Biblical
Narrative
Overview
The Bible, The Story
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1. The Beginnings
 Creation
 The
(Adam and Eve)
Fall
 The flood
 The tower of Babel (confusion of languages)
2. The Patriarchs
 The
Fathers of Israel: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
 The Covenant:
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•
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Abraham’s descendants will be a great nation;
give his descendants “the Promised Land;
to bless all nations through Abraham’s descendants.
 The
12 tribes of Israel (Jacob’s children)
3. The Slaves in Egypt
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
Joseph (Jacob’s son) sold into slavery in
Egypt by his brothers, where he rises to
power as a senior administrator.
Famine/drought bring Joseph’s brothers to Egypt.

Change in the political dynasty in Egypt; begins
oppression of Israelites (for fear of being overrun).
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Moses, an Israelite but grew up on Pharaoh’s
household, is called by God to tell Pharaoh to set free
the Israelites.
Confronts Pharaoh with 10 plagues.
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4. The Exodus from Egypt
 The
10th plague and the “Passover”.
 God’s
intervention enables the Israelites
to cross the Red Sea.
 They
gather at Mt Sinai and worship God.
5. The Covenant
 God
appears to Moses at Mt Sinai,
giving him the Ten Commandments.
 God
also commands the building the
Tabernacle (“the tent of God’s presence”)
6. The Wilderness
 God
leads the Israelites to the edge of the
Promised Land, but the they don’t trust God to
be able to deliver them from the people living
there.
 This rebellion leads them to wander for 40 years
in the Wilderness (until all members of that
generation have died)
7. The Conquest
 The
new generation are camped east of the Jordan
looking into the Canaan when Moses dies.
 The
Israelites enter the Promised Land under the
leadership of Joshua.
8. The Cycles
 Time
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of the Judges
Israelites spread out throughout the Canaan, but
do not rid the land of the Canaanites.
The Israelites begin worshipping the gods of the
Canaanites; God rises up leaders (“Judges”) to
bring Israel back to Him.
Cycle of Sin and Redemption emerges
9. The Royalty
 Israel
asks God for a king, so
they
can be like the other nations.
 Saul becomes the first king of Israel, but he disobeys
God.
 David is chosen by God as the next king. He established
Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. He is flawed, yet loves
God. He is described as “a man after God’s own heart”.
 David’s son, Solomon, is the next king. He is very
successful, but is so because he oppresses his people.
 After Solomon, under his son’s (Rehonoam) reign, the
nation is divided.
10. The Split
 Kingdom
of Israel
(northern - 10 tribes)
 Capital: Samaria
 Captured and destroyed
by the Assyrians.
 Remaining Israelites
scattered
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Intermarrying with local
people resulted in the
Samaritans (the
despised “half-breeds”).
 Kingdom
of Judah
(southern – 2 tribes)
 Capital: Jerusalem
 Continued for
another 135 years
before being invaded
and defeated by the
Babylonians.
 Majority of Jews
carried off to Babylon
(in exile)
11. The Exile
 While
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in exile,
Some Jews turned from God
for good;
Some Jews believed it was God’s
plan, but it was unfair;
Some Jews believed it was a
deserved consequence for their unfaithfulness.
 God
spoke to them through the prophet Ezekiel: while
they were suffering due to their own guilt, they should
not be without hope.
12. The Return
 While
in exile, the Persians overran Babylon.
 Cyrus, king of Persia, allowed the Jews to return to
Jerusalem.
 The Jews rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem (Nehemiah
and Ezra)
 The Jews were not successful as a nation. They longed
for God to send them a Saviour.
 400
years of Silence.
13. The Kingdom of God
 Birth
of Jesus: “born today, in the city of David,
a Saviour, who is the Messiah”.
 Jesus came to announce the good news: “the
Kingdom of God is here and now. Repent and
believe the good news.”
 Jesus’ crucifixion
 Jesus’ resurrection
14. The Church
 Day
of Pentecost
 Persecution
 Pauls’
of Christians in Jerusalem
conversion, missionary journeys and teaching
15. The Age to Come
 Revelation
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of the End Times:
Return of Christ, and
The final judgement;
New heaven, and
New earth.