The Jewish race begins when God sovereignly calls Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees and separates him from the Gentile mainstream to become the father of the nation of Israel.
Abram was not born a Jew; he was a Syrian. God's call brought him out of the mainstream of Adam's race, and the covenant promises made him the father of a new people, the nation of Israel. In the strictest genetic sense, Isaac was the first real Jew by birth, but the race begins with Abraham's separation and call.
Genesis 12:1-3 — This records God's call of Abram to leave his country and kindred and His promise to make of him a great nation, the point where the Jewish race is separated from the Gentile nations.
The biblical record places the origin of the Jewish race in God's call of Abram. In Genesis 12, the LORD tells Abram to leave his country, his kindred, and his father's house, and promises to make of him a great nation: '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: 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.' Abram's departure from his homeland and his journey to Canaan set the covenant line that becomes the nation of Israel.
Les teaches that the Jewish race begins when God 'put the finger on Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees' and brought him out of the mainstream of humanity. The whole human race was steeped in paganism and idolatry, and out of that polluted river of Adam's one race God pulled one man, Abram. That call is the beginning of the nation of Israel, or the Jew, and from Genesis 12 onward God deals with this separated nation as 'Jew only, with exceptions.' Les stresses that Abram was not originally a Jew. He was a Syrian, and his blood did not change when God called him. By virtue of his call and covenant promises, Abraham becomes the father of the Hebrew nation, but genetically Isaac was the first son of promise, the first real Jew by birth. Les also explains what makes a Jew a Jew: both religion and blood. A Jew by blood comes from the promised covenant line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, out of the twelve tribes. Gentiles may embrace Judaism religiously, but that never makes them a Jew racially. The Scriptures divide the whole human race into two categories, Jew and Gentile, and even the Arabs, next of kin through Abraham, Ishmael, and Esau, are still considered Gentiles.
No, according to Les Feldick. Abraham was a Syrian; his brothers were Syrians. His blood did not change when God called him. He becomes the father of the Hebrew nation by virtue of his call and covenant promises. Isaac, the first son of promise, is the first real Jew by birth.
Les says the answer is both. A Jew is first and foremost a Jew by blood if he comes out of the promised covenant line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and out of the twelve tribes. A Gentile can embrace Judaism and become a Jew religiously, but that will never make him a Jew racially. Even the Arabs, next of kin through Abraham and Ishmael and Esau, are still considered Gentiles in Scripture.
Les pictures the human race as one race coming out of Adam, a polluted river of humanity steeped in idolatry. At the tower of Babel God scattered the nations, and every false religion finds its roots there. Then God pulled Abram out of that river, and the main river of Gentile humanity continued on its way while God began to form a separated nation through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Les states that 430 years passed from the time Abraham came out of Syria down into Canaan until Moses led the nation out. God had told Abraham that his descendants would sojourn 430 years and then be brought back to Himself.
False Religions Rooted at Babel
Les shows that the world into which Abram was called had been scattered from Babel and was steeped in pagan religion, setting the stage for God's separation of Abraham.
Abraham Called Out of Ur
When God put His finger on Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees, He brought him out of the mainstream of humanity to become the father of a new race, the nation of Israel.
The First Real Jew by Birth
Abraham was genetically a Syrian, not a Jew; his blood did not change. Isaac, the son of promise, is the first real Jew by birth.
Nation Began With Abraham's Call
The nation of Israel began when God called Abraham out of Ur, and Scripture divides all humanity into Jew and Gentile, with Arabs still counted as Gentiles.
The Beginning of the Jew
God took one man, Abraham, out of an idolatrous civilization; the Jew is one who comes by blood from the covenant line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through the twelve tribes.
Abram Called Out of Idolatry
The whole human race was steeped in paganism when God called Abram out of Ur and told him to leave his family for the land of Canaan.
Pulled Out of Adam's Polluted River
Out of the polluted river of Adam's one race, God pulled Abram to become the nation of Israel, and from Genesis 12 on He deals with Israel as 'Jew only, with exceptions.'
A Separated Nation and 430 Years
With the call of Abraham, God brought out a separated nation while the main Gentile river continued; the nation's 430-year sojourn ended with Moses leading them out of Egypt.
Genesis 12:1-3: 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: 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: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
This is the call of Abram in which God promises to make him a great nation, marking the separation of the Jewish line.
Exodus 12:40: Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
This verse records the 430-year period that Les connects to the nation's time from Abraham's entry into Canaan to the Exodus.
Abraham was not originally a Jew; he was a Syrian. By virtue of God's call and covenant promises he becomes the father of the Hebrew nation, but his blood did not change.
Isaac, the first son of promise, was the first real Jew by birth. Abraham is considered the father of the Jewish race by God's call and covenant.
Les says both. By blood, a Jew is from the promised covenant line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob out of the twelve tribes. Gentiles can embrace Judaism religiously, but that never makes them a Jew racially.
No. Arabs, who are next of kin to the Jew through Abraham, Ishmael, and Esau, are still considered Gentiles in Scripture. Only a Jew is considered a Jew in Scripture.
Watch the Teaching: Why God Chose Abraham: Israel's Purpose Finally Explained