Final Exam Review Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for Final Exam Review Guide.

Acts

A story about the spread of Jesus’s movement outside Israel.

Altar

A raised platform or table where people make sacrifices to God.

Angel of the LORD

A heavenly messenger who is identified as both Yahweh and distinct from Yahweh.

Apostle

One of Jesus’s early followers who was sent out to spread his message.

Asherah

A major Canaanite goddess whose worship was connected with sacred wooden poles.

Atonement

Covering or paying for someone’s debt.

Ba’al

A major Canaanite god associated with fertility, weather, and agriculture.

Bethel

A place name that means “house of God.”

Birthright

The firstborn son’s right to inherit his father’s possessions and authority.

Blessing

A prayer asking for God’s favor and protection on someone.

Circumcision

Cutting away the skin covering the end of a male’s reproductive organ.

Covenant

The generic term for a binding agreement, like a contract.

Abrahamic Covenant

God’s promises to make a great nation, give them land, and bless the world through them.

Davidic Covenant

God’s promise that a coming Messiah will build God’s temple and set up an eternal kingdom.

Mosaic Covenant

God’s laws given to Israel at Mt. Sinai.

New Covenant

God’s promise to renew his relationship with Israel by empowering them with his Spirit and making them obedient from the heart.

Noahic Covenant

God’s promise to never destroy the earth with a flood again.

The Day of the LORD

Specific times when God acts in human history to bring justice, punishing the wicked and rescuing the righteous.

Epistles

Letters sent by the apostles to early Christian communities.

Exile

Being forced to leave your home and go live in a foreign land.

False God

Any god besides the God of Israel.

Gentile

Someone who doesn’t belong to the Jewish people.

Gospels

Stories about the life of Jesus.

High Place

An outdoor worship site, usually on a hill, where people make sacrifices to either Israel’s God or false gods.

Holiness

To be set apart from everything else; unique.

Idol

A statue of a god (either the God of Israel or a false god).

Image of God

The belief that humans were created to be God’s representatives on earth.

Injustice

Mistreating another person by ignoring their dignity as someone made in God’s image.

Inspiration

The belief that God’s Spirit guided the authors of the Bible to communicate God’s message.

Israelites

All the descendants of Abraham and Sarah through their grandson, Jacob (a.k.a. Israel).

Judges

The political and military leaders who ruled Israel before the nation had kings.

Kingdom of God

God’s reign over the world.

Levite

A member of the tribe assigned to help the priests in their work at the tabernacle or temple.

Lost Tribes of Israel

The ten northern tribes that were exiled from Israel and lost to history.

Messiah

The promised king from David’s family, expected by the prophets to lead God’s people and rescue the world.

Monarchy

A form of government in which a human king or queen governs a nation.

Offering

A gift brought to God as an act of worship.

Priest

A person who works at the tabernacle or temple to resolve the problem of sin separating God and people.

Promised Land

Canaan.

Prophet

Someone who receives messages from God and reports them to people.

Redemption

Purchasing the freedom of a slave or an entire group of people.

Repentance

Turning from sin and returning to faithfulness to God.

Righteous

Being in a right relationship with God.

Ritual

A symbolic action filled with religious meaning.

Sabbath

The seventh day of the week (Saturday).

Salvation

Being rescued from danger, such as enemies, sin, or death.

Samaritans

A group of foreigners settled in Israel by the Assyrians after the ten northern tribes were exiled.

Shalom

A life of wholeness, including safety, prosperity, and harmony.

Sovereignty

God’s overall control of history, by which he guides all events according to his plan.

Temple

A building where God lives among his people.

Theocracy

A form of government in which God is recognized as the direct ruler of a nation.

Twelve Tribes of Israel

The family groups descended from Jacob’s sons and grandsons.

Yahweh

The proper name of Israel’s God.

Joshua

The historical period is Israel’s conquest of Canaan.

Two Possible Futures for the Nation

Listening to and obeying God will lead to God driving out the remaining Canaanites; Mixing with the Canaanites will lead to God withdrawing his help, the Canaanites staying in the land, and Israel’s eventual exile.

Important Pattern in Israel's History

Sin: Israel does evil by worshipping false gods; Oppression: God hands them over to their enemies; Repentance: The people cry out to God; Deliverance: God raises a judge to save them; Peace: Peace lasts until the judge dies, then the cycle repeats.

Ruth demonstrates loyalty to Naomi

Ruth demonstrates loyalty by choosing to go with Naomi instead of remaining in her homeland, Moab. Her famous promise (“Where you go I will go…”) reveals her total commitment to Naomi, the people of Israel, and Israel’s God. This decision marks a complete change in Ruth’s life—a new life, identity, and faith.

kinsman-redeemer

A kinsman-redeemer is a close relative who can buy back family property and marry a widow to preserve the family line and protect the family’s future. Boaz fulfills this role by redeeming Naomi’s family property and marrying Ruth, continuing the family line that leads to King David.

major transition in 1–2 Samuel

The major transition is from the time of the judges to the monarchy. Samuel is both a prophet and the last judge. He leads Israel through this transition by listening to God and anointing Israel’s first two kings—first Saul, then David.

David differ from Saul

Saul was the people’s choice—a man of impressive appearance, but proud and disobedient. David was God’s choice—a humble shepherd and “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). God’s choice of David shows that he values inward character over outward appearance. God seeks leaders whose hearts are aligned with his.

David sin in the story of Bathsheba and Uriah

David sins by committing adultery with Bathsheba and then trying to cover it up by arranging the death of her husband, Uriah (2 Sam. 11). As a result, the prophet Nathan confronts David (2 Sam. 12). Although David repents, God declares two consequences: David and Bathsheba’s first child will die, and David’s family will experience ongoing conflict and dysfunction.

1–2 Kings cover the period

The first event is David passing the kingdom to Solomon and then dying. The last event is the release of Jehoiachin, David’s descendant, from prison in Babylon.

The name “Solomon” is related to

The name “Solomon” (Hebrew: Shlomo) is related to shalom, meaning “peace.” This connection is fitting because Solomon’s reign is marked by peace, prosperity, and security on all sides.

Solomon asks God for

Solomon asks for wisdom to govern Israel. He demonstrates this wisdom when two women claim to be the mother of the same baby. Solomon proposes to divide the child, causing the true mother to reveal herself through her compassion.

God give to Solomon

God warns that if Solomon or his descendants turn away from God, the temple will become “a heap of rubble.” God’s presence will not remain in the temple if Israel is unfaithful.

horrible choices does Solomon make

Solomon acquires many horses, amasses great wealth, and marries many foreign women, who turn his heart toward false gods. These choices violate Moses’s commands for kings (Deut. 17), leading God to raise up adversaries against him.

Rehoboam make

Rehoboam promises to increase the burden of taxes and labor on the people, causing the ten northern tribes to rebel and form their own kingdom.

Jeroboam’s first major action

Jeroboam builds two temples with golden calves in Bethel and Dan. Although he claims they represent Israel’s God, these idols violate the second commandment. His goal is to prevent his people from going to the temple in Jerusalem and possibly returning their loyalty to the house of David, which rules the southern kingdom of Judah.

threat in Israel’s history do Elijah and Elisha confront

They confront the worship of Ba’al, a false god promoted by King Ahab and his family.

Jehu’s bloody revolution and its consequences

Jehu wipes out Ahab’s dynasty and establishes his own. His family rules for the next five generations, nearly until the end of the Northern Kingdom. Jehu ends Ba’al worship in Israel, but he continues in Jeroboam’s idolatry.

Hezekiah do to the high places

Hezekiah destroys the high places to make people worship God at Solomon’s temple, the only place God has approved for worship.

destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel

False worship (esp. Jeroboam’s sin of idolatry and Ahab’s sin of Ba’al worship); Injustice

Manasseh’s reign differ from that of his father

Manasseh’s reign completely reverses Hezekiah’s: he rebuilds the high places, promotes the worship of false gods, and commits many other sins. Manasseh’s reign pushes Judah past a point of no return, triggering God’s judgment and the people’s eventual exile.

destruction of Jerusalem raise

Jehoiachin, a descendant of David, is released from prison and honored by the king of Babylon. This hints that God’s promises still stand and that hope remains.

Difference between the Major Prophets and the Minor Prophets

The Major Prophets are generally longer books, while the Minor Prophets are shorter. The terms “major” and “minor” do not refer to importance—both groups are equally significant.

people respond to the prophets

Most people initially ignored the prophets and their warnings. After the Babylonian exile confirmed many of their warnings, the people began to study and take the prophets’ words seriously.

prophet Isaiah die

Isaiah was killed by Manasseh, the wicked king of Judah, by being sawed in half.

God plan to punish Judah

God plans to allow foreign nations to conquer Judah as a form of judgment.

the results of God’s judgment on Judah

The judgment will purify God’s people and lead to the creation of a purified people and a new Jerusalem where all nations come to worship God.

Isaiah use “servant”

The term “servant” (with a lowercase “s”) is first used to describe Israel, who was supposed to represent God to the nations but failed. Later, Isaiah introduces a new “Servant” (with a capital “S”), who will succeed where Israel failed, restoring God’s people and bringing light to all nations. Christians believe this Servant is the Messiah.

prophet Jeremiah die

Jeremiah was stoned to death by his fellow Jews while in Egypt.

symbolic act does Jeremiah perform

Jeremiah wears a yoke around his neck to symbolize that all nations, including Judah, must submit to Babylon or face destruction.

prophet Ezekiel die

Ezekiel was murdered by the leader of the Judean exiles in Babylon after confronting him about idolatry.

major problem do the post-exilic books reveal

Although many of God’s people return to the Promised Land, their behavior hasn’t changed. Their bodies are back, but their hearts remain in captivity.

leaders of God’s people

Zerubbabel: A descendant of King David who serves as the Persian-appointed governor of Judah; he is the political leader of the Jews. Joshua: A descendant of Aaron who serves as the high priest after the exile; he is the spiritual leader of the Jews.

wants to help the Jews build the temple

A group of people who worship Israel’s God offer to help. This group includes Gentiles and possibly some Israelites who were never exiled. Zerubbabel excludes these people, suggesting that Israel’s God belongs only to the Jews who have returned from exile.

is missing when the second temple is dedicated

God’s presence does not fill the second temple as with the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple. This suggests that the full restoration of God’s people has not yet arrived.

Ezra want the Jews to divorce

Ezra fears that foreign wives will corrupt God’s people, just as happened before the exile.

Nehemiah want to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls

To protect Jerusalem from outside threats; to make clear that Jerusalem belongs to the Jews, not outsiders.

breaking their covenant with God

The temple is neglected; People are working on the Sabbath; People are marrying foreign wives again.

makes the book of Esther unique

God is never mentioned explicitly in the book.

God’s people have the wrong priorities

The people prioritize making fancy homes while the temple remains in ruins. As a result, the land suffers from famine and drought.

Zechariah tell the people is necessary for true restoration

Rituals are not enough. True restoration means justice, mercy, and changed hearts. Once God’s people are truly restored, then God’s promises will be fulfilled.

parts of God’s plan

God will send a messenger to prepare the people for his coming. Then, God will come on the “Day of the LORD” to judge the wicked and rescue the faithful.

building blocks of biblical poetry

Parallelism; Imagery

definition of “parallelism”

Two short lines placed beside each other. The first line introduces an idea, and the second line develops it.

lament psalms

Lament psalms express pain, sorrow, or frustration over suffering or injustice. They bring these complaints to God, but usually end with trust or hope.

purpose of the book of Proverbs

To teach people how to live wisely in God’s good world.

Ecclesiastes mean when it calls life “meaningless”

“Meaningless” doesn’t mean life has no meaning. It means life’s meaning is never fully clear. Life often feels confusing, fleeting, and hard to control.

point of Job’s suffering

Job’s suffering tests whether he truly loves God or just follows him for blessings.