ISRAEL [Heb.] “Yisra’el”

Prince of God or God prevails

The person:

Jacob was the last born of twins of Isaac and Rebekah [Esau was the first born] grandson of the patriarch Abraham; born @ 1836 BC. Was named “Jacob [Ya’aqob] Gen. 25:26.[heel catcher or supplanter] at birth. Name changed to Israel at Penu’el Gen. 32:28. Jacob was married to Leah and Rachel; daughters of Laban, grandson of Abraham’s brother Nahor.

Jacob was the father of 12 sons and 1 daughter; by 4 different women.

By Leah he fathered sons; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon and daughter Dinah.

By Bilhah; Rachel’s handmaid he fathered Dan and Naphtili. [Because Rachel was barren, she “gave” Bilhah to Jacob to bear children she could claim as her own.]

By Zilpah; Leah’s handmaid he fathered sons, Gad and Asher, after she had “left” bearing children.

By Rachel; who God “opened” her womb in her late years he father sons Joseph and Benjamin.

Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin.

acob had settled in Canaan [Palestine, land of the Philistines] with his family. A tragedy occurred when jealousy arose in the family because of “dreams” [visions] of Joseph and they sold him to Ishmaelite merchantmen and faked his death. [Descendents of Ishmael son of Abraham by Hagar; Sara’s maid a “bondwoman” from Egypt that carried him into Egypt as a slave. See Gen.ch. 37:

While there he became a servant to Potipher a man who was next to the King of Egypt. Through the providence of God he was elevated to high office in the kingdom.

There was a “famine” over the face of the earth; Gen. 41:56-57. And all countries came to Egypt to by grain. Through a vision from God Joseph was able to convince the Egyptians to
“put in store” for 7 years a surplus of grain and was able to prevent the known word from starvation.

Jacob sent 10 of his sons into Egypt to buy grain, Gen 42: and again was reunited with Joseph who he believed to be dead.

After being invited to come to Egypt by Joseph Jacob gathered all his family and cattle and began the long journey to a strange land. After be told by God “fear not I will go with you into Egypt, make you a great nation and bring you back again. Gen. 46:1-4. And all the “souls” that came with Jacob into Egypt were 66.Gen. 46:26; then counting Joseph; his wife and two sons born in Egypt there were 70 Israelites in Egypt. Verse 27.

CHILDREN OF ISRAEL; The people or Nation:

S# 1471 “gouy” translated children; child, sons or son is found 4,930 times in OT. 630 times it is used as “children of Israel” referring to the descendants of Jacob or Israel.

God in making covenant with Abraham in Gen. 15:13-16, warned him that his children would be strangers in a “strange” land for 400 years and after four generations he would bring them out.

Ex. 12:40-41 Moses states that the “sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was four and thirty years”. “And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years; even the selfsame day all of the Lord’s hosts went out of the land of Egypt.”

The time was counted from the time of Joseph going into Egypt at the age of seventeen years @ 1728 BC, and not from the time of Jacob and his family The time of the exodus was @ 1300BC,

In 400 years the number of the Israelites had increased according to Josephus from 70 souls to @ 3,000,000.

Now we need to examine some “key words” found in the KJV Bible to help understand the history and “nature” of Israel; the “chosen special people” of Jehovah.

First the word “covenant” S# 1285 “beriyth” is a contract, confederacy, leagues or covenant. The Hebrew word is found 285 times in OT. and is translated covenant 260 times and league 15 time.

A covenant is an agreement between two or more people, nations or between God and man or mankind. The difference between a contract and a covenant is; a contract may have certain limitations as an expiration date or requirements. Whereas a covenant has no termination date,

it is terminated when either party breaks the covenant agreement. Since God does not “break covenant”; the covenant was broken, first by Israel and later by Judah. See the rules of divorce that God gave to the people of Israel in Deut. 24:1-4, Isa. 50:1-11, Jer. 3:1-, and Hos.1: 2-2:23.

God divorced both Israel and Judah because committed adultery with other god’s and refused to repent.

Since God never stopped loving Israel he presented them a “new covenant” that was not sealed by circumcision, but by the sacrificial blood” of Jesus Christ is only begotten son. Jer. 31:1-40, 23:5-11, 32:36-41, 33:14-17, Eze. 37:26-28, Dan. 9:27.

A covenant is sealed when both parties reach an agreement containing certain promises and both give the other a “sign” of commitment. See Gen. 15:9-18. In this incident God told Abram to take certain animals and divide them in the midst. When he had done this God came down in the form of a smoking furnace and a burning lamp and walked between the pieces. The completion of the sealing of the covenant did not occur until chapter 17 when the covenant of circumcision was completed.

God made covenant with Noah Gen.6:18, 9:9-17. God preserved the human race and Noah built an ark and made sacrifices.

A covenant is broken when either party fails to keep agreements made. Since God cannot fail on his part mankind breaks the covenant; then God terminates the covenant. See Lev. 26:13-44, Psa. 78:59-, Deut. 31:16-26, 1^st’ Kings 11:11-13, Jer.11:10-23, 33:20 and Zech. 11:7-16.

God warned Israel in “the Song of Moses Deut. 31:16-21 that they would “break my covenant”.

The second word Hebrew: S# 5680 “Ibriy” one from beyond or one who has “passed over”.

The word is used 34 times in OT. Abram was the first to be called a “Hebrew” in Gen. 14:13, Because of his leaving Haran and moving his family to Canaan at the command of God. His descendants became to be known as Hebrews.

The third word is Jew: S# 3064 “yehuwdit” one who was from Judah; is found 76 times in the OT.and first used in 2^nd. Kgs 16:6. The first named was Mordecai in Est. 2:5.The word later referred to all Hebrew [the language] speaking people

To become a “Jew” under the old covenant required the circumcision of the “foreskin” of the flesh. This “token” became the evidence of being in covenant with God. Gen. 17:9-14. Abram did as the Lord commanded; he and all males in his house were circumcised that day. Now it is important to note that this included his son Ishmael by Hagar and later By Isaac and the sons of Keturah his wife after the death of Sari. Gen. Ch. 25. Also the Arabic nations today are descendents of Abraham and keep circumcision as a part of their ritual of worship.

These people use the Arabic word “Alla” for the Hebrew word “Yehovah” pronounced “Yahweh”; whom we call Jehovah.

Now; a brief look at the chronology of the “People of God through time.

From Adam to the flood; 1656 years 4004-2348.

From the Flood to Abraham 427 years; 2348-1921.

From Abraham to the Exodus 430 years; 1921-1491.

From the Exodus to Saul; 396 years 1491- 1095.

The period of the Kingdom to Christ 508 years.1095 –587.

End of kingdom to Christ 587 years.

From Christ to the present time

From these times we arrive at a number of dispensations of God’s relationship with mankind.

Innocence: From the creation to the fall in Eden.

Conscience: From the fall to the flood.

Human government: From Noah- Abraham.

Promise and worship: From Abraham –Moses.

Law: from Moses to Christ.

Church: From Christ to the present time.

Future dispensation: The Kingdom of God.

Israel [northern 10 tribes] Assyrian captivity 722 BC.

Babylonian captivity: 587BC. [70 years]

Decree of Cyrus, [Persian Emperor] allowing the return to Jerusalem 536 BC.

Foundation of second temple laid 535 BC. [Ezra 3:8]

Cyrus permitted the Jews to build the second Temple and a certain amount of self-rule by Governors appointed by the Medo-Persian Emperors to avoid continual conflict.

In 333 BC Alexander the Great and the Greek armies conquered the Persian army and the Jewish people were scattered throughout the kingdom.

In 320 BC. the kingdom was divided into four parts according to Daniel’s prophesy in Dan. Ch. 8: [the ram with the great horn] This period of 116 years was known as the time of the Ptolemies.

In 294 BC. The Syrian monarchy arose and spread and conquered the Greeks.

The Jews were under Syrian rule for 39 years 204-165 BC.

At that time Antiochus seized the throne and the land was divided into five provinces, Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Trachonites and Peria as it appeared in the New Testament.

On the 15^th. day of the ninth month [Chisleu “Nov. Dec.] of 167BC. Antiocus Epiphanes the Syrian king “took away the daily sacrifice offered in the Temple and set up an idol of the heathen god Jupiter in the Temple. He forced Jewish women to cast their circumcised babies [children of the covenant] to be burnt on the altar. He also offered a “sow” on the altar as mockery of the command of God.

This fulfilled the prophesy of Daniel 11:31 -45.[The initial fulfillment of “The abomination of desolation] The second or the completion of that prophecy will come as the “anti christ” takes control of the “apostate church” before Jesus returns.

The Maacbees ruled Palestine until @63 BC. when Julius Caesar granted full religious rights to the Jewish people and made Hyrecanus king and appointed Herod son of Antipater governor of Galilee. This change was completed @ 47 BC.

Now we look to the NT. And examine the Teaching concerning Israel and the covenant.

John 1:11-14 John concerning Jesus “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Jesus chose Jews as his Apostles. He sent them to teach Jews.

Matt 10:5-7 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

See also Matt. 15:24, Jer 50:6-7, Eze. 34:5,6, 16, 23.

It was all Jews that were sent to Jerusalem to receive the Holy Ghost. The multitudes that were saved at Pentecost were Jews or Jewish proselytes from every nation under heaven were present; Acts 2:5-12.

Next we look at the rejection of Jesus, first by the Council then the Jewish people.

The Jewish leaders had miss- understood the prophesy concerning the “Messiah”, who would restore the “kingdom” to Israel. See Acts 1:6, Matt. 20:21, Lk. 22:46.

Jesus gave a discourse on this recorded in Matt. 23:, Mk. 13:, Lk. 21:

There is none other name under Heaven whereby men must be saved! Acts 4:12. Jesus said; “He that receiveth you receiveth me and him that sent me. Lk.10:16.

Eph 2:14-17 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

God did not make one covenant for the Jews and another for Gentiles.

"For God so loved the world [all people, all races] that he gave his only begotten son.” John 3:16-18.

Paul addresses the problem in his letter to the Romans; [both Jewish believers and Gentiles] beginning first in ch.3: All are under sin and all require a redeemer, and that redeemer is Jesus Christ. Ch. 4-6. Ch. 8 deals with the eternal “love of God”.Ch.9 deals with the “calling of the Gentiles and God using Jews to accomplish this by giving them the “spirit of adoption.” He grieves much that his people were rebelling against God in this matter. Ch. 10: speaks again concerning the fact that salvation is open and free to all who believe.

Chapter 11 is the story of the “Olive Tree”: This referring to Jesus l as the “natural tree”, and the Jews were natural branches that were broken off because of unbelief. And the fact that the Gentiles were “grafted in”, and that either the “natural branch” or the “grafted branch” could be broken off. The important truth is that even today all Jews and Gentiles that receive Jesus by faith are a part of the “same tree.”

When the “fullness of time” is come, the Gentiles “come in”, and will complete the family of God. Then “ so all Israel shall be saved.” The “new covenant “ that is made is that God “takes away the sins of both nations; Jews and Gentiles Romans 11:26-27. Eph 2:15-18 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

For further confirmation look at Amos 9:11-15

For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.

All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old":

He continues to say that God will bring again the captivity of Israel and plant them upon their own land. And no more be pulled out of their land which I have given them.

Almost 800 years later at Jerusalem the apostles and elders were assembled together; with the Apostle James presiding to hear complaints from some of the Jewish brethren concerning the requirement of circumcision of the converted Gentiles Peter related how God had called him to preach Christ to Gentiles at the house of Cornelius . Then Paul and Barnabas gave witness of their success among the Gentiles. Now James referred them to the prophecy of Amos and declared "My sentence is; that "this testimony agrees to the words of the prophets and quoted the statement of Amos 9:

Now the "tabernacle of David" is restored as it was when the "Ark of the Covenant" was returned to David from the house of Obed edom to the "City of David", city of Zion, Jerusalem. When it was placed in the tabernacle [tent], David offered "burnt offerings" and "peace offerings" that only the Priest was authorized to do. David "blessed" the people in the name of the Lord. Again he acted in a position that only the Priest should perform. He also gave "a cake of bread, a "good piece of the flesh offering " and a "flagon of wine" [a cake of raisins] to all the people. And David danced before the Lord. The entire congregation had a part in the celebration. I believe Jesus and the Angels rejoiced when the Gentiles as well as the Jews accepted the blood of Jesus as the atonement for sin and all people were united as one in the Church.