How did the nation of Israel begin in God's timeline?
The nation of Israel began in God's timeline with the call of Abraham, when God pulled out another stream of humanity from Abraham, forming a separate line above the first one. This began around 2000 B.C. and was primarily God dealing with His covenant people, Israel.
Les explains that on his timeline, at the call of Abraham he put another little line above the first one to show that God pulled out another stream of humanity from Abraham, the nation of Israel. On that top line he usually wrote, 'Jew only, with exceptions,' because from 2000 B.C. until well into the Book of Acts, God was primarily dealing with the nation of Israel, His covenant people. There were a few Gentiles—Jonah sent to Nineveh, the Syrian general Naaman, Ruth the Moabite, and perhaps others—but it was primarily Israel. In this age of grace it is flip-flopped: God is primarily calling out Gentiles, but a few Jews, and there is now no difference.