Israel and Judah

http://av.goodseed.com/books/en/stranger/str-eng-book_07.pdf

1 Israel and Judah

God had promised both Abraham and Isaac that The Deliverer
would be one of their descendants. Both these men lived long
lives and died.

Isaac had two sons: Esau and Jacob. Esau was like Cain,
patterning his life around his own ideas, doing his own thing.
On the other hand, Jacob trusted God and, because of that, the
Lord considered him righteous.Jacob often came to God offering
blood sacrifices on an altar. So Jacob … built an altar there …
because there God appeared to him. Genesis 35:6–7 NKJV

Jacob believed the principles found in God’s Word, that …
… without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Hebrews 9:22 NIV

For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it
to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the
blood that makes atonement for one’s life. Leviticus 17:11 NIV

Although Jacob often failed in life, God was the ultimate focus
of his trust. Later his name was changed to Israel, which means
God prevails. Today the nation of Israel, which descends directly
from Jacob, has named itself after this man.

God also renewed his promise with Jacob, the same promise
he had made to Abraham and Isaac. The Lord told Jacob …
“I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the
God of Isaac … in you and in your descendants shall all
the families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 28:13–14 NASB

God was saying that one of Jacob’s descendants would be a
blessing to every nation—a reference to The Promis ed Deliverer.
Jacob (or Israel) had twelve sons from whom descended twelve
tribes.1 Before Jacob died, he told his son Judah that it would
be through his tribe that The Deliverer would come.