The Ancient World

It is time to review our previous lesson. Can you name the first two periods of biblical history?

 

1) ________________________________________________________________________

 

2) ________________________________________________________________________

 

The Scattering of the People

After the flood, the people huddled together. God forced the people to scatter by confusing the language of each family. When the people could no longer talk with their neighbors, they moved apart from each other. So, this period of history explains why we came to have many nations with different native languages.

After the people were scattered, the Bible story focuses on one particular family: the descendants of Shem, a son of Noah.

The Patriarchs

The word “patriarch” means “father ruler.” One man in a family served as the head of his extended family. There were many patriarchs in the world, but there were three who were of particular interest in the story of the Bible: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

This period ends with a son of Jacob, who is named Joseph.

Bondage in Egypt

The story of Joseph explains how Jacob's family ended up in Egypt. While the Israelites, the name of Jacob’s family, were welcomed into Egypt, it wasn’t long before their hosts turned against them and enslaved them. This period ends with the birth of God’s appointed deliverer, Moses.

Leaving Egypt

The Israelites did not stay in Egypt forever. That means they had to have left at some point, and that is our next period of history. This period is sometimes called “the Exodus.” The word “Exodus” means “going forth,” in other words, the time when Israel exited Egypt. The period continues until the people reach the southern edge of their promised land, at a place called Kadesh-Barnea. Here, the people lost their faith in God and refused to enter the land.

 

Do you still have all the periods in mind? Tell your teacher the first six periods of history and have you teacher initial this box [ ].