We have seen God’s eternal plan in the creation, through the fall of man, the Flood, and the promise in Abraham. Let us continue our investigation into God’s plan!

The Patriarchs

Men like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph are called the “patriarchs,” the first men with whom God spoke and with whom He made covenants. We have already learned some things about Adam, Noah, and Abraham from lesson 2.

When Abraham was 100 and Sarah, his wife, was 90, they had a son named Isaac. God chose Isaac and made the same promises to him that He made to Abraham.

Isaac’s younger son was named Jacob. Through various schemes Jacob obtained the birthright and blessings. God chose Jacob, whom He renamed Israel, and it would be the descendants of Israel’s twelve sons who would be God’s people, obtain the land of Canaan, and through whom Jesus Christ would come.

Two of Jacob’s sons deserve mention here. Judah received the birthright and the promise that he would rule; Jesus would come from the tribe of Judah. Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, sold into slavery by his brothers, and who eventually ends up being second-in-command over the whole land of Egypt. During a severe famine, all of Jacob’s family moves to Egypt under Joseph’s care.

Bible Passages: Genesis 23:1-50:26

The Exodus

The Bible reveals that the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob, remained in the land of Egypt for about four hundred years (Genesis 15:13). During that time the family grew into a nation.

The Egyptians grew fearful of the Israelites’ growing numbers and power, and enslaved them, put them to hard labor, and commanded that all Israelite male babies were to be killed.

One such baby was sent down the Nile River and was rescued by a princess in Pharaoh’s (the Egyptian king) house. He was named Moses, and he grew up in the house of Pharaoh. He later fled to the land of Midian, to the east of Egypt, and God appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai. God chose Moses to lead His people Israel out of oppression in Egypt to the land He promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Moses returned to Egypt. God visited many plagues upon the Egyptians and ultimately overthrew the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. When the Israelites saw the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, and how God had delivered them with a mighty hand, they then understood the great power of God.

Bible Passages: Exodus 1:1-15:27

The Wilderness

God then led Israel through the wilderness of Sinai and Midian for forty years. That “wilderness” is really an inhospitable desert, and even though God provided for all their needs, the Israelites constantly grumbled about their condition. God brought them to Mount Sinai where He made a covenant with them and gave them His laws as revealed in Exodus and Leviticus. The people continued to grumble, and God sentenced that entire generation to death in the wilderness, including Moses.

Bible Passages: Exodus 16:1-40:38, Leviticus 1:1-27:34, Numbers 1:1-36:13, Deuteronomy 1:1-34:12.

The Conquest and Judges

When the next generation grew up, God began to deliver the land of Canaan into the hands of Israel through Joshua. The Israelites destroyed many cities and moved into others. God had proven faithful to His promises to Abraham: Israel was His people, He was their God, He made a covenant with them, and now He had given them the land of Canaan.

Unfortunately, the Israelites proved less faithful to God. They did not finish the job of entirely obtaining the land, and they ended up serving the gods of the people of the land. For around three hundred or so years, God would raise up judges in the land to deliver the people from oppressors, and then the people would go right back and serve other gods again. It was not a good time for Israel.

Bible Passages: Joshua 1:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-21:25.