One God, Three Faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

LECTURE TWO

Lecture 2 - The Israelite Experience

Introduction:

How the descendants of Abraham grew into a tribal people, Israel; their sojourn

in Egypt and their liberation; Moses as guide across Sinai; conquest, confeder-

ation and a kingdom in Canaan.

A. Isaac: The Son of Promise

1. God finally gave Abraham the heir to the Covenant when Sarah gives
   birth to a son named Isaac. It is the line descending from him that inherits
   the promise of the Covenant.


2. Then God called upon Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as an offering
   to Him. God then provides a ram to replace the sacrifice of the boy.
   This was a test of Abraham’s faith and commitment.
   B.Abraham’s descendants


3. The promises of the Covenant were made not only to Abraham but to his
   descendants, passing down from the first born son to the younger son,
   first from Ishmael to Isaac, and then, in the next generation, from Esau to
   Jacob, who stole his birthright from Esau.


4. These examples exemplify the Christians’ views that the inheritance
   has gone from the first-born (the Jews) to the second (the Christians).


5. Jacob had a dream which renews the Covenant with God. In ancient
   tradition, dreams were often used by God to send messages. Sleep or “incu-
   bation” in a sacred place was thought to induce a revelation from God.


6. Jacob called this sacred place Beth-El and commemorated this event
   by setting up a stone pillar. There are instances of other sacred stones
   in Muslim history, as well. An example is the Ka’ba, or the stone under
   the Dome of the Rock.

Before beginning this lecture you may want to...

Read Exodus, 1, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings (Bible, Revised Standard

Version).

Consider this...

1. What makes the Israelites’ attitude towards other gods ambiguous?


2. Why does the name of God change repeatedly in the text of the Bible?


3. How does the lineage of Abraham affect the climate in Jerusalem
   today?