The nation of Israel began when God called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees and set him apart to become a new nation.
Scripture records that after the tower of Babel scattered the Gentile nations, God spoke to Abram and promised, 'I will make of thee a great nation' (Genesis 12:2). Les Feldick teaches that God sovereignly pulled Abram out of the mainstream of humanity to be the father of a whole new race of people — the nation of Israel. Abram himself was not born a Jew; he was genetically a Syrian, and the Jewish line began with the covenant God made with him.
Genesis 12:1-3 — God's call of Abram, with the promise to make him a great nation, marks the exact point where the nation of Israel begins.
Scripture places the origin of Israel at God's call of Abram. After the tower of Babel, when 'the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth' and scattered the nations (Genesis 11:9), God told Abram: 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee' (Genesis 12:1). The Lord then promised, 'I will make of thee a great nation' (Genesis 12:2). The same promise was repeated to Jacob when he went down into Egypt: 'I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation' (Genesis 46:3). The nation of Israel, therefore, begins with the Abrahamic call and covenant, not with an earlier ethnic identity.
Les Feldick traces the whole human race back to Adam, through Noah and his three sons, as one mainstream of humanity. After the flood, that mainstream rebelled at the tower of Babel under Nimrod, and every false religion on the planet has its roots there (Clip 0). Out of that great Gentile river of humanity, Les says, God sovereignly 'put the finger on' Abram in Ur of the Chaldees and pulled him out to become the father of a whole new race — the nation of Israel (Clips 2, 6).
No. Les Feldick explains that Abraham was of the same race of people coming out of Adam, and before God called him he was genetically a Syrian. When God 'put the finger on' Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees, he was brought out of the mainstream of humanity to become the father of a new race of people, but his blood did not change — he remained genetically a Syrian. Scripture considers Abraham the father of the Jewish race because of the call and the covenant, not because of his birth.
Les teaches that although Abraham is considered the father of the Jewish race and consequently the first Jew, genetically Isaac would be the first son of promise and would be what Les calls 'the first real Jew by birth.'
Scripture records that humanity gathered at Babel in rebellion against God's command to scatter and repopulate the earth, and the Lord confused their language and scattered them abroad (Genesis 11:9). Les Feldick explains that at Babel humanity rebelled against God's authority, attempting to usurp the throne of God religiously, and that this is where every false religion has its roots. Out of that scattered Gentile mainstream, God later called Abraham to begin the separated nation of Israel.
Les teaches that the whole human race was steeped in paganism and idolatry — no one had knowledge of the one true God. Abram's own family were idolaters. But God saw in Abram a potential for faith, so He revealed Himself to Abram, told him to leave Ur and his family, and led him to the land of Canaan.
Les notes that the first thing God told Abraham was that he would sojourn 430 years, and then the nation would be brought back to Himself. Exactly 430 years passed from the time Abraham came out of Syria down into Canaan until Moses led them out.
The Gentile Mainstream at Babel
Les explains that after the flood, humanity rebelled at the tower of Babel under Nimrod, and he traces every false religion back to Babel — the Gentile stream out of which God would later call Abram.
God's Call of Abram Out of Idolatry
Les teaches that the nation of Israel began when God called Abram out of idolatry, revealing Himself to a man in whom He saw potential for faith and commanding him to leave Ur for Canaan.
God Separates Abram From Humanity
Les shows that God sovereignly 'put the finger on' Abram in Ur of the Chaldees, lifting him out of the mainstream of humanity to become the father of the new race — the nation of Israel.
Abraham's Syrian Bloodline
Les clarifies that Abraham was genetically a Syrian whose blood did not change at his call, and he identifies Isaac as the first real Jew by birth.
The Nation Begins With the Call
Les gives the direct answer: the nation of Israel began when God called Abraham out of Ur, out of idolatry, and gave him the covenant promises.
A Separated Nation and 430 Years
Les describes the nation of Israel as a separated people drawn out of the main river of Gentile humanity, and notes the 430-year period from Abraham's call to the Exodus.
The Little Stream Out of the River
Les uses the picture of a great river of humanity from which God pulled the little stream of Israel, chosen to bring the knowledge of God back to the nations.
Israel Begins in Genesis 12
Les points to Genesis 12 as the starting point of the nation, noting that Abram's family were idolaters with no knowledge of the one true God.
Genesis 12:1: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
This is the call of Abram that marks the beginning of the nation of Israel.
Genesis 12:2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
God's promise to make Abram into a great nation is the covenant basis for Israel's origin.
Genesis 46:3: And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
God reaffirms to Jacob that the nation will be made great, showing the continuing line of the promise.
Genesis 11:9: Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
The scattering at Babel is the background of the Gentile nations from which God called Abram.
Genesis 11:31: And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
This verse places Abram in Ur of the Chaldees, the city from which God called him.
The nation of Israel began when God called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees, out of idolatry, and gave him covenant promises (Genesis 12:1-2). Les Feldick emphasizes that this was God's sovereign act — He pulled Abram out of the mainstream of humanity to become the father of a new race of people.
No. Abraham was genetically a Syrian; his blood did not change when God called him. He became the father of the Hebrew nation by virtue of God's call and covenant promises, and Scripture considers him the father of the Jewish race.
In a technical sense, Isaac was the first real Jew by birth, since he was the first son of promise. Abraham is still called the father of the Jewish people because God declared him to be the father of the Jewish race.
The whole human race was steeped in paganism and idolatry, and Abram's own family were idolaters. God saw in Abram a potential for faith, so He revealed Himself to him and called him out of Ur to the land of Canaan.
God sovereignly removed Abraham from the mainstream of Gentile humanity and made his descendants a separated race. They were no longer part of the Gentile families, and God's purpose was to use Israel to bring the knowledge of God back to the nations.
Watch the Teaching: Why God Chose Abraham: Israel's Purpose Finally Explained