Chapter 5:
The Old Testament:
God Reveals Himself to His People
FAITH AND REVELATION
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
BASIC QUESTIONS
 Is creation good, evil, or both?
 What does it mean to say man is made in the image of God?
KEY IDEAS
 God’s creation is good.
 God made man in the image of God, which means to be a person in a
family relationship with God and our fellow human beings.
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
Anticipatory Set
 Free-write for five minutes on what truths about the universe can be
drawn from the first creation account (Gn 1:1―2:3).
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
What does “inspiration” mean?
God inspired the Sacred Authors to write down the things he wanted and
nothing more by an interior, silent prompting in which the writer wrote in his
own style of expression without necessarily sensing any divine action.
Why is the Bible free from error?
It is free from error because God himself is its author.
What is the Church’s role in the inerrancy of Scripture?
The Church’s role has been to teach which of the ancient writings are the
inspired ones and to preserve and interpret them for us.
How can the Bible be read both as individual books and as a whole?
Each individual story in the Bible contains its own truths and reveals something
about the nature of God. When read in its entirety, the Bible emerges as a
complete vision of salvation history.
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
Guided Exercise
Complete a Think/Pair/Write/Share on the following question:
 Why is, “God spoke all creation into being,” a profound statement, especially when
understood in light of the New Testament?
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
CREATION IS GOOD
How does the Book of Genesis belie the erroneous belief that
matter is evil and only that which is spiritual is good?
God saw each stage of his creation as good and the totality of it as very
good.
What is the origin of the temptation to believe matter is evil?
It comes from human experience, living in a fallen world with its pain,
suffering, and moral evil. The evils in the world can blind people to the
inherent goodness of God’s creation.
What is the origin of evil in the world?
The sin committed by our first parents—Original Sin—allowed evil to
enter into God’s good creation.
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
IN THE IMAGE OF GOD
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to complete the following table about the meaning
of human beings having been created in the image of God.
Main Point
God is our Father.
We are like God.
Our human life is
sacred.
Our work has special
value.
The Creation of Man in the Image of God
Brief Explanation
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
Main Point
God is our Father.
We are like God.
Our human life is
sacred.
Our work has
special value.
The Creation of Man in the Image of God
Brief Explanation
In Genesis, “image and likeness” describes a father/son
relationship.
Human beings have intelligence, free will, and the capacity to
love. Familial love is analogous to the love and life of the
Blessed Trinity.
Being made in the image of God makes human beings sacred.
They have intrinsic value regardless of what they accomplish
or possess.
Human beings work in imitation of God our Father. Human
dignity does not come from what someone does; rather,
work has dignity as a cooperation with God’s work and a
sacrifice to be offered to him.
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
Guided Exercise
Complete a Think/Pair/Share on the following question:
 What was the new dimension of “image of God” that the early Christians began to
discover?
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
DISCOVERING THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD
What is reasoning by analogy?
It is the tool of philosophy and theology by which something is understood
because of its likeness to another.
What can we learn by analogy from the idea of “image of God”?
Scripture teaches that human beings are made in the image and likeness of
God; from this something can be known about God’s nature.
According to reason, what is a perfect father?
Human fathers are responsible for their families, are to give everything to
their children, and should be willing to die for them if necessary.
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
What does perfect human fatherhood tell us about the Fatherhood of
God?
The perfect quality of fatherhood by analogy is life-giving love.
What does Divine Revelation teach us about God’s inner nature as a
Trinity of Persons?
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are the perfect
“family.”
How does the Book of Genesis reveal that human beings were created
to live as a family?
God created man male and female and said, “Be fruitful and multiply”
(Gn 1:28). Thus, human beings bear the image of God not only as individuals
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
THE COVENANT IN SALVATION HISTORY
What is the five-stage pattern of the Old Covenant?
Each covenant was made with a larger group of people, from a
marriage—through a household, a tribe, and a nation—to a kingdom.
Why did the Son of God become the Son of Man?
Human beings can become adopted children of God.
What does it mean to be a child of God?
It means sharing in the very life of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit.
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
Closure
Write a paragraph exploring what it means to be made in the image of
God.
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
Homework Assignment
Reading
 THE FALL through EVIL.
Study Questions
 Questions 1–3.
 Practical Exercise 1.
Workbook
 Questions 1–11.
1. God’s Covenant with Adam
Alternative Assessment
Free write for five minutes on something you did not understand in this
lesson.
2. Adam Breaks the Covenant
BASIC QUESTIONS
 How did Adam and Eve fall from grace?
 What is the Protoevangelium?
 What is Original Sin?
KEY IDEAS
 Adam and Eve were seduced by the “serpent” and brought spiritual
death to themselves and their descendants; this is called Original Sin.
 The curse Adam and Eve incurred is a manifestation of God’s love,
which included the promise of salvation; the Protoevangelium, or “First
Gospel,” is God’s promise of a redeemer.
 Original Sin is the choice of Adam and Eve to disobey God, which
wound in human nature is transmitted to their offspring.
2. Adam Breaks the Covenant
Anticipatory Set
 Work with a partner to write and answer three Focus Questions on the
story of the Fall.
2. Adam Breaks the Covenant
THE FALL
Who is the serpent, according to the New Testament?
It is the Devil, or Satan, the deceiver who works against God’s plans for
his people.
What kind of death did Adam and Eve experience immediately
after they had disobeyed God’s command?
They lost supernatural life, the life of grace in their souls.
According to the Catechism, no. 403, why does the Church baptize
even infants who have committed no actual sins?
Adam has transmitted Original Sin through human conception.
2. Adam Breaks the Covenant
Guided Exercise
Complete a Think/Pair/Share on the following question:
 Why does the Church see God’s words to the serpent as the “First Gospel,” or
Protoevangelium?
2. Adam Breaks the Covenant
THE CURSE
What does the Old Testament mean by “the wrath of God?”
It refers to God’s punishment for sin, which is intended to lead his people
to repentance and back to his friendship.
How is suffering not necessarily an evil?
Suffering can be a needed remedy for sin, a cure for illness.
2. Adam Breaks the Covenant
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to complete the following table on the consequences
of Original Sin.
2. Adam Breaks the Covenant
The Consequences of Adam and Eve’s Disobedience
On childbearing
Childbirth will be painful.
On family life
Relationships will be marred by sin.
On work
Work will be toilsome.
On physical life
Life will end in death.
2. Adam Breaks the Covenant
EVIL
Why did Cain kill Abel?
He killed out of envy.
What does the sin of Cain demonstrate?
Actions and desires can become disordered by sin.
In general, what was the moral condition of the world not long after
Cain had killed Abel?
The world became dominated by unjust, violent people. “The Lord 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” (Gn 6:5).
2. Adam Breaks the Covenant
Guided Exercise
Mini-lecture on the effects of Original Sin.
 Transmitted as part of human nature.
 A wound, not a moral guilt.
 Intellect, will, passions, and concupiscence.
 Suffering and death.
 Privation from grace.
 Baptism washes away the guilt.
 Two principal errors.
2. Adam Breaks the Covenant
Closure
Write a paragraph on the effects of Original Sin.
2. Adam Breaks the Covenant
Homework Assignment
Reading
 A NEW BEGINNING through THE TWELVE TRIBES OF
ISRAEL.
Study Questions
 Practical Exercise 2.
Workbook
 Questions 12–22.
2. Adam Breaks the Covenant
Alternative Assessment
Work with a partner to read and prepare a bullet-point summary of Pope
Bl. John Paul II’s analysis of the sin of Cain and God’s response to it.
See the supplemental reading from Evangelium Vitae at the end of this
chapter.
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
BASIC QUESTIONS
 What is the significance of the Flood and God’s covenant with Noah?
 What kind of covenant did God make with Abraham?
 How is Isaac a type of Christ?
 How is Joseph a type of Christ?
KEY IDEAS
 Because of the wicked violence of the human race, God sent a Flood to destroy
life on earth. God saved the only righteous man, Noah (and his family), and
created a new covenant with humanity, the sign of which is the rainbow. The
Flood is a type of the Sacrament of Baptism and the Ark a type of the Church.
 God made a covenant with Abraham, promising him countless descendants, the
land of Canaan as a dwelling place, a line of kings, and a worldwide blessing.
 Abraham was obedient to the point he offered his son, Isaac, a type of Christ, in
sacrifice.
 Joseph, who saved his tribe through his innocent suffering, is a type of Christ.
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
Anticipatory Set
Point out examples of Abram’s imperfect values (Gn 11:27—13:18).
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
PART II: The Covenant with Noah
A NEW BEGINNING
Why did God decide to start the human race again?
He was disheartened by their evil.
What did God promise in his covenant with Noah?
He promised never to destroy the world again by flood and gave Noah and his
family dominion over it.
What was the sign of the covenant with Noah?
It was the rainbow.
Why did the re-creation of the human race not put and end to sin?
Noah was righteous, but he and his sons still suffered from the effects of Adam’s
sin.
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
Guided Exercise
Perform a paragraph shrink on the paragraph beginning, “Christians see
the Flood.”
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
THE TOWER OF BABEL
Why did God confuse the language of Babel?
The descendants of Noah began to see themselves as gods, and, rather
than destroy them, God confused their language.
What are one good and one evil of the division of mankind?
The state of the division of fallen humanity limits its pride, which is
good. An evil is that people are constantly inclined to paganism.
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
PART III: The Covenant with Abraham
GOD REVEALS HIMSELF TO ABRAHAM
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to complete the following table on the promises that
God made to Abram.
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
Why was it difficult for Abram to believe God’s promise?
Abram and his wife were old.
How could Abram’s situation be seen as the greatest curse and
God’s promise as the greatest blessing?
A multitude of descendants was a great blessing in Abram’s time. Abram
and Sarai’s lack of children would have seemed like a great personal curse.
How did God make his promise to Abram?
He made it in the context of the most serious oath of the time, sealed
with animal sacrifice. Although Abram prepared the animals, God made
the sacrifice himself by having the fire pot and flaming torch pass
between the halves of the animals.
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
What did Sarai suggest Abram do to provide himself with an heir?
She urged him to have an heir through her servant Hagar; according to
custom, Sarai could claim this child as her own.
What made God’s next reminder of his promise seem even more
impossible?
It came thirteen years later when Abraham was ninety-nine years old.
What was the external sign of the covenant God made with
Abraham?
It was a circumcision.
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
What was the new name God gave Sarai?
He named her Sarah, which means “princess” or “queen,” because she
would be the mother of nations.
What was the significance of the name Isaac?
Isaac means “he laughs.” Abraham and Sarah both laughed when God
promised Sarah would be the mother of a baby at age ninety.
What sacrifice did God ask of Abraham?
He was to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering.
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
Why was Isaac’s a particularly difficult sacrifice for Abraham?
Abraham had waited for many, many years for God’s promise to be
fulfilled in Isaac, and now it looked like God was taking the promise away.
Why is it likely Isaac was a willing participant in his own sacrifice?
Human sacrifice to pagan gods was common, so thirteen-year-old Isaac
would have understood what was going on. Isaac was young and strong,
and his father was old. Isaac could have overcome his father to save his
own life; instead, he carried the wood for his own sacrifice.
How did God prove himself different from the pagan gods of the
surrounding peoples?
The God of Israel would not demand human sacrifice.
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
Guided Exercise
Write a paragraph explaining how the sacrifice of Isaac is a type of the
Sacrifice of Christ.
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL
What is the origin of the Twelve Tribes of Israel?
Isaac’s son Jacob had twelve sons. Each of them was the father of a tribe.
What did Jacob’s sons do to their father’s favorite son, Joseph?
They sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt and told Jacob he was dead.
How did God bring good out of the evil of the brothers of Joseph?
Joseph became chief minister to Pharaoh and was able to save his family
when famine struck.
How is Joseph a type of Christ?
Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers, but God arranged, through this
treachery, that Joseph would be their savior. Christ was also betrayed by his
brothers—ultimately by all of us—and God arranged, through this treachery,
the salvation of the world would be accomplished.
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
Closure
Summarize the covenants with Noah and Abraham under the categories
of household and tribe.
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
Homework Assignment
Reading
 PART IV: THE COVENANT WITH MOSES through GOD
REVEALS HIS LAW.
Study Questions
 Questions 4–11.
 Practical Exercise 3.
Workbook
 Questions 23–30.
3. The Covenants with Noah and
Abraham
Alternative Assessment
Work with a partner to identify what the Sacred Author revealed about
the faith of Noah, Abraham, and Joseph in the Epistle to the Hebrews
(cf. Supplementary Reading 5 at the end of the chapter).
4. The Mosaic Covenant
BASIC QUESTIONS
How did God deliver Israel from Egyptian oppression?
What is the Mosaic Covenant?
KEY IDEAS
God revealed himself to Moses and called him to deliver the Israelites
from their slavery in Egypt. God freed the Jews through the Passover and
Exodus.
Through Moses, God established a covenant with the Jews to be a
nation of priests and gave them the Law.
4. The Mosaic Covenant
Anticipatory Set
Exodus 1:1―2:10 on the oppression of the Jews and Moses’ early years.
4. The Mosaic Covenant
THE BIRTH AND RESCUE OF MOSES
How did the Israelites’ fortunes reverse a few generations after Joseph?
A Pharaoh who was suspicious of these foreigners seized their lands,
enslaved them, and ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill every male Hebrew
child at birth.
How did Moses escape death as a newborn?
His mother placed him in a reed basket and set it into the River Nile. He was
found by Pharaoh’s daughter and raised as a prince of Egypt, while his real
mother secretly passed on the faith and traditions of Israel to him.
Why did Moses become a fugitive?
He killed an Egyptian taskmaster who was abusing a Hebrew slave.
4. The Mosaic Covenant
GOD REVEALS HIS NAME TO MOSES
How did God appear to Moses?
He spoke through a bush that burned but was not consumed.
What was Moses’ reaction to hearing God’s voice?
He was “afraid to look at God.”
What did God reveal to Moses about his intentions?
He will bring Israel back to the land that he had promised their father Abraham.
What name did God reveal to Moses?
“I AM WHO AM.” Extension: This word is sometimes written Jehovah or Yahweh.
The Jews referred to it as the Tetragrammaton, or “four letters” (JHVH or YHVH),
as written Hebrew did not use vowels. Out of respect, Jews did not utter the name of
God, hence their use of words such as “Lord” or “the Name” in its stead.
4. The Mosaic Covenant
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to complete the following table using the Catechism, no. 203.
4. The Mosaic Covenant
4. The Mosaic Covenant
THE PASSOVER
What did it mean for God to have called Israel his firstborn son?
Israel is God’s Chosen People.
What demand did Moses make of Pharaoh?
The people of Israel must be allowed to undertake a three days’ journey
into the desert to offer sacrifice to the Lord.
What threat accompanied the demand?
God said, “If you refuse to let [Israel] go, behold, I will slay your firstborn son” (Ex 4:23).
4. The Mosaic Covenant
How did Pharaoh respond?
As punishment for Moses’ request, he made the Israelites work even harder.
How many plagues did God tell Moses he would release?
He would release ten plagues on Egypt, culminating with the promise to kill every firstborn son
in Egypt. In other words, he would do to Pharaoh what Pharaoh was doing to God, since Israel
was God’s firstborn son.
How was Israel spared the final plague?
According to God’s instructions, the Jews sacrificed an unblemished yearling male lamb, spread
its blood over their doorposts, and then consumed the meat as part of a sacred meal.
How is the Passover a type of the Blood of Christ?
The blood of the Passover lamb, sprinkled on the doorposts to save the firstborn sons of Israel
from immediate death, was a type of the Blood of Christ, which was shed to save God’s people
from eternal death.
4. The Mosaic Covenant
ESCAPE FROM EGYPT
How did Israel defeat Egypt without raising a sword?
Moses parted the Red Sea and Israel passed through dry-shod. The
pursuing army drowned when Moses made the waters flow back.
How was the passing through the Red Sea a type of the Sacrament
of Baptism?
By having them pass through the waters of the Red Sea, God saved the
people of Israel from certain death. Through the waters of Baptism, God
saves his children from eternal death.
4. The Mosaic Covenant
GOD REVEALS HIS LAW
How is the manna in the desert a type of the Eucharist?
God nourished the Israelites with daily bread from Heaven. Christ identified
himself as the true Bread from Heaven (cf. Jn 6), who is offered daily in the Mass
as nourishment for the faithful.
What did God promise Israel when Moses reached Mt. Sinai?
He promised they would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. God would
talk directly to Israel, and Israel would bring God’s Word to the nations.
How did Israel react to hearing God’s voice?
It terrified the Israelites, who implored Moses to mediate between them and
God.
4. The Mosaic Covenant
How did Israel respond to the Mosaic Covenant?
They agreed to obey God’s Commandments.
Why did Moses sprinkle them with blood?
This symbolized the unification of the Israelites and God in the same
covenant sacrifice.
4. The Mosaic Covenant
Guided Exercise
Read Exodus 17:1–7, and then write about how the rock at Massah and
Meribah is a type of Christ.
4. The Mosaic Covenant
Closure
Write a paragraph summarizing God’s Revelation of himself to Moses
and what he wanted from Israel.
4. The Mosaic Covenant
Homework Assignment
Reading
 DIVINE WORSHIP REVEALED through THE CONQUEST OF
CANAAN.
Study Questions
 Questions 12–13.
 Practical Exercise 4.
Workbook
 Questions 31–40.
4. The Mosaic Covenant
Alternative Assessment
Work with a partner to complete the part of Practical Exercise 4 that
deals with the structure of the Decalogue.
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
BASIC QUESTIONS
 What happened to Israel in the desert?
 What was Israel’s experience in the Promised Land?
KEY IDEAS
 In the desert Israel fell into idolatry, so God (through Moses) gave her
Deuteronomy, a “second law,” which took into account the people’s
hardness of heart.
 After forty years in the desert, a new generation was permitted to enter
the Promised Land. Israel faced continuous problems because, tempted
by Canaan’s sophisticated pagan civilization, Israel never drove the
Canaanites out of the land.
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
Anticipatory Set
 Write for two minutes on something that surprised you about the story
of the golden calf (Ex 32:1–35).
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
DIVINE WORSHIP REVEALED
What was the Tabernacle?
It was a traveling temple, the design of which God revealed to Moses.
What was the Ark of the Covenant?
It was an ornate box that contained the tablets upon which God had
inscribed his Ten Commandments. The Ark was God’s throne on earth.
He dwelt with his people in the Ark, which was eventually housed in the
Temple in Jerusalem.
What were the Israelites doing while God was giving the Law to
Moses?
They were worshiping the golden calf Aaron had made for them out of
their own gold.
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
What did Moses do to the tablets of the Law when he saw the
people’s idolatry?
He smashed them out of anger.
How did Moses end the idolatry of the golden calf ?
He summoned the men of the Tribe of Levi, who had not partaken in the
idolatry, to kill the men of the other tribes who had, killing some 3000 of
them.
What was the result of the Levites loyalty?
The priesthood, which had been promised to all Israel, was restricted to
the Levites (cf. Ex 32:29).
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to write and answer three Focus Questions on the
section “After the Fall.”
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
IN THE WILDERNESS
What was the punishment for the Israelites’ idolatry?
The generation of Israelites who had escaped Egypt were not allowed to enter the
Promised Land but would wander in the desert.
Why was a second law (i.e., Deuteronomy), given?
The second law made concessions to the people’s hardness of heart.
What core teaching of Judaism and Christianity does Deuteronomy contain?
It teaches monotheism: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
might” (Dt 6:4).
What is an example of a law of Deuteronomy that Christ set aside?
Deuteronomy allowed a man to divorce his wife; Christ taught: “For your hardness of
heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning [the creation]
it was not so” (Mt 19:8); thus, he prohibited divorce.
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
Guided Exercise
Perform a Paragraph Shrink on the paragraph beginning, “After forty
years in the desert.”
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
THE TABERNACLE: HEAVEN ON EARTH
How was the presence of God evident in the Tabernacle?
The presence of God was evident in the cloud and the pillar of fire. A
“cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the
tabernacle.… Throughout all their journeys the cloud of the Lord was
upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all
the house of Israel” (Ex 40:34–38).
How is the language of the cloud of the Lord “overshadowing” the
tabernacle significant in light of the New Testament?
In St. Luke’s Gospel, the same word is used to describe how Christ was
made incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary: “The power of
the Most High will overshadow you” (Lk 1:35).
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
THE NATION OF ISRAEL
What did Israel do for forty years in the desert?
They were sustained by God as they wandered the desert, and they were
forbidden to enter the Promised Land.
To whom did Moses hand over the leadership of Israel?
He handed it to Joshua, who soon led the Israelites to conquer the
Promised Land.
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
Guided Exercise
Do a Focused Reading of the paragraph beginning, “The nation to be
formed,” using the following question:
 What is the significance of the nation of Israel in light of future events?
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN
What determined Israel’s success against Canaan?
As long as the Israelites remained faithful to the Mosaic Covenant, God fought
on behalf of Israel, leading them to victories against stronger and more
numerous enemies. Unfortunately, the Israelites often lapsed into faithless,
immoral habits.
Who were the judges?
They were soldier-prophets sent by God who rescued the people of Israel from
their enemies and their own wicked practices.
What does it mean for the Sacred Author of the Book of Judges to say,
“Every man did what was right in his own eyes”?
The Israelites practiced evil, no longer heeding the Mosaic Law.
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
Closure
Write a paragraph summarizing the nation of Israel’s experience in the
desert and in Canaan.
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
Homework Assignment
Reading
 THE COVENANT WITH DAVID through IMPERIAL ISRAEL.
Study Questions
 Questions 14–17.
 Practical Exercise 5.
Workbook
 Questions 41–52.
5. The Mosaic Covenant (Cont.)
Alternative Assessment
Work with a partner to read the paragraph beginning, “The Israelite
conquest of Canaan illustrates.”
Give an example of how we are living under the same conditions today: a
human society as God envisions it versus a human society that is built as
man envisions himself.
6. The Covenant with David
BASIC QUESTIONS
 Why did God give Israel a king?
 What are the primary features of the Davidic Covenant?
 What are the secondary features of the Davidic Covenant?
KEY IDEAS
 At Israel’s insistence, God gave the nation an anointed king, first Saul
and then David, in whom God gave a new covenant.
 The primary features of the Davidic Covenant are the establishment of
a dynasty that will never end; a kingdom; a Temple; and a divine
sonship in the person of the king, who will never be disowned by God.
 The secondary features of the Davidic Covenant are the offices of the
queen mother and the prime minister.
6. The Covenant with David
Anticipatory Set
At the time of the invasion of Canaan, Israel was just a huge family, made
up of twelve tribes, all descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God was their king, and through Moses he had given them the law by
which they were to live. Unlike most nations, they had no earthly king.
 Brainstorm inherent advantages and disadvantages of this arrangement.
6. The Covenant with David
SAMUEL THE KING-MAKER
Who was the last judge in Israel?
Samuel was the last.
What mistake did Samuel make, and why was it wrong?
Samuel established in his sons a line of succession. This was wrong both
because Samuel’s sons were unjust men and because Israel’s ruler was
supposed to be God.
Why did Israel want a king?
If they had a king like every other nation, they thought that he might
unite them and solve all their problems.
6. The Covenant with David
Why is Saul a messiah?
Samuel anointed Saul by pouring oil over his head. Originally reserved for
priests, this anointing meant Saul was consecrated to God. Extension:
The word anointed is mashiach (messiah) in Hebrew and christos (christ) in
Greek.
Why was Saul rejected by God?
Saul began to use the throne to serve his own ends.
6. The Covenant with David
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to read 1 Samuel 8 and complete the following table
to illustrate the points Samuel made in his discourse about a king:
6. The Covenant with David
6. The Covenant with David
DAVID: A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART
What do the two Books of Samuel recount?
They recount the historical story of David’s reign: his rise in battle against Saul,
his expansion of the kingdom, the rebellions and civil wars he faced, and his sins.
What do the two Books of Chronicles recount?
They recount the religious history of the reign of David and his revitalizing and
promoting of the public worship of God.
Why was David’s centralization of the Kingdom of Israel around
Jerusalem as its capital politically and religiously significant?
Jerusalem was an unconquered city that did not belong to any of the twelve
tribes. It was geographically centered between the large landholdings of the tribe
of Judah in the south and the smaller holdings of the other tribes of Israel in the
north. Thus, it did not isolate Jerusalem within the land of Israel or favor any of
the tribes.
6. The Covenant with David
BRINGING THE ARK TO JERUSALEM
Why did David want to bring the Ark to Jerusalem?
David wanted to establish the city as the religious center of Israel, a nation whose
heart was God himself.
What mistake did David make when transporting the Ark to Jerusalem?
He had not followed the Law, which provided for the proper transport of the
Ark. The Law required the Ark be borne on the shoulders of Levite priests, and
no one was permitted to touch the Ark itself.
How did David bring the Ark to Jerusalem on his second attempt?
David made everyone prepare, held a magnificent procession, dressed himself as
a priest, danced for joy during the procession, and then offered the sacrifices
himself.
6. The Covenant with David
Guided Exercise
Complete a Think/Pair/Share on the following question:
 How is the Ark of the Covenant a type of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother
of Christ?
6. The Covenant with David
THE COVENANT WITH DAVID
Why could Israel enter a golden age at the time of King David?
Israel had a land and a holy king who understood that Israel was both a
nation and a holy people.
What is new about the covenant that God made with David?
This was the first time the idea of divine sonship had been applied to an
individual. Before this time, the whole people of Israel had been God’s
firstborn son, but no single person had ever been called “son of God.”
6. The Covenant with David
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to complete the following table to help understand
God’s lavish promises to David and his son (cf. 2 Sm 7:11–16).
6. The Covenant with David
6. The Covenant with David
BEYOND SINAI TO ZION
How did the Davidic Covenant shift the geographical heart of
Israel?
The geographical center shifted from Mt. Sinai, whereupon the Law had
separated Israel from the other nations, to Mt. Zion, whereupon the
Israelites were to be a nation of priests to lead all nations to God.
Where did the Last Supper take place?
It was celebrated in the Upper Room, located on Mt. Zion.
What does it mean to say that the Davidic Covenant constitutes a
new law based on Wisdom?
The Law of Moses was not abandoned, but human wisdom and its role in
interpreting that Law achieved a new predominance. The wisdom
literature is the scriptural patrimony of the Davidic Covenant.
6. The Covenant with David
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to complete the following table on how the Sinai and
Zion Covenants find their fulfillment in the Catholic Church.
6. The Covenant with David
The Sinai and Zion Covenants and the Catholic Church
The Sinai covenant
The Zion covenant
The Catholic Church
Tent: The center of worship is a
temporary shelter that can be
moved with nomadic tribes.
National: The covenant is with
Israel only.
Temple: The center of worship
is a permanent structure that
draws all people to Jerusalem.
International: The covenant
reaches to all nations through
Israel.
Exclusive: It is designed to keep
the nations out.
Inclusive: It is designed to
invite the nations in.
Torah: The law is designed to
keep the Israelites separate from
the nations
Sin offering: The most
important religious ceremony is
an offering to atone for sins
Wisdom literature: A new Law
designed to speak to all
mankind.
Eucharist: The most important
religious ceremony is the thank
offering (eucharistia) in
thanksgiving for God’s
deliverance.
Rome is the See of Peter. God is
present in the soul of each
person who is in a state of grace.
International: The Church is a
truly international institution
made up of people of every
nation and race.
Inclusive: Every human person
can become a member.
Wisdom literature: The
Epistles of the New Testament is
its wisdom literature.
Eucharist: The thanksgiving
offering becomes the Body and
Blood of Christ, by which men
receive eternal life.
6. The Covenant with David
DAVID’S KINGDOM: ROYAL COURT AND PRACTICE
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to complete the following table on some parallel
elements between the secondary features of the Davidic Covenant and
Christ’s New Covenant.
6. The Covenant with David
6. The Covenant with David
IMPERIAL ISRAEL
What one thing did Solomon ask of God?
He asked for wisdom to govern the people of God.
What is an example of Israel’s high reputation under Solomon?
The marriage of Solomon to the daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt was
otherwise unheard of in that era.
How many wives did Solomon have?
The Second Book of Kings records he had 700 wives and 300 concubines,
numbers that convey a symbolic perfection and show Solomon intermarried with
all nations, stretching the influence of his dominion to the ends of the earth.
What was Solomon’s penalty for polygamy?
Solomon’s foreign wives led him away from God into idolatry.
6. The Covenant with David
Closure
Write a paragraph explaining the nine features of the Davidic Covenant.
6. The Covenant with David
Homework Assignment
Reading
 THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON through THE ASSYRIAN
THREAT AND THE END OF ISRAEL.
Study Questions
 Questions 18–33.
 Practical Exercise 6.
Workbook
 Questions 53–70.
6. The Covenant with David
Alternative Assessment
Read Psalm 89:19–37, and then explain how it was fulfilled in the Davidic
Covenant.
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
BASIC QUESTIONS
 When did David’s kingdom reach its zenith?
 How did the nation of Israel fare after Solomon?
 What is the Assyrian captivity?
KEY IDEAS
 David’s kingdom reached its international zenith under Solomon, who
built the Temple and gave Israel the wisdom literature, its new Law,
both intended for all peoples.
 Solomon fell into apostasy through accommodating his pagan wives.
After Solomon, Israel split into two kingdoms, Judah and Israel, which
each had good and bad kings.
 The Assyrians carried the Northern Kingdom of Israel into exile.
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
Anticipatory Set
Read 1 Kings 3:16–28.
 How does this story illustrates Solomon’s wisdom?
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON
How did Israel shift from a people set apart to an international
kingdom?
Solomon contracted many marriages of alliance with other nations, and
the reputation of his wisdom brought praise from the great nations of the
earth.
How great a nation did Israel become?
Israel never became more than a small, regional empire.
How did the religion of the one, true God spread throughout the
world through Israel?
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
WISDOM LITERATURE
What new genre of literature did the Davidic Kingdom introduce
into Scripture?
It introduced wisdom literature.
To whom is much of the wisdom literature attributed?
It is attributed to Solomon.
What are the books of Wisdom and Proverbs?
They are collections of wise sayings, stories, and parables taken both from
Israelite sources and from other peoples.
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
What the distinction of the thirty-first chapter of the Book of
Proverbs?
It is the only chapter in the Bible identified as having its source material
come from a woman.
Why is it appropriate the wisdom literature should draw on the
sayings of other cultures?
All wisdom comes from God, no matter where it is found. God’s truth is
written on the hearts of all people, no matter where they are born, and
wisdom is acceptable to all who choose to seek it.
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
SOLOMON BUILDS THE TEMPLE
What did the Temple represent for Israel?
It was the architectural sign of Israel’s covenant with God and the place
where God’s glory dwelt among them in the Ark.
Who built the Temple?
Gentile master artists and craftsmen from Tyre built it.
Why did Solomon ask God to hear and grant whatever for which a
Gentile visitor to the Temple prays?
If visitors have their prayers answered, they will want to know God’s
name and to fear him. Extension: Knowing God’s name implies knowing the
nature of the God of Israel, that he is the only God and he is existence
itself. Fear is what a good son feels toward offending his father and is
itself “the beginning of wisdom” (Ps 111:10).
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
What does it mean to call the Temple “a house of prayer for all
peoples”?
People from all over the world will come to the Temple to pray to the one
true God.
How did King Solomon act as a universal priest according to the
Catechism,
no. 2580?
He prayed for the entire People of God, present and future, to forgive
their sins and provide for their daily needs.
What are other ancient traditions about the site chosen for the
Temple?
The Temple was situated on top of the gate of Sheol (the abode of the
dead; in Greek, Hades), and the Temple was blocking it, sealing it off. It
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
KING SOLOMON’S PRIDE AND APOSTASY
What did Solomon’s wives finally persuade him to do?
They turned his heart from the one true God to their pagan gods.
How did Solomon end up doing the opposite of his initial aim?
Solomon set out to draw all peoples to God, but he ended up drawing the
people of Israel to pagan gods.
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
Guided Exercise
Complete a Think/Pair/Share on the following question:
 How was Solomon’s wealth “unconstitutional” according to Deuteronomy?
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
Guided Exercise
Solomon was reputed to have 700 wives and 300 concubines.
 Why is it impossible to have a true marital relationship with more than
one spouse?
 What kind of problems might David and Solomon have faced with so
many wives and children?
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
PROPHETS
What happened to the Kingdom of Israel during the reign of
Rehoboam?
The Kingdom of Israel split into two kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom of
Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
How were the rulers of the two kingdoms over the years?
Both nations had good and bad kings, that is, kings who led the people back
to God and kings who worshiped foreign gods and sometimes persecuted the
faithful.
How did God show his faithfulness to Israel during this time?
He sent prophets to both Israel and Judah, denouncing false gods, calling
back the Hebrew people to the one true God, warning of the retribution of
God’s justice and wrath, and promising a new kingdom greater than David’s.
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
THE ASSYRIAN THREAT AND THE END OF ISRAEL
Why was Israel too weak to fend off outside forces?
Israel was divided politically between Judah and Israel. Extension: It was also a
small kingdom located between two major powers, Egypt to the south and
Assyria to the northeast.
How did the Assyrians neutralize conquered peoples?
Those who were not killed were split up and resettled in other lands.
What led Shalamaneser to resettle Israel?
When the last king of Israel, Hoshea, tried to forge an alliance with Egypt to
throw off the Assyrians, Shalamaneser decided to put an end to the troublesome
conquered territory.
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
From the divine perspective, why was Israel destroyed?
Israel would not listen to the prophets, repent, and believe in the Lord.
What is the origin of the Samaritans?
The Assyrians resettled the empty cities of Samaria with non-Israelite
peoples. They gradually intermarried with the remaining Israelites,
intermingling their patrimonial and cultural traditions, thus diluting the
cultural identity of the Israelites.
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
Closure
Write a paragraph summarizing the positive and negative contributions of
Solomon to the united Kingdom of Israel.
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
Homework Assignment
Reading
 GOD’S WORD REDISCOVERED through CONCLUSION.
Study Questions
 Questions 34–35.
 Practical Exercise 7.
Workbook
 Questions 71–83.
7. The Covenant with David (Cont.)
Alternative Assessment
Free write for five minutes, responding to the following prompt:
 The Bible is a history of Israel’s infidelity to God.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
BASIC QUESTIONS
 How did Judah fall to conquerors?
 What did the prophets preach?
 How did the Jews return to Jerusalem?
 How did Israel become free again?
KEY IDEAS
 Despite the efforts of Hezekiah and Josiah, Judah was conquered and
destroyed, and the survivors were sent off to the Babylonian Exile.
 God continued to send prophets, who comforted the Jews with the promise
of a return to Jerusalem, a Messiah, and New Covenant.
 Under Cyrus the Great a remnant of Jews returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt
the Temple. Under Ezra they practiced a purified Judaism, but the promises of
the Davidic Covenant remained unfulfilled.
 After severe persecution under Greek rule, Israel became free under the
Maccabees.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
Anticipatory Set
 Work with a partner to identify the promise and the curse of Isaiah
1:18–20, using your own words.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
GOD’S WORD REDISCOVERED
What was the fate of Judah after Israel’s exile?
Judah remained independent, but it was ruled by a line of mostly wicked
kings.
Who were the two reformer kings?
Hezekiah tried to bring Judah back to right worship, and Josiah led a
greater reform.
How knowledgeable was Judah about its own religion?
The Book of the Law—Deuteronomy—had been lost for generations. It
was rediscovered during the reign of Josiah, who tried to bring back Judah
to its practice.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
What did the prophetess Huldah tell Judah?
They would be carried off into exile and their city destroyed after the time
of Josiah.
What reforms did Josiah institute?
He convinced the people to agree to follow the book of the Law. He
destroyed pagan worship and reinstituted Deuteronomic worship.
What was the fate of Judah?
After Josiah’s death the Babylonians invaded and laid siege to Jerusalem.
Like the Assyrians in Israel, the Babylonians forced the leading citizens
into exile. The Temple of Solomon was destroyed, and Jerusalem was left
in ruins.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
REVELATION OF SUFFERING AND HOPE:
THE PROMISE OF A NEW COVENANT
How did God show his faithfulness even after the kingdom had been
destroyed?
God continued to send them prophets, reminding them to turn to him and
comforting them with the promise of a continuation of the Davidic Covenant
beyond the exile.
What is “a shoot from the stump of Jesse”?
The phrase means a descendant of Jesse. The figure is of a tree or vine that
seems to be dead but from which new growth bursts forth unexpectedly.
What virtues will this descendant of Jesse possess?
He will have the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and
fear of the Lord.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
What does Jeremiah say about the anointed (23:3–6)?
He shall reign as king and execute justice and righteousness in the land.
He will be called “the Lord is our righteousness.”
What is the New Covenant that Jeremiah predicted?
God promises to forgive people’s sins, put his Law in their hearts, and
have an intimate relationship with each person.
What is confusing about Isaiah’s picture of the coming Messiah?
He would be a great man, yet he would suffer unjustly and would be
rejected so his suffering would atone for the sins of Israel.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
Sidebar: Isaiah’s Prophecy of the Messiah
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to identify and explain three examples of how
Isaiah’s prophecy (Is 53:3–11) applies perfectly to Jesus Christ.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
How are the prophets a bridge between the Old and New Testaments?
The words of the prophets in the Old Testament refer to the coming of Jesus
Christ, which was fulfilled in the New Testament.
How was the Babylonian Captivity a time of spiritual renewal?
Deprived of temporal power, wealth, and honor, the Jewish exiles turned
back to God. They saw God’s truth more clearly in light of the pagan
worship of the Babylonians. They turned back to the Scriptures and
remembered that they were God’s Chosen People.
What effect did the Babylonian Exile have on Sacred Scripture?
Many of the books of the Old Testament were edited, translated, and written
down during this period.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
PERSIAN RULE
How did the Jews have the opportunity to return to Jerusalem?
Babylon was conquered by the Persian Cyrus the Great, who not only
invited the Jews to return to Jerusalem but even offered to rebuild the
Temple.
What title did the Jews give Cyrus?
They called him “the Lord’s Anointed,” or Messiah.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
BEGINNING THE NEW JERUSALEM
Did all the Jews spread abroad in Babylon and other places return to
Judea?
No; most stayed were they had resettled.
Who returned to Jerusalem?
A small remnant returned.
What was the condition of Judah when they returned?
Judah was a war-ravaged land left vacant for half a century.
Why was the Jews’ joy at rebuilding the Temple mixed with sorrow?
The Second Temple was a poor shadow of Solomon’s magnificent edifice, and
the Ark of the Covenant had been taken away into hiding.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
EZRA EDITS THE SCRIPTURES
Who was Ezra?
He was a Jewish priest and scribe whom the Persian king appointed to
administer Judea.
What problem did Ezra discover?
The returning Jews, who were small in number, began adopting the
practices of the surrounding pagan cultures.
What did Ezra do to rectify this situation?
He persuaded the men to put away their foreign wives and turn away from
their pagan habits. He also instructed the Jews in the Law.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
What was Ezra’s role with respect to the Sacred Scriptures?
He edited the Scriptures (Old Testament), and his edition of the Torah
became the standard.
Why did Ezra need to supply interpreters when he had the Law
read?
Most of the people spoke Aramaic; they could not understand the
Scriptures in the Hebrew language in which they had been written and
preserved.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
Guided Exercise
Complete a Think/Pair/Write/Share on the following question:
 Why was it wise to have the returning Jewish exiles divorce the pagan wives that
they had taken?
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
THE PROMISE UNFULFILLED
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to organize unfulfilled prophecies about Jerusalem.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
CONCLUSION:
GOD PREPARES ISRAEL FOR THE FULLNESS OF REVELATION
Who conquered Israel in the fourth century BC?
Alexander the Great conquered it.
How did Alexander’s successor look on the Jewish religion?
He was intolerant; he forced Jews to worship Greek gods and erected a statue of
Zeus in the Temple.
Who were the Maccabees?
These brothers were fervent Jews. They drove out the Greeks and freed the
people of Judea.
How might the promise of the Davidic Covenant seemed to have been
almost fulfilled?
Israel was independent of a foreign ruler, and all that lacked was a successor to
the throne of David.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
Closure
Write a paragraph summarizing Jewish history from King David until the
Maccabees.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
Homework Assignment
Study Questions
 Questions 36–48.
 Practical Exercise 8–10.
Workbook
 Questions 83–97.
8. The Covenant with David
(conclusion)
Alternative Assessment
Complete Practical Exercise 10 on the virtues and vices of some of the
great characters of the Old Testament.
THE END