How well do you know the characters in the gospel story? For many, referring to the people in the Bible as “characters” and the message of the gospel as a “story” is offensive. They think it cheapens the real lives and historic events in the Bible. Their argument might sound something like, “My Bible is a history book with an inspired record of the facts of their lives.” The Bible ain’t no story and those people are not myths!” To that I would only say, “Amen.”
Our Bibles do present the real lives, events, and an accurate history of the people involved. That does not mean history doesn’t have characters and dramatic stories to tell. Organizing the stories of the heroes and villains that make the gospel story a powerful, even emotional drama, strengthens our knowledge of those real events. If you are going to use the “Landmarks Of The Bible” technique to remember where things are in your Bible, You have to have the story in your head and a good grasp of where the people of the Bible appear on a timeline. Who comes first Abraham or Noah? What about Solomon or John the Baptist?
Let’s see how well we can tell the story.
[Editor’s note: There are links to other lessons on this subject at the bottom of the page.-JS]
Adam: Most people could guess that Adam was the first man to appear in the Bible. That is landmark number one in our system. God created the world in Genesis chapter one. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and were kicked out of the Garden in Genesis chapter three. We are off to a good start.
Noah (Genesis 6-10): The world becomes so sinful, God decided to destroy it with a flood. Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives got into the ark God told Noah to build. and were the only humans to survive.
Abraham (Gensis 12-25): God calls Abraham to live in a foreign country (Canaan) with people who do not know Jehovah God. The Lord promises Abraham his descendants will be so numerous, they will rule the land of Canaan one day. Abraham believes God even though he is old and doesn’t have any children. God prophesies to Abraham he will have children that become a nation, and he will bless the world through one of those descendants. This is a prophetic reference to Jesus (Genesis 12:1-3, 6-7; 15:5-16; 22:17-18).
Israel (Genesis 26-49): Abraham’s son Isaac had a son named Jacob. Abraham’s grandson had 12 sons. When God changed Jacob’s name to Israel, these 12 men became the leaders of the “Twelve tribes of Israel.” We know them as Israelites (Genesis 32:28; Exodus 1:1-7). Jacob’s favorite son, Joseph, became second in command to the pharaoh of Egypt and was able to move his family to the land of the Nile where they lived for over 400-years.
Moses (Exodus-Deuteronomy): God sent Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian captivity. The Lord sent ten plagues on Pharaoh and his country that eventually convinced pharaoh to, “Let my people go,”-Exodus 5:1. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. His story contains the crossing of the Red Sea, the Ten Commandments, the Ark of the Covenant. And the 40-years wandering in the wilderness.
Joshua (Joshua): Joshua succeeds Moses as leader of the people of Israel. He is told to “be strong and courageous”-Joshua 1:6 when his leadership begins and at his death declares, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”-Joshua 24:15. God fights Israel’s battles and the nation promised to Abraham conquers the land Abraham lived in as a stranger.
By the end of the book of Joshua, two of the three promises made to Abraham and his offspring have come true. The rest of the Bible story is about a man named Jesus. He was and is the promised descendant of Abraham through whom, “all the nations of the earth (shall) be blessed,”-Genesis 22:18.
As Paul Harvey used to say. Stay tuned for…”the rest of the story.” next week.
https://www.north2ndcofc.org/sermons/old-testament-landmarks-and-timelines/
https://www.north2ndcofc.org/sermons/landmarks-of-the-bible-2022/
https://www.north2ndcofc.org/why-the-ten-commandments-are-a-big-deal/
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