: “…two nations in your womb…” (Gen 25:23)

2. It’s Esau & Jacob!!

3. Jacob usurps Esau’s blessing and flees to Laban. Works for about 14 years, marries Leah & Rachel… …also with Zilpah & Bilhah, has 12 sons. Reconciles with Esau…

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Dreams of the “Stairway to Heaven” at Bethel (House of God). God appears beside him & promises him this land. Jacob realizes that God is in this land. (Gen 28:12)

…and wrestles with God. (Gen 32:24)

Changes name to Israel. (Gen 32:28)

Jacob’s Ladder:

Overview… from Abraham to Israel

Abraham

Dan

Isaac

ZebulonNaphtali

Asher

Reuben

Judah

Simeon Issachar

Jacob

Levi

Benjamin

Joseph

Gad

1. Jacob/Israel has 12 sons, that will become the twelve tribes of the Israel nation in Egypt. Joseph is Rachel’s firstborn, & Jacob’s favourite. Joseph literally dreams that his family will bow down to him. (Gen 37: 7 & Gen 37:9)

2. His brothers become jealous & sell him off as a slave into Egypt. They tell their father that perhaps Joseph was killed…

3. Joseph becomes a servant of Potiphar, an Egyptian official, and becomes in charge of his household. Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce Joseph and fails… and she has Joseph thrown in jail.

4. When Pharaoh needed a dream interpreter, Joseph is brought in & correctly interprets Pharaoh's dreams. Joseph becomes Pharaoh’s highest ranking official.

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Joseph the Dreamer… goes to Egypt

5. Ten of Joseph’s brother’s go to Egypt… & do not recognize him. Joseph (who totally recognizes them), keeps Simeon as a prisoner, asks them about to return again with their youngest brother Benjamin (who has now become Jacob’s favourite).

6. Reluctantly, Joseph’s brothers return to Egypt again, with Benjamin. Joseph treats them very well...

7. Before the brothers leave, Joseph secretly places his silver goblet in Benjamin’s bag. As the brothers are about to exit the city, Joseph sends out his steward, who calls them back.

8. They are then accused by Joseph of stealing… & Benjamin alone would have to stay behind for compensation…

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Joseph meets his brothers…

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9. Now, Judah steps up … He speaks of how much Jacob loves Benjamin & how (Judah) had given assurance of Benjamin’s return to his father… So, tells Joseph: “Let me … remain... in place as a slave, and let Benjamin go back.. ” (Gen 44:33)

10. Then, Joseph reveals his true identity… and the brothers are dumb founded. Then the entire family migrates into Egypt…

11. Joseph tells his brothers; “Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve his present end, the survival of many people.” (Gen 50:20)

God draws straight.. with bent lines.

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1. Earlier, God said to Abram: "Know for sure that your seed will live as foreigners in a land... They will afflict them four hundred years. I will also judge that nation... (Gen 15:13-14)

2. Joseph makes his brothers promise; “When God thus takes care of you, you must bring my bones up with you from this place.” (Gen 50:25)

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3. Slavery: 1:8…there arose a new king over Egypt, that knew not Joseph…” (Ex 1:8) “…let us wisely oppress them… (Ex 1:10) Infanticide: “Whatsoever shall be born of the male sex, cast into the river: whatsoever of the female, keep alive. (Ex 1:22)

4. Levite child Moses (Mashah; draw out) survives infanticide and lives 40 years in Egypt court…(Ex.2) Kills an Egyptian, & flees into exile in Median for 40 years… (Ex 2:11-22)

5. Israelites in slavery back in Egypt cried out to God… “…(God) heard their groaning and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…” (Ex 2:23)

To be continued…

Psalm 19The Law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul, The decree of the Lord is trustworthy,giving wisdom to the simple, The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart, The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye,

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The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The Statutes of the Lord are true, all of them just, More desirable than gold, than a hoard of purest gold, Sweeter also than honey or dripping from the comb. By them your servant is instructed, obeying them brings much reward.

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Who can see one’s own mistakes? Therefore, cleanse me from my secret sins. Keep back your servant from pride, don’t let it dominate me, Then I shall be upright, And I shall be innocent from great sinfulness.

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Let the words of my mouth, And the meditation of my heart, Be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.

AMEN

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The End