A New Beginning

If you pick up a Bible or a newspaper on any given day, and read it long enough, you can rest assured that you will read something about the Nation of Israel. Contrary to what politicians and pundits may say, Israel, not the United States, not Russia, but Israel, is the most important nation on earth. Jerusalem, not Washington, not Peking, not Paris, not London, is the most important city on earth.

You can't understand the future, you can't understand Bible prophecy, you can't even understand the ways and the working of God, if you don't understand Israel. Israel is to the nations what the sun is to the planets. Just as surely as the planets revolve around the sun, the nations of this world revolve around Israel.

Israel is the spiritual center of the world. It is there that Christ Jesus was born, lived, died, and was raised to life again. It is where Christ Jesus ascended; and one day He will return again to reign over the earth from there.

Every story has a beginning, A “Once upon a time...” History always has a start point, “In 1492...” “In 1776...” and so on.

The Book of Genesis is no different, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1). That is until it comes to man. In Genesis 1-12 you see three beginnings that deal with mankind. The first is in Genesis 1:27-28 ~ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." And so Adam and Eve were created and the history of mankind began.

Mankind, got off to a bad start though, The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." … When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. … So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. (Gen 2:16-17; 3:6, 24).

From Adam and Eve things went down hill until when we get to Noah things had gotten really bad, Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." (Gen 6:5-7). But there was one who found favor in the eyes of the LORD... Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. (Gen.6:8-9). And so with Noah and his family God started all over, and this was the second new beginning of mankind.

Time passed as it does and once more mankind rebelled. They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." … Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth. (Gen 11:4,9).

Our story picks back up with the descendants of Noah's son Shem and especially a fellow named Terah. Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai
his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. (Gen 11:31). Terah lived out the rest of his days in the city of Haran along with Abram's family and his grandson Lot. After his dad passed away Abram received a call from God, a call to get up and move to a new land. God also promised to make Abram a great nation. This was a third beginning, not a beginning of mankind. This was the beginning of a new nation, the nation from which the Messiah, the Saviour of all mankind would come. This was the beginning of the nation of Israel.

If we are to look at the birth of Israel, we must once more note the faithfulness of Abram.

1. God Called Abram to A Life of Faith (vs. 1)

"Go forth from your country,” - What was Abram's country, back in Genesis 11, you see that Abram, his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot and his dad Terah lived in Ur of the Chaldeans. And then some time before the death of his father they all moved to Haran. 

Many Bible critiques said that the Bible was unreliable because many of the cities written of could not be found including the City of Ur. Yet the City of Ur was known of as early as 1625, when it was visited by Pietro Della Valle. 

The City of Ur was forgotten about until 1853 when the first excavations there were carried out by John George Taylor, British vice consul at Basra. Taylor found clay cylinders which bore an inscription of Nabonidus (Nabuna`id), the last king of Babylon (539 BC), that closed with a prayer for his son Belshar-uzur (Bel-ŝarra-Uzur), the Belshazzar of the Book of Daniel.

The City of Ur was forgotten once more, until Sir Charles Woolley, funded by the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania; excavated the site from 1922 to 1934. A total of about 1,850 burials were uncovered, including 16 that were described as "royal tombs" containing many valuable artifacts, including the Standard of Ur. Most of the royal tombs were dated to about 2600 BC. As well as the “royal library” where many clay tablets were found written in cuneiform. The Bible is God's inerrant Word, whether is speaks of Abram living in Ur of Chaldeans or the life, death, and the resurrection of Christ Jesus.

“To the land which I will show you;” - At 75 years old Abram was about to leave a thriving business, his relatives, and the place where his dad was buried. He was leaving the known for the unknown. And for what? To go where? Some might have thought that Abram was off on a great adventure. Others may have thought he was a crack-pot, some kind of religious nut, a God freak. Abram was turning from sure wealth and stability as the world sees it, to answer the call of God. In a world of false gods that was and still is a big step.

Abram's faith: He didn't ask which god was asking, he didn't ask for proof, he didn't even ask for a map. He obeyed and went as God had commanded. Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. (Genesis 12:5) 

Leaving the land of his father was just the first step of faith in God, in a life time journey of faith for Abram. Asking Christ Jesus into your heart as Lord and Master is the first step in your eternal walk with God.

Yes Abram was found faithful and because of this God was going to bless him.

2. God Called Abram To a Life of Fruitfulness (vs. 2)

“And I will make you a great nation,” - Because Abram was faithful, God promised to make him fruitful. And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." (Genesis 15:5). 
 
Abram's descendants today; The Jewish population in Israel is about 6,450,000; The worldwide Jewish population is some where between 13.3 million and 16.5 million.

“And I will bless you,” -  God blessed Abram with material wealth. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold...And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. (Genesis 13:2, 6) 

God blessed Abram with land. The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever..."Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you." (Genesis 13:14-15, 17) 

"I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. (Genesis 13:16). God gave Abram two sons – Ishmael and Issac 

Ishmael - He was Abram's first son, from Sari's handmaiden Hagar and this was God's Word concerning him - "As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.” (Genesis 17:20) 

Issac – He was Abram's second son, from Sari – their miracle baby – Abram 100 and Sari 90. And this was God's Word concerning him - But God said, "No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. (Genesis 17:19).

“And make your name great;” - Named in the role call of the faithful – By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8-10) Abram's name revered still today by three major religions – Judaism, Christianity (not a religion, but a relationship), and Islam Abram or Abraham - Still very popular names among Jewish people

“And so you shall be a blessing;” - The nation of Israel and the nation of Islam traces their beginnings back Abram or Abraham. "No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.” (Genesis 17:5). The greatest king of Israel, King David is of course Abraham's descendant and the list goes on. 
 
Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations. (Matthew 1:16-17) God brought forth the nation of Israel from the descendants of Abram, the Chosen People. Though He is found in the lineage of Abraham, Christ Jesus is God-man, God's Son. He is the Messiah, the Saviour of all mankind. Through Christ Jesus untold numbers throughout the ages have had their relationship with God restored. By Christ Jesus' blood shed on the cross and His resurrection many are now called the sons and daughters of God. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, (Galatians 3:26)

God called Abram to a life of faithfulness, and fruitfulness. God also called Abram to a life of divine friendship.

3. God Calls Abram To a Life of Divine Friendship (vs. 3)

“And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." (Genesis 12:3). 

No nation has ever been able to completely do away with Abram's decedents, although many have tried.  Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans, Greeks, Nazism, Czarist Russia, Soviet Union, Islam (everyone in the Middle East ) 

The March 2017 issue of Smithsonian has a story from Holocaust that includes survivor Motke Zeidel. On his last visit to the death camp and mass graves at Ponar, Lithuania where he had been forced to dig up the mass graves, burn the bodies, and rebury the remains. Where he and a few lucky ones were able to escaped through a 110 foot tunnel dug with spoons. Cursing in Yiddish, and Lithuanian, Zeidel shook his fist at the ghost of his former Nazi captors. “Can you see me?” Zeidel asked. “I am here with my children, and my children had children of their own, and they are here, too. Can you see? Can you see?”

Abram, he was faithful, he was fruitful, he had a divine friendship with God. And God blessed him. Later on the writer of Hebrews would list Abram (Abraham) in the role call of the faithful. By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8) As for Abram's legacy Israel still exists as a nation today.

As Christ followers your call is not to different from Abram's. You are called to be faithful – faithful to read God's Word, faithful to pray, faithful to follow as God leads. You are called to be fruitful – to tell others the Good News, that Christ Jesus died, was buried, and rose again three days later so that all might have eternal life. And you have a divine friendship with the Father, through Christ Jesus, one that will see you in His presence some day in His heavenly home.

If you don't know Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then like Abram you need to answer His call today. No, He is not calling you to go to a foreign land, instead He is calling you to come to Him."Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). Follow Him and find a new beginning, follow Him so that you will be saved from sin and death. Follow Him and be counted faithful.