Week 1 writing assignment: Write a brief overview of important events in Hebrew history from Abraham to Moses.
This was the first week in Western Civilization 1. It was an introduction to the class and a brief history of the Hebrews. The class was from creation to about 63 AD. This essay will be about the important events in Hebrew history spanning from Abraham to Moses.
I will first start with Abraham. Abraham lived during the 20th century BCE. He was born around the city of Ur in Mesopotamia. He married his half-sister, Sarah. Abraham heard a call from God to leave his land and go to Canaan. This was a long journey west. God said this is where he would deliver a divine promise that Abraham and his descendants would possess the land and Abraham would become the father of a great nation. Abraham trusts God and travels there with his whole family. Soon, though, Abraham is convinced that God demands the sacrifice of his son Isaac. Although Abraham was devastated, he trusts God’s plan and prepares to sacrifice his son. However, at the last minute an angel of God appears to spare Isaac, and a ram is instead used for the sacrifice.
Later Isaac marries Rebekah, a woman from Mesopotamia. After they get married, Abraham dies shortly after. Isaac’s life is much more uneventful than his father’s. Isaac is a herdsman, with Rebekah. They have two sons, Esau and Jacob. Jacob is very much jealous of Esau because of his privileges as the older brother. One day Jacob tricks Esau into selling his birthright for a bowl of pottage. Jacob then goes to his father, Isaac, and receives his father’s blessing. Esau soon discovers Jacob’s plot and announces his intention to kill him. So Rebekah sends Jacob away.
While Jacob was traveling, he had a dream from God. In this dream there is a ladder extending down from heaven to earth with God at the top, renewing the promise he made to Abraham. Jacob then later arrives at the home of his uncle, Laban. He works at Laban’s for fourteen years to marry both his daughters, Leah and Rachel. Jacob later returns home, makes peace with Esau, and is renamed Israel. Jacob has twelve sons and one daughter between Rachel and Leah. Rachel dies shortly after the birth of their youngest son, sadly.
Joseph is one of Jacob’s twelve sons and was the second youngest and favorite of all sons. The other eleven sons were envious of the treatment Joseph was getting, so they eventually tricked him and sold him into slavery. Joseph was brought into Egypt and was imprisoned there. Well, in prison, Joseph interprets the pharaoh’s dreams and reveals a famine is coming. Provisions are made in Egypt so they are ready. When the famine comes, Joseph’s brothers come, and the Pharaoh lets them in as he favors Joseph. After Joseph’s death and a new pharaoh comes, he starts enslaving the Hebrew people. Later the Pharaoh makes a law to kill every baby boy in the Hebrew land.
Moses was born during that time. His sister, Miriam, placed him in a basket on a stream, hoping someone would pick him up and protect him better than her. The pharaoh’s daughter ends up finding him and adopts him. Moses then grew up as an Egyptian rather than a Hebrew slave. Later Moses becomes a shepherd after being cast out for killing an Egyptian who was beating Hebrew slaves.
When Moses was a shepherd, he found a burning bush that was not being consumed by the flame. Moses heads over to the bush to realize it’s God. God then instructs Moses on how to free his people from the Egyptians and fulfill his mission. Moses obeys this command and demands the pharaoh to release the slaves. Instead the pharaoh does not. After this, Moses sends the Ten Plagues to Egypt. The pharaoh finally agrees and sets them free. The Hebrews leave Egypt and start travelling, starting Exodus. Later the pharaoh changes his mind and sends his army after the Hebrews. This is when Moses parts the Red Sea so they can escape.
After these events, Moses goes up to Mt. Sinai and comes back down with the Tablets of the Law and the Ten Commandments. These are then kept in the Ark of the Covenant. Moses sadly dies before he can reach the Promised Land.
