LIVING WATERS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

“A Ministry of Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe”

Linking Academic Excellence with Spiritual Profundity
Address: No. 23C Maribou Close, Tynwald, Harare
Email: principal@livingwaters.ac.zw
Website: www.livingwaters.ac.zw
CERTIFICATE IN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT COVER PAGE

FULL NAME: MUMBA EVELYNE

CANDIDATE NUMBER: C 186
LECTURER: REV G. NHEMBO
COURSE: Introduction to Old Testament Studies
DUE DATE: 30 June 2022 SUBMISSION DATE: 30 June 2022

ASSIGNMENT TOPIC:
Touching key people, key events, narrate the history of Israel from the call of Abraham to
Babylonian exile.
Key Assignment Areas Possible Mark Mark Brief Comment Area
Introduction & 3
Definition of Terms
Main Discussion, 15
Evidence of Research &
Conclusion
References 2
Total 20

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The great and God beloved nation of Israel has got its inception, when God called separate
Abraham from his kindred, his father`s house to a place God himself would show him. After
a faithful obedience and journey to the unknown, God showed Abraham the land of promise;
pending that of progeny. Abraham beggar Isaac, Isaac gave birth to Esau and Jacob then God
chose Jacob who was later blessed named and Israel. In this write up, it is the adent wish of
the writer to narrate the history of history of Israel touching key people and key events from
the call of Abraham to the Babylonian exile.

Narrate to tell (a story) in detail

-Provide a written or spoken commentary for something or events

-To give an oral or written account of something in detail

Exile-a situation in which you are forced to leave your country or home and go to live in a
foreign country

-The state or a period of forced absence from one`s country or home.

According to Genesis 12;God called Abraham out of his native land and from amongst his
kindred to go to a place where God would reveal. He took with himself Sarah his wife, Lot
his brothers son and all his possessions and departed towards Canaan (the promised land).He
pitched his tent at witch Bethel on the west and on the east and God confirmed that he would
give his offspring the land but Abraham stretched toward Negeb

Having passed through Egypt mistreated by Pharaoh he journey through Negeb to as far as
Bethel where his tent has been at first. There their livestock increased and pastures became
conflicting as Lot also had a great livestock, the two then separated and Lot took the direction
of Zoar (Gen13:10) eastward but Abraham was shown a place to go by God. A war arose in
Siddim (that is the salt sea) but Abram rescued Lot and on his return he met Melchizedek
king of Salem at the kings valley (valley of Shaveh).Abram paid tithes and was blessed.

Sarai seek to resolve the problem of her bareness by having maidservant Hagar bear a child
on her behalf and Ishmael was born. Bishau (2010)points out that Ishmael was born eleven
years after Abram settled in Canaan and thirteen years later God upholds his covenant to
Abraham and gave him a sign of circumcisions. Divine envoys to Sodom and Gomorrah
visited Abraham and promised him a child. Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed but Abraham
interceded for Lot and was saved with his family. On the way Lot lost a wife due to
disobedience once and later incest between him and daughters gave birth to Moab and Amron

(Gen 21:1-21),God fulfils his promise, Sarah bears Abraham a son named Isaac and he takes
priority over Ishmael culminating to the dismiss of Hagar and Ishmael. God tests Abraham`s
obedience to sacrifice the son of the promise and was determined to do so, then God provided
Aram in place of Isaac. Isaac grew, married Rebecca and bore two sons Esau and following a
birth right exchange that took place before and Esau hunted for Jacob but he escaped to
Laban where he stayed and got married and bore twelve sons from four wives.

Beloved wife Rachel birthed, a beloved son to Jacob by the name Joseph: a unique dream and
favourite to the father. At some point a jacket of many colours was made for Joseph by Jacob
and the other brothers later him Had dreams that were strongly interpreted by the brothers
and hatred grew such that when he was sent to bring them food, they contemplated killing
him when they sold him to merchants going to Egypt who then sold him to Potiphar an
Egyptian governor. After some betrayed and suffering in Egypt, Joseph is exalted to become
a governor. The period coincides with hunger in Canaan, that drove the brothers to reconnect
with Joseph and a72 family/nation of Israel is migrated to Egypt-Goshen (Gen 46).

Post the demise of Joseph the multiplied Israelites were regarded a threat to the Egyptians
and torture and persecution begun. God raised Moses a deliverer to bring them out of Egypt
(Ex 6:7). Chikafu (1993) regards the Israelite exodus as Yahwe`s victory over Egyptian gods
since they had contended with Israel not to go out. Moses with the aid of Aaron managed to
lead Israel out of Egypt, miraculously crossed the red sea,delayals in the wilderness owing to
their disobedience; reached Sinai where God gave commandments. God appointed Aaron on
Levitical priesthood for continued service and worship of Yahwe (Lev 9) and was given
duties to teach Israel the laws of God.

Von Rad (1965) posits that Moses and Aaron were Israel’s` prophets appointed to teach the
holiness of God, centrality of God and worship of God (monotheism) in Israel. Feasts are
celebrated, order of worship (liturgy) is set and later spies were sent to spy Canaan (Numbers
13).Joshua and Caleb brought a positive report contrary to the other ten. Tribal leadership is
set but a delay to conquer the land, however conquest began with the defeat of king Sihon
and Og. Moses revisited the law as statutes governing the promises of God (Deut 28)
stamping that obedience would bring blessings and enjoyment of the promise but
disobedience attracts curse, punishment and death. Moses died and Joshua takes on the
mantle, sent in spies again who found refuge in Rahab`s home. Joshua led a miraculous
crossing of Jordan, the circumcision of the new generation and begins his conquest mission
targeting Jericho and Ai. Joshua fought battles a Gibeon and later executed five Amorite
kings and did land allotment. Other nations that were not conquered were gradually infiltrated
others were disposed by revolts.

Anderson (1978) viewed the third generation (after the demise of Joshua) as a leaderless
generation which did not know the land or the work that he did for Israel (Judges2:10).This
generation quickly abandons God and serves other gods (2:11-15).Under Joshua`s leadership
Israel had remained faithful to the Lord (Josh 22:31).Leadership crisis in Israel prompted God
to raise judges like Othniel, Ehud, Shangar, Deborah, Samson and ultimately Samuel. During
the era of judges, after a judge delivers Israel and the people return to the Lord and remain
faithful in all the days of that judges rule. As indicated in Judges17:6, 21:25; 18:1, 19:1 “In
those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes”. The
above phrase is noteworthy for Israel`s lack of any divinely appointed leader in order to
flourish as a nation and help her remain faithful to her covenant. This culminated to the birth
of Samuel, a priest, judge and prophet as well; who officiated kingship traditions.

Pritchard (1955) cites the negligence of Elis` sons as failure of priest ads leaders to controls
Israel (1 Sam 8).Saul of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin is anointed king of Israel but fails as
a king because he obeyed not the word of God coming through Samuel.(1Sam 13:8 and 1
Sam 15).David is anointed in place of Saul to become king of Israel, killed Goliath to deliver
Israel from the Philistines and enemity between him and Saul increased until the death of
Saul when a united monarchy was established with the reign of David.(Hayes (1995)
comments that David built many cities including Jerusalem . Solomon his son reigned in his
stead post father`s death; he became a wise king who extended the kingdom administratively,
built the temple of God but married many wives that led him astray at last. The kingdom is
divided into two owing to this reason with Jeroboam son of Nebat having ten tribes in the
North and Rehoboam son of Solomon retaining two tribes in the south.

History also divides with the Northern kingdom Israel and the southern kingdom (Judah).In
the north after the sins of Jeroboam (1kings 11:29-40) we see a successions of kings up to the
Omri dynasty and to Hoshea that resulted Baalism in Israel which attracted divine
punishment of Assyrian captivity in 722BC.Hayes (1979) says Samaria fell after a three year
siege, Shalmaneser is identified as the conqueror in 722 B.C.God had raised pre-canonical
prophets to denounce Baalism such as Elijah ,Elisha, Michaiah

In the south, Rehoboam again did not heed the request of elders and was replaced by a series
of kings Abijam, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahazia, Athaliah, Joash, Amazzia.During
Azariah`s reign God raised Isaiah the prophet and spans through to Jotham, Ahaz and
Hezekiah who embraced envoys from Babylon following his survival from the death bed and
exhibited the treasures of God`s house. This probed a punishment to exile in Babylon (Isa 39)
through the utterance by Isaiah the prophet. Manasseh reigns after Hezekiah and continued in
schizophrenic levels of apostasy, to the extent of sowing asunder prophet Isaiah Vengeyi
(2010).

God raised Jeremiah who prophesied after the reign of Amon during the tenure of Josiah, a
young king who did reforms in Judah .A series of bad leadership resumes again with
Johoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah who were the victims of Babylonian exile
deportation (2Kings 23-25). Anderson (1958) agrees that in Judah there were three
Babylonian exile deportations that of 597B.C,586 B.C and 582 B.C.”It appears that three
deportations of Judeans to Babylon took place under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 52:28-
30).

The first came during the reign of Jehoiachin, when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and
carried away many of the royal treasures of the temple and the royal palace. The second one
occurred after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C (Anderson 1958); when the walls of the city
were levelled and the temple was completely destroyed. The third one appears to have
occurred around 582 B.C while Nebuchadnezzar was reasserting his control over the general
region of Palestine (Jer 52:28-30) .

In conclusion, the nation of Israel is the brainchild of God himself and had made an
everlasting covenant with the founding father Abraham. This covenant is conditional, which
means if Israel obeys God she will abide in the land and prosper there in but she deviates
from the Sinai covenant and laws she will be exiled from the land. Generally Yahweh has
been the deliverer of Israel during times of crisis; prophets were always raised as mouthpiece
for God to denounce idolatry, uphold justice, remind Israel of the covenant, and reteach the
laws of Moses and to restore Yahwism in times of apostasy.
REFERENCES

Anderson B.W (1958) The Living Word of the Old Testament.1st Edition Longman
London.

Bishau.D and Mazodze.C (2010) Divinity Old Testament Prophecy.A guide to theories on the
origins of prophecy and the precanonical prophets,volume one, Lleemon Publishers. Harare.

Chikafu P.T (1993) “The Andience presupposed in the conquest, infiltration and Revolt
models:A sociological analysis.In Journal of Theology for southern Africa No// 84.

Global Study Bible (2012) E.S.V Bible.

Miriam Webster Dictionary Copyright(2014).

Hayes (1979). Introduction to the Bible,TheWest Minister Press. Philadelphia.

Rast.W (1972),Tradition History and the old testament. Fortress Press. Philadelphia.

Von Rad .G. (1962 Old Testament Theology vol 2.Row publishers.New York[NY].