1holding on to your promise

8/4/2019 1holding on to Your Promise

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Prepared by:Richard G. PazcoguinUST-IR


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Amidst toil and lifes meaninglessness

At first the Israelites lived as free men in Egypt. Thiswas because Egypt was ruled by a Semitic family.After a while, this dynasty was overthrown, and the

Israelites became slaves.The Israelites were treated harshly by the Pharaoh.The Pharaoh feared the implications of the rapidlyincreasing number of the Israelites in Egypt because:The Israelites were consuming much of Egypts

resources.If they continue to grow in number, the Israelitesmight over-throw the government through anuprising.To arrest this, the Pharaoh intensified the labor thatthe Israelites had to do, and even ordered themidwives to kill the newborn male babies.

Read the last chapters of Genesis and find out howthe Israelites ended up living in Egypt.


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A Foretaste of Gods saving power

This was the opportune time for God tomanifest His love for his chosen people.Through some providential event, he causedMoses to be part of Egypts royal family, and

eventually appointed him as liberator of theIsraelites.

The Exodus experience was a manifestation ofGods saving power. Through this event, Israel

learned that the God of their fathers wasdeeply in love with them and was willing to dogreat things for them.

The Exodus was the central event of the OldTestament. This was the even that they

concretely understood how God is SAVIOR.

Read Exodus 1-15


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Gods pledge of love

I WILL BE YOUR GOD AND YOU WILL BE MY PEOPLE!

Having been delivered by God from slavery in Egypt Thechosen people vowed to worship and serve God alone. OnHis part, God will made Israel his special possession, akingdom of priests, a holy nation. On their end, the

Israelites promised to keep Gods law.

The law of the covenant was the DECALOGUE of the TEN

COMMANDMENTS.

The Lord promised bountiful rewards to those who arefaithful to the covenant. But those who are unfaithfulwould have to face the consequences of their actions.

Read Exodus 19-25


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Being spared from the Pharaohs

decree that newborn males were to bekilled, Moses prefigured what was tohappen to Jesus: Jesus himself wasspared from the decree of King Herodto kill the male infants.

Moses liberated the Israelites fromEgypt, Jesus saved the world fromsins.

Moses gave the Old Law- theDecalogue. Jesus gave the New Law-

the Beatitudes and the Law of Love.

Moses mediation between God and

the Israelites prefigured what JesusChrist was to do reconcile the worldonce and for all with God.


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A broken vow

Countless times after the Israelites avowed toworship alone the One True God, they fell intoidolatry. Often they envied the pagans who weemuch prosperous that they were, and so they beganto worship the pagan gods.

But idolatry was not without a price. Throughouttheir history as a nation, Israel often suffered foreignassault.

In the promised land, there was always the threat of

the attack of the Midianites and eventually thePhilistines. Again, God proved to be a faithful God,and once again manifested his saving power. TheLord delivered his people from foreign invaders byappointing the charismatic military leaders : thejudges.


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The Israelites thought that the reason behind theirpolitical and economic instability was the fact thatthey did not have a king.

Upon the insistent demand of His people, Godpermitted the establishment of the monarchy.

The first king of Israel was Saul. At first he was agood king, but he got engrossed in wars at theexpense of the nations welfare. This led to hiseventual downfall.

Israel considers David as the nations greatest king.

His reign was the beginning of Israels golden age.

Though he himself had fallen into a great sin, Davidhumbled himself before the Lord, and because ofthis God loved David so much, and Israel was

blessed through him.

A royal priesthood, a holy nation


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David was from Bethlehem, Jesus

was born in Bethlehem.David was a shepherd; Jesus is theGood Shepherd.David was Gods anointed, Jesus

is the anointed one, the Christ.David defended Israel against thePhilistines; Jesus defendedhumanity against the power of sinand death.David brought the ark of thecovenant into Jerusalem. David was

the mind behind the construction ofthe temple of Jerusalem. Jesus wasthe mind behind the establishmentof the Church.David was king of Israel; Jesuswas King of the Jews, and

eventually Universal King


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The Fallen Kingdom

Davids successor was Solomon, who is known as

the wise king.

Unfortunately, this wise king was foolish in many

ways. While Israel was generally prosperous duringhis reign, Solomon was engrossed in leisure andextravagance. He imposed high taxes on people. Hewas a womanizer.

While his greatest achievement was the construction

of the Temple of Jerusalem, Solomon also builtshrines for pagan gods at the request of his paganwives.

The division of the kingdom after his reign wasattributed by the Israelites to his sin.


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After the death of KingSolomon, Israels third

king, the kingdom of Israelexperienced politicalinstability which led to asplit. The kingdom wasdivided into two.

The Northern Kingdomwas called ISRAEL, andthe Southern Kingdomcame to be known asJudah.

As a consequence of thedivision, the militaryforces weakened, makingthe two kingdoms prone toforeign invasion.


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Since the legitimate King was in the South,Israel was politically unstable. There wereinternal rivalries its leaders resulting to

changes in dynasty. Israel was eventuallyinvaded by Assyria in 722 B.C.

In 587 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar capturedJerusalem (capital of the South). Thisis the period known as the

Babylonian Exile. The temple and theentire city was reduced into rubbles.The elite of Israel were brought toBabylon to work, leaving behindthose who were deemed useless.

In 538 B.C., Babylon itself was invaded by Persia.Cyrus the Great allowed the Jews to go back toJudah and rebuild the temple and the city. For theJews, this relative peace brought about by thebenevolence of the Persian king, became a time torenew their covenant with God.


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In 332 B.C., the Persian Rule ended withthe coming of Alexander the Great.Alexander brought the Hellenic toPalestine. His reign was however short-

lived since he died at the age of 33.

The successors of Alexander the Greatwere the Ptolemies of Egypt. ManyJews were exiled in Egypt. The Jewsprospered under the Ptolemies, butthey were imposed heavy taxes.

After the Ptolemies came the Syrian Seleucids.

Antiochus Epiphanes was the worst of allconquerors. He attacked Jerusalem on a Sabbath,knowing that the people will not take arms onSabbath Day. He abominated the temple bysacrificing a pig, he ordered the burning of HebrewScriptures, he forbade the practice of the Sabbath

rest and of circumcision.
http://www.livius.org/ps-pz/ptolemies/ptolemy_i_bm.jpg


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The Jews were infuriatedand revolted against

Antiochus. This rebellionis knows as theMaccabean Revolt (164-163 B.C.), for it was leadby the Maccabean family.

The Jews won this war, and asa result, they enjoyed onehundred years ofindependence.

This quasi-self-rule ended in63 B.C., when the Romansunder General Pompey,invaded Palestine.


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Through these years of oppression, theIsraelites found exhortation in the wordsof the prophets who spoke about thecoming of the Christ, Gods Anointed

One, who will deliver Israel fromcaptivity.

The chosen people patiently waited forthe fulfillment of Gods promise of a

Savior. We Christians believe that this

savior is no one else but Jesus Christ.The Jews who refused to believe him arestill waiting for the savior until now.


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http://www.bible-history.com/messianicprophecy/

Click on the link below and learn about the different prophecies concerningthe Messiah, and how these prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus
http://www.bible-history.com/messianicprophecyhttp://www.bible-history.com/messianicprophecyhttp://www.bible-history.com/messianicprophecyhttp://www.bible-history.com/messianicprophecy


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Isang dalagay maglilihiBatang lalake ang sanggolTatawagin siyang Emmanuel,Emmanuel

Magalak, isinilang ang PoonSa sabsaban siyay nakahimlayNagpahayag ang mga anghelLuwalhati sa Diyos!

Coda:Kahulugay nasa atin ang Diyos,Nasa atin ang Diyos!Nasa atin ang Diyos!


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Fr. Luc Colla, CICM

THE LOVE STORY OF GOD AND HIS PEOPLE

Baguio City: St. Louis University, 1984

James Finley and Michael Pennock

JESUS AND YOU: DISCOVERING THE REAL CHRISTInd.: Ave Maria Press, 1977

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