| I have organized this Old Testament page chronologically. Working from present history backward, we know that the creation occurred at least sometime before 10,000 B.C. And from geological and cosmological clues, as long as 20 billion years ago. Some believe that the Creation story is an allegory, others that the dating methods are in error.... "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." (Genesis 1:27) Adam and Eve.jpg Adam and Eve sinned and were banished from the garden of Eden. Many Christians believe this to be literally historically true, while a large percentage of Christians believe it is an allegory, a story to represent the essential truths--that God created everything, He created mankind, mankind is sinning(one need only to browse through history or a newscast to see mans behavior of hatred, adultery, idolatry, murder, and theft) and that mankind has a notable lack of communion with God. The rebuke of Adam and Eve.jpg Man was now living in a sinful state, God reacted to it... "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually...And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth....But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." (Genesis 6:5-8) Noah and his family build the Ark.jpg
|
|
|
| God destroyed most of mankind with a great flood sometime before 5,000 B.C. "And the flood was forty days upon the earth....And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark." (Genesis 7:17-23) The Deluge, by Danby.jpg Ark of Noah.jpg "Now.. of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood." (Genesis 10:1 ) Noah's sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth.jpg . Nations descended from Noah's sons (map)
|
|
|
Abraham was called out from among the nations around 1,850 B.C., to have a unique relationship with the true and living God... "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy fathers house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." ( Genesis 12:1-3 ) Abraham's caravan leaves Ur.jpg "...the Lord came unto Abraham in a vision...And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be." ( Genesis 15:5 ) Angel assures Abraham his seed shall be as the number of the stars.jpg . About that time, 1830 B.C., the Lord determined that the cities of Sodom and Gammorah were so sinful that He needed to reprove them... "And the Lord said, because the cry of Sodom and Gammorrah is great, and because their sin is grievous;...For we (the angels) will destroy this place...then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city." ( Genesis 18:20-19:15 ) Lot leaving Sodom with his family.jpg Abraham had a son named Isaac, though his wife Sarah was ninety years old... "And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah concieved...And Abraham called the name of his son...Isaac." (Genesis 21:1-3) God tested Abrahams faith, asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac... "And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." ( Genesis 22:10-12 ) Abraham willing to sacrifice Isaac.jpg
|
|
|
| Isaac had a son, Jacob, around 1750 B.C. "And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold there were twins in her (Rebekah's) womb..and the first..they called..Esau...And after that came his brother out...called Jacob." (Genesis 25:24-26 ) . Jacob had twelve sons, who became the twelve tribes of Israel... "...Now the sons of Jacob were twelve,...Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher." ( Genesis 35:22-26 ) . Joseph was sold into slavery around 1700 B.C. by his brothers... "And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; And they took him and cast him into a pit...and they drew and lifted Joseph up out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt." ( Genesis 37:23-28 ) . Joseph's coat of many colors.jpg . Joseph sold.jpg
|
|
|
| Joseph was bought by Potiphar, one of Pharoahs captains, Joseph was known for his ability to interpret dreams, so Pharoah sent and called Joseph to interpret his dream... "And Pharoah said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharoah, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharoah an answer of peace." ( see Genesis 41:15,16 ) Joseph foretold a famine, and because of Joseph's foretelling of it, Egypt was prepared. Back in Canaan, Jacob was told by God to move to Egypt... "And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: " ( Genesis 46:2,3 )
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Israel now lived in Egypt, but around 1710 B.C., the Hyksos invaded Egypt, and began to oppress Israel... "Now there arose a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we...Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens." ( Exodus 1:8-11 ) . Around 1300 B.C. Israel was oppressed with slavery. Moses was born, and God called him to deliver Israel... "And Pharoah charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born (of the Hebrews) ye shall cast into the river....And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman concieved and bare a son...And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes...and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink...And the daughter of the Pharoah came down to wash herself at the river...she saw the child: and behold the babe wept. And she had compassion on him...And the child grew..and he became her son. And she called his name Moses...because I drew him out of the water." ( Exodus 2:1ff ) Pharoah's daughter finds baby Moses.jpg "And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren...and he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand." ( Genesis 2:11,12 ) Moses beholds the murder of an Israelite.jpg "But Moses fled...and dwelt in Midian...Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro...and he led the flock...and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush...and God called unto him...Moses, Moses...put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground....And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt,..and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them...unto a good land...flowing with milk and honey" ( Exodus 2:15-3:8 ) Moses and the burning bush.jpg God sent plagues upon Egypt to persuade them to let God's people go, Israelites were told to paint the blood of a lamb on their doorposts so that the angel of death would pass over them... "And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the sideposts, and on the upper door post of the houses...And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." ( Exodus 12:12,13 ) Signs on the doors.jpg "And it came to pass, when Pharoah would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt." ( Exodus 13:15 ) Pharoahs son dead.jpg
|
|
|
And it came to pass...that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies." ( Exodus 12:51 ) Moses leads the Exodus.jpg Israel left Egypt, but Pharoah was angered, and pursued them, God parted the Red Sea, and allowed Israel to cross over, and when the Egyptians pursued them they were drowned...
|
|
|
| "And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left." ( Exodus 14:21,22 ) The Waters divided.jpg " ...and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharoah that came into the sea after them;" ( Exodus 14:27,28 ) Pharoahs army drowns in the Red Sea.jpg
|
|
|
|
|
|
| The Israelites then traveled in the desert, God provided for them with bread from heaven... "And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness, there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat." ( Exodus 16:14,15 ) The gathering of manna.jpg
|
|
|
| God gave Moses the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20:1-17) to guide them in right living... Each commandment has its own reason and rationale. When people ask themselves "why shouldn't I break the Ten Commandments?"...just remember...the Ten Commandments each protect certain rights...the right for God to be respected as He should be...the right of parents to be respected...the right to life...the right of property..the right to the truth. The Ten Commanments (printable version) "And He gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mt. Sanai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." ( Exodus 31:18 ) Moses comes down from the Holy Mountain.jpg Moses, Chinese painting.jpg
|
|
|
| Israel traveled to the promised land, God delivered it to them by granting them victory over the city of Jericho... "So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city." ( Joshua 6:20 ) The seven trumpets of Jericho.jpg
|
|
|
| OLD TESTAMENT INSIGHT: Even if mankind didn't acknowledge Him, God is still God. And He calls, instructs, cares for, and protects those He has chosen. From time to time if His chosen people sin, He allows them to be punished, but when they obey Him, He is with them to preserve and bless them. . Rabbi Karro's Old Testament Paintings Christian Theological Seminary Image Library
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
