Who is Israel in the Bible ?

The answer to this question is given by the prophet Isaiah. It is written in the prophet’s book found right at the beginning of Isaiah chapter 49:

1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

The opening verse commands the islands and nations to give ear to the Lord and His special message for everyone. The scripture says, the Lord has called “Me” from the womb. The “Me” is referring to a specific individual or being and not a group of people.

For the sake of this article, we shall label this individual for now as ‘the Called’! The Lord summoned “the Called” (“Me”), and the Called then declares to Isaiah what the Lord has done for him. The Called says, “the Lord made “my” mouth like a sharp sword.” The Lord made the mouth of the Called a sharp sword, and said to Him, “You are my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

Is Israel Jacob’ Isaac’s Son?

The Lord will be glorified through this one individual, we’re identifying as the Called. Another note to pick up on is that the Lord gave the Called a name; “O Israel,” or Israel. This individual, the Called, goes by the name Israel.

This can be confusing for Bible students and scholars alike. Are we speaking of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, who had his name changed to Israel or someone else? Verse five and six helps clarify who the writer is speaking of. Read below:

5 And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.

6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

“O Israel,” who we previously identified as the Called, continues speaking. He says, the Lord that formed Him from the womb to be His servant. The Lord has done this with the intent for O-Israel to bring Jacob (the house of Jacob) back to the Lord.

Again, “O-Israel” was sent by God to gather the house of Jacob, and bring them back to God. By deduction, this passage could not refer to the children of Israel as the individual sent to bring Jacob back to the Lord. The individual, O Israel, is in reference to someone else.

O-Israel is the Steward of the Lord

In verse six it is written that the Lord then told “O Israel” that it is a light or easy thing for Him to bring back the (12) tribes of Jacob, and to preserve the Kingdom of Israel. Doing this is the easy job. For O-Israel to recover the children of Israel, is a simple task for the Steward of the Lord God.

The more challenging and difficult job is for “O Israel” to become a light to the Gentiles, so that “O Israel” may be God’s salvation to the ends of the earth. What exactly are we reading here?

Are you confused?

You kind of should be, because it was meant to be a bit confusing to challenge your mind. Enough with the confusion. We can make this simple by understanding a few things and people. First, who is the salvation to the ends of earth and world for all mankind? This is a pretty easy question, it is Jesus the Holy Messiah from God (John 14:6).

Since Jesus is the salvation to the world, then “O Israel” must be referring to the One who is known as Jesus the Anointed from God. In plain, Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to recover the house of Jacob.

He was then instructed to deploy them to recover the world, family by family. This is the purpose of O-Israel (Jesus Christ) and the children of Israel (the house of Jacob, the children of Jesus Christ). It contains both spiritual and physical children, especially those who choose by sacrifice to join themselves to the Lord.

One of Jesus’ names in times past was Israel?

A question often asked is Israel God’s name, or at least one of them? Yes, that is exactly what Isaiah said through the scripture in chapter 49! The good news is that this can be verified together. All we have to do, is find the Lord’s name as Israel in the scripture; and we can do this in many ways.

In 2nd Kings chapter 17 at balladry 34, the scripture says, God named the children of Jacob, Israel. God named them. Then we follow that by reading 2 Chronicles chapter 7, balladry 14, where it says God’s people (the house of Jacob) are called by His name! God named Jacob, Israel. His decedents also bear the name and are called by His name.

The Father called the Lord Christ Jesus, “O Israel,” in the Old Testament and said to Him, go recover the tribes of Jacob. The Father said corralling Jacob would be a light thing for O-Israel. God called the Lord Jesus Christ, Israel because that is His name especially as He wore it in the Old Testament.

the Father’s salvation to the ends of the earth

In other words, God said to God, “Don’t worry about the HOJ, don’t worry about them, it is a light job for You, O Israel, to recover them. The bigger job is in the recovery of the nations, the Gentiles.”

The tribes of Jacob are the first born into the family of God, however they are not the only sons of God/Israel. The Father also sent “O Israel” to also be a light to the Gentiles, so that O Israel, who is modernly known as Jesus the Holy Messiah, will be the Father’s salvation to the ends of the earth.

Big statement Alert! Israel is what connects mankind back to the Kingdom of Heaven! Big statement Alert! Since man loves judging by the outer or physical appearance, it has been and is difficult for O-Israel to complete the job.

Mankind often gets caught into looking at the current people of Israel, even the ancient people, and are often in disappointment, they toss the children of Israel, and often even toss out O Israel. They remove Him out of their consciousness.

Anyone doing this will lose out on much understanding, and possibly even their inheritance. So, who is Israel in the Bible? First it is Jesus Christ, and then it His Royal family and nation, the ones called out of the world.

Selah

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