Once upon a time, God made a promise with one man, a man without any apparent merit; a fallen man like all others; a man doomed to repeat the generations of failure of mankind, yet He promised him anyway. That was the promise of “Stars and Sand“, which testifies that God loves because He is love, and promises because He is wise. The success of mankind is nowhere to be found in the equations behind God’s plans.
From that promise came the bulk of human history, the other 65.5 Books of the Holy Bible, and a race that is deeply enthralling and enigmatic even to this day. I am, of course, talking about God’s promise to Abraham, the first of the three Patriarchs of Israel. These patriarchs [PEH-tree-ahrk] are so important and frequently mentioned that out of the thousands of names in the Bible, we should do well to remember theirs.
Abraham 亞伯拉罕 {ya4-bo2-la1-han3} was born as Abram [EH-bram]. His wife Sarah (formerly known as Sarai) gave birth to their promised child Isaac 以撒 {yi3-sa4}, the next Patriarch. Isaac had two sons: Esau the firstborn, and Jacob 雅各 {ya3-ge4}. Esau made light of his position in human history and despised his birthright, so he sold it to Jacob instead. Peculiar transaction it might be, suffice it to say, Jacob knew what was at stake and there was no doubt in his heart that it was more important than life. After decades of exile, ordeal, and betrayal, Jacob had his encounter with God while he was in fear for his life. There, God changed his name from Jacob to Israel 以色列 {yi3-se4-lie4}, much like how He changed Abram’s to Abraham. On that day, Israel was born.
Israel’s life was saved, and his twelve sons grew to become the Twelve Tribes of Israel, i.e. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin, by birth order. Here’s where things get a tad tricky: when Israelites were counted in the desert or allotted land in Canaan, the tribe of Levi was excluded because they were chosen as God’s own. Instead, Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, were claimed as Israel’s own, each counted as a half-tribe. That’s why Ancient Israel’s map shows Manasseh and Ephraim instead of Joseph and Levi.
Throughout the Old Testament, we read how the Patriarchs failed God in various ways and how the tribes fought against each other. They were certainly no poster child for an ideal nation or even an ideal family. Nevertheless, God’s promise to Abraham endured through the ages. He is still known as the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. Perhaps there was only one Father who founded them all, then found us all.
Photo by Jimmy Larry on Unsplash