| Chapter 7 The Proselytes of Israel |
Who is the biblical nation of Israel?
In Genesis 35:10-12, God addresses Jacob, the patriarch:
"And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be
called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his
name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God 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 to Abraham and
Isaac, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land."
God promised Jacob a nation. This nation came to be called by his new
name, Israel. It consisted of twelve tribes and strangers, or proselytes,
which dwelt among them. In Exodus 12:48 and 49, instructions are given
to the nation of Israel concerning immigrants.
"And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the
passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him
come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land:
for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him
that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you."
There are many provisions for proselytes in the body of Israel. Even the
cities of refuge were available to these strangers who committed
manslaughter and needed immediate protection from reciprocation. See
Joshua 20:9.
"These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the
STRANGER that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any
person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the
avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation."
They were not to be oppressed, but cared for and treated as equals.
The proselytes of Israel continued to increase throughout biblical history.
At the original outpouring of the holy spirit on the day of Pentecost, there
were many people of other nations, both scattered Israel as well as
proselytes of Israel's religion, worshiping in the temple at Jerusalem, as
recorded in Acts 2:8-11.
"And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia,
and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and
Pamphylia, an Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Gyrene, and
strangers of Rome, Jews and PROSELYTES, Cretes and Arabians, we
do hear the wonderful works of God."
By this time, Israel lived in many nations. Because it was scattered,
exiled and controlled by other countries for so long and because there
had been an influx of strangers and proselytes, it became increasingly
difficult to verify one's Hebrew heritage. The Apostle Paul used, to his
credit, his well-documented ancestry to bring him esteem. See
Philippians 3:4 and 5.
"Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man
thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of
Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;"
Israel had become a melting pot for people of all nations as long as they
were willing to set aside their nations and gods as Ruth of Moab did. See
Ruth 1:16.
"And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following
after thee: for whither thou goest , I will go; and where thou lodgest I
will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:"
Also, because of the power of God and holy example exhibited by certain
believing Jews (such as Daniel and Esther) in captivity, large portions of
those nations converted to Judaism. See Esther 8:17.
"And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's
commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a
feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became
Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them."
So the "many called", represented by the parable in Matthew 22, also
includes other nations who adopted Judaism. Some of these will be the
elect or chosen of Israel, according to their faithfulness, and will be in the
Resurrection of the Just.
Copyright Pete Lounsbury 1994
