The Bible tells
the story of how God worked with one man and his family, for the purpose of
blessing all mankind. God gave both spiritual and physical promises. What happened
to the 12 tribes of Israel and God’s physical promises to them?
In
Genesis 12:1-3 God made promises to Abram that were later expanded and passed
down to his descendants.
“Now the LORD had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your
country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will
show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name
great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I
will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall
be blessed.”
Spiritual blessings through Abraham
Christians today recognize, as the apostle Paul
did, that part of this promise involves spiritual blessings that would come
through Abraham’s descendant Jesus Christ.
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the
law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who
hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles
[Greek, “nations”] in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the
Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only
a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to
Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’
as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ” (Galatians
3:13-16).
This
wonderful spiritual promise of Christ’s coming and His sacrifice to make
possible forgiveness and salvation is a promise that all mankind can be
eternally grateful for!
National and
physical promises to the 12 tribes of Israel
But
there were other elements to God’s promises that involved a physical and
national component. God promised that many nations would come from Abraham and
that they would multiply like the stars of heaven. They were promised
tremendous physical blessings and control over the gates of their enemies.
The
book of Genesis traces how these physical promises were passed on down to
Abraham’s son Isaac, to Isaac’s son Jacob, and to Jacob’s 12 sons. These 12
sons became the forefathers of the 12 tribes of Israel.
The
Bible traces the history of these 12 tribes, from the time when all 12 tribes
were united as a single nation to a time when a division saw 10 tribes break
away from the other tribes that were led by Judah.
Generations
later, the northern 10 tribes, known as the house of Israel, were the first to
go into captivity. Except for a few thousand families in the time of Ezra,
these tribes did not return from the lands to which they were deported. In fact,
they were lost to history in general and have been called the lost tribes of
Israel.
Where did the
lost tribes of Israel go?
On
the Life, Hope & Truth website, the 12 Tribes of Israel section looks into this fascinating story. For example, the article
“12 Tribes of Israel Today: Who Are They?” says:
“To follow the history
of the 12 tribes of Israel after the fall of their nation to the Assyrians in
721 B.C., we must recognize the path of their deportation and identify them by
the names given them by their conquerors. Various websites and books have a
great deal of information connecting the 12 tribes of Israel to the nations of
Western Europe and the United States today, and it would be impossible to cover
all this material in this answer.”
The article goes on to examine some of the most intriguing
and relevant biblical and historical documentation, quoting from first-century
Jewish historian Flavius Josephus; historian Tamara Rice; authors Boris Piotrovsky, John Henry and
James Parker; English historian and
scholar George Rawlinson; Danish
linguistic scholar Anne Kristensen; as well as archaeological evidence of the
migration of these peoples from the Middle East into Europe.
About
LifeHopeandTruth.com
The LifeHopeandTruth.com website is designed to help people who are
searching for answers to life’s difficult, intriguing and important questions.
As the About Us section says, “LifeHopeandTruth.com
exists to fill a critical void in this world—the lack of understanding about
the purpose of life, the lack of realistic hope for a better future and the lack of truth!”