THEO Finals Reviewer LESSON 3: The Covenant At Mt.
Sinai
MODULE 9: EXODUS
LESSON 1:
The Exodus, Its Etymology And Short History
"Exodus" is a Latin word derived from Greek Exodos, the
name given to the book by those who translated it into
Greek. The word means "exit," "departure"
The same phrase occurs in Gen 46:8, where it
likewise introduces a list of the names of those Israelites
"who went to Egypt with Jacob"
Thought of as a continuation of a narrative that
began in Genesis and was completed in Leviticus, Numbers
and Deuteronomy. The first five books of the Bible are
together known as the Pentateuch.
LESSON 2: The Exodus From Egypt
Exodus describes two key events in the history of the
people of Israel.
The first event is the exodus from Egypt.
It begins with the birth of Moses, who becomes an
Egyptian prince but later obeys God’s command to free his
Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt.
The Exodus story includes a description of the
great disasters (sometimes called plagues) that God sent
upon the Egyptian people in order to force their king to let
the people of Israel leave Egypt.
The dramatic escape from Egypt includes the
miraculous crossing of the Red Sea.
10 PLAGUES
1. The Red Water 6. The Boils
2. The Frogs 7. The Hail
3. The lice 8. The Locusts
4. The Flies 9. The Darkness
5. The Pestilence 10. The Death of the First Born
All future generations would remember the exodus
as the great example of God’s saving help.
The second key event in the book occurs at Mt. Sinai.
Where God gives Moses and the people the Ten
Commandments and the laws that are to guide how they
will worship and live together as God’s people.
10 COMMANDMENTS (DEUTERONOMY)
I am the Lord, your God:
1.You shall adore me alone, and love me above all.
2. You shall use my name with respect.
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day.
4. Honor your father and mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not desire your neighbor’s wife.
10. You shall not desire your neighbor’s goods.
LESSON 4:
The Synthesis Of The Two Key Events
The two key events: The exodus from Egypt and the
giving of the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai
Show how God was faithful in keeping his
promises to take care of those who believe in him, and his
blessing, not just with protection and material well-being,
but with his own presence.
Although God used Moses to announce the plagues
to the Egyptians and to their king, and to save the Israelites
at the Red Sea, all of the events are caused by God and
directed by his will and might.
LESSON 5:
The “Exodus” Story Of The Church And Of Our Own
The Exodus event foreshadows the “Exodus” event
of Christ and his Church.
The passion, death and resurrection of Jesus was
an Exodus event in a way that he passed over the waters of
death to the new life of the resurrection.
In baptism, we share this Exodus experience; the
water of the Red sea symbolizes our Exodus from the
slavery of sin towards the freedom as children of God.
The Passover meal of the Hebrew people was
being fulfilled by the Eucharist.
 MODULE 10:
Judges And Kings: Formation Of God’S People
LESSON 1: The Formation Of A Nation
The people of God had wandered through the
desert for forty years.
With the promised land in sight, Moses died; He
who had led the people all the way from Egypt to the
boundaries of the promised land was not to set foot on
that land.
The death of Moses caused some fears among his
people. They have started having second thoughts about
entering the promised land.
Moses had appointed Joshua as his successor. He
was to complete the work God had started with Moses and
he was to lead them across the Jordan river into the
promised land.
LESSON 2: The New Leadership
After Joshua’s death, God’s people were left
without any leader. They settled down to an easy and
prosperous life.
God could not allow his people to be absorbed by
and to be integrated in other nations. He called again men
from among their ranks to become leaders of the people.
These men turned to be heroes.
The Bible calls them JUDGES. In all, Israel counted
twelve Judges in succession. Their story is found in the
book of Judges.
But we will limit our study to two of the Judges,
namely Gideon and Samson.
12 JUDGES OF ISRAEL
1. Othniel 7. Jair
2. Ehud 8. Jephthah
3. Shamgar 9. Ibzan
4. Deborah 10. Elon
5. Gideon 11. Abdon
6. Tola 12. Samson
LESSON 3: Gideon
God’s people had become unfaithful to Yahweh
and joined their neighboring countries in their worship of
strange gods.
They fell into the hands of their enemies and now
God would rescue them.
He called Gideon to be his instrument and
champion but to test the faithfulness and obedience of this
man of God, he had to destroy the altar that his father had
erected for the strange gods.
God delivered his people from the hands of their
enemies with Gideon as their leader.
To celebrate this victory and to commemorate it, he
made an ephod.
An ephod is a richly embroidered outer vestment
of the priest. The people started to pay homage to it as a
god. Thus Gideon caused his people to sin. Gideon and his
entire family came to their downfall because of this.
Message of Gideon’s Story:
1. God calls whomever he wants to be the leader of his
people.
2. God tests the faith of those he calls.
3. Causing others to sin is also a great sin and leads to one’s
destruction.
LESSON 4: Samson
The birth of Samson was described as a miraculous
intervention of God.
Samson’s parents believed God and brought an
offering to him.
Samson had gone to take a wife from the
daughters of the Philistines.
The Philistines had dominion over Israel. Thus
the Israelites engaged them in a fight and defeated them.
Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah.
 Delilah was bribed by the enemies to find the
secret of Samson’s strength. When she found it, it was used
against Samson and he was overpowered by his enemies.
MESSAGE OF SAMSON’S STORY:
1. God prepares those he calls for the mission.
2. God punishes those who ridicule or harm his chosen
ones.
LESSON 5:
Towards The Establishment Of The Kingdom
The period of the judges had been a period of
struggles, of defeats and of victories.
It was a period of growth.
Samuel
- God called Samuel to be the leader but during that time
the nation was in danger.
- Internal division was more and more visible as the
people started joining the worship of baal.
- Samuel acted as a bridge between the period of judges
and the period of kings.
- His story is described in the two books of Samuel.
THE MESSAGE OF SAMUEL’S STORY
1. When the need is greatest, God is nearest.
2. God is with those whom he calls to his service.
LESSON 6: The Kingdom Of God
Finally Israel had become a kingdom, the kingdom of God.
Samuel had anointed Saul as its first king.
Saul, failed to live up to the expectations of Samuel.
According to Samuel’s advice, Saul should always
remember that God himself was the true king of the
people.
David was chosen and God would prepare him for the task.
KINGS OF THE ISRAELITES
1. Saul
2. David
3. Solomon
LESSON 7: King David
Psalms
Are sacred songs (often accompanied on the harp)
or poems.
He is credited with the writing of the Book of
Psalms.
MODULE 11: PROPHETS
Our English word “prophet” is derived from the
Greek term “pro-phates” which means “one who speaks
on behalf of another”, that is a herald or announcer.
In the Hebrew culture, prophets were called
“nabi” which means “one called” or “one who is called”.
Thus, these people were believed to be the
mouthpiece of God.
They were not speaking from their own authority
rather they speak on behalf of God.
They were God’s messengers.
In the Hebrew canon the Prophets are divided into:
The Former Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, & Kings
The Latter Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the
Twelve, or Minor, Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah,
Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai,
Zechariah, and Malachi.
Prophet Amos: The Prophet of Justice
He spoke out strongly against the rich and against
social oppression, injustices and exploitation.
Amos’ God was a God of concern for everyone,
especially the weak and the poor. He expected those who
worshiped him to show equal concern for all.
Prophet Hosea: The Prophet of Unconditional Love
Coming after Amos, Hosea too saw the evil in his
land, and spoke against it.
He fell in love with a Harlot, prostitute named Gomeh.
Three Types of Prophet MODULE 14: Relationship and Family

A. Prophet of Doom or Destruction- Disappointed God “People are extensions and not limitations.”
B. Prophet of Hope - Hopeful message
C. Prophet of Consolation - Giving consolation, include Our family is where we first experience love, care
Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi and Joel. and belongingness.

MODULE 13: Happiness and Suffering
Happiness - To be happy—as contrasted with feeling
happy—is always to be happy in virtue of something or
other, something done or suffered for, something acquired
or achieved.
When translators have supplied “happiness” as
the English translation of eudaimonia or beatitudo.
It is also where we have our first role models who
guide and shape us as we are prepared to be launched into
the bigger environment.
Tahanan - root word “tahan” means comfort.
Our relationship in the family sometimes reflects
and affects our own relationship with God.
Pope Francis: Prayer to the Holy Family for the Synod

True happiness has three characteristics that are

never absent, but always in greater or lesser measure
together. True happiness is spiritual. It is generous and it
is always related to God.

True happiness, being spiritual, is deeply interior.

St. Augustine: “My heart is restless until it rests in You.”

Thus, in the Christian view, the reality of suffering

is explained through evil, which always, in some way,
refers to a good.

This "word of the Cross" completes with a

definitive reality the image of the ancient prophecy.

However, the prayer in Gethsemane becomes a

definitive point here. The words: "My Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I
will, but as thou wilt", and later: "My Father, if this cannot
pass unless I drink it, thy will be done", have a manifold
eloquence.

This is the meaning of suffering, which is truly

supernatural and at the same time human.

It is supernatural because it is rooted in the divine

mystery of the Redemption of the world, and it is likewise
deeply human, because in it the person discovers himself,
his own humanity, his own dignity, his own mission.