LESSON 7-8

• GOD DID NOT ABANDON US TO THE POWER OF DEATH
• GOD ESTABLISHES A COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS PEOPLE
• Salvation


  Deliverance, liberation from sin and its consequences
• Straitened Circumstances


  Poverty or a difficult situation where a person is powerless, more or less concerned with the material world
• Examples of salvation in the Old Testament


  • Birth of Isaac
  • Escape from Egypt (Passover and Exodus)
  • Gift of the promised land
  • Election of David
  • Presence of God in the Temple
  • Purifying exile, & return of a "small remnant"
  • The Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms
• Protoevangelium (The First Gospel)


  The passage in Genesis about the first announcement of the Messiah, of a battle between the serpent and the Woman and of the victory of a descendant of hers
• New Adam & Eve


  Jesus is seen as the New Adam and Mary as the New Eve because of their obedience, Christ claimed victory over sin by his sacrifice (death on the cross)
• The victory that Christ won over sin has given us greater blessings than those which sin had taken from us: "where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Rom 5:20)
• Consequences of Adam's sin to humanity


  The whole human race is in Adam "as one body of one man". By this "unity of the human race" all men are implicated in Adam's sin, as all are implicated in Christ's justice
• Covenant


  A contract freely entered into by two parties which is binding, and each is expected to be faithful and assume responsibilities and enjoy privileges
• 3 Divine Activities in the Lives of the Patriarchs


  • Election = God chooses his instrument in his saving activity
  • Promise = God's assures fulfillment of his promises
  • Covenant = divinely initiated union between God and humans
• Abraham's Blessing


  • Great nation
  • Land which his nation will possess
  • Great name and blessing to everyone
• Through the covenant ritual of circumcision the blessing of Abraham was inherited by his descendants
• God's covenant became universal through Jesus, and circumcision is no longer needed today
• Salvation History Part 1 (Protoevangelium - Exodus)

  • The story of Isaac prefigures the life & sacrifice of Jesus
  • The story of Jacob shows the beginning of a great nation
  • The Feast of the Passover prefigures the Last Supper of Jesus
  • The 10 Commandments as the Law of the Covenant
  • Israelites enter the Promised Land after 40 yrs of travel
• Through the sacrament of baptism we accept the covenant with Jesus and inherit the mission to proclaim the Gospel of Salvation to the world
• Both Jesus and Isaac are born from a miracle


  Jesus was born from a virgin womb, Isaac was born from a barren womb
• Isaac and Jesus are both willing victims to a bloody sacrifice


  Isaac was replaced by a lamb, Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb
• Both Isaac and Jesus are descendants of Abraham
• Israel


  The man who struggled with God and survived, blessed with the name Israel after surviving a fight with God, 12 children that later became the tribe leaders of the kingdom of Israel
• The story of Jacob's descendants in Egypt shows the power of God to liberate his people from oppression
• God called Moses to liberate the Hebrews & lead them to the wilderness to receive the 10 commandments
• YHWH (Tetragrammaton)


  God's name that remains unpronounced out of deep reverence and respect, read but not mentioned, also called Hashem ("The Name") and Adonai ("Lord")
• Plagues


  Signs and wonders of God's power over Pharaoh and the Egyptians, the providential character of these phenomena in effecting the release of the Israelites
• Passover


  The sacrifice of the lamb saved the Israelites from the angel of death and liberated them from slavery, Jesus became the Paschal Lamb, offering his own body and blood for the forgiveness of sins
• Ten Commandments


  Commandments 1-3 = Love for God, Commandments 4-10 = Love for Neighbor, became their code of conduct to live their lives morally as God's chosen people, Jesus taught the true interpretation of the decalogue as the "Laws of Love"
• The 40 years in the wilderness tested the Israelites' faithfulness, obedience, courage, and perseverance
• Our God is a faithful God, true to his promise, his unfailing love is a sign of his faithfulness, he established a covenant with the Israelites that made them God's "treasured possession"
• During the time of the Judges, God rescued His people through the Judges of Israel every time they would repent from their faithfulness towards their covenant with Him
• Judges

  • Deborah
  • Gideon
  • Samson
• The story of the Judges tells us the proper ordering of things in our society where there are conflicts and problems that would arise especially injustice, justice consists of the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor
• Deborah


  • From the tribe of Ephraim
  • Only female judge who defeated the Canaanites
  • Known for rendering her judgements by sitting under the palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in the mountain region of Ephraim
  • Gave Israel 40 years of peace after her victory
• Gideon


  • From the tribe of Manasseh
  • Defeated the Midianites with three hundred men only
  • The noise of the trumpet and the breaking of the clay jars caused panic and confusion to their enemies and brought forth victory
  • His victory gave 40 years of peace in the land
• Samson


  • Was a Nazarite
  • Someone who is consecrated to the service of God under the vows to abstain from alcohol and was not allowed to cut his hair
  • Known for his extraordinary strength because of his uncut hair
  • He fell in love with Delilah
  • He defeated the Philistines by destroying their temple, including him by crashing the temple single-handedly
  • He led Israel for 20 years
• The institution of the monarchy signaled the end of the time of the judges and opened the reign of the Kings
• There was also disunity among the tribes and threats from the Ammonites
• They wanted a king to lead them just like in other Kingdoms. God, through Samuel, granted their request
• Saul


  • Simple shepherd boy from Gibeah
  • Through God's help, he defeated all of Israel's enemies and was able to expand its territory
  • He defeated the Philistines, Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Arameans, and Amalekites
  • During his reign, he also achieved national unity
  • At first, Saul's reign was successful but he disobeyed the laws of offering and offered sacrifices to God when he assumed Samuel's Role
• David


  • Second King of Israel from the Tribe of Judah
  • David was known for defeating the Philistine Giant Goliath
  • He freed Israel from the yoke of the Philistines after countless wars ushering a golden age for his people
  • He ordered the Ark of the Covenant to be brought to Jerusalem
• Solomon


  • Son of David & Bathsheba
  • Was a powerful leader who ruled as a grand monarch
  • He is known as the wise ruler whose advice was well-known. God gave him this gift in a dream
  • He formed numerous friendly alliances with great powers of his day, many of which he secured through marriage