As refugees flee oppressive Canaanite culture and warfare and migrate in search of living space, finding salvation in Eber’s world-wide evangelistic meetings, they develop into new nations characterized by ecological differences while some maintain the essentials of Shem’s monotheism.
One of the first examples of this process is a hybrid giant nation. Who knew they could be saved?
“…Abram the Hebrew…dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite [a giant nation], brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.” (Genesis 14:13-24)
These men had to have had enough faith in Abram’s God and Abram’s leadership to follow him into what was otherwise a suicide mission in the War of Four Kings Against Five and the God of Abraham inscribes their names on a war memorial: Mamre is forever identified as the gracious seller of the first plot of promised land, Eshcol is forever identified with the luscious first fruits of the promised land.
As you read the following account, fit the correct interpretation into certain words and phrases:
- “Abi Melech” means “My father / authority is Melech [zadok]”, i.e. he defines himself as a Hebrew. See previous post for details on “Shem, the father of all the children of Eber.”
- He refers to YHVH as “God”, not as “my” or “your” God but the one and only monotheistic God of Shem.
- He followed the baseline Melchizedekian law of righteous, “Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 25:17)
“And Abraham journeyed from [Chaldea through Padan-Aram [into the land of Canaan and]…sojourned…in Gerar [where]…Abi-melech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah [into his harem.] But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, LORD / YHVH, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? …in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this…Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him…what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?…What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake…
Abi-melech spake unto Abraham, saying, [au contraire! I recognize that my] God is with thee in all that thou doest: Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. And Abraham said, I will swear.” (Genesis 20:21:22-27)
Hundreds of years later Abraham’s vow to treat Abimelech’s people as allies was honored by the Israelites. The land of Gerar is not among Israelite conquests listed in Joshua 15. Located in what came to be Philistine territory, but not named as one of the Philistine cities, Gerar would be rescued from the Philistines by first the Philistine Samson, then Saul, and finally King David.
“do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.” (Leviticus 25:18)
Caleb, one of the only two out of twelve spies who believed YHVH would empower the motley crew of Exodus refugees to defeat the formidable Canaanite giants, was himself from a tribe of giants listed to be wiped out.
“the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given…The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims. And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” (Genesis 15:18-21)
Instead, he was granted one of the most valued pieces of real estate.
“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.” (Joshua 14:6-15)
Other examples of the nations within the Hebrew Commonwealth include Abraham’s children the Ishmaelites / Arabs, the Midianites, the nation of Sheba whose rulers acknowledge an all-powerful Creator who is therefore, unequivocally, “the Boss”, identify with his standards of right behavior which are “production” NOT “destruction” and trust whatever revelation has been received that This Eternal One has a vested interest in humanity as his Creation and will empower his people to overcome destructive forces in this life and after.
“For there is no respect of persons with God.
- For as many as have sinned without law [AKA the Torah, the Bible] shall also perish without law:
- and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified)…Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” (Romans 1-2)
Do you remember the deliberate cruelties done to you and your children, or the blessings? God does.
- “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek…
- And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt.” (I Samuel 16:1-6)
There are also the Egyptians who took in Abram’s and Jacob’s households during famines, the Philistines who took in Isaac’s household,
Surprised? Some individuals in Israel’s worst enemy nations are members of the Hebrew Commonwealth.
“In that day shall there be
- an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt,
- a highway [indicating commerce] out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.
- shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:
Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance…every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD / YHVH / Creator.” (Zechariah 14:16)