Bethel Ot Picture Descriptions 1-20

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God created the heavens and the earth. He created all things good. He relinquished the earth to humankind as a gift. Yet He still binds Himself to His creation and takes ownership of all that He created, including humankind. Man had freedom within limits. He created man and woman in His image and as the crown of His creation, God gave them 4 responsibilities: to replenish the earth; to subdue it; to till and keep it; and to have dominion over the earth.

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God created mankind to live in harmony with all things. This harmony was 4-fold: Harmony with God, with self, with others and with nature. However, this perfect harmony was contingent upon obedience to God.

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Unfortunately, humankind became dissatisfied with its limited freedom and revolted against God; thus, separating themselves from God. This disobedience (sin) brought disharmony with God, with self, with others and with nature and also caused the misuse of nature. This sin caused humankind to carry a sense of guilt and a burden of guilt. However, God did not abandon his people and gave a new promise.

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This new promise was made by God through a covenant with Abraham. God said: "I will bless you, so that you may be a blessing, and through you all families of the earth will bless themselves."

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God gave passionate dreams to Israel to remind it of this covenant to give Israel a land & to multiply Abraham's offspring creating a great kingdom and nation. In order for Israel to become a blessing they had to practice certain disciplines. The discipline of ethnic separation, separation within families, and geographic separation. All of these were a means to an end --to fulfill its destiny.

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God used various factors to unite Israel for its destiny. He used ethnic, geographic separation and separation within families to unite Israel. He also used the law & the rite of circumcision. He united Israel through common hopes & dreams, as well as using oppression under Pharaoh to unite them.

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After Pharaoh released the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, a mass movement of the Israelites leaving Egypt occurred.

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After years of oppression, God wanted to remind Israel of its calling & also ensure it. The factors He used can be understood in relationship to Israel's early stage. God ensured the destiny by divine interventions, such as the crossing of the Red Sea and the rock and water incident. Leaders had proper credentials, moral and civil laws were given to guarantee the destiny. Visual aids were given to the people to remind them of who they were called to be. Feasts were used as signs and memorials. The tabernacle stood as a constant reminder that God was in their midst. God promised land as well. All these guaranteeing factors were intended as a means to an end.

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Israel lives in a world where evil is a reality. Its own sin has brought about disharmony in life (disharmony with God, self, others, and nature). Israel is preoccupied with its own burdens, that it cannot fulfill its destiny to minister and bless others. However, God provided a way for Israel to be released of their burdens, through the atonement and fulfill the destiny that God had called them to do---to be a blessing.

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Israel enters the promise land ready to conquer. It defeats Sihon & Og; Ai and Jericho. It also defeated the Northern & Southern coalition. Israel stands as master of Canaan, but Joshua urges the people to remember their God and serve Him. Some territories were not completely destroyed and loomed as a treat to Israel.

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After Joshua dies, judges take up the responsibility to clean up the land. At the time, Israel was a loose confederacy with no central government or king. The judges led raids against small local & political enemies coming against Israel bringing it into bondage for certain periods of time. The judges rallied the people & led the attack against these enemies. Othniel routed the Mesopotamians; Ehud routed the Moabites; Deborah routed the Canaanites; Gideon defeated the Midianites; Jephthah defeated the Ammonites; and Samson defeated the Philistines.

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Unlike Israel's small enemies, the Philistines grew larger & stronger. It became a well-organized , powerful army. The Philistines took the beloved ark of the covenant, causing many Israelites to lose hope and some even dreaming of new governing procedures. This is where the idea of a king to rule over them and protect them was born.

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The 12 tribes were united under a king. Each tribe had a symbol that represented it, for example, the tribe of Judah was represented by the lion. It was a common belief that God appointed the king, and not blood succession. The first king God appointed was King Saul. Saul's reign was marked with violence and opposition. The next king chosen by God was King David. His reign was known as the golden age of Israel and many revisionist dreams go back to this time. There were 4 major events that occurred during David's reign: 1. Jerusalem was made the capital city & 2. Jerusalem became the religious headquarters. 3. Philistines and other political threats were obliterated. 4. The beginning of disunity throughout the kingdom occurred, because of David's sin with Bathsheba. The next king was King Solomon. His expansionist dreams, placed a heavy tax on the people, burdening them and thus, caused them to revolt.

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During the reign of the kings, both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms had prophets trying to remind Israel of its calling to be a blessing. However, Israel clung to its institutions and traditions. It felt secure in the promises of God and in the tabernacle. It made the law a stumbling block; it turned circumcision into a tradition; Israel did unholy things in the Holy Land; it glorified its past at the expense of its present and future. Israel turned separation into a curse. Israel made these institutions and traditions an end in themselves. The prophets tried to remind Israel, that they were intended to be a means to an end, to remind them of what God had called them to be.

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There were two kingdoms--the Northern and the Southern. The North had 3 major eras; the age of civil strife; the age of wealth and prosperity; the age of rapid decline.

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The South had 6 major eras; the period of civil strife; the period of Baalism; the Golden Age of the south; the period of decline; period of reform; period of destruction.

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The prophet had two purposes: one was to bring Israel back to to the realization of its calling to be a blessing and the second was to be a foreteller. The prophets pointed to the hope of a brighter future. The specific promises of the prophets can be found in the Isaiah scripture concepts.
Is 2: The exaltation on Mt. Zion
Is 10: The coming of a messiah
Is 11: The return of a remnant
Is 32: The birth of a new era
Is. 51: The restoration of a paradise
Is. 53: the suffering servant

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The powerful military in Babylon squelched the revolt led by Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. Jerusalem was pillaged and destroyed, sending the people of Judah into exile to Babylon. Seeing their city pillaged and destroyed and being led into exile, brought despair to many people in Judah. Ezekiel and Jeremiah were the prophets who predicted the events prior to and during the exile. They also proclaimed hope that a future remnant would return.

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God has a divine plan for the world. His will shall be done and is being done. Justice must prevail, and any person or nation who violates God's law will face judgment. All will face judgment beyond the grave, but judgment is also administered during life. History itself is God's judgment. There is a negative side to judgment and that is it is used for condemnation. However, there is also a positive side, and that is it is administered to protect all constructive values from deterioration and decay. God administers judgement, because of His love for all people.

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God's Restoration
Bondage under the Babylonian kingdom was broken, when Cyrus the Persian defeated the Babylonians. Cyrus issued The Edict of Restoration and freed the Hebrews to return to their homeland. The people of God, who declared new hope, led the returning exiles back to their homeland. Haggai and Zechariah encouraged the people to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Ezra lead law reform & Nehemiah lead the people in the reconstruction of the wall around Jerusalem.