May 16, 2006

• Music – USA

• Discuss Judaism

• Grade Chapter 10, Check 2

• Begin Chapter 10, Check 3

• HWK – Practice Test –Chpt 10

Israel

An Ancient Nation

A Modern Nation

Ancient Israel

How did it begin?

With a man named

Abraham

Abraham lived with his father, wife, Sarah (who was also his half-sister)

(Get over it – This practice was accepted in ancient times)

and nephew near a city named UrThis background is the remains of ancient Ur-Nammu

According to Genesis, the first book in the Bible, God called Abraham to leave Ur, and go to a

land he would show him.

God promised Abraham three things- the 3 P’s

1) Place - A land of his own

2) People -A family that would become a great nation to inhabit that land

3) Person -The whole world would be blessed by one of his descendents

Abraham took his family and followed where God led him, but he and his wife didn’t have children, so the whole great nation thing wasn’t happening.

Abraham and Sarah became impatient and he agreed to have a child with Sarah’s handmaiden – a common surrogate motherhood scheme of the time.

Take out the name

So Abraham had a son, Ishmael, by his wife’s handmaiden.

Ishmael is the traditional ancestor of the people today who are called Arabs (Muslims).

But Ishmael was not the son God had promised.

Finally, when they were both very old, well past the age to have kids, Sarah gave birth to a son, Isaac.

Isaac married Rebekah, and they had twin sons, Jacob and Esau.

Now Esau was the oldest, but not the sharpest crayon in the box.

First, Esau sold his birthright (rights as the oldest son) for a bowl of bean soup….so he was hungry.

Then Jacob, in cahoots with his mom, stole the blessing from Papa Isaac.

Esau was not a happy camper…..so Jacob ran for his life and went to live with his mom’s brother.

While running for his life, Jacob had a close encounter of the Godly kind ----- and God renamed his Israel – Prince of God….

Thus his descendents would be called the nation of Israel.

Eventually Jacob became wealthy, took four wives (which is why Muslims are allowed four wives), and was reconciled with his brother and father.

Cover up name

Jacob took fatherhood very seriously, his wives gave birth to…….

Reuben Simeon Levi

Judah Zebulon Issachar

Asher Napthali Dan

Gad Joseph Benjamin

12 sons in all!

And one daughter – Dinah!

The oldest ten sons were jealous of #11, Joseph, because he was Papa Jacob’s favorite son (Joseph was the oldest born to Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife)

The coat of many colors was very expensive. It would be kind of like if your dad gave you a bicycle and your younger sibling a corvette.

In a fit of sibling rivalry, Joseph’s older brothers took the 17 year old prisoner and sold him to some traveling slave traders.

They didn’t really tell Jacob that Joseph was

dead…they showed him the

bloody, torn coat and let

Jacob come to his own

conclusion

Joseph ended up being a slave in Egypt

Got imprisoned on false charges

Correctly interpreted dreams

Ended up second in command

Saved Egypt from a famine

The brothers had to come negotiate for food…and guess what?????

Yep, they had to ask Joseph for food…but they didn’t recognize him…he was now around 38.

Joseph not only forgave his brothers…

He brought the entire family, about 80 of them, to live in Egypt.

Fast forward……400 years….Jacob’s descendents now numbered a million people…thus the promise of “a great people” was fulfilled.

But the pharaoh was scared of so many non-Egyptian folks in his kingdom, so he forced the Hebrews to be slaves.

Enter Moses, a Hebrew boy, saved by his mom and an Egyptian princess.

He led the enslaved people out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, and to the edge of the promised land.

The Red Sea

• The Bible tells us that the Egyptians pursued the fleeing Israelites.

• At the Red Sea, Moses parted the Sea, so that the Israelites could cross.

• The Sea collapsed on the Egyptian army when they followed.

This story can’t be proven and is doubted by many

But the three pictures that follow show the remains of Egyptian chariots, found in the Red Sea

A map showing the believed crossing route

A axle and spoke wheels with years of sea growth

An axle cleaned of the growth

Make up your own mind

The Red Sea was really the Reed Sea, but it got mistranslated in the King James Version of the Bible so it has been the Red Sea ever since!

Baby Shark in the Red Sea

Whale in the Red Sea

Red Sea Reef

The Ten Commandments

• The Israelites stopped near Mt. Sinai, and there Moses went up on the mountain and received the Ten Commandments.

• They are the basis of Judaism.

Judaism

• The first five books of the Bible-Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are the Torah.

• In the Torah are all of the commandments and directions for living life as a Hebrew (Jew)

Basic Beliefs• There is one God.

• Worship is on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is from dark on Friday until dark on Saturday.

• The basic laws are the Ten Commandments, but there are many more rules and regulations.

• They believe that one day God will send a messiah to save the world.

Back to the story….After Moses’ death, the Israelites were led into the “Promised Land” by Joshua.

They carved out a nation, Ancient Israel, and were eventually led by three kings.

Saul –noted for being a really tall dude

David – a great warrior, but also a poet

The Lord is my shepherd

I shall not want

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;

He leadeth me beside the still waters’

He restoreth my soul;

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

Yea though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death,

I will fear no evil:

For though art with me;

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…

Psalms 23:1-4

Solomon – the last king of the undivided Israel

Wisest man that ever lived – but with 1,000 wives, one does wonder???

Fill in the picture

Israel eventually fell to its enemies.

By the time of Christ, only two of the tribes, Judah and Benjamin were left.

Judah was the largest tribe, and that is where the term Jude or Jew comes from.

They were part of the Roman Empire.

The Israelites (Hebrews, Jews) were scattered all over the world, with many of them in Europe.

They had suffered persecution everywhere they went throughout history.

For 2,000 years the Israelites wanted a homeland….a nation to call their own as they had with Saul, David, and Solomon.

1917 – The British government issued the Balfour Declaration favoring the establishment of a Jewish nation in the area of Palestine, an area controlled by the British, but inhabited by Arabs and Jews.

1922 – The League of Nations supported the Balfour Declaration

Dead Sea

Dead Sea

1920’s-1930’s Jews from all over the world immigrated to Palestine hoping to set up a modern Israel.

Jerusalem

1936 - Arabs launched attacks against the Jewish people in Palestine. 1939 – British severely limited the movement of Jews into Palestine

1939-1945 Worst years of the Holocaust – an estimated 6 million Jews are murdered.

November 29, 1947United Nations determines future government of Palestine.Jerusalem to be under special international regime and administered by U.N., demilitarized and neutral. Residents of Jewish and Arab states would have freedom to enter city and reside in it. Holy sites were to be preserved and protected. Jews accept it, but Arabs reject it and start attacking Jewish towns and villages, including Jewish areas of Jerusalem.

May 14, 1948Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel.

Israel fought for its right to exist against its neighbors beginning in 1948.

Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq join Arabs in fight against the Jews.

June 5 - June 10, 1967Provoked by a massive Arab

troop build-up, Israel launched a pre-emptive

strike on Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. After six days, Israel occupies the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and

the Sinai peninsula.

Today there is a war of terrorism happening in Israel.

The death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat recently has helped open up the possibility of peace.

Israel is withdrawing from some of the occupied areas captured in the 1967 – 6 Day War.