Last week we discussed Gods plan through Joseph

Last week we discussed God’s plan through Joseph Today we will discuss how God developed the nation of Israel, through a great political and spiritual leader Moses. God liberated the Hebrew people in Egypt from slavery and led then led them toward the land he promised Abraham.

Watch the movie “The Hope” Chapter 6: People of the Promise online in English or in Chinese or in (with English subtitles) on DVD.

God told Abraham his descendants would be oppressed Gen 15: 13 -14 Why didn’t God prevent this? God also says it is too early to give Abraham’s offspring the promised land. (Gen 15: 16) Why?

God’s Purpose in Human History • Acts 17: 26 他从一个人造出人�万族，使他�住在整个 地面上，�先�定了他�的 年限和所住的疆界， • 27 好�他��求神，或�因此真能摸索而找到他。其 �他离我�每一个人并不�， • God creates a world, people and boundaries for each people. • We mess up history with our desires, plans and actions. But - God patiently works above, beyond around our choices to guide us to seek him.

God gave the Amorites time to change - but God knew they would not. Living in a world suffering under evil can lead us: -to seek protection -to seek a greater goodness. -to admit our own evil.

Moses Liberator and Law-giver Can people find freedom by keeping God’s Law?

First Book of Moses -Genesis the age before the Law • Rom. 5: 13 …sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. • 13 没有律法以前，罪已�在世 界上了；不�，没有律法的� 候，罪也不算罪。

Moses (like Mao) tried to liberate his people from oppression • Moses tried to help his people through killing an oppressor. • “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. ” What was the result?

Exiled to a poor desert God corrected Moses’ pride in power. (learned from Pharaoh). Moses learned to trust God’s power to liberate the people.

God gave the Egyptians many chances to obey Him 罪有�得 Punishment gave the leader time and motivation to change. But the leader rejected God’s offer. God punished him and liberated the people

2 nd Book of Moses: Exodus -Building a just society • Exodus 19: 8 - people promise to obey God’s covenant • Exodus 20: 1 -17 • Exodus 32: 1 - The people quickly fail.

3 rd book of Moses-Leviticus Sacrifices for Forgiveness • Lev. 17: 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. • 利未� 17: 11 因��物的生命 是在血里，我指定�祭�上的 血代替你�的生命，因�血里 有生命，所以能代� 生命。 • atone -�罪

4 th book of Moses: Numbers More failure from those whom God liberated • Numbers 14 : 1 -4 • fear, rebellion, unbelief, sin • this generation all died in the wilderness. • God waited 40 years for the next generation who would trust him.

5 th book of Moses- Deuteronomy (second law) 申命� • Preparing the people to live in the promised land, to trust God and treat people fairly. • Deut. 29: 12, 13

A clear choice • Deut 30: 15 -19 • Deut. 30: 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. • Deut. 30: 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. • Deut. 30: 17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, • Deut. 30: 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

But God already knew what they would do. • Deut 31: 15 -17 • God sent prophets to warn the people to repent 改邪�正 obey his law or punishment would come. • Punishment (famine, civil war, invasion) followed. Then the people were sorry and decided to obey God, • Then God sent a leader to rescue them and blessed the land again • Again the people did evil 。 学好三年， 学坏三天。 • Same pattern for 700 -900 years until exile.

Why? • Deut 7: 7 -9. • God is faithful even when we are faithless

A promise: another leader • Deut. 18: 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. • (Like Moses: A Jew, a liberator, law giver, sacrifice provider, one who speaks God’s words). • Deut. 18: 19 If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.

Other Prophets give clues Moses, 1400 BC, David, 1000 BC, Isaiah, Micah 700 BC, Zechariah 400 BC then silent for 400 years…