So what does it mean to be of the Children Of Israel? Where did the name come from?
First use of the Name: ISRAEL.
Jacob receives a blessing after an all night struggle with a messenger of GOD. Who gives Jacob a new name in order to be set free before dawn.
(Genesis 32:25 .. 29; and restated by The LORD in Genesis 35:10)
In “Genesis 32:29 . . . . no more Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”
Like so many things there are multiple means, it is uses and context that enlighten us. Jacob son of Isaac, the man is almost never referred to as Israel, rather as Jacob. When Moses stands before the bush that is not consumed, GOD says:
“Exodus 3:
6 Moreover He said: ‘I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”
Identifying Jacob the man rather than Israel.
Jacob is referred to Israel a couple of times, and I will address them later. Israel is most usually used for the Children of Israel or the People Israel, even the Nation Israel. So what is the difference? Does it matter to me?
I would say that it matters to me and to you. Before I outline why it matters, let me show you something I find interesting about the name, ISRAEL.
Frist remember that in the Written Torah Of MOSES, there are no vowels or vowel markings, only the base characters without dots, dashes or any such. So when you see these, know that they are added later.
It is the context of how a set of letters are used that give us the meaning.
Now I have already shown that the Name Israel can be for One Person(Jacob who was also given the name ISRAEL), all of his children, a People, a Congregation or a Nation. Now this is being written during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Matzah), my attention is drawn to some oddities in the usage of ISRAEL.
Israel is a compound name. As follows:
ISRAEL is יִשְׂרָ (Governed by ) EL אֵל(GOD)
“ISRA” Also is Upright, Righteous, Just, Straight Forward –”EL” being Of GOD.
“Exodus 19:
5 Now therefore, if ye will hearken unto My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be Mine own treasure from among all peoples; for all the earth is Mine;
6 and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.’ “
Truly this word be a people of the ALMIGHTY as in “Righteous of GOD” or even “Governed By GOD”
These would be those that The LORD finds written in the Book.
“Exodus 32:
32 Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written.
33 And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book.”
“Daniel 12:
1 . . . . there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”
So is it just the blood line of Jacob? NO! The strange that lives among you . . . . .:
Exodus 12:
“43 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron: ‘This is the ordinance of the passover: there shall no alien eat thereof;
44 but every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
45 A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof.
47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land; but no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.’”
Two witnesses: both circumcised, both now of the Nation, both are required to Keep the Passover.
So what is the Covenant of Circumcision?
Genesis 17: 1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him: ‘I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be thou wholehearted.
7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.’
So it is not just cutting something off, It Is a Contract with the Master Of The Universe, that I am HIS and HE is my GOD.
Those Souls that are Written In The Book, which GOD Keeps are HIS CHILDREN. They keep HIS laws and Strive to do that which HE Says is RIGHT To Do.(Governed by OUR GOD –ISRA EL).
So you can get into the Nation or Congregation. You can also be cut off from the nation. As in
“Genesis 17:
14 And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.’”
“Exodus 31:
14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore, for it is holy unto you; every one that profaneth it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.”
Back to Exodus 32, above and the BOOK. Sin against GOD and you are removed from the BOOK.
Jacob referred to as Israel:
“Genesis 34:
7 And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought a vile deed in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done.” [Here Israel and Jacob appear to be different meanings.]
Genesis 37:
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a coat of many colours.
13 And Israel said unto Joseph: ‘Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them.’ And he said to him: ‘Here am I.’
From Genesis 37 unto the end of Genesis, when the Spirit of Jacob(Israel) relates something in prophecy, Jacob is ISRAEL. There are the sons of Israel when they go before Joseph in Egypt and when they bring Jacob to Joseph. Yet, Jacob is always ISRAEL when he is close to the LORD.
Summary
It appears to me that those of Israel are actually, those people Choosing to be HIS(The LORD’S) and keep HIS LAW and Teachings.
Those that rebel, refuse to keep HIS LAW, are no longer of HIS CHILDREN, unless they return and do that which is RIGHT before OUR GOD.
You may or may not currently be an Israelite, but you can be if you KEEP HIS COVENANTS.
Questions?
Chag Sameach
IT is to our benefit to HEARKEN until the LIVING GOD OF ISRAEL, and to our pain and shame to do otherwise.
My prayer is that The LORD grant you eyes that see, ears that hear and an understanding heart, then you return unto HIM soon!(Isaiah 6: 9 And He said: ‘Go, and tell this people: hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they, seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, and understanding with their heart, return, and be healed.’)
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Shalom,
Yaakov