Stories of Glory: An Orality Journey Through the Bible

By Jackie Towns

Stories of Glory: An Orality Journey Through the Bible is the instructor's manual for the Metanarrative Bible course of God's grand redemptive story. It is comprised of fifty compelling stories from Genesis through Revelation with supporting biblical passages to expound on the storyline. The book is complete with initial questions for each story and then detailed, reflective, and life application questions to enrich class discussions after the story presentation. The crafting of the book was designed to provide practical training for the pastors, church leaders, or church planters in apologetics, homiletics, theology, and leadership with orality methods of teaching and preaching the Word of God.It is my prayer that after a person complete the Stories of Glory: An Orality Journey Through the Bible course they will acquire an increased knowledge and understanding of the biblical metanarrative, God's covenantal love, His faithful commitment to the redemption of His people, and His longing for an authentic relationship with each one of us. I also hope that they will gain greater confidence to embrace their significance in God's grand story with the ability to think through life situations from a biblical worldview and apply the beauty of God's unconditional love to their lives. To God be the glory! Amen. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Cor 13:14 NIV)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781644683620

Book preview

Introduction and Instruction

Pray for One Another:

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in your growing knowledge of Him—since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened—so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the incomparable greatness of His power toward us who believe as displayed in the exercise of His immense strength. (Eph 1:17–19 NET)

And I pray this, that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight so that you can decide what is best and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. (Phil 1:9–11 NET)

Introduction:

Stories of Glory: An Orality Journey Through the Bible course is designed to provide students with a metanarrative of God’s grand redemptive story with fifty supporting stories to expound on the storyline. The crafting of the course focuses on students who are pastors, church leaders, and church planters ministering to primary and secondary oral cultures or unreached/unengaged people groups without a Bible translation. We will trace the metanarrative of the Bible by focusing on fifty key biblical stories, which will provide a firm foundation to tell and teach God’s redemptive story from Genesis through Revelation.

The focus of the fifty key stories and the supporting passages from the Scriptures is to increase knowledge and understanding of God’s overarching, grand, redemptive story to redeem, restore, and reconcile mankind after the Fall when sin and death entered into the world. God begins to reveal His redemption plan in Genesis 3:15 and carries it through to completion in the Book of Revelation. This storyline ties all the books of the Bible together and gives purpose and hope to our lives. Through this course, the student will gain a greater understanding of God’s covenantal love, His faithful commitment to the redemption of His people, and His longing for an authentic, personal relationship with each one of us.

Objective:

By the end of the course, the student will be more confident to embrace their significance in God’s grand story. The student will also have a greater ability to think through life situations from a biblical worldview and be able to apply biblical truth to their life. This study desires that after completion, each student will do as Paul says: You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others (2 Tim 2:2 NLT). We are called to make disciples, teaching them to obey all that the LORD has commanded us (Matt 28:19–20).

This course is highly interactive with practical training for the pastors, church leaders, or church planters in apologetics, homiletics, theology, and pastoral care and leadership. Through class discussions, the students learn to reason well, and present sound biblical doctrine and theology supported and validated with Scripture. Each story has initial questions for the students to discuss in partnerships or group settings. The questions are designed to promote homiletical insights, pastoral care, and leadership skills. After the initial discussion the students will craft presentations of the biblical text that provides expository preaching coupled with the art of biblical storytelling and life applications.

The metanarrative, Stories of Glory: An Orality Journey Through the Bible, course is ideal for pastors, church leaders, or church planters on the mission field or for ministries partnering with indigenous pastors, church leaders, and church planters that are working with primary and secondary oral cultures.

Learning the Art of Biblical Storytelling:

Learning and embracing the art of biblical storytelling is a process by which the Holy Spirit sows the Word of God in your heart in such a way that you will have the confidence to share His stories with others with great accuracy. Anyone can learn the art, for Jesus clearly says:

I tell you the solemn truth, the person who believes in me will perform the miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you will obey my commandments. Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides with you and will be in you. I have spoken these things while staying with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you. (John 14:12–17, 25–26 NET)

So, rest in God and claim His promises.

Procedure:

Let us begin. The literate learners should read through the text a couple of times to become familiar with the storyline. Meditate on the story and try to reflect on the emotions of the people in the story. Read through the story a couple more times, stepping into the emotions and demeanor of each character that is portrayed in the story. If the biblical text is long, break it down into smaller sections, and learn it one section at a time, always going back to the beginning to put it all together.

Read through the desired section and then try to retell the story by rehearsing it out loud. After doing this procedure three to five times, you should know it fairly well. It may be helpful to consider drawing images of the text. The images will help you remember. The art of biblical storytelling is not a rote memory exercise so that you can recite the text verbatim. It is a process that will help you sow God’s Word in your heart. As you learn God’s stories, they will become alive in you, and better yet, you will become alive in them. Having accomplished this, you will be ready to share this incredible gift that is embedded in the story with others. So, go and share the blessed story to others. Freely given, freely give away.

When teaching the art of biblical storytelling, you lead others through the same process that you go through when learning the story. If you are working with a group, tell the story through once to all the participants, twice if necessary. If the biblical text is long, tell it through once so they will grasp the fullness of the story. Then break the story down into smaller sections and learn it one section at a time, always going back to the beginning to put it all together.

In addition, it may be helpful to retell the story by asking step-by-step detailed questions of the story in chronological order or by drawing images of the details. This is a great tool to help people learn the story. When working in a cross-culture setting, leading participants through the story with questions can also bring clarity in identifying language or cultural differences. Sharing those cultural differences can be enriching for the whole group and bring a deeper understanding to the passage. You should also discuss the emotions that the characters in the story are undergoing. Next, have everyone get a partner and take turns retelling the story to one another. After they have heard the story three to five times, ask for one to three volunteers to retell the story to the group.

The art of biblical storytelling also includes telling the story to others and discussing the text. Group discussions are beneficial for growing in the Word and developing a biblical worldview. The more you tell and discuss the Word with others, the more it becomes part of you and deepens your understanding of the biblical text and the powerful truth of the Gospel. When the Word becomes internalized in you through the power of the Holy Spirit, it transforms your thinking and your actions. You become a new creation in Christ Jesus. For as Paul clearly explains,

The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Cor 5:14–17 ESV)

When your knowledge and understanding deepens, you will have a greater ability to think through life situations with a biblical worldview and be able to apply biblical truth to your life. Then you will be able to come alongside of others and help them in their faith journey to become true disciples of Christ Jesus.

Once you are confident that the group knows the biblical text, invite discussion. Begin with questions to review the details in the story. You also want to explore additional Bible passages to enhance the discussion so the students will be more readily able to trace the storyline of God’s redemptive plan for humanity and have a higher understanding that this is God’s grand story from Genesis through Revelation.

Ask reflection questions:

What do we learn about the character of God from this story?

What do we learn about God’s covenantal love from this story?

What do we learn about God’s faithful commitment to His redemptive plan for His people?

What do we learn about God’s desire for an authentic, personal relationship with everyone?

What does God want us to learn from this story?

What do we learn about the character of man from this story?

Is there a command in this story that we need to obey?

Is there a sin in this story that we need to avoid?

Now it is time to discuss life applications (Take a moment to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the specific life application that you are to embrace before beginning this section).

What does God want us to learn about our significance in His grand story?

What spiritual truth do we need to apply to our lives?

What biblical truth does this story reveal that will help us start developing a biblical worldview? (Compare the biblical worldview to the secular worldview as applicable to this story).

Please feel free to add questions that will deepen the discussion. After you have completed your discussion, break the participants into groups to engage with the biblical text in creative activities.

Encourage the group to incorporate as many of our five senses (taste, sight, touch, smell, and sound) in the activity as applicable to the text. Remember, the more we engage with the text using our five senses, the deeper it will be sown in our hearts where transformation takes place.

Some suggestions for creative activities are:

Retell the story in a biblical or life application drama (preferably both if the group is large enough).

Retell the biblical text through song, chant, poetry, mime, or liturgical dance.

Retell the story in unison or in a more casual conversation style.

Allow creativity to soar. The goal is to develop true followers of Jesus Christ who will be equipped, empowered, and confident to embrace their significance in God’s grand story. We are commissioned by Christ Jesus to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matt 28:19–20 NET). Together, we can make a difference and impact this world for Jesus Christ, for as Paul testifies, From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen (Rom 11:36 NET).

As we devote our time to learning the metanarrative of the Bible, focusing in on God’s redemptive plan for mankind, let us reflect on our faith journey and the ministry of reconciliation that should be ever-present in our lives. Throughout this course, let us take time to meditate on some of the Bible passages that focus on faith and the ministry of reconciliation to glean insights and encouragement for an authentic life journey in Jesus Christ.

Faith:

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them. (Eph 2:8–10 NET)

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see. For by it the people of old received God’s commendation. By faith we understand that the worlds were set in order at God’s command, so that the visible has its origin in the invisible. Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Heb 11:1–3, 6 NET)

Reconciliation:

Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory. Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.) But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous by his blood, we will be saved through him from God’s wrath. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life? Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation. (Rom 5:1–11 NET)

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade people. What we are is clearly seen by God. I expect that it is also clear to your conscience. We are not trying to persuade you again to view us as sincere. Instead, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you may have an answer for those who boast about appearances but not about what is in the heart. For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; and if we are in our right minds, it is for your sake. For the love of Christ compels us, because we are certain of this: That one person died for all, and that therefore all have died. He died for all, so that those who live should live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. For this reason, from now on we do not judge anyone according to human standards, even though we once regarded Christ in this way. But now we do not judge anyone in this way any longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. See, they have become new. All these things are from God. He reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ God is reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them. He is entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are appointed as representatives of Christ, as though God were making his appeal through us. We plead with you, for the sake of Christ: Be reconciled to God! He made Christ become the sacrifice for our sin. He is the one who never sinned. He did this so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. (2 Cor 5:11–21 ULB)

The Metanarrative

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul with all my heart I praise the Lord.

LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty. You wrap Yourself in light as with a garment; You stretch out the heavens like a tent and You built Your home over the mighty ocean. You make the clouds Your chariot and You ride on the wings of the wind. You make winds Your messengers, flames of fire Your servants. You set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for the grandness of your story.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. And the Spirit of God was moving over the water.

God spoke and there was light and there was day and night.

God spoke and heaven came to be.

God spoke and there was dry land and seas.

God spoke and there were seed bearing plants and trees.

God spoke and the sun, moon, and stars came to be.

God spoke and living creatures filled the waters and birds flew over the earth.

God spoke and the earth brought forth animals and reptiles of all kinds.

Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over all the creatures living on the earth. So, the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

The LORD God placed man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after the beautiful seed-bearing trees. Now, there were two special trees in the middle of the garden. One of the trees gave life—the other gave the power of the knowledge of good and evil. The LORD told man, You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden, except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between good and evil. If you eat any fruit from that tree, you shall surely die! The LORD God said, It isn’t good for man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him. So, the LORD God made man fall into a deep sleep, and He took out one of the man’s ribs. Then after closing the man’s side, the LORD made a woman out of the rib.

God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant and tree on the face of the whole earth to be yours for food. And it was so.

In six days, it all came to be. By the seventh day God had finished his work, and so He rested. The LORD spoke all things into existence and saw that it was good.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for the beauty to behold. Perfect harmony flourished until the day the crafty serpent appeared on the scene.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. So, he reframed God’s words to deceive and destroy. He said to the woman, Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? The woman said to the serpent, We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ You will not certainly die, the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

In that very moment all things changed.

Sin came into the world, and death through sin. God cursed the serpent to crawl on his belly all the days of his life.

God set His plan of redemption of mankind in place. Nevertheless, life corrupted holds consequences.

The woman would now suffer pain in childbearing. And God cursed the ground. The man would now work hard with painful toil and the sweat of his brow.

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them and banished them from the Garden of Eden. After God drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Sin and death entered our world and perfect harmony was no more. Male and female—the very ones created in the image of God—trusted the crafty serpent as he twisted the Word of God and spun it for deception to fulfill his purpose—and so mankind in his limited wisdom was deceived. And life corrupted goes on.

Adam was intimate with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, I have had a male child with the LORD’s help. Then she also gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of flocks, but Cain worked the ground. In the course of time Cain presented some of the land’s produce as an offering to the LORD. And Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he looked despondent.

Then the LORD said to Cain, Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it. Cain said to his brother Abel, Let’s go out to the field. And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Then the LORD said to Cain, Where is your brother Abel?

I don’t know, he replied. Am I my brother’s keeper?

Then the LORD said, What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground! And the LORD cursed Cain for the evil he had done.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.

When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves. And the LORD said, My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt.

When the LORD saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time, the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Then the LORD said, I will wipe off from the face of the earth mankind, whom I created, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them. One man found favor in the sight of the LORD. Noah, he was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God. And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

God said to Noah, I have decided to put an end to every creature, for the earth is filled with wickedness because of them; therefore, I am going to destroy them along with the earth. Make yourself an ark of cypress wood. Make rooms in the ark and cover it with pitch inside and outside.

Understand that I am bringing floodwaters on the earth to destroy every creature under heaven with the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will die. But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives. You are also to bring into the ark two of all the living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Take with you every kind of food that is eaten; for you and for them.

Then the LORD said to Noah, Enter the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before Me in this generation. Seven days from now I will make it rain on the earth 40 days and 40 nights, and I will wipe off from the face of the earth every living thing I have made. And Noah did everything that the LORD commanded him.

Two of all flesh, male and female, that has the breath of life in it entered the ark with Noah just as God had commanded. Then the LORD shut him in.

Seven days later the floodwaters came on the earth. On that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, the floodgates of the sky were opened, and the rain fell on the earth 40 days and 40 nights. The waters surged over the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole heavens were covered. Every creature perished—Everything with the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils—everything died. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark.

God remembered Noah, as well as all the wildlife and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water began to subside. The ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. After 40 days, Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made, and he sent out a raven. The raven never returned. Then he sent out a dove, but the dove found no resting place for her foot, so she returned to the ark. Noah waited seven more days and sent the dove back out. When the dove returned that evening, there was a plucked olive leaf in her beak. So, Noah knew that the water on the earth’s surface had gone down. After seven more days, he sent the dove out again, but she did not return to him. Then Noah removed the ark’s cover and saw that the surface of the ground was drying.

God spoke to Noah, Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives. Bring out all the living creatures that are with you. So, they all came out. Noah built an altar to the LORD. He took some of every kind of clean animal and every kind of clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. When the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, He said to Himself, I will never again curse the ground because of man, even though man is bent on evilness.

God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, Understand that I am confirming My covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you. And God said, I have placed My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the everlasting covenant between Me and you and all the living creatures on earth, a covenant for all future generations. Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for your unconditional covenants with your people.

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And they said to one another, Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. The LORD was not pleased. He said, Come, let us go down and confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech. Then LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth.

Life corrupted holds consequences.

The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. ‘Leave your country and your people and go to the land I will show you.’ I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

"So, Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to the land of Canaan. God gave him no inheritance, not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves and afterward they will come out of that country and worship Me in this place.’ Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

"The patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, so they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the favor of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Pharaoh made Joseph ruler over Egypt and all his palace.

"Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food. When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent ten of his sons on their first visit. On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and the patriarchs died. Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor.

"As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased. Then ‘a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.’ He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed Israelites by forcing them to throw their newborn sons into the Nile so that they would die.

At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for by his family. When he was placed in a basket on the Nile, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’ But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.

"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

"Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’

This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God Himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

God redeemed His people from the oppressor, the day He displayed His signs in Egypt,

His wonders in the region of Zoan.

He turned their river into blood; they could not drink from their streams.

He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.

He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust.

He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore-figs with sleet.

He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning.

He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility—a band of destroying angels.

He prepared a path for his anger; He did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague.

He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first fruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.

But He brought His people out like a flock; He led them like sheep through the wilderness.

He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

He divided the sea and led them through; He made the water stand up like a wall.

He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.

He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas; He brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.

But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.

They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved.

They spoke against God; they said, "Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?

True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread?

Can he supply meat for his people?" When the LORD heard them, he was furious; His fire broke out against Jacob, and His wrath rose against Israel, for they did not believe in God or trust in His deliverance.

Yet He gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens; He rained down manna for the people to eat, He gave them the grain of heaven.

Human beings ate the bread of angels; He sent them all the food they could eat.

He let loose the east wind from the heavens and by His power made the south wind blow.

He rained meat down on them like dust, birds like sand on the seashore.

Moses told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’ Moses was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai. He received living words to pass on to us.

The Israelites refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. They told Aaron, the brother of Moses, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’ So, they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made. But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars.

Therefore, I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.

The Israelites had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. After receiving the tabernacle, the Israelites under Joshua brought it with them into the land flowing with milk and honey where God drove seven nations out before them. All of which took about 450 years.

After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. After removing Saul, God made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

King David desired to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. So, he said to Nathan the prophet, Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent. Nathan replied to the king, Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you.

But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, "Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time, I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

‘The LORD declares to you that the LORD Himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’

Thus, the LORD establishes an everlasting covenant with David and Solomon, David’s son built the house for Him.

However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the LORD spoke through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?’ See the glory of the LORD, The majesty of our God.

Encourage the exhausted and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for your desire to speak into our lives. But for now, life corrupted goes on.

After Solomon’s death the kingdom is split—10 tribes make up Samaria in the North and 2 are left in the South. Wickedness continues and God brings judgment.

In times of old God spoke to the people through His prophets.

The LORD spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, The days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them.

This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time, declares the LORD. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for your unfailing love and faithful commitment to your people.

Then there was 400 years of silence. No word from the LORD.

In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom also He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.

So, how did this come to be?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

Jesus Christ, the Creator of the universe and life, the Light of all mankind became flesh and dwelt among us.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

So, how did that happen? How did the Divine, Son of God step out of His heavenly glory and come to earth?

Christ Jesus, who, being in the very nature God, not consider equality with God something to be grasped; but rather, He emptied Himself, by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Jesus Christ, fully God—fully man—born of the virgin Mary.

God sent the angel Gabriel to a city in Galilee called Nazareth to a virgin named Mary to proclaim to her how this would take place. Mary was perplexed by the angel’s greetings. The angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.

Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin? Gabriel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.

The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

During this time Emperor Augustus gave orders that all the world should be registered. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph went to be registered with Mary from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and they glorified and praised God for all they had heard and seen, was just as it had been told them.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for the continual witness of your redemptive plan.

After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Forty days after the birth of Jesus the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph brought Him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord). They also offered a sacrifice for Mary according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

Simeon, a righteous and devout man was guided by the Holy Spirit to come to the Temple that day. When he saw Jesus, he immediately knew that He was the Messiah, the One they had been waiting for and so Simeon took Jesus in his arms and blessed them.

Then Anne, the prophet came up to them and began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for your faithful commitment to your people.

This was also during the time of King Herod. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.

When Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. After Herod found out that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem he secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found Him, bring me word so that I may also go and worship Him.

The wise men worshiped Jesus and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Then they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, so they left for their own country by another road.

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him. When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead. So, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for your plan of redemption cannot be stopped.

Jesus grew up in Nazareth observing all of the Jewish tradition required under the Law of Moses.

Now every year Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when Jesus was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival ended and they started back to Nazareth, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. When they went back to Jerusalem to search for Him, they found Him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for being our example.

When Jesus was grown, He came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. Just as Jesus came up from the water suddenly the heavens were opened to Him and he saw the Spirit of God descending upon Him in bodily form like a dove and alighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward He was famished. The devil came and tempted Jesus with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Each time Jesus rejected the temptation.

Jesus said to him, Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.’ Then the devil left Him, and suddenly angels came and waited on Him.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for showing us the way to apply the Word to our lives.

Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee and He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as was His custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. And Jesus rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

And so, begins His ministry as He walks among us. He had many followers and called twelve into His inner circle.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for His unfailing love for you and me.

Jesus Christ, our LORD and Savior, King of kings and Lord of lords—our Master Teacher and Messiah—the One sent from God. The One who trains disciples, blesses people, and performs great miracles.

The blind sees, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, And He brought the Good News to the afflicted and mended the brokenhearted.

Jesus was like no other—Fully God-Fully Man—

And though we cannot fully understand why God’s redemptive plan included that our blessed Savior be crucified on the cross for our salvation, we rest in God’s Word.

My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

And so, Jesus, being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for His redemption plan.

Jesus told His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. Peter rebuked Him and yet it all took place because as Jesus said, Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.

Judas betrays Him.

Peter denies Him.

All the disciples desert Him.

Jesus was handed over to evil men, mocked, beaten, spat on, slapped and flogged while the crowds cried out Crucify Him, Crucify Him, Crucify Him. This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know. Though He was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, they used lawless men to nail Him to a cross and kill Him.

He was hated and rejected by people. He had much pain and suffering.

People would not even look at Him.

He was hated, and we didn’t even notice Him.

But He took our suffering on Him and felt our pain for us.

We saw His suffering and thought God was punishing Him.

But He was wounded for the wrong we did; He was crushed for the evil we did.

The punishment, which made us well, was given to Him, and by His wounds we are healed.

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for His faithful commitment to redeem His people.

After Jesus’ resurrection He commissioned the disciples, Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And before His ascension the disciples gathered around him and asked him, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? Jesus said to them: It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for we are part of God’s grand story.

Fifty days after the ultimate Passover—On the first Pentecost after Jesus died on the cross the Holy Spirit came.

The disciples were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for His promised Holy Spirit.

Peter tells the story of Christ, letting all Israel be assured of this:

God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah. When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, Save yourselves from this corrupt generation. Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Praise the LORD, O’ my soul for the outpouring of His redemption plan.

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account