God’s Covenant Plan, Lesson 4.5

God’s Covenant Plan

Lesson Four: On the Way to the Promised Land

Lesson Objectives

  1. To read the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy with understanding.
  2. To understand God’s covenant with Israel at Sinai and to see how this covenant looks forward to and is fulfilled in the New Covenant of Jesus Christ.
  3. To appreciate the key figures and events - Moses, the Passover, and the vocation of Israel as “a kingdom of priests” - as they are interpreted in the Church’s tradition.

V. Study Questions

1. What are some of the parallels between the life of Moses and the life of Christ.

2. What covenant is God being "mindful" of in delivering Israel from bondage in Egypt?

3. How is God portrayed in Exodus as a loving Father of His first-born son, Israel?

4. Why is the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus called "the Lord’s Passover"? Why is Lord’s Passover like the Passover of Israel in Exodus?

5. For prayer and reflection. Read Our Lord’s discourse on the Bread of Life (see John 6:27-59) and then reread the Exodus story of the manna (see Exodus 16:1-5; 9-15). Ask in your prayer to understand more fully the meaning of our Lord’s words: "Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this Bread will live forever."

Begin Lesson 5

Lesson Outline

  1. Review and Overview
    1. One Down, 72 to Go!
    2. The Story So Far
  2. Out of Egypt, My Son
    1. Moses and Jesus
    2. God’s First-Born Son
    3. Plaguing Pharaoh
    4. The Passover and ‘Our Paschal Lamb’
  3. Making of the Old Covenant
    1. Images of the New Exodus
    2. Testing in the Wilderness
    3. "A Kingdom of Priests, a Holy Nation"
    4. The Golden Calf Affair
  4. After the Golden Calf
    1. Reading Leviticus
    2. Numbering the Second Generation
    3. A "Second" Law
  5. Study Questions

Other Lessons

  • Lesson One: How a Catholic Starts to Read the Bible
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To learn how to read the Bible the way the Catholic Church has always read it.
    2. To understand the concepts of “salvation history” and “covenant” and their importance for reading the Bible.
    3. To learn the key points of the creation story in the Bible’s first book, Genesis.

    Begin Lesson One

  • Lesson Two: Creation, Fall and Promise
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To read Genesis 1-3 with understanding.
    2. To learn God’s “original intent” in creating man and woman.
    3. To understand the sin of Adam and Eve and understand God’s promise of a New Adam and a New Eve.

    Begin Lesson Two

  • Lesson Three: East of Eden, Headed to Egypt
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To read Genesis 3-50 with understanding.
    2. To understand God’s covenants with Noah and with Abraham and to see how these covenants look forward to, and are fulfilled in the New Covenant of Jesus Christ.
    3. To appreciate the key figures in the story of Abraham - Melchizedek, circumcision, the sacrifice of Isaac - as they are interpreted in the Church’s tradition.

    Begin Lesson Three

  • Lesson Five: To Kingdom Come
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To finish reading the Old Testament (from Joshua to Malachi) and to read with understanding.
    2. To understand the broad outlines of the history of Israel in light of God’s covenant with Abraham.
    3. To appreciate the crucial importance of God’s everlasting covenant with David.

    Begin Lesson Five

  • Lesson Six: Into the Kingdom of the Son
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To read the New Testament with understanding.
    2. To understand how the New Testament depicts Jesus as the fulfillment of the covenants of the Old Testament.
    3. To appreciate, especially, the importance of God’s everlasting covenant with David for understanding the mission of Jesus and the Church as it is presented in the New Testament.

    Begin Lesson Six