The Eternal One created the natural universe. This unique planet, Earth, was made to be a temporary realm to birth, grow, teach, and develop God’s offspring. (a) [see end notes for all Scriptures] This creation would allow maturing processes for each person and for His collective human family. (b)
Desiring to see large illustrations of His way of life in responsive children, He offers a gathering vision for “the sake of His people.” (c) God appeals to us as individuals and to us as gatherings. (d) He desires that we be living expressions of His nature. So, who were the first “people” of faith?
First People of Faith
The first invitation for a people to function under God’s guidance as a nation was to Abraham’s family, who had become part of the enslaved population in Egypt. God chose Moses with all of his faults and shortcomings to function as His delivering instrument; to be His visible savior. (e)
God produced many miraculous events to verify His invitation to live free of enslavement was real. Seeing such, most of the slaves in Egypt were drawn to the idea of living and prospering as free people. All who chose to respond to the call and applied the blood of a lamb to their dwelling were saved from the death angel that passed over Egypt. (f) They became part of this people of faith.
Despite a common perception, this call was not to Abraham’s physical offspring. Consider this, the Exodus from Egypt happened 400 years after Abraham first entered the land of Canaan. (g) When three generations of Abraham’s offspring joined Joseph in Egypt, the household was 70 people. (h)
Just four generations later, (i) the delivering Exodus included over 600,000 men of war age. (j) If we allow one wife and two children for each of these men, there were over 2.4 million people that responded to the gathering call. Truly a mixed multitude! They were not a racial people.
Actually, the only instruction God gave against inter-marriage was toward the corrupt inhabitants occupying the Promised Land. God gave a reason for the restriction, saying they will “turn your children away from following Me.” (k) God was clear about welcoming strangers that blended into the ways of the nation. They were to be counted as people of faith, as one born in the promise. (l)
The gathering vision was for whoever would be free of the world’s two-class system with enslaving overlords that took most of what they produced. (m) When God sent word to Pharaoh regarding these responsive people, He spoke of them as: “Israel is My son, My firstborn…Let My son go.” (n) All responders became a part of this first people of faith and were counted as Abraham’s offspring. (o)
God was clear about welcoming strangers that blended into the ways of the nation.
Responsible Believers
The idea of living as a nation free of enslaving overlords needed time to settle in and take root. The beliefs and attitudes that kept them dependent on overlords to feed and house them would confuse and complicate their ability to live as free people. They needed to adjust and learn how to live and be responsible for what they produced. A transforming two year journey was part of God’s plan. (p)
Their faith in God needed to go from believing to becoming responsible believers. Fifty days after their deliverance, the complete multitude heard God speak and invited their personal interaction with His presence. (q) However, they did not believe ordinary people could interact with God. So, they appointed Moses to be a mediator, a go-between. (r) Their faith response was very elementary.
To teach them to trust this unseen God, 
He provided water out of a rock, bread-like manna in the morning and quail in the evening, a cloud to shade the day and a pillar of fire to light the night. (s) He even showed that with His help they could effectively defend themselves. (t)
Despite seeing and personally partaking of the miracles God provided, that generation just accepted Him as a new provider. As a collective people, their faith was so elementary that their journey from deliverance into productivity ended up taking forty years. That first generation died as unfruitful.
While the delivered generation failed to become responsible believers, the next generation grasped the fuller concept of faith; receiving God’s guidance and having the will to pursue it. Their children entered the land, took possession, and enjoyed the productive benefits of living as free people.
The Promised Land was divided into 13 territories. They lived as a free society without a ruling upper class by electing local elders and judges to mediate disagreements. Since they chose to not interact with the presence of God, they settled for a set of Laws. While imperfect, the nation functioned as a witness of a free society under God for over 400 years, for several generations.
Their faith in God needed to go from believing to becoming responsible believers.
Vicious Cycles
When the free nation decided to be like other nations and have a King, they invited the two-class system into the national experience. By choosing to submit to the rule of a man, they strayed from God’s oversight and their freedoms began to slip away. (u)
From that time on, the nation’s prosperity and times of distress largely depended on the attitude and actions of their ruling class. After three kings the nation split into two nations, a north and a south.
While a few responded to God’s presence and were led by the Holy Spirit, (v) most just sought to obey the Law. During the wilderness journey and after they chose a king God declared: “This people has a stubborn and rebellious heart.” (w) They failed to heed God’s caution, “If you will…I will.” (x)
The biblical record reports that every third generation came under the oppression of neighbors because the previous “failed to properly teach their children.” (y) While they spoke about the delivering God and obeying the Law, they did not teach about a faithful response to God’s presence.
When an oppressed generation repented, they were delivered. The children of the delivered would grow up content and as comfortable people they failed to teach the next generation about faith. The third generation would grow up to be faithless and would fall under the control of other nations. When they cried out for deliverance, God intervened. Then the vicious cycle would repeat.
As they ignored God’s presence as “God their Savior,” (z) success remained elementary. (aa) The nation failed to be a good witness of God’s oversight that would draw others into this way of faith. This firstborn nation eventually became so faithless as a people they were scattered abroad. (bb)
As we look at a short overview of times, keep in mind, changes generally involve processes of endings and beginnings that have overlapping fresh starts and deteriorating ends. (cc)
1500 BC – God frees people to live under His guidance. Personal interaction is refused.
1000 BC – When the people choose to have a King, they begin to lose freedoms.
500 BC – The national experience ceases and the gathering is scattered.
Next, we will look at the promised New Covenant and view the history of God’s second call to people of faith; God’s vision of living natural lives as people who are led by the Spirit of God.
When they cried out for deliverance, God intervened.
a) Genesis 1:1-30; b) Acts 17:22-25; 1 Timothy 4:10; c) 2 Samuel 5:12; d) Acts 17:26-29; Job 12:23; Daniel 2:21; e) Acts 7:35; f) Exodus 12:7, 13; g) Acts 7:6; Genesis 15:13-15; h) Exodus 1:5; Genesis 46:26; i) Exodus 1:5; j) Exodus 12:37-38; Numbers 1:44-46; k) Deuteronomy 7:1-4; l) Leviticus 19:33-34; m) Exodus 19:4-6; n) Exodus 4:22-23; o) Galatians 3:6-9; Romans 4:13-17; p) Exodus 13:17-18; Numbers 9:1-2; q) Deuteronomy 4:10-12; 5:1-4; r) Deuteronomy 5: 22-27; Exodus 20:18-20; s) Exodus 17:6; 16:12-13; 31-35: 13:21-22; t) Exodus 17:8-13; u) 1 Samuel 8:6-8, 19-22; v) 2 Peter 1:21; w) Deuteronomy 9:6, 13; Jeremiah 5:23; x) Exodus 15:26; 19:4-6; y) Psalm 78:5-8; z) Psalm 106:21; aa) Hebrews 8:9; bb) Amos 9:8-9; cc) Ezekiel 1:16; 10:10
Keith Carroll, “The Relationship Guy”
Relational Gospel Founder
Created To Relate author