Who Are You?

Good day to each of you reading this column and for allowing me to provide Biblical insight into the following subject.

Before I begin the lesson, here are some strange but true facts by Samantha Weaver:

• The most leaves ever found on a clover is 56.
• The first footprints on the moon will remain there for a million years.
• The world’s largest recorded snowflake measured 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick.
• Similar to how human babies suck their thumbs for comfort, baby elephants suck on their trunks.
• In the Middle Ages, a man’s wealth was measured by his stockpile of pepper.
• Above courtesy 2021 King Features SYND., inc.

Just think, if you watch Jeopardy in the USA, they may come in handy one day.

As you folks are aware throughout the world, the USA has a new president, Joseph R. Biden, to whom we will be praying for his leadership and the leaders that he has put in charge for our country.

I did not vote for President Biden and would not vote for him, but as a Christian, our family will pray for him as well as his people who are under his leadership and I urge readers of my column to do the same.

Still, please tell me why Pastors in today’s churches will not preach the entire gospel, including the Old Testament? I am not putting all teachers in that category, but when it comes to asking pastors who the chosen people are—it seems they tell us it is the Jewish nation, as, they say, it’s in the Bible.

But, when one asks—what about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob or for that matter, Jesus, I hear the same that they were Jews. Do people not read the Bible? Do they not understand the Bible? Don’t they understand that the Jewish religion and the Christian religion are not the same? For that matter, that the Jewish religion and the Muslim religion is different than the Buddhist or the Christian religion?

So, why does this all matter? In the day and age of Ancestry, wouldn’t you wish to know who your ancestors came from and where their history began? Have you ever read the Book of Numbers and about the twelve 12 tribes?

My wife made a comment that they have lots of funny names, many hard to pronounce. So why read this book? Simply put, God covers every subject that you and I face on a daily basis and He relates how our forefathers tackled these subjects.

The Laws in Leviticus were provided when man did evil and the punishment invariably fit the crime. Now, I can say that I have read the other books that the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or other religions put out, but God did not leave out one jot or one tittle.

The laws were given to the Israelites and not to the Jews—How do I know? The word Jews is not mentioned until 2 Kings – not before! So, why to the Israelites and no one else?

Before I answer that, please turn to Genesis 17:15-16 (FF). God further said to Abraham, “Sarai, your wife, shall no more be called by the name of Sarai, for Sarah shall be her name; and I will bless her, and also give you a son from her, and she shall become the mother of nations, and of kings of people”.

Great, but what nations and kings of people? The Jews? No, remember that Abraham was a Hebrew and Paul an Israelite – Look at Romans 11:1 (FF) “Do I therefore say, “God has rejected his people”? Never! Because I am an Israelite, of Abraham’s race, from the tribe of Benjamin.

Now go to 2 Corinthians 11:22. (FF) Here is the double witness—”I myself will say it as well. Are they Hebrews? I am. Are they Israelites? I am. Are they Abraham’s heirs? I am”. No word is mentioned as being Jewish.

So why the Israelites and no one else? Turn to Deuteronomy 7:6-9 (FF) “because you are a People devoted to your Ever-Living God. Your Ever-Living God chose you to be a People for Himself, — separated from all the Peoples who are upon the face of the Earth! — Has He not increased you more than all the Peoples? The Ever-Living did not unite with you because you were the most numerous of the Peoples, … but chose you when you were the least of all the Peoples; and the Ever-Living loved you because of keeping the oath which He swore to your fathers, —therefore the Ever-Living brought you out with a strong hand, and freed you from the House of Bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of the Mitzeraim!”

So, how many Israelites were there at the time of the writing? I truly don’t know, but the latter chapters of Numbers give one a great idea when the census was taken.

Think about this—Turn to Deuteronomy 10:22 (FF) “Your fathers went down to the Mitzeraim as seventy persons, and now your Ever-Living God has collected you as a multitude like the stars of the heavens!”

Can one count the stars of the heavens? There must be Israelites everywhere—That is only logical—Why don’t you bring this up to your pastor and ask him or her who are the Israelites and who are the Jewish people?

Now, turn to Deuteronomy 14:2 (FF) “For you are a People consecrated to your Ever-Living God; and the Ever-Living chose you to be a People separated from all the Peoples who are upon the face of the earth”. Remember, the word Jew or Jewish nation is not mentioned until 2 Kings, logic rules them out as the People consecrated, chosen, and separated from all the Peoples who are upon the face of the earth.

As I close, I have been asked the question of the difference between the terms Israelite and Jew—I compare this using Joe Kovac’s book—”Shocked By The Bible”—as the United States today. It is fair to say that all legal citizens of South Carolina are Americans, certainly not all Americans are South Carolinians. We have forty-nine other states of which they could be citizens.

Here is my question—if all Jews were Israelites since they descended from Judah, how could all Israelites be Jews if they belonged to one of the several other tribes?

And finally, is it the Jews or the Israelites who are the focus of the Old Testament?

I hope you enjoyed this column as much as I did in writing it and I ask you to share this with your pastor and church—God says, Do not be afraid, I am with you always.

I had no intentions on writing this column to be anti-Semitic, but I have questions that I seek to hear answers. My thoughts are based on Every Divinely inspired and useful writing and was intended for teaching, attestation, and education in righteousness, so that the man of God might be noble, and well trained for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16 (FF)

May you bless God in all that you say and all that you do in and every day.