The question that concerns many today is: Is Israel, especially Judah, still YHVH's people? With all the corruption that can be seen in Israel and the behavior of many Jews in the land of Israel. We need to clarify the terms Israel, the tribe of Judah, and the Jews.
Let us go back to the beginning, when YHVH gave Abram the promise of the land. Once again, the first promise Abram received was that of the land!
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. Gen 12:1-7
Abram traveled through the lower Jordan Valley, but halfway there he turned toward Tirzah, a valley that winds up the hills of Samaria and surrounds Elon More, a high, round peak overlooking biblical Shechem (now Nablus). Here Abraham pitched his tent and explored the land in all directions (see Gen 12:6).
Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD. Gen 13:18
At that time, he settled the disputes between his shepherds and those of his nephew Lot. They divided the land between them. Lot chose the lush Jordan Valley near Jericho and lived among the corrupt inhabitants of Sodom. Later, Abram led his flocks to Gerar, near Gaza (see Gen 20:1), and finally to Beersheba (see Gen 22:19). In this land with its dry climate, which Elohim had promised him, Abram settled by water sources, pitched his tents on the heights, and built altars to Elohim.
But who was Abram?
Abram was not a Jew, and neither was Jacob.
Abram was a Hebrew, but not a Jew. Jacob was Israel and a Hebrew, but not a Jew. Abraham or Abram (his birth name) was called a Hebrew because he was a Hebrew:
And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram Gen 14:13
Who are the Hebrews?
Abram was a Hebrew because he was descended from the line of Heber (or
Eber). The Hebrew word is
ibri, which means “the region beyond” or, as Joshua noted, “the other side”
And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD G-d of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other g-ds. Joshua 24:2
First this term refers to Abraham and identifies people who "crossed over" from the "other side" of a significant geographical feature, like the Euphrates River.
But how else can we understand the expression "the other side"?
Abram believed in the one Elohim, while the rest of the world worshipped g-ds created by humans. So Abraham stood on one side, and the whole world stood on the other. Ibri is therefore someone who stands in contrast to everyone else, on the other side and different from everyone else. Abram was a lone believer in a sea of idol worshippers. And YHVH's promise,
I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: Gen 12:3a
applies to a Hebrew.
The father of our faith, who abandoned all idol worship and worshipped only the one Elohim and entered into a covenant with him. That is, blessed are all those who walk in line with Abraham. That is, as Hebrews, as those who have left the other side of idol worship, living in covenant with YHVH.
Through the promise to Isaac's son, YHVH set in motion a plan that would bring forth a great nation, and He repeated this incredible promise to Abraham's son Isaac:
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Gen 26:3-4
And once again, Elohim reaffirmed his promise to Isaac's son Jacob:
And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Gen 28:14
Later, YHVH changed Jacob's name to Israel. Through Jacob's 12 sons, this promise became reality. We note again here that all 12 sons are descended from Hebrews. But each of Jacob's 12 sons has a story that forms the framework of his tribe. Together, these tribes form the great nation of Israel. Like most families, these stories contain the raw material and sin of human life. But thank Elohim, His promises always endure. The hope of the whole world for salvation is found in YHVH's plan, which is carried out by stubborn Israel.
These 12 tribes left Egypt in unity with the foreigners. They all received the Torah on Mount Sinai. And for all of them, natives and foreigners alike, the same law applied and still applies. It was only later, after Solomon's death, that the 12 tribes were divided into two houses, Judah and Benjamin on one side and the remaining ten tribes on the other, forming the House of Israel.
Back to the Hebrew Abraham.
The first thing YHVH promised Abram was that He would show him the land to which he should go. The promise of the land was given to a Hebrew and his descendants.
Who lived in the land at that time?
The Canaanites already lived in the land. Canaan was the son of Ham, a grandson of Noah, and the progenitor of the Canaanites. Noah said to him,
Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. Gen 9:25
Abraham was a descendant of Shem, who, according to tradition, was a righteous servant of Elohim. This contrast gives us insight into great spiritual truths when we want to take possession of what YHVH promises us and a g-dless people also lays claim to it. The peoples mentioned in the Bible, the Amorites, Jebusites, Girgashites, Hittites, etc., were possibly Canaanite shepherds who lived mainly in the mountainous region of the land. At the same time, the coastal plain was settled by the Philistines, who were descended from Japheth and were mostly farmers and seafarers. Israel repeatedly fought against the Canaanites and Philistines for supremacy in the Promised Land.
Abram obediently followed Elohim's call, left his homeland, and courageously moved to an unknown land. The journey was full of difficulties and challenges, but it brought him great blessings and prosperity and made him the “father of faith.”
To this day, the people of Israel, that is, the 12 tribes and those who are grafted in, must answer the fundamental question of how they deal with the eternal covenant between them and their Elohim and the associated promise of eternal possession of the whole land of Canaan.
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a G-d unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their G-d. Gen 17:7-8
The 12 sons, and thus the 12 tribes, were given different tasks and promises. Here we will only discuss the house of Judah as an example.
Judah, Jacob's fourth son, also born to Leah, is known for protecting his younger brothers. Although Judah participated in the joint plan to get rid of Joseph, he convinced his brothers not to kill him (see Gen 37). Later, he also protected Benjamin (see Gen 44). But Judah is perhaps best known for his esteemed place in the genealogy of the Messiah.
In Genesis 49:8-12, Jacob pronounced a long and significant blessing over Judah. This blessing contains the prophecy that Jesus will be born through the line of Judah (see verse 10):
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh (the peaceful one)
come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Gen 49:10
And Jesus said to the Samaritan woman
for salvation is of the Jews. John 4:22b
Let us look next at the promises made to the House of Judah and how they have been stolen over the centuries and continue to be stolen to this day.