TREASURE IN THE FIELD

(Page 2)

By: Angelo B. Traina (Revised by Philip B. Wisman)

CHAPTER V

   The account of Jacob and Esau and the question of whose was the birthright is one of the most generally misunderstood parts of Genesis. The usual interpretation depicts Jacob as the deceitful villain and Esau as the wronged victim. Such an explanation is a distortion because it omits essential evidence which, while it does not exactly clear Jacob of all blame, certainly places his conduct in a much more favorable light than is generally understood. Here, as elsewhere in Genesis because it is the book of "beginnings," it is highly important that we get the clearest possible representation of what actually happened, for these happenings are the embryos from which both history and current events have developed. The struggle that goes on in Palestine at this very hour began in Rebecca's womb and has continued ever since, with varying intensity. But, as the end of the age approaches, events are being accelerated.

   The failure, thus far, of any prominent diplomat either within or without the UN, to propose a satisfactory workable and lasting settlement of the Palestine fighting is the inevitable result of failure to recognize the connection between the Jewish-Arabic quarrel and the embryo from which it grew; and failure properly to evaluate the significant march of current events as it is related to the faithful promises and unchanging will of Yahweh. Because of ignorance and evil in high places it appears that the world must still await an unnecessarily violent and bloody settlement.

   In Geneses 25 we read

"And the boys grew; and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents."

The noted historian, Flavius Josephus, in his "Antiquities of the Jews" describes Esau as "one taking upon himself the authority and pretending to have dominion." In other words, Esau was an obnoxious bully. From the biblical record we gather that he was wild and irresponsible, that he occupied his time with hunting and worldly pursuits. We know also that he cared very little for his parents' wishes, that his harem of Negroid wives was a source of great sorrow and distress to Isaac and Rebecca (Genesis 26:34, 27:46, 28:8) and that he scorned spiritual things.

   Jacob on the other hand was obedient and remained at his parents' home tending flocks and this apparently gave him time to meditate on eternal values. Although he was a schemer and a sharp dealer, he had enough spiritual insight to realize the value of Yahweh's promises. At this stage of Jacob's development he was still a "natural man" and had not yet experienced a change of heart, or as we would say today: he had not be "converted."

   In Genesis 225:29 we find that Esau had been on a hunting trip and came in ravenously hungry, just as Jacob was preparing lentil soup. When Esau asked for some, his brother saw his opportunity. Knowing that he cared little or nothing for spiritual things, Jacob attempted to strike a shrewd bargain. The value of a hot bowl of soup was little, but Esau's valuation of his birthright was even less.

   The "birthright" carried with it the spiritual inheritance of Yahweh's promises to Abraham, whereas the "blessing" referred to the material, earthly inheritance of Isaac's property. As far as Esau was concerned, he preferred something which he could see and enjoy then and there; no doubt he considered the birthright a myth or a fantasy of his parents' imagination. In Genesis 25:32, Esau's contempt for Yahweh's promises is contrasted with the high value he places on gratifying his appetite. He says, "I am going to die, and what profit shall this birthright do for me?" Jacob seeing his opportunity and having intuitively sensed the true value of the birthright, pressed his brother for a sworn statement which was in effect a Deed, and Esau took an oath to bind it.

"Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way, thus Esau despised his birthright." (Genesis 25:34)

    It appears that Isaac was ignorant of the transaction between his two sons.

"And it came to pass that when Isaac was old and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold here I am. And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die." (Genesis 27:1-4)

   Having despised the birthright himself, Esau had not enlightened his father on the subject, and now saw a chance to deprive Jacob of that which had become his by right of purchase, sealed by an oath. Some commentators and Bible students have been prone to charge Jacob with stealing the birthright. In doing so they are careless in examining the evidence. If Esau had been honest and had told his father the truth there would have been no occasion for Rebecca to encourage the deception. We hear a great deal about Jacob's deceit but nothing about Esau's downright dishonesty which led his father to believe he was still the rightful heir to the birthright.

   By no means does this justify either Jacob's or his mother's conduct. Even though they sought to avoid a miscarriage of justice, the means they chose were wrong and no good could come of it. Once again, we observe the same type of error that Abraham and Sarah made when seeking a son by Hagar. In both cases human intervention in Yahweh's plan without His confirmation or consent, resulted in unnecessary complications and strife. The Bible repeatedly teaches the important principle that a worthy end never justifies an unworthy means of attaining it. No doubt Rebecca remembered the answer to her prayer before her sons were born.

"Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger." (Genesis 25:23)

Rebecca had heard from the lips of Eliezer and from Abraham the promises which Yahweh had made of a marvelous posterity. In her own experience, she had seen the confirmation of the promises to Isaac. She had treasured up in her heart and mind the explanation given for the children's struggle in her womb; that the elder (Esau) should serve the younger (Jacob) and that two nations with distinctive characteristics were to spring from these sons. With this knowledge and revelation constantly in her mind, she saw Esau's infidelity to his parents and to Yahweh; she noted his unregenerate life, misspent in riotous living, his time divided between the Canaanite women and hunting wild game, all of which caused her grief of heart.

   As Isaac grew older and more senile, he became oblivious to the acts of Esau who played upon the old man's fondness for venison in order to stay in his good graces. When Rebecca heard the words of Isaac telling Esau to get the venison and receive the birthright, her faith was weakened and she undertook to do something to bring about the fulfillment of the promises of Yahweh, hoping that He would sanction her efforts because of her motives. With this in her mind, she called Jacob and instructed him in what he should do, overriding the scruples of his conscience (Genesis 27:6-13).

   Jacob, aided and abetted by his mother, went to the flock and took two kids which his mother cooked in a savory dish to simulate the venison. Isaac having eaten and having drunk the wine which Jacob had brought him, now set about to bless him, and said

"See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Yahweh hath blessed: therefore Yahweh give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee; be ruler over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be he that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee." (Genesis 27:27-30)

Isaac had finished pronouncing the blessing upon Jacob, and Jacob was scarcely out of his father's presence, when Esau walked in from the hunt, bringing the desired venison. Having prepared it to suit his father's taste, he brought it before him, saying,

"Let my father arise and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me." (Genesis 27:31)

When Isaac heard the voice of his so Esau, he trembled exceedingly and said,

"Who? Where is he that hath taken venison and brought it to me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? Yea, and he shall be blessed." (Genesis 27:33)

   When Esau heard that the birthright and blessing were already disposed of, and that the rightful owner (by right of purchase) had already obtained it, he cried with an exceedingly great cry, and said unto his father,

"Bless me, even me also, O my father." (Genesis 27:34)

Paul says, speaking of Esau

"For ye know how that afterward, when he [Esau] would have inherited the blessings, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." (Hebrews 12:17)

He found no place of repentance. The margin says, "No way to change his mind." In other words, having made the bargain with Jacob, Yahweh held him to it and He would not let him change it. When Esau realized that not only the birthright but the blessing was involve din the primo-geniture, he said,

"Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?" (Genesis 27:36)

   For the first time, Esau realized that the birthright and the blessing are inseparable and that in despising the one, he forfeited the other. Now he begged for an additional blessing. But his father answered:

"Behold, I have made him [Jacob] thy ruler, and all his brethren I have given to him for servants, and with corn and wine have I sustained him; and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?"

And Esau said unto his father,

"Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father?"

And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. And Isaac his father said unto him,

"Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; and by thy sword shalt thou live and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck." (Genesis 27:37-40)

   The second clause in this blessing, "And by thy sword shalt thou live and shalt serve thy brother," has been literally fulfilled. The Arab descendants of Esau, the Edomites or Temanites, as they are called in the Scriptures, are the rovers of the desert. Only a small minority of this people are inclined to pastoral or agricultural pursuits. They truly live by the sword. In Genesis 27:41 we read,

"And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, the days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob."

The struggle has continued, having started before their birth; the feud lasted all during their lifetime and is still perpetuated in their descendants. Esau's desire to break the yoke of his brother from off his neck is ever present. The desire to possess the land willed to Jacob has become an obsession. Yahweh guaranteed the title to Israel and assigned it for the time being to Judah. The descendants of Esau are therefore bound to lose their fight finally. They can never regain and keep what their forefather despised. This is the background of the present controversy in Palestine. The final issue was decided long ago. (For more on this subject, read the following Scriptures: Obadiah 1; Ezekiel 25:3-4; Jeremiah 49:7-22; Amos 1:11-12; Isaiah 34:5-8; Psalm 137:7; Joel 3:19-20; Amos 9:12).

   Esau, thinking that his father, Isaac, could not live much longer, made plans to kill his brother, Jacob, at the time of his father's funeral (Genesis 27:41). But Rebecca was told of Esau's plan and sending immediately for her younger son, said to him:

"Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. Now therefore my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban, my brother, to Haran; and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turns away; until thy brother's anger turn away from thee and he forget that which thou has done to him; then will I send and fetch thee from thence. Why should I be deprived also of you both in one day? And Rebecca said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?" (Genesis 27:42-46)

   Rebecca saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone; she wished Jacob to avoid the same mistake that her son Esau had made in marrying the daughters of Heth, the native Negroid women of the locality; and at the same time she wanted to remove Jacob from danger. She must have promptly convinced her husband also, for Isaac recognized the wisdom of his wife's plan and

"...called Jacob and blessed him an charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother. And the Almighty El bless thee and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; and give thee the blessing of Abraham to thee, and thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which Elohim gave unto Abraham." (Genesis 28:1-4)

   Having been thus doubly instructed, Jacob set upon his journey from Beer-Sheba to Haran.

"And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place and put them for his pillows and laid down in that place to sleep." (Genesis 28:11)

   In these days of box springs, airfoam rubber mattresses and down pillows, a good many of us may have been puzzled by the statement that Jacob used stones for his pillows. But this is merely lack of information on our part. In some places in the world today, this practice still prevails. In warm countries where nomadic peoples sleep outdoors, it is not unusual for them to gather small piles of smooth flat stones to place under the head.

   As Jacob slept, he had a vivid dream in which a ladder was set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven. Angels were ascending and descending. And above it, Yahweh stood and said:

"I am Yahweh, the Elohim of Abraham thy father and the Elohim of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth and thou shalt spread abroad to the West, and to the East, and to the North, and to the South; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families on the earth be blessed. And behold I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." (Genesis 28:13-15)

   Jacob awoke and was frightened, and said,

"Surely Yahweh is in this place and I knew it not--How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the House of Elohim and this is the gate of heaven." (Genesis 28:17)

   Here Jacob is given direct confirmation from Yahweh that he is to inherit the promises made to Abraham. The vision of angels ascending and descending the ladder between Yahweh and Jacob indicates a direct channel of communication and blessing. The same language is used by the Messiah in John 1:51. Not only had Jacob experienced a startling vision, but it seems that a very strange thing had occurred: the stones which he had placed for his pillows had become, while he slept, a single stone. Interpreting this as a very important and significant phenomenon, Jacob took the olive oil which he carried as part of his rations (for the same reason we employ butter or "oleo" today) and used it to anoint the rock. And he called the place "Beth-El" (House or Place of El).

   The awe-inspiring stone, or rock, holds a very important position in Scripture. It is mentioned time and time again, though the casual reader of the Scriptures is almost certain to miss the deep significance of its symbolism. "Stone" in Hebrew is Eben or Aben. Its first letter, aleph, is pronounced either as "e" or as "m" and here results in a play on words. For Ab in Hebrew is "Father"; Ben is "son" and Aben (stone) is "Father-Son." It is the same word used by the prophet to foretell the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on the Earth. "Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation, a Stone, a tried Stone..." (Isaiah 28:16).

   Old and New Testaments are in perfect harmony in using the symbolism of the Stone or Rock to represent the Creator and His Son, as may be observed, for example, in the second chapter of 1 Peter. Again in the 10th chapter of 1 Corinthians, we read, "...they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed the: and that Rock was the Messiah," (1 Corinthians 10:4).

This was the Rock of which Yahweh spoke symbolically to Moses when He said,

"Speak ye unto the Rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the Rock, so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink." (Numbers 20:8)

But Moses smote the Rock twice and failed to show the proper attitude of reverence. And although water gushed forth, Moses was punished (Numbers 20:12 and 27:14) for failure to sanctify Him. Various other Hebrew words in addition to Aben are used metaphorically to represent Yahweh as a "Mighty Fortress," a "Stone," or a "Rock." For instance

"He is the Rock [Tsur], His work is perfect." (Deuteronomy 32:4)
"Thou are my Rock [Cala] and my Fortress." (Psalm 71:3)

   But let us return to Jacob and the words which were still ringing in his ears, "I am Yahweh, the Elohim of Abraham, and the Elohim of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed." Do you wonder why there is strife in Palestine today? Esau's descendants (Arabs) insist upon remaining there, while both the Jewish and non-Jewish descendants of Jacob insist on evicting them in order to repossess this deeded property which Elohim has conveyed to them forever.

   Some have contended that the descendants of Jacob have forfeited the land by disobedience. But such a contention overlooks the unconditional nature of the deed given by Yahweh. Elohim did say, however (Leviticus 26), that He would punish Jacob's descendants for their disobedience seven "times" or, by the traditional method of interpretation, 7x360=2520 years, scattering them abroad. This period is now past, having begun with the exile of the Jews in 606 B.C. and ended in 1918 with the arrival of the British General Allenby's army in Jerusalem. This event, coupled with the Balfour Declaration encouraging the return of the Jews to their Homeland, marked the end of their exile. From 606 B.C. to 1918 A.D. was exactly 2520 years. In order to compute this, it is necessary to add 4 years to compensate for the period by which the Gregorian calendar is in err. Thus, 2520--606 (B.C.)=1914+4 or 1918 (A.D.). Since 1918, the movement toward the restoration of the Jews has been greatly accelerated, and while it may appear slow to us, this is because of our limited perspective. Actually, considering that the exile lasted over twenty-five centuries, the progress since 1918 is truly awe-inspiring. Yahweh is not fickle and He cannot lie. The deed to the land is still in force, and soon the Jews will be in full possession, as foretold by the prophet, Obadiah.

   Not only did Yahweh promise Jacob this land, but He promised also to multiply his seed to a great multitude, "as the dust of the earth." They were to spread east, west, north and south and through them Elohim would bless all the families of the earth. In recognition of Yahweh's interest in him,, Jacob not only anointed the stone with oil, but promised that on his return from the prosperous journey which he anticipated, the place marked by this stone was to become "Yahweh's House," and to the House Jacob dedicated the tithe of all his income. Paying of the tithe, or "tenth" was an old, established custom. It will be recalled for instance that Jacob's grandfather, many years before, paid his tithe to Melchizedek after the Battle of the Kings (Genesis 14:20).

   Having thus recognized his relationship with Yahweh's work, Jacob continued on his journey, heading eastward to the land of his uncle, Laban. As he drew near to a well, he met his cousin, Rachel, who had brought her father's flock for water. Jacob introduced himself and Rachel hurried home to tell her father that he had a visitor. Laban then came to greet and welcome his nephew.

   Laban soon found that Jacob was a good worker and suggested that he remain and work for him; and he asked what wages Jacob would require. Jacob replied: "I will serve thee seven years for Rachel, thy younger daughter." Laban considered this an excellent bargain and he said, "It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man; abide with me." So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel. "And they seemed unto him but a few days for the love he had for her," (Genesis 29;19-20). But when the seven years were ended and Jacob demanded his reward he was forced to learn the meaning of deception. For as he had once deceived his father by pretending to be Esau; so now Jacob was deceived by Laban who substituted his older, less attractive, daughter in place of Rachel whom Jacob loved. Jacob did not discover until after the marriage that it was Leah whom he had wed. To Jacob's remonstrance Laban replied with the excuse, "It must not be so done in our country to give the younger before the first born." Laban then went on to suggest that Jacob could have Rachel also by working another seven years and Jacob did so (Genesis 29:26-28).

   During the second seven years, Jacob became the father of eleven sons and one daughter, Dinah. When is contract expired he decided to leave his employer and said,

"Give me my wives and children for whom I have served thee and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee."

   But Laban was anxious to extend their working arrangement which had caused his herds and flocks to increase many fold under Jacob's skillful care. And he said, "I have learned by experience that Elohim has blessed me for thy sake," (Genesis 30:27). Jacob's wage demands were simple: He agreed to continue his employment in exchange for the spotted, striped and odd-colored goats from Laban's flocks. This seemed a modest request.

   When Jacob had arrived 14 years before, Laban had a small flock which his daughter, Rachel, was able to tend. Now Laban's flocks had increased to huge proportions, requiring the attention of his own sons and numerous servants, besides Jacob and his eleven sons.

   But the new agreement worked to the advantage of Jacob who had been cheated and deceived by his uncle on ten occasions (Genesis 31:7 and 41). Jacob was an expert in animal husbandry and may have been well aware of what would happen. In any event, Yahweh, who judges righteously saw the injustice practiced on Jacob and paid him the back wages he deserved, and more besides. It is extremely doubtful that Jacob's use of the striped rods of green poplar, hazel and chestnut had anything to do with making the cattle ring-streaked and spotted. Rather, it was that the cry of those who have toiled without pay reaches the ears of Yahweh Sabaoth (James 5:4).

   When Laban's sons observed that Jacob's flock had increased and their father's had decreased, they began to complain. Laban himself showed displeasure at the turn of affairs.

"And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and behold it was not toward him as before." (Genesis 31:2)

   Jacob had not agreed to remain for any specific period of time and when the relationship with his in-laws became strained, he began to think about leaving. In answer to Jacob's prayers Yahweh said to him,

"Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee." (Genesis 31:3)

   After Jacob consulted his wives, his mind was fully made up They agreed that their father had not dealt fairly with him and they encouraged him to carry out Yahweh's instructions.

   Jacob and his family waited until Laban was away on a sheep-shearing trip.

"Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; and he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-Aram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan." (Genesis 31:17-18)

   But the news reached Laban and he followed in pursuit of his son-in-law. For seven days he followed before overtaking him at Mt. Gilead. But the night before Laban caught up with Jacob,

"Elohim came to Laban the Syrian in a dream and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad." (Genesis 31:24)

   Consequently, Laban's language was milder and more subdued than he originally had intended. They both rehearsed their grievances and Laban proposed an agreement:

"Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee." (Genesis 31:44)

And they made a heap of stones and took an oath upon it not to pass over this boundary "for harm." Laban said,

"This heap [Galeed] is a witness between thee and me this day. Therefore, was the name of it called 'Galeed'; and 'Mizpah' [watchtower]; for he said, Yahweh watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another." (Genesis 31:48-49)

   These two men were such sly, crafty and deceitful characters that they dared not trust each other and therefore felt the need of calling upon the Almighty to keep watch for them at the "watch-tower" to see that one would not cheat the other. They were virtually saying to one another, "May Yahweh keep your hands out of my pockets when my back is turned." What a hypocritical ending of a contest to get the better of each other!

   This is the famous "Mizpah Benediction" used at the close of may church services today. And what a different connotation is now placed upon it!

CHAPTER VII

   As Jacob neared the borders of Palestine he must have been reminded of the circumstances which caused him to leave that land twenty years before. Surely he was filled with misgivings. He had just parted from one foe, Laban, and now was to face a more formidable one, Esau. In his dealings with Laban, Jacob could plead justice and point to the selfishness of his former employer; but what could he say to Esau concerning the past? Did Esau still harbor thoughts of revenge for what had happened twenty years before?

   Yahweh had instructed Jacob to return to the land of his fathers (Genesis 31:3, 13), and he couldn't very well go back to Haran after his break with Laban. There was nothing left to do but trust Yahweh. Jacob recalled how twenty years before as he passed that way, he had seen a vision of Angels ascending and descending, which seemed to signify direct communication, blessing and protection from Heaven. In that same vision, Yahweh Himself had confirmed to him the birthright and the blessing.

   Now, returning, "...Jacob went on his way and the Angels of Elohim met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is Elohim's host; and he called the name of that place Mahanaim," (Genesis 32:1-2). At Bethel, he had seen the Angels in a dream; but he now sees them while awake. This experience reassured him and infused him with new courage and he dared to hope for a reconciliation with his brother.

   With this thought in mind, he sent ahead a gift of goats, camels, cattle and asses to Esau. But his messenger returned without a reply. This news must have alarmed Jacob and have shaken his faith. Jacob considered that he had always been able by his own devices to overcome the obstacles and dangers he had encountered, but now he felt absolutely helpless in the face of an enemy who had sworn to kill him.

"Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and the camels into two bands." (Genesis 32:7)

   Then he went to pray and called upon Yahweh for the protection He had promised him (refer to Genesis 32:9-12). Jacob confessed his unworthiness, reminded Yahweh of the gracious promises, and pleaded for deliverance from the vengeance of his brother. Jacob begins to realize that he must trust Yahweh and not depend on his own efforts to obtain the promises which Yahweh had covenanted to give him.

   During the night he arose and sent his wives and sons and stock across the brook Jabok. Jacob himself remained on the north side of the brook.

"And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the break of day." (Genesis 22:34)

   As Jacob stood alone watching his loved ones and his possession depart, he went through the experience that so many believers have had: in spite of his belief in Yahweh and in the promises made to his forefathers, he had not yet fully integrated his avowed beliefs with his emotions. He did not yet really know Yahweh. For he was still Jacob, the self-helper, the supplanter, who always took things in his own hands. Now he had come to the end of his resources and his own resourcefulness left him in solitude. Until a man realizes his own inadequacy and fully faces the fact of his dependency, he is incapable of living a life of faith. Jacob needed a new birth and a new outlook. He had to learn that the greatest victories are won not by one's own resources but by the power of Yahweh. The man who came to wrestle with Jacob was the Angel of Yahweh.

"And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; And the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him." (Genesis 32:25)

   The longer one strives to maintain the illusion of self-sufficiency the longer he is actually striving against Yahweh or His plan, the longer he keeps himself from having the blessings that He wants to give us.

   As Jacob wrestled in a losing struggle with the Angel, he became conscious that his way of life was a futile struggle against Yahweh--and stopped contending. Not only that, but he reversed his attitude and took a firm hold and refused to let go of the Angel who said "Let me go, for the day breaketh." But Jacob said, "I will not let thee go except thou bless me." Jacob's outlook appeared to him so hopeless that he knew he could not continue in his own strength so he asked a blessing that he might prevail.

   We should not miss the significance of the Angel's question. A full blessing was not possible until Jacob confessed his own sinful condition. The Angel drew from Jacob this confession when he asked, "What is thy name [character]? And he said, Jacob [the cunning, self-helper, supplanter]. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel [a prince of El]: for as a prince thou hast power with Elohim and with men and hast prevailed," (Genesis 32:26-28). Jacob's new name was characteristic of his new life in which victory came not through cunning or physical power but by prayer. As the dawn burst over the horizon, Jacob was aware of the change that had taken place within him, for this was the greatest victory of his life--victory over self. And he marked the place, naming it "Peniel" ("face of El") for he said, "I have seen Elohim face to face and my life is preserved," (Genesis 32:30).

   Jacob had been the believing heir of the promises but all his life he had hindered Yahweh's fulfillment of these promises in that he sought success by his own devices and by his own strength. Seeming to contend with men, he was in reality contending with Elohim until at last it became necessary for Yahweh Himself to disable him so that he could no longer help himself. As soon as he learned to depend upon Elohim he found he no longer feared his encounter with Esau.

   Israel met Esau and they fell upon one another's necks and kissed and wept. For Yahweh had neutralized Esau's vengeful intentions.

   After the encounter, Israel went on to Succoth, built himself a house and booths for his stock, and bought a parcel of land where he had spread his tents. Instead of going to his kindred where he had been instructed to go, he remained in this place, and it proved to be a new source of trial to him. It was here that his only daughter, Dinah, went to visit the daughters of the land. The historian, Flavius Josephus, tells us that she went to take part in a Shechemite festival, that is, an unholy, idolatrous celebration where she was seduced by Shechem, the son of Hamor. This disgrace was more than her brothers, Simeon and Levi, could endure and they took revenge upon the Shechemites. It was a bloody purge in which the entire male population of Shechem was exterminated. This brutality made their father, Israel, recoil with the reproach,

"Ye have troubled me to make me stink among the inhabitants of the land and among the Canaanites and Perizites: and I being few in number they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me, and I shall be destroyed I and my house." (Genesis 34:30)

   However, Yahweh did not abandon Israel to His enemies but caused the occasion to bring about a further blessing. For it was clear after what had happened, that he could no longer stay here.

"And Elohim said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there; and make there an altar unto Elohim that appeared unto thee when thou fledest from the face of Esau thy brother." (Genesis 35:1)

   About ten years had elapsed since he had returned from Mesopotamia and yet Jacob had not fulfilled the vows to Yahweh which he had made (Genesis 28:20-22).

   In the second verse of the 35th chapter of Genesis we learn the reason for this delay. Jacob's family was steeped in idolatry. Before his experience at Peniel, Jacob had been too weak spiritually to insist on absolute holiness for his household. Now, because of the idolatry in Dinah's own home she had been easily mislead by the idolatrous worship of the people of Shechem. In such a state Jacob found it morally impossible to return to Bethel but fear of his neighbors rising up against him and his own inability to resist attack from their superior force made him realize that deliverance must come from Yahweh. Jacob knew that neither he nor his family was spiritually fit to seek communion with Yahweh. There was but one thing to do and he quickly called a family council:

"Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be cleansed ad change your garments; And let us arise, and go to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto the Elohim, who answered me in the day of my distress and was with me in the way which I went." (Genesis 35:2-3)

   What depth of meaning these words contain! Jacob at last has found the clue to full salvation: Repent from the idolatrous and sinful ways in which you are now living and be cleansed (baptized) in the Name of Yahweh Elohim and exchange your garments (your righteousness is as filthy rags, Isaiah 64:6) for the gifts of the Holy Spirit which brings in the righteousness of Yahweh. Then let us arise and go to Beth-El (the House of El) and consecrate our lives unto Yahweh, who answers in the day of distress.

   The same conditions are required of us today: to give up our idols and our sins and to take all the superfluities of this world and bury them so deep that we will never wish to dig them up again: to be baptized in His Name and to put on the white linen of righteousness (Revelation 19:8).

CHAPTER VIII

   As Jacob and his family journeyed toward Luz which he had renamed Bethel (Chapter VI), they felt the sheltering protection of Elohim, for no one pursued them. At Bethel they built an altar which they dedicated to "the Elohim of the House of El" and called it El-Beth-El. Thereupon Elohim appeared to him and blessed him:

"And Elohim said unto him, thy name is Jacob [supplanter]; thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel [Prince of El] shall be thy name: and He called his name Israel. And Elohim said unto him, I am El-Shaddai [Almighty]; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee and kings shall come out of thy loins, and the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land." (Genesis 35:10-12)

   This blessing by the Almighty is particularly significant. In it, He recognized Jacob's conversion and changed his name accordingly. He also confirmed the promises previously made to Abraham and Isaac and referred to three separate and distinct groups: "a company of nations," "a nation" and "kings."

   Jacob did not doubt this staggering promise and in accepting it he consecrated again the stone he had set up when Elohim first appeared to him in Bethel (Supra Chapter VI, Genesis 35:14).

   From Bethel, Jacob and his family journeyed to Mamre. As they approached Ephrath, Rachel gave birth to Ben-jamin (son of my right hand) and died in childbirth. After burying her at Bethlehem, the family traveled to Isaac's home at Hebron and settled there. Perhaps Israel expected to spend the closing days of his life in peace at Hebron, but he soon found that more trouble was in store for him. It was Yahweh's purpose to separate Israel and his family from the people of the land for He did not want them to mix with the Canaanites, who would involve them in detestable vices.

   It was not long until the children of Leah and the two concubines, Bilhah and Zilpah, became jealous of Joseph because Israel showed a preference for the son of his beloved Rachel, and they conspired to kill him. Judah however, persuaded his brothers not to murder Joseph but to sell him to a commercial company of Ishmaelites, who traded between Gilead and Egypt. So, they sold him for twenty pieces of silver (Genesis 37:27-28).

   The merchants in turn sold Joseph in Egypt. It is not necessary for us to go into detail here concerning the remarkable experiences of Joseph in Egypt. These are recounted in Genesis, chapters 39 through 50. It is enough for our purpose that Joseph became Prime Minister of Egypt and at the proper moment identified himself to his brothers and that word went back to Israel, his aged father, that his beloved Joseph was still alive. Israel rejoiced and his spirit revived within him and he said,

"It is enough; Joseph, my son is yet alive. I will go and see him before I die." (Genesis 45:28)

   Joseph then went wagons to move Israel and all his sons and their families and their household effects. So, Israel and his children, "their cattle and their goods" set out for Egypt to join the long-lost Joseph.

   Meanwhile, Joseph was successful in obtaining from Pharaoh a small section of Egypt known as Goshen, for the use of his kinsmen during their stay in Egypt. There they settled. Peace had come to Israel; the last 17 years of his life were spent there in quiet retirement. But when he realized that he was about too die, he sent for Joseph and exacted a promise to bury him in the cave of Machpelah along with his father, Isaac, in the land of Canaan. In this he demonstrated his faith in the promises of Elohim that he should possess the land of Canaan, both for himself and for his seed. Having been reassured by Joseph that he would not allow his father's body to remain in Egypt but would return it to Palestine, Israel adopted Joseph's two sons so that Joseph's descendants would receive twice the inheritance of any other son. Israel then summoned his sons and said,

"Gather yourselves together that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel, your father." (Genesis 49:1-2)

   The words which he uttered mingled blessings and predictions. In his prophetic vision the curtain of the future seemed to roll back, giving Jacob an outline of the history which his seed would trace down the course of time. In his predictions he indicated not only their future history but also their future characteristics which are to be in full evidence "in the last days." If we understand the words "last days" to mean the closing of the Age, then the last days still lie in the future.

   In Israel's deathbed prophecy, he foretold the destiny of the descendants of each of his sons and two grandsons (adopted as sons). These predictions may have mystified the family gathering, but to us some 3500 years later they seem remarkably clear as we see what is happening and as we look back on what has happened. The descendants of each of these sons are today found to possess those characteristics enumerated by Israel. These prophecies will be further considered in a later chapter.

   During Joseph's lifetime, the children of Israel enjoyed the special privileges which Joseph's prestige had secured for them. The Book of Genesis closes with Joseph's death in Egypt. Before he died he called his brothers to his bedside:

"And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and Elohim will surely visit you and bring you out of this land unto the land which He swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel saying, Elohim will surely visit you and you shall carry up my bones from hence." (Genesis 50:24-25)

   With Joseph gone and a new king of Egypt, the situation of the Israelites changed.

"And now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it came to pass that when there falleth out any war, they join also our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore, they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh's treasure cities, Pithom and Ramases." (Exodus 1:8-11)

This enslavement sought to frustrate the plan of Yahweh for blessing His people.

"But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew and they were grieved because of the children of Israel." (Exodus 1:2)

   Nevertheless, as their slavery continued, the new generations of Israelites came to be almost as superstitious and pagan as their masters, having taken on many of the idolatrous practices of the Egyptians. And so, at Sinai when Moses returned with the Commandments engraved in stone, the Israelites waiting for him were even then engaged in breaking those same Laws. At times Yahweh felt like destroying the Israelites, but lest He do so, Moses was careful to remind Him that He was committed by unconditional promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For their sake, Yahweh withheld His anger, spared the Children of Israel, and after forty years probation in the wilderness, they were ready to proceed to the land of promise which was occupied by the descendants of Canaan. There again, they failed Yahweh and refused to obey His will, but He was merciful unto them out of all proportion to what they deserved.

   After the death of Moses and his successor, Joshua the son of Nun,

"...He gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. And afterward they desired a king: And Yahweh gave unto them Saul the son of Kish a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for a period of forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up unto them David, to be their king; to whom He also gave the testimony, and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart who shall fulfill all My will." (Acts 13:20-22)

   Solomon succeeded David; then the kingdom was divided during the reign of Solomon's son Rehoboam, when he insisted upon "taxation without representation" (I Kings 12; II Chronicles 10). Because of this issue, and because Yahweh had foreordained it, the ten northernmost tribes seceded from the union of Israel, leaving only two, Judah and Benjamin, to whom the Bible refers as the "Kingdom of Judah," and whose descendants today are called "Jews."

"And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him king.

And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of Solomon the king, heard it, that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.

And they sent and called him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spake to Rehoboam, saying, 'Thy father made our yoke grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.'

And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed.

And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people?

And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants forever.

But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him. And he said unto them, What advice give ye that we may return answer to this people, which have spoken to me, saying, Ease somewhat the yoke that thy father did put upon us?

And the young men that were brought up with him spake unto hen, saying, Thus shalt thou answer the people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it somewhat lighter for us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king bade saying, Come again to me on the third day.

And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men, and answered them after the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. So the king hearkened not unto the people: for the cause was of Yahweh, that Elohim might perform His word, which He spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents. But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was over the tribute; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. But king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. (II Chronicles 10:1-19)

   From this point on, the history of the two kingdoms took different courses. The Kingdom of Judah continued as an absolute monarchy with its capital at Jerusalem.

   The ten "seceded" tribes took the name, "Kingdom of Israel," with their capital at Samaria. This northern kingdom was a despotic, unstable, monarchy "tempered by assassination." The tribe of Ephraim (Joseph's younger son) was the dominant, policy-making group. One of the Kings of the ten tribes, Ahab, married Jezebel (Jeze-Baal) the daughter of a neighboring king who was devoted to pro-paganation of Baal worship. Ahab and Jezebel actually caused a temple of Baal to be built in Samaria. Jezebel thus became a symbol of subversion of the faith of Israel.

   Yahweh as a loving Father had shown, taught, exhorted and plead with all 12 tribes to follow righteousness. Now He was about to use another approach.

"Hear ye the word of Elohim, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof, but when ye entered, ye defiled My land and made Mine heritage an abomination. The priests said not, Where is Elohim? and they that handle the law knew Me not: the pastors also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit. Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith Elohim, and with your children's children will I plead." (Jeremiah 2:4 an 7-9)

   The two kingdoms, Judah and Israel, existed side-by-side from the time of their separation in 975 B.C. Meanwhile, the Assyrian Empire to the north was becoming more and more of a threat to Israel's independence. The great Assyrian monarch, Ashur-nasur-pal (883-859 B.C.) inherited a government:

"...weakened by the aggressions of the Arameans and other neighboring tribes, and he left it consolidated, strengthened, and fortified against attack, with the result that his son Shalmanerser II was enabled to extend still further the frontiers of the Assyrian Empire." Annuals of the Kings of Assyria, (1xxiii), published by the Trustees of the British Museum.

   Assyria grew and built a ruthless fighting machine under Ashur-nasirpal II, Shalmanerser III (858-824 B.C.) and Tiglath Pileser (744-727 B.C.) who "overran the kingdom of Israel and deported many of the inhabitants as is stated in II Kings 15:29." (Finegan, in Light from the Ancient Past, Princeton 1946, page 173).

"That such a ruthless deportation of peoples in order to prevent their future rebellions was a usual feature of Tiglath Pileser's policy we knew from other of his inscriptions. Elsewhere he says, for example, '30,000 people I carried off from their cities and placed them in the province of the city of...1,223 people I settled in the province of the land of Ulluba.'" (Ibid, page 174)

   But it remained for his successors Shalmaneser V (726-72) and Sargon II to complete the destruction of the northern kingdom. Frequent quarrels continued between Judah and Israel, and sporadic fighting broke out from time to time as the southern kingdom (Judah) attempted to preserve the union of Israel and incidentally its own control over the whole twelve tribes. But this was not destined to happen. (For detailed accounts, see II Chronicles 13:1-6; I Kings 14:30; II Kings 16:5; I Kings 15:16-25; and II Chronicles 28).

"In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel for nine years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him. Against him came Shalmaneser, king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant and rendered him tribute." (II Kings 17:1-3)

   Thus, finally, came the end of the Kingdom of Israel as an independent nation, about 721 B.C. The Kingdom of Israel was allowed to exist temporarily as a puppet state, but was put under heavy taxation by the Assyrians. Two or three years later, Hoshea refused to pay the "reparations" or tribute money and tried to make a deal with Assyria's rival Mizraim (Egypt). The scheme failed, for we read:

"And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no tribute to the king of Assyria as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison. Then the king of Assyria came up through out all of the land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes." (II Kings 17:4-6)

   In this 20th century we have a great tendency to think that everything ancient was on a small scale and that wars, for example, were fought by a mere handful of people. We ought to remember that at the time of the Exodus, 700 years before this, the Israelites numbered some 600,000 fighting men, and a total population of about 2,500,000. Further evidence of the scope of military activity and of the size of Israel's population is given in II Chronicles 28:8, which tells of the war between the states of Judah and Israel and of the taking of 200,000 prisoners of war at one time, who were brought to Israel as slave labor. Now, as we have just read, Shalmaneser "...Carried Israel away into Assyria." The Bible is not speaking of a small "token" kidnapping or the taking of a few hostages. In those days, conquering kings moved whole populations about as a means of control. We have had a modern parallel, though on a smaller scale, during World War II when Hitler and Mussolini shifted populations about in their conquered lands. The result of such moves is that people are so busy trying to adjust to their new surroundings and so disorganized that they have no time or opportunity for organized revolt. For the same reasons, Russia at the present time is transplanting hundreds of thousands of skilled workers and design engineers from Czechoslovakia, East Germany and other puppet states to industrial cities beyond the Ural Mountains.

   Not only did Shalmaneser take many hundreds of thousands of able-bodied Israelites away into the "cities of the Medes," but to make sure that they would not be able to escape and return to their homes, he brought other strange populations from the middle east into Samaria to replace the and occupy their homes:

"The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, Cuthah and Ava and from Hamath, and placed them in Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria and dwelt in the cities thereof." (II Kings 17-24)

   The descendants of these same Asiatic strangers were still in Samaria at the first coming of the Messiah and, although they had adopted some of the religious teachings of their Hebrew neighbors, their beliefs were a hodge-podge of truth and mythology. Hence, they were deprecated by the Jews and this made the parable of the "good Samaritan" (Luke 10:30-37) particularly pointed. The "woman of Samaria" (John 4:9) to whom the Savior spoke was, in all likelihood, a descendant of the "men from Babylon, Cuthah and from Ava and from Hamath." For, He said,

"You worship you know not what; We know what we worship, for salvation is from the Jews." (John 4:22)

  By the process of transplantation, the Israelites of the northern kingdom literally lost their previous identity as a nation:

"It was in the century after Ashurnasirpal that the position of the Hebrew nation became critical as a result of Assyria expansion. After a series of diplomatic negotiations, Israel was attacked by Shalmaneser V, Samaria, its capital, was besieged for three years, and finally the entire ten tribes were carried away into captivity in Assyria where they completely lost their identity." ("The Fertile Crescent," page 27, published by the Trustees of Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, 1944. Emphasis added.)

   Various historians have noted that it is extremely difficult to disentangle the various Aryan tribes and races of this period, because they went under different names at different times. On this point, see H. G. Wells, The New and Revised Outline of History, p. 302. Nevertheless, several million people did not just disappear without a trace and it wasn't as though no one knew their whereabouts. We are told that Ezra, the Scribe, who lived some 200 years later was the chronicler of II Kings 17:18-23 which states that Israel was still in Assyria in his time:

"So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day...."

   Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian about 800 years later, in 80 A.D. wrote concerning the people of the northern kingdom as follows, in Book XI, Chapter V of Antiquities of the Jews,

"...wherefore there are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are beyond the Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude and not to be estimated by numbers."

   While it was the intention of the Almighty to destroy the evil political and religious power of Israel, it was not His intention to destroy all of its people, only to reprove and chasten those who could be persuaded. The chaff (Psalm 1:4) would be discarded, but the grain would be saved.

"Behold the eyes of Yahweh Elohim are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith Yahweh. For, lo, I will command and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us...." (Amos 9:8-10)

   The prophet, Amos, spoke these words some 65 years before Shalmaneser invaded Samaria. Isaiah, also prophesied concerning Assyria and the ten tribes. Twenty years beforehand, he said:

"O Assyrian, the rod of Mine anger and the staff in their hand is Mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire of the streets...." (Isaiah 10:5-6)

   But the Almighty has a purpose for everything. He used this strenuous means to bring about a change of heart in His people. Through it they learned to depend upon and do the will of the Holy One of Israel. For He had a tremendous task for them to perform:

"And it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more stay upon him that smote them, but he shall stay upon Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, in truth." (Isaiah 10:20-21)

   When Yahweh's people depend upon Him, He blesses them and is merciful. Isaiah is speaking specifically of these Israelites in Isaiah 14 where he says,

"For Yahweh will have mercy o Jacob, and will yet choose Israel and set them in their own land."

This is a reaffirmation of II Samuel 7:10:

"Moreover, I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more as beforetime..."

But to continue with Isaiah 14, after Yahweh has had mercy on Israel:"

"...strangers shall be joined with them and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the people shall take them to their [appointed] place, and the house of Israel [ten tribes] shall possess them in the land of Yahweh for servants and handmaids; and they shall take them captive whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors."

   History confirms this prophecy. After the captives from Samaria had rested and adjusted to their new environment, they were to multiply greatly (Isaiah 49:19-21; 54:1-3), throw off the yoke, and take over the government of their captors. We should not therefore be surprised to read:

"Revolts culminating in 612 saw the end of the Assyrian Empire--The Persians a new element in oriental history-- were an Iranian tribe that dominated the Middle East. They rapidly reestablished the vastly enlarged Assyrian empire." (N.Y 1938 Mt. Museum of Art, "A Guide to the Collections, Part I Ancient and Oriental Art," page 23, emphasis added).

   This "new element" was, quite naturally, made up of the millions of Israelites who had entrenched themselves and were awaiting the right moment to strike. H. G. Wells says,

"A Semitic people from southeast Mesopotamia, the Chaldeans, combined with Aryan Medes and Persians from the northeast against Nineveh, and in 606 B.C.--[for now we are coming down to exact chronology]--took that city. There was a division of the spoils of Assyria. A Median empire was set up on the north under Cyaxares. It included Nineveh, and its capital was Ecbatana. Eastward it reached to the borders of India." (Pocket History of the World, N.Y. 1941, Ch. XX, p. 85.)

   It is worth noting that a daughter of Cyaxares was married to Nebuchadnezzar the Great of Babylon.  W. G. DeBurgh, in The Legacy of the Ancient World, Vol. I, p. 28 says:

"...His [Esarhaddon's] death [668] was followed by the decay of Assyrian power; before the close of the century it succumbed to a coalition between the Medes and the Babylonians, who had regained their independence under Nabopolassar. With the fall of Nineveh [612], the empire of Assyria vanished from history; her records were soon buried beneath the Mesopotamian sand, till, in the nineteenth century of our era, Botta and Layard unearthed the stones that tell the story of her ferocity and her conquest."

Finegan tells us:

"...in 612 B.C. the Babylonians, Medes and Scythians all combined for the final and successful attack upon the Assyrian capital. The siege lasted from June to August, but eventually Nineveh fell and its last king, Sin-shar-ishkun, died. Yet one more man, a certain Ashur-uballit II [c.612-c.606], reigned for a few years as king of Assyria in the western city of Haran, but this last capital of a great empire was also taken by the Scythians. Nineveh the Great had fallen. The destruction predicted by Zephaniah [2:13-15] had taken place." (OpCit, p. 184)

   It seems to have escaped the attention of most historians that the Medes and Persians, a "new" "Aryan" (Shem-Aryan or Samarian) force sprang to life from the very provinces to which the millions of the ten tribes had been deported 150 years before by Tiglath Pileser III, Shalmaneser V and Sargon II. And if we were so blind as not to recognize the Medo-Persian Empire as Israel, Jeremiah has left us little room for doubt, for he prophesied that Israel would destroy Babylon (which, of course, they did under the assumed name of Medes and Persians). Moffatt's Translation of Isaiah 14:1-6 is especially clear in this point:

"The household of Israel shall be conducted to their place by outside nations, and they shall hold them as slaves in the land of the Eternal thus making captives of their former captors, and ruling over their oppressors. Then shall it be that the Eternal grants you relief from your agony and misery and the slavery you have had to suffer; You shall raise this taunt-song against the King of Babylon, crying: How the tyrant is hushed and his mad rage hushed, the club of the godless, the Eternal has crushed, the rod of the oppression, that beat the nations in a passion, blow after blow, that enslaved races in a fury, and never let them go."

   The very tenor of the "taunting speech" indicates that those Medes were fully aware of the relationship existing between themselves and those of the Babylonian captivity, in spite of the fact that so far as history has been concerned they were known as Medes and Persians, and by other names adopted in the westward march toward their promised destinations (II Samuel 7:10; I Chronicles 17:9; Isaiah 41:1; Genesis 49; Deuteronomy 33). For further corroboration of this, let us read, in the 13th chapter of Isaiah, a description of the assault on Babylon:

"For I have charged my chosen host to execute my wrath, my heroes have I summoned, my men of martial pride. Hark! a din among the mountains as of a mighty host. Hark! 'tis the uproar of empires nations gathering; for Yahweh of hosts is mustering a battle array." (Moffatt)

   Notice especially in these verses "my chosen host" (Israel)--"to execute my wrath...my heroes have I summoned, my men of martial pride." Jeremiah calls Israel Yahweh's "battle ax," Jeremiah 51:19-24; and in the 11th and 28th verses of this same chapter, he actually refers to them by the name they bear in secular history, "Medes." Isaiah 13:17 also refers to these Medes; but these Medes are Israel, His battle axe with which He had promised to destroy Babylon. Jeremiah 51:19-20.

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