Delve Into Covenant History Sample

DAY 1 – GOD AND A NATION One continuous story runs through the first quarter of the Bible, through all the books from Genesis to Samuel-Kings. It’s the story of the people of Israel, beginning with their earliest ancestors. It tells how their nation was formed, how they were miraculously delivered from slavery in Egypt, and how they settled in the land of Canaan. But it isn’t just the story of a nation. It’s more precisely the story of that nation’s relationship with God. It tells of the promises and agreements, or “covenants,” that God made with the ancestors and people of Israel over the course of their history. It explains that because humanity turned away from its Creator, the world was filled with injustice, violence, and misery. To rescue humanity, God made a covenant with one man, Abraham, promising that through him and his descendants everyone in the world would be blessed. Unfortunately, the people didn’t honor their agreements with God. They didn’t follow his laws, and they worshiped other gods. As a consequence, their nation was ultimately destroyed, and they were scattered. At this point the narrative of the Covenant History stops. PRAYER: Thank You, Lord for sharing the story of Your loving efforts to rescue Israel – and all of mankind – from the devastating effects of sin.