![]() “And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood…(Hebrews 7:5).” “For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood (Hebrews 7:14).” The priests in Israel came from the tribe of Levi. “I say then, hath God cast away His people? God forbid, for I am also an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1).” Jesus (God who took on himself Jewish flesh) came from the tribe of Judah. Notice how the Apostle Paul, a Jew, identifies himself. ![]() The Bible definitely teaches that they are a race of people. They would like to be thought of as merely a religious group rather than a race. It is believed that the Jews espouse this view to avoid persecution or another holocaust. In other words, Jews are those who practice a certain religion. Most Jewish people say that a Jew is someone who practices Judaism. And all of the descendants of Judah are Jews (one tribe of Israel) however, common usage has been such that any member of the nation of Israel is called a Jew. All of the descendants of Jacob are Israelites. So technically speaking, all of the descendants of Abraham are Hebrews. Deuteronomy 28:37 says, “And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.” It is true to this day that the descendants of Abraham have been called by the slang word “Jew”. It has really been a fulfillment of a prophecy. This is a slang word that has been used all these centuries for the nation of Israel. Instead of saying Judah, they began to say “Jew”. The first mention in the Bible is in II Kings 16:6,7 and the first point of time that “Jews” are mentioned in Jeremiah 34:9. These captives from the southern kingdom were the first to be called “Jews” while they were still in captivity in Babylon. Many of those returned from Babylon to Jerusalem under Nehemiah, Ezra, and Zerubbabel at the conclusion of seventy years of captivity. He transported a number of them to Babylon. Around 600 BC, Nebuchadnezzar conquered the southern kingdom consisting of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The southern kingdom was called by the name of Judah. This northern kingdom became known as Israel or Ephriam. After the reign of King Solomon over the twelve tribes of Israel, his son Rehoboam, caused a civil war in Israel by which the northern ten tribes seceded from the southern two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The name “Jew” refers strictly speaking to only a part of the nation of Israel. Whereas Abraham was a Hebrew, but not an Israelite nor a Jew, Jacob was both a Hebrew and an Israelite, but not a Jew. Thus Israel (“Ish-ra-el”) means “the great man of God” or “the child of God” or “the prince of God”. The third is “el” which is an abbreviation for “Elohim” which means God. The name comes from three fragments of other words. His mother named him Jacob, but God changed his name to Israel. The first Israelite was Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. But by common usage, this name is applied to the nation of Israel only.Ībraham was a Hebrew, but he was not an Israelite, nor a Jew. Also, the descendants of Esau, the grandson of Abraham, call Edomites. This would include the descendants of Ishmael, who are the Arabs today. Strictly speaking all of Abraham's descendants are Hebrews. Since Abraham was a Hebrew, his descendants were also called Hebrews. Abraham crossed over into the promised land and became the first Hebrew. This word comes from the Hebrew root word “Abar” and means simply “to cross over”. The word Hebrew is first mentioned in Genesis 14:13, where Abraham is called Abram the Hebrew. Even Jacob, his grandson, is still referred to as a Syrian in Deuteronomy 26:5. “Now the Lord had said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee (Genesis 12:1).”Ībraham was a Syrian by birth and is referred to as such in the Bible. Abraham lived in Chaldea in the city of Ur. He was a Gentile before his call to leave his country. The Scripture says in Romans 10:12, “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.” There is only one Saviour and one plan of salvation.Ībraham was the first Hebrew mentioned in the Bible. As far as salvation is concerned, there is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile. Jewish people need to trust Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour in order to be saved just as the Gentiles do. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |