(2) The God of Abraham

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1 (1) The Hebrews: The word "Hebrew" can be translated as "The people from the other bank of the river," meaning the Euphrates. The Hebrews came from the eastern side of it near the Mesopotamian city of Ur. They were a closely-knit group of nomadic herding tribes with a strict kinship structure. Their leaders were called Patriarchs ("Father Rulers"). The most important Patriarchs were Abraham, his son Isaac and Isaac's son Jacob, and Moses. Canaan was the homeland of the Israelites. It was a small area but it was important in the ancient world because of its location. Canaan was an important trading route and market. It sometimes became a battlefield. It lay in the path of expansion for both the Egyptians and the Assaryians. Many of the people were nomads who lived in tents and traveled from place to place looking for pastures for their sheep, cattle, and goats. The ancient Israelites adapted to their environment as all successful civilizations must do to survive. Where there was only grass and rocks, shepherds tended their flocks of sheep and goats. Where there was body of waters filled with fish, they worked as fishermen. While the men worked as shepherds or fishermen, the women did most of the household work including grinding grain, making garments and making cheese and butter. The women also took the water from the well, so that the families had water to drink, bathe in, cook with, etc The ancient Israelite farmers and shepherds had many foods available to them including wheat, barley, lentils, grapes, olives, nuts and milk for cheese and butter. They developed a strict code which told them which animals could be eaten. They had strict rules about cleanliness and food preparation. Farmers also followed seasonal rules for farming and planting.

2 (2) The God of Abraham In about 2000 BC, according to the Hebrew Bible (The Torah), Abraham received a visitation from Yahweh/God, who told him that he and his people had been chosen to fulfill a special purpose of Yahweh/God. Yahweh/God told Abraham to "Go forth from your native land and from your father's house, unto the land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation." Abraham was also told that his people must leave Mesopotamia, which they did. They migrated west with their sheep and goats to a land called Canaan, which is now modern-day Israel and southern Lebanon. Once there, Abraham had another visitation in which he said that Yahweh/God told him that Canaan was to belong to him and his people that Canaan was to be the Promised Land. Yahweh/God promised Abram and his wife Sarai that one day they would be parents, even though they were old and had no children. Yahweh/God wasn't sure that Abram understood. So that night he took him outside, and said, "Do you see all the stars that are in the sky"? When Abram looked up, the whole night sky was full of stars, so many in fact that he would never be able to count them. Then Yahweh/God said, "That is how many children you will have". Quite a few years later when Abram was ninety-nine years old (older than even your grandparents) the Lord decided to change Abram's name to Abraham, which means "father of many." He also changed Sarai's name to Sarah.

3 Yahweh/God told them again that they would be parents and that they would have a boy. This time Abraham laughed so hard he fell on his face! It was hard to believe that he and Sarah would have a child in their old age. One day three visitors came to Abraham's house. He hurried to meet them. "May I get you something to eat and drink?" Abraham asked. "Please come in and join us, and have a rest on the couch." The visitors agreed, so Abraham brought them some fresh bread, and milk. While the visitors were eating, they asked Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?" Abraham thought this was a little strange, but he replied, "She's in the other room". Then one of the men spoke and said, "I will come back to see you at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." Now Sarah was listening behind the living room door. She started to laugh, but covered her mouth and laughed to herself because she didn't want to be heard. Then she said to herself, "How can I have a child, I'm almost one hundred years old?" Later when the visitors had left, Abraham and Sarah realized that the man who had told them this was indeed Yahweh/God. A year later Sarah did have a son. She and Abraham named him Isaac, which means "he laughs." They were very excited, and remembered to thank Yahweh/God for Isaac. Canaan eventually became known as Palestine. It was named for the people who lived there. These people were called Philistines they are not related to today's Arabic-speaking Palestinians. In about 1800 BC, a famine in Canaan forced many of the Hebrews to migrate to Egypt, where they became slaves

4 (3) Moses and the Ten Commandments: Moses was the leader of the Israelites during their Exodus from Egypt. The Israelites had been traveling in the desert for about three months when they came to Mount Sinai. They were going to stay there for a while and have shelter from the mountain. Moses got unpacked and decided to walk up the mountain to talk to God. This wasn't very easy for Moses, he was already over 80 years old. Yahweh knew that Moses was coming so he spoke to Moses and told him to tell the Israelites to get ready. Moses came down to tell the people to have a bath and to clean all their clothes. By doing this the people were getting prepared to hear important words from Yahweh/God.. On the third morning after Moses had talked to Yahweh/God, the Israelites where busy making their breakfast when all of a sudden there was a large rumble and a flash of light over the mountain. Anyone who was still sleeping were startled and woke up suddenly. Everyone went out to look and just over the mountain there was lightning and thunder, and a very thick cloud hung over the mountain so you couldn't see the top. Even the mountain shook and the sound of trumpets could be heard getting louder and louder. So Moses went up the mountain to hear from Yahweh/God once again. This time Yahweh/God told Moses, "Go down to the people and tell them not to follow you up the mountain, the mountain is a special place because I am here." So Moses warned the people not to touch or go to close to the mountain.

5 After that Moses went back up the mountain. But this time he stayed there for a long time (40 days and 40 nights), God sure had a lot to tell him. Yahweh/God wanted to instruct the people on how to live. By following Yahweh s rules they would have less sadness in their lives. Yahweh/God just wanted to protect them.

6 (4) The Promise Land The period in Egypt was hard, but it united the Jews as a people. In 1250 BC, they were led out of Egypt by Moses, their next great Patriarch (leader). This departure is known as The Exodus. For 40 years, the Jews wandered in the desert (the Sinai Peninsula). Many significant things happened to them during this time. It was only after Moses died that they actually re-entered Canaan and reclaimed the land they believed Yahweh/God had promised them. The Exodus was the single most important event in Jewish history because it gave them an identity, a nation, a founder and a name. The name was used for the first time in the Book of Exodus bene yisra'el, which means the children of Israel. Jacob, Abraham's grandson, was the Hebrews' third great Patriarch. But Yahweh/God is said to have changed his name to Israel, which mean he who wrestles with Yahweh/God. So the children of the Jacob became the children of Israel. It was Judah, Jacob s son, who gave his name to the Hebrew religion, Judaism and to its people, the Jews. By 1000 BC, the Hebrews had set up a thriving Kingdom of Israel in Canaan. Among its most dynamic leaders were King David and his son, King Solomon. Although the Jews were a people, they still governed themselves in a tribal system. King David united them into a single nation. King Solomon turned their capital, Jerusalem, into an impressive city, where he built a magnificent temple dedicated to Yahweh/God. Solomon also tried to increase his country's influence by negotiating with the powerful empires in Egypt and Mesopotamia. His ambitions nearly wrecked the country and after his death in 930 BC, there was a general revolt.