God’s Covenant To Israel (Genesis 17:1 & 2) – Origin of the Jewish Race.
From the sons of Noah, God chose one branch of the family — the descendants of Shem — to start a new race of people on the Earth. Ninth in line from Shem was a man named Abram.
At the age of ninety-nine, God appeared unto Abram and said unto him: “I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect (upright). And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.”
“Neither shall thy name anymore be called Abram, but thy name shall be called Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee” (Genesis 17:5).
God selected a man of pure Chaldean extraction, a Gentile, as the founder of a new race of people, the Jews. In those days of long ago, there were no divisions of the earth’s population. There were only Gentiles of Hamitic, Japhetic and Semetic origin. Abraham therefore was a Gentile, and became the father of the Jewish race.
Abraham was commanded of God to be circumcised, as well as all of Abraham’s descendants. All male children were to be circumcised at the age of eight. This was not only a sign of separation from other races, but it was a sign of the covenant between God and His chosen people (Genesis 17:9-11 ). Thus a new race, a new nation was established by God. Nationalism is born of God! He established the sovereignty of nations when He founded the Jewish Race and national entity through Abraham.
Abraham lived in Ur of the Chaldees (southern Babylonia). Men of Abraham’s day lived under a system of totalitarian paganism. It was important that God’s new nation and it’s father Abraham, be separated from this background and exposure of paganistic culture.
Therefore, God told Abram, even before the covenant, to leave his country and relatives and father’s house and go to a land that God would show him (Genesis 12:1). To this command of separation, God added five distinct promises to Abram and the new race (Genesis 12:2-3):
1). “I will make thee a great nation” (national blessing);
2). “I will bless thee” (personal blessing);
3). “And make your name great” (personal and national blessing);
4). “And you shall be a blessing;” (blessing by association); Abraham became known as the “Hebrew” meaning “the one who crossed the river.”
After Abraham left Ur, he crossed the River Euphrates, where he eventually became a citizen of Salem. Until he became a citizen of Salem, he was a man without a country. This meaning is further confirmed by Joshua 24:2-3, which states that Jewish Patriarchs once lived beyond the river.
5). “In you, all families of the earth shall be blessed.” (the seed of Abraham — the Messianic promise — blessing for all mankind). (Galatians 3:8,9,16).
This covenant between God and Abraham is called the “Abrahamic Covenant.” It guarantees the new race a future; a purpose; and a land of their own.
Furthermore, God promised in His covenant with Abraham, to provide, preserve and protect the Jewish race. God promised that the Messiah would come through Abrams progeny as a descendant of Shem, a son of Noah.
The real foundation for the Jewish race is the same as for all mankind – “regeneration”:
“For they are not all Israel who descended from Israel”; neither are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “Through Isaac your descendants will be named.” That is, it is not the children of the “flesh” who are children of God, but the children of the “spirit” (regeneration) who are of the promise (Romans 9:6b-8). “God is a Spirit” and we must worship Him “in Spirit and in Truth” (John 4:24). Only descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who are believers in Yeshua (Jesus Christ) are true beneficiaries of the Abrahamic Covenant. Therefore the “racial” Jew must become the “regenerate” Jew, in order to be true Israel.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were believers. Esau was not a believer. Jacob and Esau were grandsons of Abraham, but God looked on each of them differently. “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Romans 9:13b; Malachi 1:2-3). Therefore, we have three kinds of Jews: Racial, Religious and Regenerate. In the New Covenant (New Testament) God states this unequivocally in Romans 9:6b-8.
The Bible also uses three designations for God’s chosen people: “Hebrew”, “Israel”, and “Jew.” We have already explained the origination of Hebrew. The name “Israel” or “Prince of God,” was Jacob’s God-given name and passed down to his progeny. Thus, the Jews became known as “Israel,” and the “Children of Israel,” and “Israelites.” The word “Jew” came into existence after the Babylonian captivity, referring to the tribe of Judah.
Satan, knowing only too well that God, in his covenant with Abraham, promised that the Messiah would come from the descendants of Abraham, plotted accordingly. Once the covenant was given, Satan began his attempts to destroy the line from Abraham to Christ (Yeshua). As a result, God made another unconditional covenant that would protect the Jews for all time: “And I (God) will bless those who bless you (Jews), and the one who curses you I will curse (Genesis 12:3).” Here, we can see that God, in no uncertain terms, is very protective of the Jews. Throughout their history, the Jews have been and will continue to be under Divine Protection and preservation, even though they have been under Divine Discipline for centuries. God loves mankind in spite of sin, but despises sin.
Anti-Semitism
There has been unending persecution of the Jews since God founded this enduring race of people. Anti-Semitism has a founder too, his name is Satan. But, the Jews will endure not only because they are God’s chosen people, but because they must enter the Tribulation period in the future.
After all believers are removed from the earth, at the Rapture of the Church, God will once again deal with Israel as a nation. Unregenerate Jews who enter the Tribulation Period and accept Christ as their Savior will be the final remnant of regenerate Jews. They will participate in the fulfillment of the yet unfulfilled covenants, when Christ returns in Glory, at the Second Advent, to establish His Kingdom (Matthew 24:27-31). This time, the Jews will accept Yeshua as their Messiah.
Since the Middle Ages also known as the Dark Ages, and up until the nineteenth century, most of the persecution of the Jews came from organized religion: The Medieval Inquisition (the inquiry of heresy); The Spanish Inquisition; The rise and decline of the British Empire; France, in part, by the Dreyfus Affair; Germany (the rise and fall of the Third Reich); and of course the constant harassment by neighboring Arabs. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but should be enough to serve notice to individuals and nations alike. If a nation is Anti-Semetic, there is a price to pay, as history vividly demonstrates. God will preserve the Jewish race and woe to any nation who dares to defy the God of Israel.
America has been blessed in many ways, one of which is her treatment of the Jews. The Jews have played a crucial part in the building of America. The Jewish Race, throughout it’s history, has helped bring prosperity to any nation that opened it’s doors to this gallant, enduring and talented people.
The end of the “Times of the Gentiles” is near; perhaps, nearer than you think. As the last days approach: “This know, also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, of those that are good (saved), Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, Having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it; from such turn away. For of this sort (all of the above) are they who creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with (various) lusts, Ever learning (educated), and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (Yeshua Saves).” (2 Timothy 3:1-7).
“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted (the Jews) and shall kill you; and you shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold. So, likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled (Matthew 24:7-12,33,34).”
These passages read like the front page of our newspapers and sound like the evening news on television. You must have noticed an increased aggression-level toward Israel lately. This renewed hatred of the Jews must not be taken lightly. It is evil of the worst kind.
“White Supremacy” groups are a definite sign of a resurgence of Satanically inspired ethnic hatred. Satan is turning up his Anti-Semetic hatred though this revised Hitlerism. We are very near the end times. Satan’s time is running out! Therefore, he is turning up the heat!
YESHUA (GOD) in the First Word may be observed in the following references among many throughout Scripture: Genesis 1:1; 1:28; 2:18; John 1:1-3, 10-14; John 3:16; 6:44; Colossians 1:13-19; 2:9; Revelation 2:17.
Yeshua is the “unleavened bread that came down from heaven, and if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever” (John 6:50-51).
“And this is the will of Him (the Father) that sent me, that everyone who seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life; and I (Yeshua) will raise him (the believer’s body) up at the last day” (John 6:40).
Yeshua existed as the Eternal God before the world began. “In the beginning (which was not a beginning, in eternity past) was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own (The Jews) and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God even to them that believe on His Name; Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became 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. For the law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:1-3, and 10-14).
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, (here’s the reason) That whosoever (Jew or Gentile) believeth in Him (Yeshua) should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world (to an infinite degree) that He GAVE His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him (Christ/Yeshua) is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, (why?) because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:14-18).
“Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they (Scriptures) are they which testify of me (Yeshua). And you will not come to Me, that ye might have life” (John 5:39).
“For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me (Yeshua); for he wrote of me” (John 5:46).
“Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was I AM” (John 8:58).
He made the same statement to Moses in Exodus 3:14 … “I Am that I Am.”
“Jesus said unto her, I am the RESURRECTION and the LIFE; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this? (John 11:25).”
Jesus Christ was a Jew! Every believer becomes a Jew by spiritual birth … this is the true heritage. Every believer in Yeshua is truly God’s chosen people. If you are a racial Jew, consider Yeshua. He is your long-awaited and promised Messiah. Christ/Yeshua, came the first time to provide your personal salvation by His sacrificial physical death and spiritual separation from the Father on the Cross. He is coming a second time to be your conquering King, your Warrior Prince. At His second coming, Yeshua will establish His Eternal Kingdom. Won’t you reconsider YESHUA? Believe in Him as your Messiah and become a regenerate Jew like Abraham, Issac and Jacob?
As believers in Christ/Yeshua, whether Jew or Gentile, we all share the same spiritual heritage through Yeshua.
God Himself, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; became flesh and dwelt among us (John: 1:14). Yeshua is the physical manifestation of the God of Israel! Yeshua is Messiah! “But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His Name.”
Shalom
Happy Studying!