He had promised they would always be His people and He would always be their God. God, however, had entered into a covenant- a divine commitment -with all 12 of the tribes. The world remembers them only as the lost 10 tribes of Israel. But standard history books make no mention of them today. For the most part, however, they retained their identity and have remained visible through history as a small and often persecuted race, the Jewish people.īut what happened to the 10 tribes of Israel whose enemies forcibly removed them from their land? The Assyrian Empire captured and exiled them from their Middle Eastern homeland in the eighth century B.C.
Its citizens likewise rejected God and were taken into captivity. The smaller, southern kingdom of Judah-comprised of the two remaining tribes and remnants of another-failed to learn the lesson of its northern kinsmen. When the larger of the two, which retained the name Israel (comprised of 10 of the 12 tribes), rejected its partnership with God, it set in motion one of history's greatest mysteries when its people were forcibly exiled from their ancient homeland. Yet before long the Israelites divided into two competing kingdoms. Comprised of 12 tribes, or family groups, the nation gained prominence for a time. The books of the Old Testament describe Abraham's offspring growing into a mighty nation-the Israelite kingdom-and entering into a special covenant relationship with God. The story of Abraham's descendants has its share of twists and turns and ups and downs and more than a few mysteries. This is a story filled with great themes-the rise and fall not only of great men and women but of kingdoms and empires. It covers much of what we know as the Old Testament.
The story of his offspring is remarkable too. God made astounding promises to him that continue to affect not only his descendants but the whole world. To understand some of the Bible's most amazing and inspiring prophecies, we must embark on a study that begins 4,000 years ago-when God began working with a man called Abraham. "In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" ( Genesis 12:3 Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.
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