The divine revelation which the Bible contains is given in the form of a history. G.o.d revealed his plan of saving men not in a system of doctrine, but in the record of his dealings with the world at large, and especially with one people. To understand this revelation it is necessary for us to view the great stream of history contained in the Bible. Our study on this subject will include the princ.i.p.al events from the creation of man, at a date unknown, to the birth of Christ.[1]

PART ONE

We begin by dividing the entire field of time to the opening of the New Testament into five periods. Each of these we write at the head of a column. (See the Blackboard Outline.)

I. The Period of the Human Race.

II. The Period of the Chosen Family.

III. The Period of the Is'ra-el-ite People.

IV. The Period of the Is'ra-el-ite Kingdom.

V. The Period of the Jew'ish Province.

I. We find in the opening of the Bible that the =Human Race= is the subject of the history. This theme extends through the first eleven chapters of Genesis, which narrate the history of much more than half of the time included in the Bible. During this long period no one tribe or nation or family is selected; but the story of all mankind is related by the historian.

1. This period begins with the =Creation of Man= (not the creation of the _world_), at some unknown time which scholars have not been able to fix; and it ends with the =Call of A'bra-ham=, also at a date uncertain, though given with some doubt at about B. C. 2280. With this event Bible history properly begins.

2. Through this period it would appear that G.o.d dealt with each person _directly_, without mediation or organized inst.i.tutions. We read of neither priest nor ruler, but we find G.o.d speaking individually with men. (See Gen. 3. 9; 4. 6; 5. 22; 6. 13; and let the cla.s.s find other instances.) We call this, therefore, the period of =Direct Administration=.

3. All the events of this period may be connected with three epochs:

1.) =The Fall= (Gen. 3. 6), which brought sin into the world (Rom. 5. 12), and resulted in universal wickedness (Gen. 6. 5).

2.) =The Deluge= (Gen. 7. 11, 12). By this destruction the entire population of the world, probably confined to the Eu-phra'tes valley, was swept away (Gen. 7.

23), and opportunity was given for a new race under better conditions (Gen. 9. 18, 19).

3.) =The Dispersion= (Gen. 10. 25). Hitherto the race had ma.s.sed itself in one region, and hence the righteous families were overwhelmed by their evil surroundings. But after the deluge an instinct of migration took possession of families, and soon the whole earth was overspread.

4. In this period we call attention to three of its most important =Persons=:

1.) =Ad'am=, the first man (Gen. 5. 1, 2). His creation, fall, and history are briefly narrated.

2.) =E'noch=, who walked with G.o.d (Gen. 5. 24), and was translated without dying.

3.) =No'ah=, the builder of the ark (Gen. 6. 9), and the father of a new race.

Hints to the Teacher

Let the teacher place the outline of the period on the blackboard, point by point, as the lesson proceeds, and let the cla.s.s do the same on paper or in notebooks. Let every Scripture text be read in the cla.s.s by a student, and let its bearing be shown. Call upon members of the cla.s.s to give more complete account of the events and the persons named, and for this purpose let the first eleven chapters of Genesis be a.s.signed in advance as a reading lesson.

Blackboard Outline

+---------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------+ |I. Per. Hu. Ra.|II. Per. |III. Per. |IV. Per. |V. Per. | | | Ch. Fam.| Is. Peo.| Is. Kin.| Je. Prov.| +---------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------+ | C. M. | | | | | | C. A. | | | | | +---------------+ | | | | | Dir. Adm. | | | | | +---------------+ | | | | | Fa. | | | | | | Del. | | | | | | Dis. | | | | | +---------------+ | | | | | A. E. N. | | | | | +---------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------+

Review Questions

What is the central theme of the Bible? How is this theme presented in the Bible? Why should we study the history in the Bible? What are the five periods of Old Testament history? What is the subject of the history during the first period? With what events does the first period begin and end? What is said concerning the dates of early events? What kind of divine government in relation to men is shown in the first period? Into what epochs is the first period subdivided? What results followed the first man's falling into sin? Where was the population of the world confined up to the time of the flood? How did the flood become a benefit to the world? What new instinct came to the human family after the flood?

Name three important persons in the first period?

State a fact for which each of these three men is celebrated.

PART TWO

II. A new chapter in Bible history opens at Gen. 12. 1. Here we find one family of the race is selected and made the subject of the divine revelation. This was not because G.o.d loved one family more than others, but because the world's salvation was to be wrought through that family (Gen. 12. 2, 3). Hence we call this the =Period of the Chosen Family=.

1. This period extends from the =Call of A'bra-ham= (Gen. 12. 1), B. C.

2280?, to the =Exodus from E'gypt=, B. C. 1270?.

2. In this period we notice the recognition of _the family_. G.o.d deals with each family or clan through its head, who is at once the priest and the ruler (Gen. 17. 7; 18. 19; 35. 2). We call this period, therefore, that of the =Patriarchal Administration=.

3. We subdivide this period into three epochs:

1.) =The Journeyings of the Patriarchs= (Gen. 12. 5; 13. 17, 18; 20. 1, etc.). As yet the chosen family had no dwelling place, but lived in tents, moving throughout the land of promise.

2.) =The Sojourn in E'gypt.= In the lifetime of the patriarch Ja'cob, but at a date unknown, the Is'ra-el-ite family went down to E'gypt, not for a permanent home, but a "sojourn," which lasted, however, many centuries (Gen. 46. 5-7; 50. 24).

3.) =The Oppression of the Is'ra-el-ites.= Toward the close of the sojourn the Is'ra-el-ite family, now grown into a mult.i.tude (Exod. 1. 7), endured cruel bondage from the E-gyp'tians (Exod. 1.13, 14). This was overruled to promote G.o.d's design, and led to their departure from E'gypt, which is known as "the exodus," or going out.

4. From the names of men in this period we select the following:

1.) =A'bra-ham=, the friend of G.o.d (James 2. 23).

2.) =Ja'cob=, the prince of G.o.d (Gen. 32. 28).

3.) =Jo'seph=, the preserver of his people (Gen. 45. 5).

Blackboard Outline

+------------+------------+-------------+------------+-------------+ |I. Per. Hu. |II. Per. |III. Per. |IV. Per. |V. Per. | | Ra. | Ch. Fam.| Is. Peo. | Is. Kin.| Je. Prov.| +------------+------------+-------------+------------+-------------+ | C. M. | C. A. | | | | | C. A. | E. E. | | | | +------------+------------+ | | | | Dir. Adm. | Patr. Adm. | | | | +------------+------------+ | | | | Fa. | Jou. Pat. | | | | | Del. | Soj. Eg. | | | | | Dis. | Opp. Isr. | | | | +------------+------------+ | | | | A. E. N. | A. J. J. | | | | +------------+------------+-------------+------------+-------------+

Review Questions

What is the name of the second period? Why is it so named? With what events does the second period begin and end? What kind of divine administration do we notice in the second period? Into what three epochs is the second period divided? What were the beneficial results of the bondage in E'gypt upon the Is'ra-el-ites? Name three persons of the second period? For what fact or trait is each of these three persons distinguished?

PART THREE

III. When the Is'ra-el-ites went out of E'gypt a nation was born, and the family became a state, with all the inst.i.tutions of government.

Therefore we call this the =Period of the Is'ra-el-ite People=.

1. It opens with the =Exodus from E'gypt=, B. C. 1270? (Exod. 12.

40-42), and closes with the =Coronation of Saul=, B. C. 1050?.