Two Israels ?
If there are two different Israels spoken of in the Bible, then it is important to know which one is the Israel of end time prophecy.
What does the Bible say?
First, let’s look at the beginning history of the name, Israel. Was the name Israel first given to a nation or an individual? If given to an individual, was Israel his or her birth name?
Abram was a man of faith that lived about 4,000 years ago. Abram loved the Lord, believed in Him, and was obedient in all that the Lord asked him to do. The Lord made a covenant with him promising that he would be the father of many nations. Notice that this covenant was conditional, “walk before me, and be thou perfect and I will make my covenant between me and thee.” If Abram walked before God and was perfect then God would multiply his children exceedingly, making him the father of many nations. In the following texts I have supplied the if and the then which are understood. One will see later, in this study, that this understanding is clearly supported by other scripture.
Genesis 17:
1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; (if you) walk before me, and be thou perfect.
2 And (then) I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Abram’s name was changed by God to Abraham because of the covenant to make him the father of many nations. Abraham was chosen because God knew that he would walk in the ways of the Lord.
Genesis 18:
19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Notice in the following texts that, even in the old testament, salvation was by faith. Abraham believed and had faith in the Lord and this was counted as righteousness.
Genesis 15:
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Hebrews 11:
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Abraham had a son called Isaac.
Genesis 17:
19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering on an altar.
Genesis 22:
1 AND it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
Abraham’s willingness to obey clearly illustrated his great faith. Think about this for a moment. God promised Abraham that He would make him the father of many nations. Don’t forget that Abraham was at the old age of 100 and Sarah was 90 when God told them that Sarah was finally going to be blessed with a son. Sarah was beyond the age of physically being able to get pregnant (see Genesis 17:17 and 18:11,12). It must have required great faith on the part of Abraham to trust God so much that he would be willing to sacrifice his only son. It would have been natural for Abraham to think, “No son, no heirs, no nations.” He had to have had great faith that God would still, somehow, keep His promise of many nations. Abraham’s faith was illustrated by what he did. From the heart came the actions. Notice the next verses.
James 2:
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Genesis 15:6 is the scripture that was fulfilled when Abraham offered Isaac. Abraham’s faith in God was demonstrated by his obedience to God. Abraham’s works (actions) made his faith perfect for they illustrated what was in his heart.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Isaac grew up; married Rebekah; and had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Events of Jacob’s life eventually brought him to a wrestling match with an angel. As a results of that wrestling match the angel changed Jacob’s name to “Israel.” To understand the deep meaning of this event and what it means to us, today, let’s look at the history leading up to this encounter.
Isaac prayed for the Lord to bless his wife with children and she was blessed with twins. The Lord told Rebekah that the oldest twin was going to serve the younger one.
Genesis 25:
23 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.
In time Jacob, the younger, talked Esau, the older, into selling him the birthright.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
When Isaac was old he decided that it was time to bless Esau, his first born son, who was to inherit the birthright.
Genesis 27:
1 AND it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.
2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:
3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
Rebekah overheard Isaac preparing to give the birthright to Esau and decided to take matters into her own hands. It will be seen that Rebekah would have suffered a lot less grief if she had trusted in her Lord to work things out His way and in His own time.
5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,
7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.
8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
Now Esau was very harry but Jacob was smooth so Rebekah prepared Jacob so he could deceive his father into believing that he was Esau. This was done so he could steal the birthright.
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.
15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
Jacob went to his father and lied to make him believe he was Esau. Notice that one lie led to another lie and then another.
18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?
19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me.
Jacob succeeded in deceiving his father and stole the birthright from his brother.
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacobs voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mothers sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
Needless to say, when Esau found out what Jacob had done he was very angry and decided in his heart to kill his younger brother.
34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
Rebekah found out about Esau’s decision to kill Jacob so she had to send him away in fear. Her request that the curse be on her came true because she would die without seeing her dear, beloved son again.
42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.
43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
After many years the Lord instructed Jacob to return to the land of his father.
Genesis 31:
3 And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
Jacob sent messengers ahead to let his brother know that he was coming. He received word back that Esau was coming with four hundred men and Jacob was very afraid.
Genesis 32:
3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:
5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;
During the twenty years that Jacob had been away, it was evident that he had walked with the Lord, as seen by the way he had been blessed. All those years of attending the flocks had a humbling affect on Jacob. Notice in Verse 4 above, that Jacob now calls his brother "my lord" and refers to himself as "thy servant." Jacob had grown spiritually to the point of being repentant for what he had done to Esau and sends many gifts, ahead, to try to convince his brother that he is now worthy of his forgiveness. Jacob decides to send his family across the brook and remain alone, probably to plead with the Lord for forgiveness and protection. He suddenly found himself wrestling with a stranger.
23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacobs thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
According to the following text, Jacob was wrestling with an angel.
Hosea 12:
2 The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.
3 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:
4 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;
When the angel touched Jacobs thigh and put it out of joint he realized that he was wrestling with more than just a man. Jocob was determined to hang on to the angel until he was blessed.
Back in Bible times a person’s name had much more meaning than today. Names often represented the character of the person. Jacob’s name literally meant "Deceiver" or "Crook" and Esau, when he found out what Jacob had done, alludes to this when he says to Isaac, "Is he not rightly named Jacob?" Genesis 27:36. The angel draws out Jacob’s confession by asking him, "What is thy name?" When he said my name is Jacob, it was like saying, "I am a Deceiver." Jacob, that night, gained the victory over his sin of deceitfulness and the Angel gave him a new name to represent his new character. The name "Israel" had the literal meaning of "prince of God" and thus Israel was a spiritual name. This is the first place in the Bible that the word Israel is found.
Israel (Jacob) had 12 sons that went with him into Egypt.
Exodus 1:
1 NOW these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.
True to God’s covenant the children of Israel were greatly blessed and multiplied in Egypt until the Egyptians felt threatened by their great numbers. They were by then the size of a nation. The Egyptians forced them into slavery as a means of controlling them.
Exodus 1:
7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
Eventually God sent Moses to deliver them. By this time Israel (Jacob) has been dead for awhile, but notice that God now refers to the whole nation as "Israel." God also refers to the whole nation as "my son ... my firstborn."
Exodus 4:
22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
Keeping this history in mind let’s now look at some very interesting developments. This was the story of the very first Israel, but could there possibly be another? Could there be two different Israels?
Notice in the following texts that the New Testament refers to an "Israel after the flesh" and "the Israel of God."
Israel After The Flesh
1 Corinthians 10:
18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
In the following texts Paul sorrowfully writes that he wishes that He could choose to be lost if it would save his kinsmen (Israel of the flesh).
Romans 9:
2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
What does the Bible say?
First, let’s look at the beginning history of the name, Israel. Was the name Israel first given to a nation or an individual? If given to an individual, was Israel his or her birth name?
Abram was a man of faith that lived about 4,000 years ago. Abram loved the Lord, believed in Him, and was obedient in all that the Lord asked him to do. The Lord made a covenant with him promising that he would be the father of many nations. Notice that this covenant was conditional, “walk before me, and be thou perfect and I will make my covenant between me and thee.” If Abram walked before God and was perfect then God would multiply his children exceedingly, making him the father of many nations. In the following texts I have supplied the if and the then which are understood. One will see later, in this study, that this understanding is clearly supported by other scripture.
Genesis 17:
1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; (if you) walk before me, and be thou perfect.
2 And (then) I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Abram’s name was changed by God to Abraham because of the covenant to make him the father of many nations. Abraham was chosen because God knew that he would walk in the ways of the Lord.
Genesis 18:
19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Notice in the following texts that, even in the old testament, salvation was by faith. Abraham believed and had faith in the Lord and this was counted as righteousness.
Genesis 15:
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Hebrews 11:
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Abraham had a son called Isaac.
Genesis 17:
19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering on an altar.
Genesis 22:
1 AND it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
Abraham’s willingness to obey clearly illustrated his great faith. Think about this for a moment. God promised Abraham that He would make him the father of many nations. Don’t forget that Abraham was at the old age of 100 and Sarah was 90 when God told them that Sarah was finally going to be blessed with a son. Sarah was beyond the age of physically being able to get pregnant (see Genesis 17:17 and 18:11,12). It must have required great faith on the part of Abraham to trust God so much that he would be willing to sacrifice his only son. It would have been natural for Abraham to think, “No son, no heirs, no nations.” He had to have had great faith that God would still, somehow, keep His promise of many nations. Abraham’s faith was illustrated by what he did. From the heart came the actions. Notice the next verses.
James 2:
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Genesis 15:6 is the scripture that was fulfilled when Abraham offered Isaac. Abraham’s faith in God was demonstrated by his obedience to God. Abraham’s works (actions) made his faith perfect for they illustrated what was in his heart.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Isaac grew up; married Rebekah; and had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Events of Jacob’s life eventually brought him to a wrestling match with an angel. As a results of that wrestling match the angel changed Jacob’s name to “Israel.” To understand the deep meaning of this event and what it means to us, today, let’s look at the history leading up to this encounter.
Isaac prayed for the Lord to bless his wife with children and she was blessed with twins. The Lord told Rebekah that the oldest twin was going to serve the younger one.
Genesis 25:
23 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.
In time Jacob, the younger, talked Esau, the older, into selling him the birthright.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
When Isaac was old he decided that it was time to bless Esau, his first born son, who was to inherit the birthright.
Genesis 27:
1 AND it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.
2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:
3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
Rebekah overheard Isaac preparing to give the birthright to Esau and decided to take matters into her own hands. It will be seen that Rebekah would have suffered a lot less grief if she had trusted in her Lord to work things out His way and in His own time.
5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,
7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.
8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
Now Esau was very harry but Jacob was smooth so Rebekah prepared Jacob so he could deceive his father into believing that he was Esau. This was done so he could steal the birthright.
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.
15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
Jacob went to his father and lied to make him believe he was Esau. Notice that one lie led to another lie and then another.
18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?
19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me.
Jacob succeeded in deceiving his father and stole the birthright from his brother.
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacobs voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mothers sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
Needless to say, when Esau found out what Jacob had done he was very angry and decided in his heart to kill his younger brother.
34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
Rebekah found out about Esau’s decision to kill Jacob so she had to send him away in fear. Her request that the curse be on her came true because she would die without seeing her dear, beloved son again.
42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.
43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
After many years the Lord instructed Jacob to return to the land of his father.
Genesis 31:
3 And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
Jacob sent messengers ahead to let his brother know that he was coming. He received word back that Esau was coming with four hundred men and Jacob was very afraid.
Genesis 32:
3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:
5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;
During the twenty years that Jacob had been away, it was evident that he had walked with the Lord, as seen by the way he had been blessed. All those years of attending the flocks had a humbling affect on Jacob. Notice in Verse 4 above, that Jacob now calls his brother "my lord" and refers to himself as "thy servant." Jacob had grown spiritually to the point of being repentant for what he had done to Esau and sends many gifts, ahead, to try to convince his brother that he is now worthy of his forgiveness. Jacob decides to send his family across the brook and remain alone, probably to plead with the Lord for forgiveness and protection. He suddenly found himself wrestling with a stranger.
23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacobs thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
According to the following text, Jacob was wrestling with an angel.
Hosea 12:
2 The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.
3 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:
4 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;
When the angel touched Jacobs thigh and put it out of joint he realized that he was wrestling with more than just a man. Jocob was determined to hang on to the angel until he was blessed.
Back in Bible times a person’s name had much more meaning than today. Names often represented the character of the person. Jacob’s name literally meant "Deceiver" or "Crook" and Esau, when he found out what Jacob had done, alludes to this when he says to Isaac, "Is he not rightly named Jacob?" Genesis 27:36. The angel draws out Jacob’s confession by asking him, "What is thy name?" When he said my name is Jacob, it was like saying, "I am a Deceiver." Jacob, that night, gained the victory over his sin of deceitfulness and the Angel gave him a new name to represent his new character. The name "Israel" had the literal meaning of "prince of God" and thus Israel was a spiritual name. This is the first place in the Bible that the word Israel is found.
Israel (Jacob) had 12 sons that went with him into Egypt.
Exodus 1:
1 NOW these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.
True to God’s covenant the children of Israel were greatly blessed and multiplied in Egypt until the Egyptians felt threatened by their great numbers. They were by then the size of a nation. The Egyptians forced them into slavery as a means of controlling them.
Exodus 1:
7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
Eventually God sent Moses to deliver them. By this time Israel (Jacob) has been dead for awhile, but notice that God now refers to the whole nation as "Israel." God also refers to the whole nation as "my son ... my firstborn."
Exodus 4:
22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
Keeping this history in mind let’s now look at some very interesting developments. This was the story of the very first Israel, but could there possibly be another? Could there be two different Israels?
Notice in the following texts that the New Testament refers to an "Israel after the flesh" and "the Israel of God."
Israel After The Flesh
1 Corinthians 10:
18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
In the following texts Paul sorrowfully writes that he wishes that He could choose to be lost if it would save his kinsmen (Israel of the flesh).
Romans 9:
2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
posted by Michael A. Redwine at Wednesday, May 17, 2006
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