Lesson Plan: The Creation Era and 1st Name of God: ELOHIM
Scripture: Genesis 1 – 2
Class: Week 2; Day 1
I.
II.
Prayer (3 minutes)
The significance of Names:
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe” Proverbs
18:10.
a. “In ancient cultures, names often did more than merely connect one to a
family heritage. Names were imbued with power. To know someone’s name
was to enjoy special access and special knowledge because names were often
thought to reflect a person’s character or destiny” (Stone, pg. 8).
b. Names are so powerful that parents will avoid attaching some names to their
children. For example, we don’t see anyone naming their kids Hitler or
Lucifer because those names represent something so negative that no one
would want to associate an innocent child with it.
c. “learning about God’s names and titles can help us to experience more of the
love, power, and holiness of the God we revere” (pg.9).
i. “We can only enjoy God to the degree that we know Him. Little
knowledge translates into little spiritual power or life. Learning about
God’s names and titles offers us a fresh way of encountering God and
sensing His presence in our lives. The greater our knowledge of
Him—the greater our joy, the greater our trust, and closeness to Him.
TURN TO GENESIS 1- Where we discover God’s first name: ELOHIM
III.
Notes on the Creation story of the Bible
a. Genesis= Beginnings
i. Most creation stories seek to answer the most foundational questions
that man seeks an answer to:
ii. 1) Where did I come from? 2) Why am I here? And 3) Where am I
going?
iii. Important for students to understand that Genesis is the account of
the beginning of all things (except God).
1. It answers the 3 foundational questions very clearly in the first
few pages!
2. It provides us with a clear picture of God’s plan and purpose
for all of creation before the Fall.
a. This book enables us to go back to the beginning and
understand God’s original plan and gain direction for
many of life’s major questions today:
i. Where did we come from? What is the nature of
our relationship with God and others? What is
our purpose? What is God’s design for Marriage?
What is God’s response to murder? Etc.
b. Read Genesis 1:1-2
i. Elohim: The Strong, Mighty, All-Powerful Creator God- “In the
beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.”
1. This name occurs in the first chapter of Genesis 32 times!
2. It is the Elohim who by His might power creates the vast
universe; who says, and it is done; who brings into being what
was not; by whose word the worlds were framed so that things
that are seen were not made of the things that do appear
(Hebrews 11:3).
3. The name signifies supreme power, sovereignty, and glory.
c. What does this name teach us about God?
i. It shows He is transcendent- He is distinct from His creation. God is
not merely within creation. He is over, above, outside of and distinct
from all that He has created.
ii. It also demonstrates He is set apart from the constraints of time.
1. God created the beginning, and therefore He existed BEFORE
the beginning. He is not limited by time, He exists in eternity.
2. Time is a constraint with which we must contend, but it’s not a
problem for God.
3. “This is why the Bible uses the language of eternity when
referring to God. In addition to that, Scripture also refers to
God in the present tense. You and I have a yesterday. We also
have a tomorrow. We have these because we’re subject to
time. Yet God has neither a yesterday nor a tomorrow.
Everything for God is right now because He has no past and He
has not future. He is the right now, ever-present God”
(Evans, pg. 28).
iii. Elohim not only transcends time but also space.
1. In order for God to create space in which mankind would exist
He had to sit outside of it himself.
2. “Am I a God who is near, declares the LORD, and not a God far
off? Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see
him? Declares the Lord. Do I not fill the heavens and the
earth?” Jeremiah 23:23-24.
a. This passage reveals that God is both transcendent and
immanent. He is here, there, and everywhere.
i. Elohim created the heavens and the earth,
existing outside of it. Yet Elohim also fills the
heavens and the earth, existing in it. He is
omnipresent.
ii. Consider the air. Where does air not exist on our
planet?
iv. “Elohim can make something out of nothing. He can empower it to
grow into something grand even when nothing appears to be
happening at all. He can bring order out of chaos. His is a great name
because He is Elohim, the great and powerful
1. Elohim= the all-powerful Creator.
2. Speaks of God’s creative genius and awesome power.
v.
d.
i. Creation Ex Nihilo
1. “In the beginning, God” (Gen. 1:1)
a. Perhaps the most important words in all of Genesis.
Consider the implications:
i. God eternally exists apart from and before all
that exists.
ii. All that exists was created by Him and for him,
and out of nothing!
2. Prior to the moment that God spoke creation into existence,
there was nothing but God.
a. “By faith we understand that the universe was created
by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made
out of things that are visible (Heb. 11:3).
e. 6 Days of Creation:
i. Day 1- Light (TIME)
ii. Day 2- Sky- the sky forms a barrier between water upon the surface
and the moisture in the air.
iii. Day 3- God creates dry land. He goes on to create all plant life, creates
it as self-sustaining; plants are able to reproduce.
iv. Day 4- God creates all the stars and heavenly bodies, Sun, moon and
stars.
v. Day 5- God creates all that lives in the water, and that flies in the air.
vi. Day 6- God creates all of the creatures that live on dry land.
1. Then God takes counsel with himself, “God said, ‘Let us make
man in our image, in our likeness.”
vii. Day 7- God rests. Creation is complete, and God establishes a pattern
of one day in seven to rest. It is part of the order he established from
the chaos, just like time.
f. “Let us make man in our image”
1. The Trinity of God- God is both 1 and 3.
2. The Old Testament constantly insists that there is only one God, the selfrevealed Creator.
a. Isaiah 44:6- “This what the LORD says—Israel’s King and
Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last;
apart from me there is no God.”
3. The New Testament agrees but speaks of three personal agents, Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, working together to bring about salvation
a. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14- “But we ought always to thank God for
you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose
you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the
Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this
through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ.”
b. Jesus prescribed baptism “in the name (singular: one God, one
name) of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit—the
three persons who are the one God to whom Christians commit
themselves” (Matt. 28:19).
4. TRINITY: a revelation of how God is complete in himself, in one being
made up of three persons perfect in love and unity.
g. Imago dei: Man is uniquely made in the image of God
1. This doesn’t refer to physical likeness. Scripture says that God
is spirit (Jn. 4:24) and therefore exists without a body
2. The image of God refers to the immaterial part of man. It sets
man apart from the animal world, and fits him for the
dominion God intended him to have over the earth, and
enables him to commune with his maker.
a. It is likeness mentally, morally, and socially.
b. Made in God’s image; in perfect fellowship and harmony
with God.
i. Image is not physical likeness, rather those
abilities we possess which enable us to relate to
God; intellect, emotion, and will. Moral sense of
right and wrong, creativity.
c. As image bearers it means there is infinite value in each
and every human life.
i. Consider those with mental conditions, etc.
d. Given Authority to rule and subdue- take dominion.
3. What kind of relationship did God have with the humans?
a. He spent time with them, perfect fellowship.
b. He gave them responsibility and showed them the best
possible way to live.
Lesson Plan: The Creation Era
Scripture: Genesis 3-11
Class: Week 2; Day 2
Topics: The Fall and Effects of Sin
I.
II.
Prayer
Question to throw out to the students, “Why would God place the tree in the
garden if he knew that Adam and Eve would eat the fruit and bring sin into the
world?”
a. Good quote to read from C.S. Lewis
i. “God created things which had free will. That means creatures which can go
wrong or right. Some people think they can imagine a creature which was free
but had no possibility of going wrong, but I can't. If a thing is free to be good
it's also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why,
then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil
possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or
joy worth having. A world of automata -of creatures that worked like
machines- would hardly be worth creating. The happiness which God designs
for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to
Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which
the most rapturous love between a man and a woman on this earth is mere
milk and water. And for that they've got to be free.
Of course God knew what would happen if they used their freedom the wrong
way: apparently, He thought it worth the risk. (...) If God thinks this state of
war in the universe a price worth paying for free will -that is, for making a
real world in which creatures can do real good or harm and something of real
importance can happen, instead of a toy world which only moves when He
pulls the strings- then we may take it is worth paying.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Case for Christianity
III.
Read Scene 3: Separation from The Story Formed Way.
a. Questions:
i. How does the enemy get Adam & Eve to sin?
1. Adam and Eve are challenged by the serpent to consider
whether or not God really has their best intentions in mind.
ii. What does the tree (knowledge of Good and Evil) represent in the
Garden?
1. Man’s free will to choose self governance, or submit to God’s
governance over his life.
iii. What is the consequence of sin?
1. Guilt, and shame enter into the heart of Adam and Eve, and
they hide from God.
2. Sin brings death, mankind passes from immortal to mortal.
3. Sin brings separation, mankind is banished from the Garden,
and cast out from God’s presence.
iv. Where is Jesus displayed in all of this?
1. In the midst of judging man’s sin, God also makes provision for
his sin.
a. He kills an animal and makes a covering for man and
woman- foreshadow of the sacrificial system.
b. He also announces that “the seed of woman will crush
the head of the serpent and the serpent will strike his
heel”.
i. Prophesying the work of Jesus on the cross to
crush the work of the Devil.
2. God’s response marries judgment with mercy by enacting
judgment for sin; demonstrating his justice, while at the same
time making provision for man’s sin, demonstrating his mercy.
v. Results of the Fall
1. Mankind Separated from God.
a. Genesis 3:8-10: Man hides from God
b. Genesis 3:22-24: God banishes man from the Garden.
2. Death became a reality, and all of creation is subject to it.
a. Romans 6:23
b. Romans 8:20-22
3. Christ is the only answer to restore us back to the Garden:
Right relationship with God.
a. Genesis 3:15
b. 2 Corinthians 5:21
4. Another result: We have lost sight of our purpose and reason
for being created.
a. Westminter Cat: “Man’s chief end and highest purpose
in life is to Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”
b. Independence/Self Governance is at the heart of the
Fall.
5. Our minds have become darkened by Sin:
a. Romans 1:21;28
b. 2 Cor. 4:4
c. John 12:46
d. Ephesians 5:8
6. The purpose of Salvation: Acts 26:18 “To open the eyes (of
unbelievers) and turn them from darkness to light, and from
the power of Satan to God.”
a. In the fallen state, man is utterly incapable of doing or
choosing that which is acceptable to God, apart from
God’s grace.
b. Read Romans 8:7
7. We must be born again- 2 Cor. 5:17; John 1:12-13
b. Flood: Judgment for sin
i. Over the next several hundred years, as man multiplies in numbers, so
his tendency to sin multiplies, until a time comes when God can find
only eight people who are willing to live in a righteous relationship
with Him.
IV.
1. Of this generation the Scriptures said, “the wickedness of man
was great in the earth, and that EVERY intention of the
thoughts of his heart was ONLY evil ALL the time.
2. Consider the level of darkness and depravity that this
description would warrant.
ii. God responds by sending a worldwide flood, which destroys mankind,
and yet again, God makes provision for man’s sin.
1. Those who are willing to enter the Ark are covered from God’s
judgment and their lives are spared.
c. Tower: Beginning of the nations
i. God’s post-flood mandate to man was to spread out, populate, and
subdue the whole earth (similar to the Garden). However, man
disobeys and stays together in one place.
ii. Out of this disobedience they say, “Come, let us build ourselves a city
and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for
ourselves…”
1. They seek Glory for themselves, rather than Glory for God.
2. He responds by confusing their language and scattering them
throughout the four corners of the earth.
a. This is where we get the birth of Nations, cultures,
languages and ethnicities.
Breakdown:
a. Era- Creation
b. Figure- Adam
c. Location- Eden
d. Summary- Adam is created by God, but he sins and destroys God’s original
plan for man.
Lesson Plan: The Patriarch Era
Scripture: Genesis 12 – 50
Class: Week 2; Day 3
Topics: Abraham and Isaac
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Prayer
Where do we go from here?
a. The Patriarch Era- A time of godly men presiding over a growing family:
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
i. Successive generations of the same family, ruled over the Hebrew
people in the earliest days of their existence.
b. Because of Adam’s sin and the Fall of man, God’s attention is now
focused on a plan of redemption for mankind.
i. God seeks out a people through whom He can work to produce a
reflection of Himself,
ii. And through whom He can spread the message of redemption to the
world.
c. He chooses Abraham, who becomes the father of the Hebrew people, and
promises him a country (land), countless descendants (seed), and a
worldwide and timeless impact (blessing).
i. God calls him out from Ur (his hometown) to a land “he knows not” in
order to receive the promise.
ii. Abraham’s radical trust and willingness to follow God blazed the trail
for others to follow and earned him the title “a friend of God” (James
3:23).
The Call of Abraham- Genesis 12:1-3
a. The Promise of land of his own
b. The promise of being made into a great nation
c. The promise of blessing
i. What makes Abraham special? HE OBEYED GOD.
1. Hebrews 11:8
Lesson Plan
a. Write Family Tree on the Board (see attached document)
b. Briefly share the background of Abraham’s story. You can summarize in your
own words, or possibly delegate these passages below and have students
read aloud to the class.
i. The Goal is to gain an understanding of main points of Abraham’s life
as the Father of the Hebrews.
ii. Possible verses to read with the students:
1. The call of Abraham- Genesis 12:1-4
2. The promise of land- Genesis 13:14-17
3. The promise of a Son- Genesis 15:4-6
4. Abraham’s failure to believe the promise- Gen. 16:1-4
5. The call to return to faith in the promise- Gen. 17:1-8
6. The birth of the promise- Gen. 21:1-7
7. The call to Surrender- Genesis 22- See exercise below.
c. The students have all read the story of Abraham and his willingness to
Sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22).
i. Possible Exercise to unpack this story:
1. Have a table in the center of the room, or up front that serves
as an altar.
2. Discuss what it can mean to sacrifice something:
a. To offer it up to God.
b. To let go of something, to lay it down.
3. Why might God ask a person to sacrifice something?
a. Test of faithfulness?
b. Sometimes following Him, means letting go of
something in order to do so…
i. “If anyone will come after me, let him deny
himself and take up his cross and follow me. For
whosoever desires to save his life shall lose it,
and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall
find it” Luke 9:23
4. Why would Abraham be asked to sacrifice Isaac?
a. Isaac represented everything sacred to Abraham’s
heart: the promises of God, the covenants, the hopes of
the years, and the long messianic dream.
b. But somewhere along the way this fulfilled promise had
become ingrown.
i. The call to sacrifice Isaac isn’t in order to kill the
boy. Rather, it’s purpose is to remove him from
the center of Abraham’s heart so that God might
reign unchallenged there.
ii. Abraham’s willingness to carry this out
demonstrates his faith and obedience in God.
1. And reinstates God as first and primary in
his heart.
5. Question for the students: What is something in your life that
could be vying for your affections and attempting to take God
off of the throne of your heart?
a. How would it feel to sacrifice it on the altar?
b. What do you think is holding you back from doing that?
i. Perhaps discuss things in your own life that you
have had to lay upon the altar, and share the
outcome of doing that.
ii. If you would like to have the students engage
more personally in this exercise, perhaps you
could hand out a notecard to each student and
have them write it on the notecard and lay it on
the altar.
V.
Have students break off into groups and Read Romans 4-then Narrate the
passage for the class.
a. Abraham’s faith and belief is counted as “righteousness”
i. He is justified by FAITH, not good works.
b. What we learn through Abraham:
i. Faith is something completely different from
“works” (vv. 3–8).
ii. Faith does not depend on any religious ceremony
(vv. 9-12;circumcision, etc.)
iii. Faith is not related to the law (vv.13-17).
iv. Faith often rests in a promise that flies in the face
of what is natural and normal (vv.18-22).
2. Timeline of Patriarch Era:
a. Abraham- Father of Hebrew people
i. Ishmael- child of disbelief
ii. Isaac- child of promise
b. Isaac- 2nd father of promise
i. Esau
ii. Jacob
c. Jacob- Father of the nation of Israel- God changes his
name to Israel.
i. Has 12 sons who emerge as the 12 tribes of the
nation of Israel.
d. Joseph- Leader in Egypt
i. Sold into slavery, but delivers the entire nation
(family) after God raises him up as a leader in
Egypt.
ii. Israel eventually loses their favor with Egypt and
the nation becomes slaves for 400 years.
Lesson Plan: The Exodus Era
Scripture: Exodus 1-18
Class: Week 6; Day 1
Topics: Deliverance from Egypt
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Prayer
Quiz
Have students fill in all remaining locations on their reader map (pg. 9 & 11)
1st Major Event: Deliverance from Slavery in Egypt
a. Read Exod. 1:6-14:
i. The solution: Start killing babies (Abortion)
ii. Israel’s response to their Fear: Exod. 2:23-25 & 3:7-8.
1. Who do you turn to with your fears?
a. Do we try to deliver ourselves, or do we look to God for
our healing? Our rescue? Our deliverance?
b. What would change if we started looking to God?
i. Less stress, less striving, less pressure on
ourselves.
ii. More peace, more trust, more dependency on
God.
1. Example of money within our family.
2. Strive and experience stress, worry,
doubt.
3. Handover to God and experience more
peace, freedom, and blessing.
2. Israel cries out to God, and God hears and GOD RESPONDS!
b. God raises up a Deliverer: MOSES
i. Background of Moses:
1. Born into the tribe of Levi: Priestly Tribe
2. Left at the Nile and found by Pharoah’s Daughter
a. Raised in Pharoah’s house
i. Hebrews 11:23-27
3. As a young man, Moses witnesses the harsh treatment of the
Hebrew people and takes matters into his own hands-Killing
an Egyptian
a. Therefore, he has to flee to Midian
ii. In Midian- God reveals himself to Moses in a burning bush and He
reveals his personal name- “I AM” Exodus 3:1-22
1. YAHWEH- The most frequently used name throughout the OT6,519 times.
2. I AM- The self-existent, yet personal, knowable God who has
emotions, intellect, and will.
c. The 10 Plagues
i. The 10 plagues display the power of Yahweh. All of nature bows under
his will
1. Each plague systematically assaults one of the god’s of the
Egyptians.
Exodus 3:19-20- “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand
compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I
will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
a. REASON FOR 10 PLAGUES: “That you may know that I
am the Lord.” (Ex. 8:10)
i. Also, foreshadow End Times Judgments
ii. Pharaoh is a type of Anti-Christ.
iii. Judgments meant to break the back of Anti-Christ
and his Governmental influence in the earth.
ii. The Israelites have been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years and during that
time had lost faith in the God of their fathers.
1. They believed He existed and worshiped Him, but they doubted
that He could, or would, deliver them from their slavery.
2. The Egyptians, like many pagan cultures, worshiped a variety of
nature-gods and attributed their wealth, and the natural events they
saw in the world around them to their gods.
a. Events like the annual flooding of the Nile, which fertilized
their croplands, were evidences of their god’s powers and
good will towards them.
iii. When Moses demanded that Pharaoh let the Israelite people go, Pharaoh
responded by saying, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let
Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go” Exodus 5:2
1. 1st Plague- turning the Nile to blood, was a judgment against Apis,
the god of the Nile, and other gods.
a. The river, which formed the basis of daily life and the
national economy, was devastated, as millions of fish died
and the water was unusable.
i. Think of Twin Towers, think of the stench!
ii. “By this you will know that I am the Lord” 7:17
2. 2nd Plague- Frogs: Judgment against Heqet, the frog-headed
goddess of birth.
a. Frogs were considered sacred and not to be killed.
b. Dead frogs piled into heaps all over Egypt.
3. 3rd Plague- Gnats- judgment against Set, the god of the desert.
a. Unlike the previous plagues, the magicians were unable to
duplicate this one and declared to Pharaoh, “This is the
finger of God.” 8:19
th
4. 4 Plague- Flies- a judgment against Uatchit, the fly god. In this
plague, God clearly distinguished between the Israelities and
Egyptians, no swarms of flies bothered the areas where the
Israelites lived.
5. 5th Plague- Livestock- a judgment against the goddess Hathor and
the god Apis, who were both depicted as cattle.
V.
a. Again, God protected his people, while the Egyptians were
devastated economically.
b. Pharaoh even sent investigators to find out if the Israelites
were suffering alongside the Egyptians, yet his heart was
hardened.
6. 6th Plague- Boils- a judgment against several gods over health and
disease.
a. Now the magicians can’t even stand before Moses because
of the boils, or against Yahweh.
d. **BEFORE THE LAST THREE PLAGUES- God sends a special message to
Pharaoh READ 9:13-21
1. 7th Plague- Hail- judgment against Nut, the sky goddess, Osiris,
the crop fertility god, and Set, the storm god.
a. Again Israel was protected.
th
2. 8 Plague- Locusts- the later crops, wheat and rye, which had
survived the hail, were now devoured by the swarms of locusts.
There would be no harvest in Egypt that year.
3. 9th Plague- Darkness- aimed at the sun god, Re, who was
symbolized by Pharaoh himself.
a. For 3 days Egypt was smothered with total darkness, but
there was light shining in Israel.
e. The Deliverance
i. Chapter 13- God sets the Israelites free and leads them up out of Egypt.
ii. They are backed up to the Red Sea when Pharaoh has a change of heart
and sends his army out to conquer the Israelites.
1. God says to Moses, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see
the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you
see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you;
you need only to be still.
2. Pharaoh’s army are destroyed in the Red Sea after the Israelites
pass through safely.
iii. Out of this, Chapter 15 you have the first recorded worship song in the
Bible.
1. “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my
salvation.”
a. Salvation: To be rescued from danger.
The Law
a. God promised Abraham he would restore his blessing to all the Nations:
i. That includes restoration of relationship with God.
ii. And Access to his Presence.
b. God invites them into a very unique relationship with Him.
i. Up till now God hasn’t asked Israel to do anything- simply Trust Him!
ii. But now God is going to ask them to do a lot of things- He’s going to give
them a set of laws, including the 10 Commandments that they are obey in
order to be His people.
1. In Obeying, they will become the People who represent God to the
Nations of the world.
2. 19:6- “Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation”.
iii. Obeying these laws is going to be very difficult- there’s a lot of them.
VI.
Lesson Plan: The Conquest Era:
Scripture to Cover:
 Joshua 1:1-9- The Lord WILL DO IT
 Rahab- 2:1-21
 Crossing the Jordan River: 3:5- 17
o Demonstrating to this new Generation of Israelites that the Lord will be with
them and work mightily on their behalf just as He did for the generation of
the Exodus.
 Priests lead them people into water- Lead with Worship.
 Trust in Him and He will make a way where there is no way.
 Jericho:
o Their challenge: take the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. However, their first
obstacle was the city of Jericho (Joshua 6:1), an unconquerable, walled city.
Excavations there reveal that its fortifications featured a stone wall 11 feet high and
14 feet wide. At its top was a smooth stone slope, angling upward at 35 degrees for
35 feet, where it joined massive stone walls that towered even higher. It was virtually
impregnable.
o God’s unusual instruction is what conquers this fortified city.
 Lesson: When the people of God, by faith, follow the commands of
God, the walls of Jericho fall down.
 Connect back to Plague of Firstborn.
 Look at Romans 15:4- “Everything written in the past is
teaching us endurance/encouraging faith in God’s ways.”
o Hebrews 11:30- Walls fall by FAITH!
 Also, Rahab and her family are saved by FAITH accompanied by
action.




Heathen Prostitute exercises faith in God of Israel and is spared
judgment.
Conquest:
o The Canaanites hate Israelites, but they aren’t unified. Region is
characterized by individual kings.
 Joshua cuts through midsection toward Med Sea divides land in half
then goes about conquering South to North. Military campaign takes
7 years to complete.
Why such a harsh Judgment against the Canaanites?
o Deuteronomy 7:1-6
 Totally Destroy Them
 Don’t Intermarry with them
 Shun their gods.
o How could God instruct his people to carry out such a harsh judgment?
 Consider the sin of the Canaanites
 Moral Corruption- Leviticus 18
 Child Sacrifice- Deuteronomy. 12:29-31
o The conquest of the land of Canaan is “repeatedly
portrayed as God acting in judgment on a wicked and
degraded society and culture—as God would do again
and again in Old Testament history, including against
Israel itself.”
 God had given the Canaanites four hundred
years to change their ways, but their wickedness
finally reached the tipping point for God to judge.
 Genesis 15:16- “the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full
measure.” – God gave them 400 years to repent
 Is it merciful?
Dominion:
o Each of the 12 tribes is given land by lottery and responsible for finalizing
dominion.
 Cleanse the land of the Canaanites in order to:
 Bring God’s full judgment against wicked people who had 400
years to repent (Genesis 15:16).
 And because the Canaanites were a threat to Israel’s devotion
to God.
o Age of Accountability:
 Scripture
 2 Samuel 12: 21-23- David states of his dead child, “I shall go to
him, but he will not return to me.”
 Isaiah 7:15-16- “He will be eating curds and honey when he
knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, for
before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose
the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid
waste.”
The Judges Era:
1) Israel’s most spiritually bankrupt season in it’s history.
a. The had lost their spiritual direction and as is recorded in the final verse of
the Book of Judges, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
i. The result was a morally degraded, socially perverted, and spiritually
bankrupt time of almost four hundred years.
2) Judges: The leaders of Israel
a. These are political-military leaders of Israel who exercise nearly absolute
power because of their office and abilities.
i. 4 major Judges:
1. Deborah- a woman judge early in the Judges Era
2. Gideon- who defeats an army of thousands with only 300 men.
3. Samson- A Nazarite from birth who the Spirit of the Lord
rested upon during his vow and he performed incredible feats.
4. Samuel- A transitional character- the last judge and the first
prophet.
3) Rebellion: The breaking of God’s law
a. This book records the darkest period in Israel’s history, following one of their
brightest eras.
b. Before Moses dies, he instructs Israel to do 3 things: (Deut. 7:1-5)
i. Destroy all the inhabitants of Canaan.
ii. Avoid intermarriage with the Canaanites
iii. Shun worship of the Canaanite gods.
c. Israel fails on all 3 accounts.
4) Cycles of Sin:
a. Much of the Era of Judges involves a series of 7 cycles that are recorded in the
book of Judges.
i. 1) ISRAEL SINS 2) GOD DISCIPLINES THEM THROUGH MILITARY
“CONQUEST” 3) ISRAEL “REPENTS” AND CRIES OUT TO GOD FOR
DELIVERANCE 4) GOD RAISES UP A JUDGE WHO DELIVERS THEM
FROM BONDAGE 5) GOD FREES ISRAEL FOR THE REMAINDER OF
THAT JUDGE’S LIFE.
1. When that judge dies the cycles repeats itself.
5) Ruth- Model woman living during the judges era who radically trusts God and
experiences his blessing as a result.
Lesson Plan:
a. The Kings:
i. 1st King Saul
1. Read 1 Samuel 8:1-21: They reject God as their King
2. Read 1 Sam. 9:1-2: - The King after man’s own heart
II.
III.
IV.
3. Read 1 Sam. 13: 1-14: Saul disobeys God and the kingdom is
stripped from him.
David- The King after God’s own heart
a. Read 1 Samuel 16: 1-13
b. David is the youngest of 8 sons, believed to have been twelve to sixteen years
of age when he was anointed as king of Israel.
i. 1 Samuel 16:7- “Do not consider his appearance or his height…the
Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the
outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
c. What is it about David that makes him a man after God’s own heart?
i. He is open to the Lord- Acts 13:22
ii. He is a man of great faith, radical, humble trust- 1 Sam. 17:37
iii. Man of great love for God and His word- Psalm 119: 47-48
iv. He is thankful- Psalm 100:4
v. He is repentant- Psalm 51
vi. He trusts God despite great difficulties and opposition- Doesn’t kill
Saul when he has the chance, even though Saul is trying to kill him! 1
Samuel 24:5-7
Solomon- The last king of the United Monarchy
a. Solomon starts off great- He seeks the Lord with all his heart.
i. As a result, God gave him the opportunity to ask for whatever He
desired.
1. Solomon humbly acknowledged his inability to rule well and
unselfishly asked God for the wisdom he would need to rule
God’s people justly.
a. God gave him wisdom and wealth- 1 Kings 3: 4-15
b. The Kingdom reached its highest heights under his
reign- 1 Kings 10:23; The Kingdom was in peace 1 Kings
4:20
2. Built the Temple
b. Solomon spiritual drifts later in His life- He disobeys the Lord and takes on
700 wives and 300 concubines- 1 Kings 11:1-13
KINGDOM SPLITS
i. North- 19 Kings- all are wicked
ii. South- 20 Kings- Only 8 are righteous
b. Israel (10 Tribes) in the North goes into exile in Assyria 722 BC
c. Judah/Benjamin(2 Tribes) in the South goes into exile in Babylon in 586 BC
The Exile Era: (Ezekiel-Daniel)
V.
Exile Era
a. Exile is about the Israelites experiencing discipline for their sin and rebellion
against God.
i. Breakout and Discuss with your table partner:
1. What was the worst discipline you ever experienced?
2. Do you think the punishment fit the crime?
3. What was the result of the discipline? Did it produce something
good in your life later on?
4. Have class get back together and discuss.
ii. Passage to consider: Hebrews 12: 5-11
1. Discipline is an act of love, in order to correct, restore, and
mature.
2. This is what God is doing with Israel during the Exile Era.
b. The Lord encourages faithfulness among the Israelites as he raises up young
passionate God-followers among them who stand for God in radical ways in a
culture that opposes him.
i. Break off into 3 Groups:
1. Group 1- Read Daniel 1:1-21
2. Group 2- Read Daniel 3: 1-30
3. Group 3- Read Daniel 6: 1-28
ii. Questions to answer in your group after reading the story:
1. What law or instruction was the person violating?
2. Why do you think they were willing to disobey, what motivated
them to act this way?
3. What was the potential threat or consequence of their
disobedience?
4. How did God support them in this, and what was the outcome?
5. How might we apply their faithfulness to God in our own lives?
iii. After students are finished, have them come back to their seats and
discuss their findings as a class.
c. Visions- If you have time you can also show the following video clip and then
discuss the visions with the students with whatever time is left.
i. https://thebibleproject.com/explore/daniel/
Summary: Daniel and other provide leadership and encourage faithfulness among the
exiles for 70 years during Babylonian captivity.
Big Idea: Sin carries with it consequences. God is a loving and forgiving God, however,
our sin and rebellion against God will undoubtedly bring about bad fruit. Yet, through
discipline and consequences God works for our GOOD! Hebrews 12:5


-
Galatians 6:7b-8 “A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to
please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows
to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Because of Israel’s continual sin and rebellion throughout the
Kingdom era, God removes his hand of protection and the Israelites
are conquered.
o Northern Kingdom (Israel) is conquered by the Assyrians in
722BC and taken into exile.
o Southern Kindgom (Judah) is conquered by the Babylonians in
586 BC.
The Book of Daniel tells Judah’s story while exiled in Babylonia for 70 years.
I.
Chapters- 1, 3, 6- Stories of faithfulness in the face of extreme
persecution. The culture around them is pressuring God followers to
conform, yet, God demonstrates that He will stand mightily on behalf
of those who stand for Him.
II.
Chapters- 4, 5 demonstrate the fact that Human kingdoms have
become proud, arrogant and self-seeking. God calls the Kingdoms of
the earth to humble themselves before the supreme Kingdom of God.
a. One King- Nebuchadnezzar (Chapter 4) is brought low and
becomes a beast due to his pride, but he humbles himself before
God, and his kingdom is restored.
b. The Second King- Belshazzar (Chapter 5) refuses to humble
himself and as a result he is killed.
Chapters- 2, 7- Visions encourage patience among God’s people to
wait for God to bring HIS KINGDOM and rule over our world and
vindicate His suffering people.
III.
IV.
The Return Era (Ezra-Nehemiah)
a. Big Idea: This is as much a spiritual rebuilding of the people as it is a physical
rebuilding of the city.
b. 3 Leaders that shape and inform this Era:
i. Zerubbabel (Ezra 1-6)
1. He leads a large group back to rebuild the Temple under the
blessing and backing of King Cyrus of Persia.
a. Ezra 1:1- “the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of
Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm
and also to put it in writing… ‘The Lord, the God of
heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and
he has appointed me to build a temple for him at
Jerusalem in Judah.’”
b. Contrast this to King Nebuchadnezzar’s comments in
Daniel 4.
i. Cyrus acknowledges that his power comes from
God and he acts in humility in obedience.
ii. Nebuchadnezzar claims that his power and
might is his own and is humbled.
2. The rebuild begins with the Altar signifying that
rebuilding relationship with God comes first and is
paramount in the process of restoration.
ii. Ezra (Ezra 7-10)
1. Ezra leads a second wave of Jews returning to Jerusalem, this
time under the blessing and backing of King Artaxerxes king of
Persia to teach the Law of God to the Israelites living in the
land.
a. Ezra 7:6- “Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a
teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the
Lord, the God of Israel, had given…vs. 10- For Ezra had
devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law
of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in
Israel.”
2. The rebuilding continues with the teaching of the Law
signifying that the restoration of obedience to God follows after
relationship is restored.
iii. Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1-13)
1. Nehemiah leads a third wave of Jews returning to Jerusalem
under the blessing and backing of King Artaxerxes king of
Persia to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem.
a. Nehemiah 2:3 “why should my face not look sad when
the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and
its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
2. The final aspect of the restoration process is the rebuilding of
the city walls ensuring safety and protection for the people.
iv. The End Result
1. Even though Israel has been restored as a people and a Nationa. The outcome is still disappointing- The People are not
fulfilling the Covenant Vows:
i. The Temple is being neglected- Zerubbable’s
Work
ii. The Sabbath is not being honored- Ezra’s Work
iii. People are even violating the rebuilt wallssetting up shop on the walls and working on the
Sabbath- Nehemiah’s work.
1. Every facet of the Return is being undone
by the people who remain sinful, and
unable to uphold the covenant renewal.
2. The disappointing outcomes point to the need for a SPIRITUAL
CHANGE.
a. Core issue is the Hearti. Jeremiah 31
ii. Ezekiel 36
1. The people don’t just need the city,
temple and national identity back.
2. They need a new heart- what only the
Messiah can bring.
V.
Silence Era
a. This 400 Years of silence refers to the time between the Old Testament and
New Testament, during which God did not speak to the Jewish people.
i. The 400 years began with the warning that closed out the Old
Testament about 430 B.C:
1. Malachi 4:5-6- “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the
prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the
LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children
and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not
come and smite the land with a curse.”
ii. The 400 years ended with the coming of John the Baptist, the
Messiah’s forerunner
b. During this period of Silence Israel fell to several different empires which
controlled them. In the absence of God’s voice they became more and more
fixated on their own works and obedience to the Law, apart from
relationship with God.
i. Legalism: A strict obedience to the law in order to earn right
standing with God.
ii. In 333 B.C., Israel fell to the Greeks, and in 323 B.C. it fell to the
Egyptians.
1. The Jews generally were treated well throughout those reigns,
and they adopted the Greek language and many of the Greek
customs and manners, and in Egypt the Old Testament was
translated into Greek. That translation, the Septuagint, came
into widespread use (and is quoted frequently in the New
Testament).
iii. Jewish law and the priesthood remained more or less intact until
Antiochus the Great of Syria captured Israel in 204 B.C. He and his
successor, Antiochus Epiphanes, persecuted the Jews and sold the
priesthood, and in 171 B.C. Epiphanes desecrated the Holy of Holies.
1. This desecration resulted in an uprising by Judas Maccabeus of
the priestly line of Aaron, and in 165 B.C. the Jews recaptured
Jerusalem and cleansed the temple. However, fighting
continued between the Jews and the Syrians until the Romans
gained control of Israel in 63 B.C., at which time Pompey
walked into the Holy of Holies, once again shocking and
embittering the Jews. In 47 B.C., Caesar installed Antipater, a
descendant of Esau, as procurator of Judea, and Antipater
subsequently appointed his two sons as kings over Galilee and
Judea.
iv. As the New Testament opens, Antipater’s son, Herod the Great, a
descendant of Esau, was king, and the priesthood was politically
motivated and not of the line of Aaron.
v. Politics also resulted in the development of two major factions, the
Sadducees and the Pharisees.
1. The Sadducees favored the liberal attitudes and practices of
the Greeks. They held to only the Torah as regards religion but
like all aristocrats they did not think God should have any part
in governing the nation.
2. The Pharisees were conservative zealots who, with the help of
the scribes, developed religious law to the point where the
concerns and care of people were essentially meaningless.
vi. Between the time of Malachi and the coming of the Messiah, several
prophecies were fulfilled, including the 2,300 days of desecration
between 171 and 165 B.C. (Daniel 8:14). However, the people did not
put to good use either the fulfilled prophecies nor the 400 years the
nation was given to study Scripture, to seek God (Psalm 43-44), and to
prepare for the coming Messiah.
1. In fact, those years blinded and deafened the nation to the
point where most of the Jews could not even consider the
concept of a humble Messiah (Zechariah 9:9; Isaiah 6:10; John
12:40).
2. Almost two millennia have passed since the New Testament
canon was completed, and though the Word is full of grace and
truth, and though the birth, life, and death of Jesus fulfilled a
staggering array of prophecies, the Jews as a people have yet to
open their eyes and ears. But Jesus is coming again, and one
day a remnant will both see and hear.
Religion vs Gospel
A transcript of a short talk by Terran Williams
(For 800 boys at Bishops chapel.) 'Let me tell you what I didn’t like about Christianity. Basically
I saw it as another ladder, another religion. I know fantastic people of all faith persuasions, but
let’s face it – that’s what religions are. They are ladders to God. They can be summed up like
this: ‘I obey, then God accepts me’. You have to climb the ladder by obeying all the moral and
religious rules. I love Thailand. There – and in Nepal – I have met wonderful Buddhists. I have
asked them about their religion. It’s all about the Noble Eightfold way. Buddha started it. It’s a
lot of hard work – relinquishing your earthly desires, endless rituals, spinning prayer wheels –
but at the end of it, there’s Nirvana (that’s my middle name by the way.) You obey, then you’re
accepted. A ladder. I love Indonesia. Other than being surf-heaven, it’s the most populous
Muslim nation in the world. There I have asked people about their religion. (Mind you I have
met quite a few Muslims here in Cape Town.) It’s all about the five pillars of Islam. It’s a ladder.
I obey – I say my prayers, I fast, I take the pilgrimage – then I am accepted. I love India. Been
there twice. The Hindu nation of the world. So many varieties of Hinduism, but at the heart of it,
it’s a ladder. There’s the law of karma constantly rewarding good deeds, constantly repaying bad
deeds. Visiting the temples, bringing offering to the gods. Obey, then you’re accepted. I’ve never
been to Israel. But I grew up in Sea Point, the Jewish capital of the Cape. So many wonderful
Jewish friends. My orthodox Jewish friends live by the Torah, the law, with the Ten
Commandments as its center. It’s a ladder. I obey, then I am accepted. I grew up sort of
connected to one version of Christianity. I don’t remember what they actually said, but I will tell
you what I heard – ‘Obey God. Come to church, read the Bible, pray, don’t be bad. Then you
will be accepted.’ That was my problem with Christianity. Another ladder. What’s so bad about a
ladder? Well, it tends to either puff you up or break you down. Some people are really good
ladder climbers. They seem to be good at sticking to the rules. But you know what I notice in
these people. They are confident (because they’re at the top of the ladder) but not that humble
(because they got there through their own sweat). And these people have a way of being – I don’t
know how else to say this – proud, better than the rest of us. They’re confident but not humble –
puffed up. On the other hand, some people like me are really bad ladder climbers. We’re no good
at sticking at the rules. I don’t know about you, but by the time I was a teenager I could have
filled a book with shameful things I’d done and said and thought – most of which I felt no shame
for. I met many of these people in these religions who were poor ladder climbers. Falling short of
their standards, and of God’s acceptance, they were broken by their religion. Humble but not
confident. (Eastern faiths for example often suggest it will take many lifetimes to achieve
moksha/salvation.) That’s my problem with ladders, with religions. Some people in that religion
end up being confident, but not humble. Others end up humble, but not confident. I can think of
better things to do with my time, with my life. I would have walked past Jesus. But when I was
16, after tragically losing my father, I made the discovery of my life. I heard a verse that said, ‘It
is by God’s grace that you are accepted, not because of any of your good works – so you can’t
boast about your relationship with God’ (Ephesians 2:8-9). That didn’t sound like a ladder. It
sounded too good to be true. But it was true. I found that at the heart of Christianity is a cross,
not a ladder. Unlike all the great religions of the world, Jesus is the only one who openly
confronted the ladder-approach to God, and replaced it with something totally different.
Something that cost him, not us, everything. The cross. You see, Jesus says, ‘God accepts you.
Now you want to obey.’ See, he flips it on its head. None of us are good enough, says Jesus.
We’re flawed and selfish in the deepest ways. So he does something amazing: he descends the
ladder and dies for us on the cross. God takes your and my shameful ways and puts it on Jesus on
the cross, and punishes it there. And he takes Christ’s acceptance and puts it on all those who
trust in him. The cross is God’s way of accepting people like me who have lived unacceptably.
God loves me so much that he’d rather die than live without me! (Which is what he did). As a
teenager I understood it for the first time. I kicked away the ladder. I got on my knees at the foot
of the cross. And there and then, God’s grace fell upon my life. Waves of mercy broke over my
undeserving soul. You know what started to happen next? Two things. I became much humbler. I
realized I was just as messed up as everybody else, probably more messed up than most. I didn’t
need to hide that anymore. I can never look down on others! But I also became more confident.
Jesus had done for me what I could never do for myself. Now I can live every day of my life
accepted by God. Not because of my good deeds, and despite the bad things I sometimes do, all
because of the goodness and the sacrifice of Christ! I can’t explain what a source of humility and
confidence, awe and joy this has been to me over the years. It melts my heart every time I think
about. It makes me want to live for God. More than that, it empowers me to live for God. Not to
earn his acceptance, but because I already have it! All because Jesus descended the ladder, broke
it and turned it into a cross. Now sinners like me can meet God, not at the top of a ladder but at
the foot of a cross.'