Bible ClinicJ One
A journey into the life, times, and
teachings of the Bible
by Gary D. Strunk
Lesson 3 - Who Are HIS PEOPLE? Part 1
A favorite scene in the Christmas
story is when Joseph discovers that Mary, his bride-to-be, is with child, Mt.
1:18-25, but an angel appears to Joseph and explains that the conception is by
the Holy Spirit. Then the angel tells
Joseph that Mary Awill bring forth a Son and you shall
call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.@ v. 21 Our subject in this lesson is the all-important question, AWho are His people?@
Jesus was Jewish, and the Jewish
people were considered AHis people,@ the Achosen people@ of God. How did the
Jewish people become His people?
And can anyone become one of His people ... without
adopting the Jewish faith?
Someday, you may consider these two
lessons, AWho Are His People?@ parts 1 and 2, the most valuable lessons you ever
studied in helping you understand your Bible because it presents a time-line
(see page 5) of important names, places, and events that are referred to over
and over again, and that symbolize major issues appearing throughout the
Bible. To make this time-line stand
forth in bold relief, many details have been omitted, but the references given
will enable you to read them at your leisure.
Memorize the following names of
persons in the order given for they are considered AThe Fathers@ of the Jewish people with the
exception of David who is considered their King: Abraham - Isaac - Jacob - Joseph - - - Moses - - - David - - -
Jesus. Also remember the names Judah
and Israel.
READ Gen. 11:27 - 12:9
We are now answering the question, AHow did the Jewish people become >His People=?@
1. In about the year 2000 B.C., God
spoke to whom? Gen.
12:1 ____________________,
2. To where did Abram go? v.5_____________________________ Canaan is
later called Palestine. See map on pg.
5. The land of Canaan was named after
Noah=s grandson who migrated to this
region. Gen. 9:18,19. Abram moved from
Ur to Haran, then after his father=s death, he came to Canaan . Gen. 11:27-32.
AWho Are His People@ Part 1 2
3. And who was in the land? Gen.
12:5, 6 _________________________________________
4. What were the descendants of
Abram to become? v.2 AI will make you a great
_____________.@
5. How many descendants would Abram
have? Ge. 13:16 __________________________________________
________________________________________
6. When Abram was very old and had
not yet had any children, he proposed to the LORD that his servant Eliezer
could be his adopted son and heir, but where did the LORD say that his son
would come from? Ge. 15:4 ____________________________________________________________
7. And how many descendants would
Abram have? v.5_____________________________
8. At this point Abram believed God
completely. There was no doubt in his
mind, not only that God could give him a child but that He would
give him a child. What was the result
of such complete faith
in God? v.6
____________________________________________________________________
Two thousand years later the apostle
Paul cites this example from Abram, that saving righteousness comes not
by works (meritorious deeds that earn one=s way to heaven), but saving righteousness comes as a
gift credited to those who fully believe God, Rom. 4:3. However, such faith leads to obedience, or
works of righteousness. James 2:17-24.
9. When Abram was 99 years old, God
repeated His promises and changed Abram=s name to _______________________ , = AFather of a multitude@ Ge. 17:1-5
10. God made His covenant with
Abraham to make him not only the father of many nations but to also give him Athe land,@ land that would eventually come to mean the whole earth. But with whom else did God make His
covenant? ________________________________________________ v. 7
11. And who was Abraham=s immediate descendant with whom God
made His covenant?
vs. 19-21 ___________________
12. And after Isaac, with whom was
God to perpetuate His covenant. v.19 _____________________ _______________________________________________________
Abraham at 100 years of age and
Sarah at 90 years were too old to have children, Ge.18:11. Nevertheless God promised
that they would have a son. That is
why Isaac is called a Achild of promise.@
This becomes an important point later as to who will inherit the earth,
because being a blood descendent of Abraham does not automatically make a
person one of AHis people.@
Ishmael was a blood descendant of Abraham but the covenant was not given
to Ishmael. It was inherited by Isaac,
the child of promise.
Both Abraham and Isaac represent ?His people.@
In lesson eight you will learn that all who trust and obey God as
Abraham did become ?His people@ and receive the covenant
promises as Isaac did. How much do you
trust and obey God?
Abraham represents God also. God told Abraham to offer his son, Isaac, as
a sacrifice. Abraham still believed God=s promise that Isaac would be his
(Abraham=s) heir, therefore Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac believing that
God would resurrect him in order to fulfill His promise of giving Abraham as
many offspring as the stars of the sky.
In this experience Abraham represents God Himself who, out of love for
the human race, willingly sacrificed His son Jesus, (and resurrected Him) in
order to produce followers as the stars of the sky. Just as God would have resurrected Isaac, He will resurrect His
people to inherit the ANew Earth.@
The goal today is to become a believing
descendant of Abraham and thereby inherit the New Earth according to God=s promise. That does not mean to become Jewish or to be of the blood line of
Abraham. Since the days of Jesus, it
means to be a follower of Jesus the Christ.
The promises were made only to Abraham and his ASeed.@ Christ is
called the true Seed, Gal. 3:16. So how does one who is not naturally an
offspring of Abraham become an offspring or part of the family? By believing in and obeying Jesus Christ.
13. Fill in the blanks from
Galatians 3:29. AIf you are ______________ then you
are __________
______________ and _______________
according to the ______________________.@
God repeated his covenant promises
to Isaac, and to his descendants, Ge.26:3,4.
Esau was the firstborn son of Isaac, but Esau sold his birthright to his
younger twin-brother, Jacob.
Ge. 25:29-34, Thus Jacob became the
next descendant with whom the covenant promises were made.
14. One night as Jacob was returning
to his homeland where he must face his brother Esau whom he had deceived out of
his father=s blessing, Jacob was attacked. He wrestled all night with his assailant.
Eventually Jacob realized he had been wrestling with an angel if not with God
himself, so he refused to let the LORD
go until He blessed him. The
LORD then changed Jacob=s name to ______________________ Ge.
32:28
At this point in time Jacob had
eleven sons, but would eventually have twelve.
They are called the Asons of Jacob,@ but they are also called the Asons of Israel.@
They married and had families which grew into tribes giving rise to Athe twelve tribes of Israel@ or Athe children of Israel@ which refers to the whole nation of Israel.
The names of the 12 sons listed
below are from Gen. 35:23-26.
Familiarize yourself with the underlined names for these you will see
often, and need to know them as tribes of Israel. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph,
Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher.
Early on, ten brothers were jealous
of Joseph because he was his father=s favorite, so they connived to sell Joseph to traders who
took him to Egypt. Through a series of
Providential interventions, Joseph rose to a position of great prominence in Egypt.
In time a severe famine came upon the land of Israel (Canaan), so that
Jacob and all his sons, Joseph=s brothers, and families came to Egypt where they were treated favorably
because of Joseph. Ge. 37-50.
15. What eventually happened to
Joseph, his brothers, and all that generation?
Ex. 1:1-6 _________________
16. And a new king arose over Egypt
who A__________________________________________________@ v.8
So the Egyptians placed the
Israelites under bondage (slavery). vs. 8-14
17. Why did the king of Egypt make
slaves of the Israelites? vs. 7-11a ________________________________
______________________________________________________________ He ordered the Hebrew male children killed
for the same reason. vs. 15-22
18.
Who was born during this time to a family of the tribe of Levi?
Ex. 2:1-10 ___________________
When Moses was about 40 years of age
he had to flee Egypt for killing an Egyptian who was mistreating an
Israelite. He went east to the deserts
of Midian where he took a wife and tended sheep for 40 years. Then the LORD appeared to Moses in a burning
bush, and commissioned him to go to Egypt to represent Him in delivering the Israelites.
READ Ex. 3:1-10
19. What are the Israelites called
in this conversation? ___________________________ vs. 7 & 10
20. THEREFORE who are His people
at this time? ______________________________________
21. To where will the Israelites be
taken? v.8 ____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Moses proceeds to Egypt where he
confronts the Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the most powerful ruler on earth, with
the words, AThus says the LORD God of Israel: >Let My people go that they may hold
a feast to Me in the wilderness.=@ Ex. 5:1, which takes us to the next lesson, ALet My People Go.@
We will come back to AWho Are His People? Part 2@ in lesson number eight.
Please note: If you are studying
these lessons in a group, you should read Exo. chapters 7-12 before the next
meeting.
Timeline
AWho Are His People?@
Israel ends 722 B.C.
Abraham - Isaac - Jacob -> 12
tribes of Israel (Joseph) - - Moses - Joshua - Judges - King Saul - David -
Solomon - Judah - -
2000 B.C. 1500 B.C.
1050 B.C. 971 B.C.
Babylonian Stoning of
Captivity Jews called AIsrael@
MESSIAH - Crucifixion - Stephen Christians
are AIsrael@ _ _ _ _ _
605 B.C. 536 B.C. 27 A.D. 31 A.D. 34 A.D.
Answers:
1. Abram
2. Canaan
3. Canaanites
4. Nation
5. As the dust of the earth
6. From your own body
7. As the stars of heaven
8. Accounted it to him as
righteousness
9. Abraham
10. Descendants
11. Isaac
12. Isaac=s descendants
13. Christ=s, Abraham=s seed, heirs, promise
14. Israel
15. Died
16. Did not know Joseph
17. He was afraid the
Israelites would side with his enemies.
18. Moses
19. My people
20. Israelites
21. Land flowing with milk
and honey, or place of the Canaanites and others.