INTRODUCTION
Welcome to part one in the series on the history of ancient Israel. In this installment we will attempt to trace the origins of the Children of Israel going all the way back to the days of Noah. Beginning with Noah is significant, even though Noah was not an Israelite. In fact, the name Israel would not even appear until the patriarch Jacob would assume that title several generations later. What is significant about Noah is the fact that one of his three sons would be the direct ancestor of the Israelite race. Let us now take a closer look into these claims as found in the first book of the Holy Bible – Genesis.
WHAT IS A SEMITE?
After the Flood, the only human survivors were Noah, his wife, Noah’s three sons and each of their wives: a grand total of 8 souls. From these three sons of Noah would the entire earth be populated once more. The names of these three sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Japheth and his descendants would go on to populate the areas of Europe, Ham the continent of Africa, and Shem the territories of the Middle East roughly speaking. Noah’s son Shem will be the person of interest for this study. Now, one of Shem’s descendants was Eber who’s descendant was the patriarch Abraham. What is important about Shem, Eber, and Abraham are the racial names or identities they would carry. For instance, the Bible states that Abraham was a Hebrew (Genesis 14:13); the reason being due to Abraham’s descent from Eber or Heber where the name Hebrew derives it’s origin. Shem is also important to the origins of the Children of Israel again based on their racial history. In fact the title Semite is derived from the name Shem, making the Children of Israel Semitic peoples. The Israelites would also be called Hebrews because of their shared genealogy and racial descent from Eber and Abraham. Now that we have traced the blood lines from Shem to Abraham, let us examine the identities of nations other than the Children of Israel that would also stem from Abraham, making them Semitic peoples as well.
THE NATIONS OF ISHMAEL & THE SONS OF KETURAH
Now Sarah, Abraham’s wife was barren and Abraham had no physical heir. However, God did tell Abraham that one day his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven, and Abraham believed in the word God spoke to him and the Lord counted his faith as righteousness. But as time went on and no child was conceived, Sarah had the idea to give her Egyptian handmaiden to Abraham as a means to produce an heir for him. So Abraham hearkened to the voice of his wife Sarah and went in unto Hagar, Sarah’s handmaiden and she conceived and brought forth a son, who the Lord named Ishmael. Further on Abraham and Sarah would conceive a child in their old age according to the Word of the Lord, and the name of the child would be Isaac, who would be the father of Jacob. Soon strife built up between Sarah and Hagar over their two sons Isaac and Ishmael. So, at Sarah’s insistence Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away into the wilderness. Nearly at the point of death an angel appeared and informed Hagar that God would make her son Ishmael into a great nation. The Bible goes on to list twelve descendants of Ishmael and specifies them as princes according to their nations (Genesis 25:12-18). After the death of Sarah, Abraham took another wife who’s name was Keturah, and she bore Abraham many sons. So we see from the Biblical narrative that other nations through Abraham have Semitic origins, not just the Children of Israel.
ISAAC – THE CHILD OF PROMISE
After giving all that he had to Isaac and giving gifts to the sons of his concubines, Abraham gave up the ghost and died in a good old age, full of years, and was gathered unto his people. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron…the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. Now Isaac, the half-brother of Ishmael, would hold the title of the child of promise. For it would be through the lineage of Isaac (not Ishmael) that the Messiah would descend from.
JACOB & ESAU
Now Isaac would father two sons, in fact twins who while in the womb of Rebecca (Isaac’s wife) struggled together within her. Rebecca was puzzled by this and went to the Lord to ask Him why this was happening. And, “the Lord said unto her, two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger.” And when it was time for Rebecca to give birth to her two sons, “the first came out red all over like a hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob.” When the boys grew up Esau became a hunter while Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. Now Isaac loved Esau, but Rebecca loved Jacob.
Now it came to pass one day as Jacob was making stew (red lentils to be specific) that Esau came in from the field and was faint. The Bible states that, “Esau said to Jacob, feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom – meaning red. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he swear unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
The holy scriptures go on to say how Rebekah and Jacob deceived Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing that would have fallen to the eldest son Esau. So it would be through the younger son Jacob that the promised Messiah would stem from. Esau went on to take a wife from the daughters of Ishmael and his descendants would be known as the Edomites, again another Semitic people group. Jacob (who’s name would be changed to Israel) went on to father twelve sons. These twelve sons of Israel and their families would be known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
References:
Brenton. The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English. (London: Samuel Bagster & Sons, Ltd., 1851).
Green, J.P. The Interlinear Hebrew-Greek-English Bible. (Lafayette, IN: Sovereign Grace Publishers, 2000).
Nelson. The Holy Bible, New King James Version. (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1984).
Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).