Question: Hello to my fellow Christian Brothers I would like to know, if you can tell me, WHY WAS GALILEE CALLED, “GALILEE OF THE GENTILES”? WHAT IS THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR THIS TITLE? Thank you very much. Have a nice day.

Answered by: Chris Byrne, who has been a volunteer with us since August, 2012.

Answer: Hello brother,

Thank you for asking such an excellent and challenging question.

The simplest and most straightforward answer to your question is that Lower Galilee is called Galilee of the Gentiles or Galilee of the Nations because its inhabitants were a mixture of Jews AND Gentiles. The historic reason for this has to do with the Assyrians invasions in which many of the Jews were taken into exile and Gentiles came to live in the area (2 Kings 15:29). The prophetic significance of this is huge. By going into this region during the beginning of His earthly ministry Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 9:1-2). Jesus is the promised and prophesied light. Jesus’ mission was not to save only the Jews, but included the Gentile nations as well (Luke 2:29-32). All of mankind is sitting in the darkness of their sins and under the shadowy curse of certain death until…

Jesus Christ, the light of the world, enters into the darkness and dies for the dark sins of the world (Luke 1:79; Luke 23:44). Jesus triumphs over death and the grave through His glorious resurrection (Matt. 28:7; Acts 2:24). All who repent from the darkness of sin and embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will walk in the light and live with the Light forever (John 8:12; John 12:46). This is the good news that Jesus came, not to the Jews only, but to Galilee of the Gentiles as well (Rom. 1:16). Ultimately, Christ is the Light, not of Galilee only, but of all nations (Rev. 5:9,10; Rev. 21:22-25).

I hope that my response has helped to answer your question. Please feel free to ask follow-up questions if it did not.

In the Light,

Chris

Question: Why does God refer himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

Answered by: Scott Larrison, who has been a volunteer with us since September, 2009.

Answer: Thanks for the question. To answer why God does something or does not do something can be a rather difficult thing to know with certainty. But God refers to Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because He is indeed the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This title of God identifies Him as claiming specific ownership of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, namely the Israelites, Jews and Hebrews. Jesus also uses the title to acknowledge that God is the God of the living.

Genesis records God’s claim on Abraham and his descendants:

Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, `I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.` Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, `As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.` (Genesis 17:1-8)

God then affirmed His claim on Isaac’s life identifying Himself as the God of Abraham:

The Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, For the sake of My servant Abraham.” (Genesis 26:24)

God then did the same for Jacob identifying Himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac:

And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. (Genesis 28:13)

Jacob acknowledged God as the God of his father’s Abraham and Isaac:

Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,’ (Genesis 32:9)

Joseph identified God as the maker of an oath with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob concerning the land promised to them:

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.” (Genesis 50:24)

In Exodus, God uses this title when referring to Himself while talking to Moses:

He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:6)

God wanted Moses to use this title for Himself while talking to the Israelites who were enslaved in Egypt:

God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. (Exodus 3:15-16)

Others use this title for God including Elijah, David, Hezekiah, Jesus, Peter and Stephen at key times in their ministries of prayer, calls to repentance, teaching, preaching and testifying.

Elijah – At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. (1 Kings 18:36)

David – O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers, preserve this forever in the intentions of the heart of Your people, and direct their heart to You; (1 Chronicles 29:18)

Hezekiah – The couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according to the command of the king, saying, “O sons of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from the hand of the kings of Assyria. (2 Chronicles 30:6)

Jesus – ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” (Matthew 22:32, see also Mark 12:26, Luke 20:37)

Peter – The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. (Acts 3:13)

Stephen – ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. (Acts 7:32)

God bless you and thanks for the question!