Jeremiah 29:11

With the rising cost of gasoline and oil I thought it would be interesting to know why we have this problem which dates back to biblical times.

The Historical and Biblical Basis of the Conflict:

Focus • Analysis of the cause of the conflict indicated in the Bible

In this study we will look at:

the Biblical account of the origin of the conflict through

• Abraham;
• Isaac and Ishmael;
• Jacob and Esau;
• Moab and Ammon; and,
• other regions.

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Map 4: Middle East Countries today

Noah and Shem
Indirectly, the scene set for the conflict begins after the great Flood. You will recall that only Noah was saved from destruction, together with his family (Genesis 9:18). That family included three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. Genesis 10 contains a record of what happened to the descendants of each of the sons. Of particular interest is the son, Shem. These descendants became known as the ‘Shemites' a term that was later modified to ‘Semites' A descendant of Shem was Eber. At this time (immediately after the Flood) and for some period afterwards, there was only one language. In what can be seen as one of the many occasions men disregarded God, the people decided to build a tower that demonstrated their own prowess • "so that we may make a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4). God was displeased and dispersed them to all parts of the earth, and also punished them by confusing their language. The tower was called Babel (hence our very appropriate word ‘babble'. The term ‘Babylon' had its origins in the word ‘Babel'. This area now corresponds to Iran/Iraq. Shem’s descendents inhabited the area from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, including the area then called Ur of the Chaldees • again, Iran and Iraq, or the area formerly known as Persia. Of considerable significance is that the word Eber, the descendant of Shem (the ‘Semite', gave rise to the word ‘Hebrew'.

Abraham • the foundation
Part of the dispersal involved the descendants of Shem, Eber, and later Terah (who had three sons, Abram, Nahor and Haran), living in Ur of the Chaldees. So, even though the Semites/Hebrews eventually settled in the land now known as Israel and the surrounding regions, they initially started just north of the tip of the Persian Gulf (see Map 6).

The way they began to migrate is clearly indicated in Genesis 12. God called Abram (the name by which he was then known) to travel from Ur of the Chaldees into the land later known as Canaan. Here we see the directness of God. He chose His people and placed them in the land in which He wanted them to live. It is important to note at this stage that this is a reference to the whole of the Semitic people that included the Jews and Arabs.

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Map 5: Abram’s journey

Abram was given a promise before he left. God said:

• He would make Abram and his descendants a great nation;
• He would bless them;
• He would bless those who blessed Abram’s descendants and curse those who cursed them; and,
• that all people of the earth would be blessed through Abraham.
(Genesis 12:2-3)

Abram travelled with Lot • his nephew. (Lot was the son of Haran.) Some time after they arrived in Canaan there was contention between Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen, Abram gave Lot the choice of land in which he could take his cattle. Lot chose the best-looking pastures. These were in the land of Jordan, to the east of the Jordan River. The land included the notorious cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was after Lot left that God reiterated His promise to Abram. He said that:

• all the land he saw would be his; and,
• he would have numerous offspring.
(Genesis 13:14-17)

(God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. The former meant ‘Friend of God' and the latter means ‘Father of many nations'. It is obvious from this that