UNIVERSITY OF SAINT LOUIS
Tuguegarao City
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, ARTS and SCIENCES
First Semester
A.Y. 2023-2024
LEARNING MODULES
CFED 1013- God’s Journey with His People
Prepared by:
MAE IRENE BAUTISTA
JOHN KENNETTE DADO
PAUL-IRIS CANCERAN
IVANA MARYS PAGUIRIGAN
LOREN JAY POSIQUIT
JOVERT SEBASTIAN
DANIMAR TABIJE
SEVERO WASHINGTON, MARS
ESPERANZA ZABLAN, MARS
Reviewed by:
GIANETTE PEREZ PAGALILAUAN, MARS
CFED DEPARTMENT HEAD
Recommended by:
HERBERT S. CORPUZ, Ph.D.
Academic Dean
Approved by:
EMMANUEL JAMES PATTAGUAN, Ph.D.
Vice President for Academics
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School of Education, Arts and Sciences
Christian Faith Education Department
Curriculum 2018-2019
This Week’s Time Table: (August 29-September 2, 2023)
For this week, the following shall be your guide for the different lessons and tasks that you need to accomplish.
Oops! Be patient, read them carefully before proceeding to the tasks expected of you.
HAVE A FRUITFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCE 😊
Date Topics Activities or Tasks
August 29 Stories before the calling of Abraham Read Lessons
August 30 The Call of Abraham Read Lessons
August 31 God’s Covenant with Abraham Read Lessons
September 1 Isaac and the other Patriarchs Read Lessons
September 2 Quiz and Submission of learning tasks Accomplish the worksheet and evaluation in
the Learning Task portion of this module
LEARNING MODULE
CFED 1013 (God’s Journey with His People)
AY 2023-2024
Lesson 3: Abraham and the Patriarchs
Topic: The Patriarchs
Learning Outcomes: At the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. explain the role of the patriarchs in the molding of god’s chosen people;
2. enumerate the names of the first three patriarchs and the 12 sons of israel;
3. elucidate the kind of life that was required by god for the patriarchs;
4. explain the wider context or full meaning of god’s calling the patriarchs;
5. expound the deep reason why God had to intervene in human.
LEARNING CONTENT
Introduction:
In module 1 we had a general overview on how God journeys with His people. This initiative of
God to journey with His people is our Salvation History. As a manifestation that God loves us so
much, He made his presence felt through many ways. The fullness of this presence was when the
Word became flesh---God becoming human. Our encounter with Him will find its completeness when
we will fully experience the Kingdom. In relation to our present life, there are traces of God’s really
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intervening in human history for us to always remember the great destiny which He planned for all
people.
This Chapter will discuss the Patriarchs, the foundation of God’s people whom God will use as
instruments to start journeying with His people.
Lesson Proper:
The Patriarchs
For us to understand the importance of the Patriarchs in the history of the Israelites or in
modern term called Jewish people, let us make a glimpse of the stories before the calling of the first
Patriarch--- Abraham. These stories are called “reconstructed history” by some Biblical experts.
Stories in the Old Testament revolve with the
cycle of sin-curse-blessing/restoration. When
Adam and Eve committed the sin of pride and
disobedience, they became conscious and were
ashamed that they are naked. In Genesis 3, the
curse or punishment was given by God in verse
16 and 17, such as pain in child bearing, making
man till the soil before reaping its fruits, and death
as the consequence of the sin they have
committed. As a blessing, towards the end, God
did not allow them to be naked, he made
garments of skins and clothed them.
Same cycle is also applied in the story of the
children of Adam and Eve--- Cain and Abel. In
Genesis 4, Cain out of jealousy murdered his
brother Abel, who was a more favored son
because of his best offering to God. Clearly, in this
story sin was present in the act of killing and the
feeling of jealousy by Cain. After which the
punishment was when the Lord said’ “…and now
you are cursed from the ground…When you till
the ground, it shall no longer yield you its produce;
you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on earth.”(Gen 4, 11-12 RSV) Cain was fearful of
becoming a fugitive and wanderer and said “My punishment is greater than I can bear… you
have driven me … and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me
will slay me.”(Gen 4, 13-14) However, as a response on the fear of Cain, the Lord answered,
“Not so! If anyone slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven-fold. And then the Lord
put a mark on Cain, lest anyone who came upon him should kill him.” (Genesis 4, 15) Even
though the Lord cursed him to be a fugitive and wanderer, yet the blessing came when He
promised that Cain will never be killed.
The pattern is also the same in the Story of Noah in Genesis 6. The wickedness of
mankind made God plan to wipe out all people on earth. As a symbol for cleansing, the great
flood was the punishment. However, Noah was presented as the blessing when he builds the
ark to save them from the flood. After the flood subsided, there was only one nation under the
descendants of Noah.
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When people grew in number sin comes into the fore again in the story of the tower of Babel.
The building of the tower of Babel was a desire to have fame so that their names will spread
throughout all the earth and the next generation instead of that of God (Genesis 11:4). It was also a
sin of disobedience since they did not spread throughout all the earth as God commanded their
forefathers. Their desire to be the ones to be glorified instead of God was shattered when the Lord
differentiated their languages. Thus, they really were scattered on earth as God planned for people.
The cycle in the stories before the calling of the Patriarchs presents the people’s act
of always turning away from God despite God’s act of always restoring them. This
act of committing sin was continuous from the forefathers to the next generations.
This will lead to God’s calling the first Patriarch Abraham to start journeying
with His people.
Meanwhile the continuity of sin is what we call “original sin”. Why original? Original sin does
not mean that we inherited the sins committed by our forefathers but what we inherited is the weak
human nature which has the tendency to commit sin. In Filipino, this is called “kahinaan ng tao”. This
is the reason why some of us when we are accused of committing mistake would answer by saying
“tao lang”. Water or the flood as a sign of cleansing in the story of Noah will come to us in the water of
Baptism which will remove our original sin and so we are also marked as God’s people. So, with our
Baptism, we hope that we overcome that weakness of being “tao” will live out our nature as the image
of God. This means that if God is good, we should also be good, if God is just, we should also be just,
and so on and so forth. You can enumerate a lot of God’s traits which we should live being his image
such as loving, caring, compassionate, etc.
With the continuity of sin or people always turning away from God, comes the calling of
Abraham in Genesis 12. How will Abraham become a blessing? Who is Abraham? What is his role in
the life of the people of God and in God’s plan for all people?
Genesis 12:1-3: The Call of Abraham.
Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and
your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you
a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that
you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who
curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless
themselves.”[a]
4
So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old
when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their
possessions which they had gathered, and
the persons that they had gotten in Haran;
and they set forth to go to the land of
Canaan. When they had come to the land
of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the
land to the place at Shechem, to the
oak[b] of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites
were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared
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to Abram, and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So, he built there an altar to the LORD,
who had appeared to him.
Let us analyze the words of God to Abram in Genesis 12:1-4. What are the three things that
God promised to Abraham? Among those three promises, which one is clearly telling us that God
calling Abraham was just the beginning of His plan to give salvation to humanity? Obviously, the first
promise was the land which is Canaan as found in Genesis 12:5. For the second promise which
Abram did not immediately believe was the son since he had no heir with Sarai. How can Abram
become a great nation if he will not have children or even a son? The third promise which may also
be very remote for Abram was God’s plan to save or journey with His people starting with Abram and
his descendants who will be the Israelites. This third promise was greatly implied in Genesis 12: 4,
when God said, “all the families of the earth will find blessing in you.”
God’s covenant with Abraham
With the plan of God for all people as greatly implied in the calling of Abraham, there are series
of events that will slowly give signs on how it will be carried out starting with Abraham. With the
promises of land and a son to Abram, the next would be the changing of their names and the
circumcision (Genesis 17:1-22). Circumcision is a sign of cleanliness and holiness, which means that
one must walk blameless with God. The changing of names has a deep and greater implication. In
Genesis 17:5, 15, God will change the names of Abram and Sarai into Abraham and Sarah. Change
of names in the Bible greatly implies the change that the person must undergo, and the name greatly
signifies one’s mission that he will carry out. One good example of this is the name “Jesus” which
means savior (Matthew 1:21). With this, Abraham’s mission was to become the “father of a multitude
of nations”.
How will Abraham become the “father of a multitude
of nations”? Biologically, Abraham was the father of the
Hebrew nation only or the Israelites. How can we call
Abraham our father? As said in Genesis 12:3, how can we
gain blessing through Abraham? With this, we must ask the
question, what was really the covenant between God and
Abraham in its fullest sense? In Genesis 17:7- 8, it is
greatly implied that God will slowly introduce Himself as the
God not only of Abraham but even his descendants. So,
the covenant was “I will be your/their God. While Abraham
and his descendants were the only ones being mention
here, we need to go back to the wider context of God’s
words to Abraham which was “all the families of the earth
will find blessing in you.” Back to the question, how will
Abraham become the “father of a multitude of nations” or
how can we call Abraham our father? The people
descended from Abraham would be the trustee, the chosen
people, called to prepare for that day when God will gather
all his children into unity. They would be the root onto which
the gentiles would be grafted, once they come to believe.
So, what would connect us with Abraham? It is our faith in
the God (YHWH) who called Abraham and the patriarchs.
So, Abraham is not our biological father, but he is our father
of faith. This is why we hear many people singing “father Abraham has many children, and I am one
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of them…” Still, we have to ask the question of how will God bless all the families of the earth through
Abraham? Who is the person from the lineage of Abraham who will bless all the families on earth?
Going back to the background of the calling of the patriarchs, it was because of the people
continuously committing sin. So, it is now very clear that the person who will bless us all is no other
than the Savior, the Word or the promise of God who became flesh. It is now clear that Abraham is
our father of faith.
Readers may be troubled by God's choice of Abram. Is Abram somehow special, or better, or
more religious than other people? Again, God called people not because they are perfect or holy, but
God would intervene and comes to our rescue because of our sinfulness. Abraham’s faith was tested
many times when he questioned his being childless, but again, this is where God’s power and love
would work. The ultimate test of his faith was when God asked him to offer his only son Isaac which
was just a proof that Abraham now would fully trust God after all his encounters with Him. So, with
faith in God, His grace will overcome our human weaknesses.
CONCLUSION
The Story of Abraham is the actual starting point of God bringing salvation to humanity although
this has been planned since when the first persons committed sin (Gen. 3:15). Abraham became the
father of the Israelites whom God will continue to use as instruments in spreading His Love / salvation
for all. From the Israelites would come the peak of God’s promise to give blessing to all the families
on earth.
The Next Patriarchs
The major theme of Genesis 12-50 is how God
overcomes obstacles in order to keep His covenant and the
promises that goes with it. From Abraham to the next patriarchs
until their formation as God’s chosen people, God would sustain
His covenant with them. He was a God who really journeyed
with them.
After Abraham, the next patriarchs would be his
son Isaac, who is the father of Jacob and his
twelve sons who would become the
founders/fathers of the Israelites until they will be
formed as one nation. Among the sons of Jacob,
the one who would become famous since he was
God’s instrument for saving Jacob’s family from
the great famine would be Joseph.
The story of Joseph going first to Egypt could not also be understood by many until its
peak which was his becoming the acting pharaoh of Egypt who will eventually rescue his
family when the great famine even affected Canaan where his parents and brothers
lived.
Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob. He was considered the favorite son of Jacob and was a
dreamer and an interpreter of dreams. One of his dreams when he was young was that the sun and
the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to him. His brothers were so envious that they tried to
kill him but later decided to sell him. They sold him to the Ishmaelites, but the Midianites traders
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pulled and took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar who was a courtier and chief steward of the
Pharaoh. By the way, the term “Pharaoh” is a “title” for the king of Egypt. Joseph’s refusal to have an
affair with the wife of Potiphar who reversed the story sent Joseph to the prison cell.
Despite the hardships in Egypt his name became great because of his interpretation of the
Pharaoh’s dream. This will eventually promote him to become the governor or the acting Pharaoh of
Egypt. Pharaoh’s dream was about a great famine who would come after years of good harvest.
The famine for which the Egyptian greatly prepared for with the leadership of Joseph did not
only
affect Egypt but even Canaan where Jacob’s family was. With such great crisis in food, Jacob asked
his sons to go to Egypt to buy food which will lead to their discovery of Joseph who will eventually let
them settle in Egypt.
In the stories of the next patriarchs, God would always remind that He is the God of their
forefathers and would always sustain His covenant with them.
LEARNING TASK
Name: Score:
Course/Year: Date:
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As you may have noticed, names of some Biblical characters changed, including Abram’s, when God
made a covenant concerning their future. In the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, a person’s name
holds special meaning. It could be about that person’s character or the mission that God has called him
for.
In this activity, make a creative ACROSTIC OF YOUR NAME. For each letter, think of a word/phrase
that best describes your character or how you were beautifully designed by God—in His own
image and likeness.
Example:
I am designed to be:
C-ompassionate
H-onest
A-ffectionate
What could be your mission as implied in your name? (Please write your answer in not more than 7 sentences)
EVALUATION
Name: Score:
Course/Year: Date:
I. Directions: Read the questions or statements carefully and choose the letter that corresponds to the
best answer.
1. Who was the first Patriarch whom God chose to start His mission?
A. Joseph
B. Abraham
C. Moses
D. Adam
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2. Who was the first recorded son of Adam and Eve?
A. Lamech
B. Abel
C. Cain
D. Seth
3. What did Abel bring as a sacrifice?
A. Fish and birds
B. The fattest of his sheep
C. Firstborn of his flocks
D. Bullocks and cattle
4. Why did the humankind build the tower of Babel?
A. So that they would be together.
B. So that they can worship their own gods.
C. So that they could be like God.
D. So that a flood would never destroy them again.
5. Abram was initially commanded to leave all the following EXCEPT
A. His possessions
B. His country
C. His people
D. His father's household
II. Directions: Read each statement carefully and decide whether it is True/False.
1. Original sin refers to the sins we inherited from our forefathers.
2. Abraham is the biological father of all nations.
3. Abraham never questioned God.
4. The Israelites were very faithful to God.
5. God's plan of Salvation is inclusive.
6. Inspiration:Holy Spirit ; Canonicity:Church
7. All that are canonical are spiritually inspired.
8. In getting the meaning of the text in the Bible, we are highly encouraged to treat it based on our
present personal experiences.
9. The Bible is scientifically and historically correct.
10. The Catholic Bible has 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament.
REFERENCES
Textbooks
Morgan, G. C. (1912). Living messages of the books of the Bible: Old and New Testments. New York: Fleming
H. Revell.
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YOUCAT english: Youth cathecism of the Catholic Church. (2011). San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
Becoming a Household of God in the Old Testament (150 years of CICM in the Philippines) by CICM
Philippines
Online Reference
Fairchild, M. (n.d.). The Seven Days of Creation: What Happened on Each Day? Retrieved August 11, 2020,
from [Link]
Learning Materials
1. Worksheets (teacher-made)
2. PowerPoint (teacher-made)
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