Originally Posted by
ContraMundum
He also had Gentile DNA through Ruth. Through the incarnation Jews, Gentiles and sinners from among them are redeemed and sanctified.
Amazing to consider the many ways in which the Lord has been connected to the GENTILES and the Jews at the same time.
As it concerns the subject of European Jews being "Samaritans" , I've heard similar things stated about Jews from differing cultural backgrounds, be it the Sepharic, Indian Jews, Chineese Jews or Ethopian Jews and a host of others....and in regards to the issue, as the Lord had Gentile blood within his background as well, the entire concept of what it means to be Jewish is not related to genetics alone. It is a mindset and way of life.
For practical example, one need to go no further than to examine the blood ties between the lines of Easu and Issac. is how the Blood Ties between Esau and Jacob/Israel can be seen in a myriad of ways that are quite stunning. For in the time of the Exodus the Israelites had some peoples from other nations amongst them. They were a mixed multitude--and it seems that Caleb, though listed as coming from Judah, was most likely adopted into Judah. This is said in light of how he was from Kenez from Edom. Again, for reference, the scriptures concerning Caleb being from Judah and a Kenezite:
Numbers 13:6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
Numbers 32:12 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD.
Joshua 14:6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.
Joshua 14:14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.
As said earlier, concerning Genesis 36:1-42 (I Chronicles 1:51-54), with the geneology of Easu, His sons and grandsons produced 14 chiefs, and a number of kings emerged from among Esau's descendants. And among them there was an Edomite named Kenaz..as seen clearly in the geneology of Esau in Genesis 36:11
Genesis 36:11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.
Genesis 36:15 These [were] dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn [son] of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,
Genesis 36:42 Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,
1 Chr. 1:36 is another place to go for reference. But from the text, it seems that Kenaz was one of the sons of Eliphaz, the son of Esau. He became the chief of an Edomitish tribe (Gen. 36:11, 15, 42) and was a duke of Edom ( Gen. 36:42; 1 Chr. 1:53). From what the text seems to say, Kenaz was also the brother of Caleb ( Josh. 15:17; Judg. 1:13; 3:9, 11; 1 Chr. 4:13, Joshua 15:17, Judges 1:13, Judges 3:7-11). Specifically, he was Caleb's younger brother, and father of Othniel (Josh. 15:17), whose family was of importance in Israel down to the time of David (1 Chr. 27:15). There are some, of course, who think that Othniel (Judg. 1:13), and not Kenaz, was Caleb's brother. But that's another issue...
It seems reasonable to say that Caleb the Kenizzite was a member of the mixed multitude who was adopted into the tribe of Judah. I Chronicles 4:13 seems to speak more on this, in regards to the Kenizzites and how they appear to have been a southern tribe that was absorbed into Judah..and Caleb with Joshua was the only faithful man among the spies Moses sent to investigate Canaan. And Bezaleel---the principal craftsman for the tabernacle (Exodus 31:2, II Chronicles 1:5)---- was from Caleb according to 1 Chronicles 2:20.
But Caleb was probably an Edomite, due to his ancestry (Genesis 36:11). That may seem surprising to consider that, but there has already been precedent of God using others from other nations to aid Israel---such as with the Moabites (Deuteronomy 23:3-8 Numbers 22-25, Ezra 9:2-12, Ezra 10:44, Nehemiah 13:25, etc), descended from incest between Lot/His daughters ( Genesis 19:30-37 ) ---something scripture forbid in other parts of scripture (Leviticus 18:6-18, Leviticus 20:11, Leviticus 20:12-17, Leviticus 18:19-21, Deuteronomy 22:30, Deuteronomy 27:20-23, Ezekiel 22:11, I Corinthians 5:1). Moab and Benammi became the fathers of two of Israel's greatest enemies, the Moabites and the Ammonites....as these nations settled east of the Jordan River and Israel never conquered them. But Ruth hailed from that nation later became the great-grandmother of David, also being included in the Messianic Line (Ruth 1-4, Matthew 1:4-6)....and with God Himself making clear in Deuteronomy 2:8-11 and Deuteronomy 2:16-19 that he did not desire Israel to fight Moab/Ammon since God had given the land to Edom, Moab, and Ammon and forbid Israel to attempt taking that land, presumably because of the blood relationships between Esau and Lot.
All of this is said, again, in light of how the Edomites were Semites, closely related in blood and in language to the Israelites. They dispossessed the Horites of Mount Seir; though it is clear, from Gen. 36, that they afterwards intermarried with the conquered population. Edomite tribes settled also in the south of Judah, like the Kenizzites (Gen. 36:11), to whom Caleb and Othniel belonged (Josh. 15:17). The southern part of Edom was known as Teman.
All of that is said to further illustrate the reality of how much God loved/desired to use GENTILES to bless His people the Jews.....and within that, the Lord has often shown His heart in using those from camps that others would deem as "enemies"---yet the Lord is able to turn them into friends for His glory. As John Mark Ministries said best in their article entitled "Give Me This Mountain" :
Caleb is a living example of the old adage ‘If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em.’ Apparently the Israelites picked up various groups and clans as they journeyed towards their Promised Land – one of these was Caleb’s. He was a Kenizzite, an Edomite, which means he was a descendent of Esau rather than Jacob, and he and his clan got assimilated into the tribe of Judah.
Despite his adverse pedigree Caleb, because of his outstanding leadership gifts, rose to a position of some prominence among the tribes of Israel. He refused to be ‘a prisoner of his scripting’.
..............
Caleb was smart: let us creatively take hold of the opportunities lying all
around us.
HE DID HIS RESEARCH. According to Deuteronomy 1:22, Moses was urging the people to go into the Promised Land and conquer it, claim it. God had told them over and over that he’d be with them, and the land was good (Exodus 3:8). But they did what many groups do who don’t want to do anything – they set up a committee to investigate: let’s send twelve spies into the land to search out the best route. Numbers 13 & 14 tell the story… The person chosen remarkably enough to represent the important tribe of Judah was this Gentile Caleb. Joshua and Caleb and ten others explored a land ‘flowing with milk and honey’. They brought back a bunch of grapes so huge it took two men to carry it. In the desert they’d probably never seen grapes. In their wildest imagination they hadn’t conceived of grapes like these. But there were two problems – giants, and the walled cities they lived in. So the committee was divided ten to two. Ten of the spies measured the giants against themselves: we can’t do it, they said, they are stronger than we are. We’re like grasshoppers compared to them. The spies went to Hebron, the very place where Abraham received the promise of the land of Canaan (Genesis 13:18). But all the promises of God to their great forefather, the power that God has displayed so many miraculous times, were all forgotten as they saw those high walls and those giants.
Two – one of them Caleb – measured the giants against God. To a great God those giants were very puny. Caleb was prepared to do what leaders are supposed to do – lead.
