Tag Archives: israelites

Forging a Nation of God Worshippers – The Story of Moses and Joshua – Part 1

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Forging a Nation of God Worshippers

The Story of Moses and Joshua – Part 1

This lesson picks up the story found at the end of the Book of Genesis where Joseph (son of Jacob, now called Israel), found himself in Egypt (through the providence of God) and created a path for the Israelites to survive a famine and grow from a family tribe of approximately 70 people to a nation of over 1 million souls by the time of their Exodus from Egypt.

Initially the Israelites were favorably disposed and, in many cases, held in high esteem while they resided in Egypt. However, things changed, and a new Pharoah came to power and the Israelites were enslaved and forced to build buildings and other infrastructural components in Egypt all the while being severely mistreated. The Lord told Abraham many years prior that this would happen; “Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” (Genesis 15:13-16)

During the Israelite’s bondage in Egypt, they cried out to be delivered from this oppression and God heard their cries and answered their prayers. God had plans to deliver His chosen people and the man who would lead them out from Egypt was Moses. This is the story of not just their exodus form Egypt but a formation of a people who would learn to worship their God, the only True God, and witness His mighty power, the likes of which no one has ever seen before.

There will be highs and lows, hills and valleys, victories and defeats, joy and sorrow, rebellion and obedience, blessings, and curses, but in the end, God will deliver them as He said He would. Our primary focus for this lesson is the events leading up to the Exodus from Egypt, and how God delivers the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. It’s a true story and one worth taking the time to seriously contemplate as no other nation, culture or people group has been blessed, protected, or cared for as God has done for the Israelites. He is a Promise Keeping God!

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Current Events in Israel – What might happen next

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Given the current events of Israel and the Middle East and the polarizing effects of the struggle between good and evil, it is good to remind ourselves that the true enemy is Satan (a real being and not a people group) whose one goal is to destroy all that is good in our world. We must remember that sin exists, evil is real and what we are currently witnessing before our very eyes are the result of mankind’s rebellion against a Holy God. This rebellion against God will have an end because Jesus Christ provided a way of escape (by His death on the cross and His resurrection from death) for those who believe and trust in Him by faith. When He returns (as He promised He would) all things will be brought under submission to Him and He will destroy all that is evil. While we await the return of Jesus Christ our Messiah mankind will at times suffer the worst of atrocities because evil is real, and it can blind even the best intended people. We must understand that evil is the enemy of good and that God is good, and Satan is evil.

The current war that Israel is facing are the result of this evil and those who are bent on their destruction. It is possible that this war will expand beyond the borders of modern-day Israel and may well lead to a far more serious set of worldwide events that will lead to what the Bible refers to as Armageddon! That is a lesson for another day.

This study is designed to help us understand the history of Israel both from a Biblical perspective but also a historical perspective. Many (if not all) of these current conflicts can be traced back as far as Abraham and his offspring, the period of the Kings of Israel, and the times of occupation by the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Then came the Crusades, the dominance of the Ottoman Empire and the mismanagement of the Middle East ever since WWI and beyond. It is a wonder that mankind has not destroyed itself fighting these senseless battles when the answer is submission to God by simple faith in Jesus Christ. One day mankind will submit as Paul tells us in his writings to the Philippians; “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11)

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