Social and Religious Studies

Key unit competence: A learner will be able to describe different God’s calls of the people of Israel 

in regard to annunciation of the coming saviour.

                                                      Learning objectives

At the end of this unit, you should be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• State the names of the Patriarchs.
• Understand the call of each of them. 
•  Identify the God’s plan to save his nation.

Skills

•   Describe the different calls of the patriarchs.
•   Explain the role of each patriarch in the salvation history.

Attitudes and values

• Appreciate the God’s plan to save his nation.
•  Detecting and appraising different calls from God. 
•  Respect call of other persons and participate in Christian activities

Introductory activity

Look at the picture below and answer the questions.

    1. Do you know the name of the man with the knife?

    2. What is happening?

   3. Who told him to do this?

   4. Why was he told to do this?

   5. Do you think this was part of God’s plan?

Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his only son.

2.1 God’s plan for His people

God has always had a plan for humanity, to bring us back to Him. He used the patriarchs of Israel to fulfil His plan.

Patriarch means the father and ruler of a family or tribe. The patriarchs of the Israelites were important because 

they were the original forefathers of the tribes that grew to become the nation of Israel [God’s chosen people in the

Bible]. Each of the patriarchs had a different calling, or task, that God gave him.

Activity

Make a list of the names of the patriarchs (male leaders) in your community.

42.2 The call of Noah

Noah lived at a time when the Earth was filled with violence and corruption. Noah stood out as one who walked with God. 

God called Noah to build an ark and to save his family and the animals of the world.

 He told Noah that there would be a flood because He was about to destroy the sinful people on Earth.

Noah had to believe in what God was telling him to do before he saw what God had planned.

God told Noah to build an ark. Building an ark was a very difficult task 

but Noah trusted God and obeyed Him.

2.2 The calling of Abraham

Abraham was called by God to leave his home and his tribe and move to a place that God would show him.

It took great courage to move away from everything and everyone that he knew.

God’s covenant with Abraham 

A covenant is a promise or agreement made between two people.

 God promised to bless Abraham’s descendants and make them His own special people. 

In return, Abraham was to remain faithful to God and be a channel through which God’s blessings

 could flow to the rest of the world.

God tested Abraham

Abraham had only one son called Isaac. He got him at a very old age. 

God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on the top of Mount Moriah. 

Abraham took Isaac to the top of the mountain to sacrifice him.

 At the very last moment, God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac and gave him a lamb instead. 

Abraham had been tested and had shown that he was obedient to the will of God.

Activity

Being told to sacrifice his only son must have been very hard for Abraham.

Make a list of the excuses Abraham could have given God before sacrificing Isaac.

2.3 The call of Moses

Although Moses was an Israelite, he was raised in Egypt at a time when the Israelites were slaves of the Egyptians.

 One day while Moses was herding sheep and goats, he came across a bush with burning flames in the desert.

This was strange because the bush was not burning up from the fire. God called Moses from the middle 

of the bush and told him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to a new land that God promised to Moses

2.4 The call of Jacob

Jacob and his twin brother Esau grew up together, living a nomadic life. 

They were the sons of Isaac, the son of Abraham. 

Jacob was always jealous of Esau.

He tried to deceive Isaac into blessing him as the first born. Jacob then had to leave home.

 After he left home, God appeared to Jacob in a dream that showed a ladder from heaven to Earth. 

Jacob had a difficult life and did some bad things. But God remained faithful to Jacob.

  God chose him to be the leader of Israel. He told Jacob to change his name to Israel. 

Jacob had 12 sons and a daughter. His sons were the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Homework

1. Describe the lives, call and convenants of Noah, Moses and Jacob.

 2. Explain what part each of the patriarchs played in God’s plan. 

Exercise 

    1. What is another name for a patriarch?

   2. Give the names of four patriarchs from the Old Testament.

   3 . What did God want the patriarchs to do?

   4. Explain what is meant by the word covenant.

2.5 Other calls in life

When we have a call we are listening to the voice of God telling us what He would like us to do with our lives. 

A call will always tell us to help others or do something good. It will never tell us to hurt another person.

 Another name for a call is a vocation. 

The Israelites had a vocation to serve God and to prepare for Jesus the Messiah.

Activity

Look at the pictures below. Say what you think the people have been called to do.

God does not only call rich or famous people. All of us can be called to serve

God in our own special way. We each have special talents that we can use to help others.

Homework

1. Make a list of your special talents.

2. Explain three ways in which you can use your talents to help other people.

2.6 God’s plan to save the world

God’s plan to save the world did not end with the patriarchs. When the time

was right, He sent Jesus, His only son, to Earth. God speaks to us through

Jesus. God’s plan is that we will be led back to Him by believing in Jesus.

(John 8:12, 10:9, 14:6.)

The patriarchs were part of a bigger plan. God wanted the tribe of Israel to be in the right place at the right time.

 Only then did He allow his Archangel

Gabriel to tell Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.

Activity

1 . Prepare a role-play about the patriarchs and include their calls and covenants.

2. Explain their significance in the Annunciation.

End unit assessment

Make sure you are able to answer the following questions on your own.

1. A _________ is another name for a calling.

2. Name three of the Old Testament patriarchs.

3. Why were the Israelites so important to God?

Revision exercise of unit 1 and 2

1. List any four of the main attributes of God.

2. Choose one among the attributes of God and describe what it means.

3. Explain what the verses at John 3:16–17 tells us.

4. What do we learn from 1 Corinthian 13?

5. Describe in a short paragraph the purpose for which God created man.

6. List any four ways you can protect and care for God’s creation.

7. Why did Noah build an ark?

8. How many tribes were descended from Jacob?

9. Explain what a call means.

10. Why did God send Jesus to us?

11. Match each word with its correct meaning.