Lesson 5

Man who was created by God sinned against Him.God punished them.But he did not desert them.He loved even sinners and prepared the ways to save them from sin.

God called Abraham specially for this.He lived in Haran.His wife was Sarah.Both of them obeyed God.God said to Abraham:”Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you I will make of you a great nation,and I will bless you--- and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”(Genesis 12:1-3)-

As instructed by God,Abraham left Haran with his wife and Loth-his nephew and dwelt in Canaan-

Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said,”To your offspring I will give this Iand”(Genesis 12:7)

Abraham and Sarah did not have children.They were very old.But God promised them a son.Abraham believed in God’s promise.They got a son as God promised.His name was Issac.

Isaac had children – Esau and Jacob.Jacob had twelve sons.Through them Abraham’s descendants grew and they got divided into twelve tribes.They lived in the promised land.

                    The descendants of Jacob are Known as Israel.

Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob.Jacob was well pleased with Joseph.As he was liked most,some of his brothers hated him.They sold him as a slave to the Egyptians.But God was with him.By God’s providence,he was appointed the ruler of Egypt.

Canan,where Jacob’s children lived,faced a severe famine.They came to the Pharaoh of Egypt to buy corn.Joseph,the ruler,recognized his brothers.He took them to Egypt and made them stay there.Thus the Israelites began to live in Egypt.

When Joseph died,the Egyptians made them slaves.They tortured them in many ways.God chose Moses the prophet and saved them from slavery through him.All these were God’s ways of salvation.God  prepared these ways to save men who became slaves to sin.

Israel has a prominent place in God’s plan of salvation; for,it is from the tribe of Israel,Jesus,the savior of the world,was born.

Let us pray

O God! Lover of sinners who prepares

The way for salvation,give me the grace

To grow in virtue,doing good.

Let us sing

Abram,Isaac and Jacob-God did call,

In his plan to save us all.

Jacob had sons – twelve in all,

Israel’s tribes we them do call.

Egypt when it did captive fall,

Moses came to free them all.