Handbook:Israel
From Door43
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| Article Sources: | Easton's Bible Dictionary |
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Israel is the country that God gave to the descendants of Abraham, the Jews. It is located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea.
In the time of Abraham, this area was known as Canaan. God told Abraham that he would give it to his descendants (Genesis 12:6-7). He also told Abraham that this would not happen until 400 years later (Genesis 15:13-16).
Abraham's son Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. Jacob's name was changed to Israel (Genesis 22:38), and his descendants were the people who received the promises God had given to their ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were known as the Israelites.
After the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt, God led them out with Moses as their leader. After they had spent 40 years in the wilderness, Joshua led the people into the land of Canaan to take it over and destroy the wicked people who were living there. The land then became the land of Israel.
During the time that the nation of Israel was divided (see 1 Kings 12 and following), the 10 tribes called themselves Israel, and the other two were called Judah.
After the exile into Babylon, the name Israel once again referred to the entire nation.
In the Bible, the name Israel is sometimes used to refer to the people of Israel as a group. For example, see Joshua 7:1 and Romans 11:11.
The country of Israel still exists today. It is occupied by Jewish people, but also by others who want it. The descendants of Abraham's other son Ishmael think it should belong to them. Also, enemies of the Jewish people want to take Israel and destroy God's people the Jews. Israel has been a land of much conflict through all the ages for these reasons.
