Chapter 1: Abraham, Father of Many Nations

In order to have an accurate understanding of the complex relations between modern nations in the Middle East, it is necessary to be aware of some of the earlier history of this part of the world. The biblical story of this land primarily has its roots in the story of one man, his kin and their children.

This central figure was Abraham—or Abram, as he was originally called—and his wife, Sarah—or Sarai, as she was originally called (Genesis 17:5, 15). Current attitudes held by today’s residents of the Middle East spring from deeply rooted historical and emotional foundations that we will now consider.

Abraham’s lineage can be traced through his father, Terah, who was a resident of Ur of the Chaldeans. Like most people at that time, Terah was an idol worshipper (Joshua 24:2).

Terah had at least three sons—Abraham, Nahor and Haran—and at least one daughter, Sarah (from a different mother than Abraham’s mother), who eventually married Abraham (Genesis 11:27; 20:12). (During early Bible times, God had not restricted marriages of close relatives.) The family dynamics that developed among these key individuals set the stage for the future, not only of this family, but also of the entire region.

After Haran died in Ur, the family, including Haran’s son Lot, moved westward to an area called Haran (Genesis 11:28, 31).

At the age of 75, Abraham heeded God’s call to move to a different country (Genesis 12:1, 4). Abraham, his wife Sarah and his late brother’s son Lot, with all their possessions, made their way to the land of Canaan (verse 5).

It was in this foreign land that God again appeared to Abraham, delivering a promise that his descendants would inherit and thrive in this very land (verse 7).

God’s promise to Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation and inherit the land of Canaan must have provided immense encouragement to Abraham (Genesis 12:2, 7). But waiting for this great blessing to be fulfilled was going to be one of the biggest trials experienced by Abraham and his wife, Sarah.

Before delving into the intricacies of this trial and noting the consequences of the decisions they made throughout it, we should turn our attention to the parallel narrative of Lot. The story of Lot, intertwined with that of Abraham, sheds important light on the interconnected destinies of these two figures and their descendants.

Lot and his descendants

Lot spent many of his early years with his grandfather Terah and uncle Abraham. After his father Haran died, he moved with the family to a place called Haran (Genesis 11:31). And he accompanied Abraham when his uncle left Haran for Canaan (Genesis 12:4-5).

Although the biblical account provides limited details, it suggests that Abraham had a special affection for Lot, helping him become financially secure and likely sharing what he was told by God. When Abraham became “very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold,” Lot also “had flocks and herds and tents” (Genesis 13:2, 5).

In time, Lot’s and Abraham’s herds grew so large that they had to separate because “the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together” (verse 6).

Because they were relatives, Abraham wanted to avoid strife and proposed that they separate. Abraham told Lot to choose which direction he wanted to go, and Abraham would go the opposite (verses 8-9).

Lot chose the well-watered plain of Jordan and eventually began living in the city of Sodom (verses 10-11). Unfortunately, the men of this city were “exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD,” and living there soon proved to be a terrible mistake (verse 13).

Lot’s woes in Sodom

Over time, the sins of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah became very great, and God decided to destroy these cities. Prior to doing so, Abraham bargained with God about not destroying Sodom if there were righteous people living there (Genesis 18:22-32). Very likely Abraham was thinking of his nephew Lot and his family, who lived there.

But it seems that Lot was the only righteous man in the city, and the angels sent by God helped Lot, his wife and two of his daughters escape just before the city was destroyed (Genesis 19; 2 Peter 2:7).

As the family was fleeing Sodom, Lot’s wife looked back—apparently longing to return to Sodom—and became a pillar of salt.

Lot fathers two nations

Having seen the judgment God brought upon Sodom and Gomorrah for their sinful conduct, Lot became afraid to live even in the small city of Zoar. So he and his two daughters began living in a cave in the mountains (Genesis 19:30).

Fearing that there were no men for them to marry and that their father’s lineage would cease to exist, Lot’s daughters decided to get their father drunk and have sexual relations with him in the hope of having children (verses 31-36).

Both daughters became pregnant. “The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day” (verses 37-38).

Lot thus became the father of two nations: Moab and Ammon.

Israelite interactions with Moab and Ammon during the Exodus

While we are getting ahead of the story of what happened to Abraham, we’ll go ahead and note some of the interactions between the descendants of Lot (specifically Moab and Ammon) and the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob (the Israelites).

As these different branches of Abraham’s descendants and extended family developed, the Israelites were absent from the land of Canaan for many years. This period began when Joseph brought his father and brothers to Egypt to survive a famine. The family survived, grew very populous and eventually became enslaved to the Egyptians.

After God miraculously freed them from slavery (Exodus 2-14), the Israelites embarked on their exodus to Canaan.

As the Israelites progressed toward the Promised Land, God told them to be respectful of their extended family dwelling in the nations of Moab and Ammon. As Moses related to the people, “And the LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the people of Lot for a possession’ . . .

“‘And when you approach the territory of the people of Ammon, do not harass them or contend with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession’” (Deuteronomy 2:9, 19, English Standard Version).

Even though the Israelites honored this instruction (Judges 11:15-18), the Moabites became fearful of this large number of immigrants coming toward them from the south.

King Balak of Moab decided to take protective measures for his nation. He hired Balaam to curse the Israelites. But God would not allow Balaam to do so. The history of this encounter is recorded in Numbers 22-24.

It is noteworthy that because the Moabites and Ammonites did not meet the Israelites with “bread and water on the road” when they “came out of Egypt,” God said they could not “enter the assembly of the LORD forever” (Deuteronomy 23:3-4).

God clearly expected Abraham’s extended family members to treat each other with respect.

Moabite and Ammonite interactions during the times of Israel’s judges and kings

Despite God’s desire for these related peoples to get along, the relationships between Israel and Moab didn’t always align with this expectation.

During the time of Israel’s judges, King Eglon of Moab formed a coalition with the people of Ammon and Amalek (a descendant of Esau, Genesis 36:12) to subjugate the Israelites and exact tribute. This oppressive situation continued for 18 years until God raised up Ehud, who led the Israelites in a successful revolt (Judges 3).

An intriguing instance of collaboration between Israel and Moab is recounted in the book of Ruth. Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, and their two sons sought refuge in Moab amid a famine in Judah. Sadly, Elimelech and his two sons died, leaving Naomi a widow in a foreign land.

When Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, Ruth, a Moabite and the widow of one of Naomi’s sons, went with her and began to worship the God of Israel, rather than Chemosh, the god of the Moabites (Ruth 1:16; 1 Kings 11:33).

Ruth’s decision eventually led to her marrying Boaz (an Israelite) and becoming part of the lineage that included King David and Jesus (Matthew 1:5-6, 16).

During King Saul’s reign over Israel, he successfully fought against Moab and Ammon (1 Samuel 14:47). Yet David, while fleeing from Saul, obtained temporary asylum for his parents with the king of Moab (1 Samuel 22:3-4).

Later, when David became king of Israel, he subdued the Moabites and the Ammonites (2 Samuel 8:2; 11-12).

The times of cooperation and respect between Israel and the Moabites and Ammonites were rare. These descendants of Abraham and Lot harbored mutual distrust, leading to intermittent conflict and wars.

Ishmael, father of the Arabs

Among the blessings God promised Abraham for his obedience in moving to Canaan was that his descendants would become “a great nation” and be given the land (Genesis 12:1-2, 7). After Abraham separated from Lot because the area could not support them living together, God expounded on His promise.

“And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: ‘Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered’” (Genesis 13:14-16).

These words from God must have surely been pleasing to Abraham. There was just one very big problem. Abraham and his wife, Sarah, had not been able to have children.

Abraham brought up the fact that he was childless and that one of his servants was his heir. God then explained to Abraham how His promise that Abraham would have a seemingly uncountable number of descendants would be fulfilled.

God told Abraham, “One who will come from your own body shall be your heir” and again stated that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:4-5).

In one of the great testaments to Abraham’s faith, Scripture notes, “And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD, and He [God] accounted it to him for righteousness” (verse 6; also note Romans 4:20-22).

God then gave Abraham additional details regarding his offspring: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years” (Genesis 15:13; see the online blog post “Abraham’s Descendants to Be Enslaved”).

A surrogate mother

After waiting 10 long years from the time God had promised Abraham innumerable descendants, Abraham and his wife, Sarah, became impatient to have a child.

Sarah suggested that Abraham have a child through Hagar, her maid. Abraham agreed.

“Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived” (Genesis 16:3-4).

This may have been a common practice in that culture, but it did not adhere to God’s design for marriage and soon proved to be a tragic mistake. It created tension within Abraham’s family and left an indelible mark on generations to come.

When Hagar realized that she was pregnant with Abraham’s child, a shift in the family dynamics quickly ensued. Sarah, Hagar’s “mistress became despised in her eyes” (verse 4). Sarah became angry, and “when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she [Hagar] fled from her presence” (verse 6).

The-God-Who-Sees names and blesses Hagar’s child

As Hagar was fleeing from Sarah, “the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness” and told her to return to her mistress (verses 7-9). He also gave her encouraging news regarding the child she would bear.

“Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, ‘I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.’ And the Angel of the LORD said to her: ‘Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction.

“‘He shall be a wild man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.’

“Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, ‘Have I also here seen Him who sees me?’” (Genesis 16:10-13).

The blessings and prophecies of Ishmael

Although Ishmael was not destined to be the heir of Abraham, God still cared for Ishmael (Genesis 21:10-21).

Ishmael’s name means “God hears,” and Hagar’s response to the message she had received—calling God “the-God-Who-Sees”—reflects the fact that God was fully aware of the situation.

Furthermore, God promised that Ishmael would have many descendants. These descendants are widely recognized as Arabs. In time, Ishmael became the father of 12 sons (Genesis 17:20; 25:13-16). The Islamic prophet Muhammad traced his lineage back to Kedar, one of the sons of Ishmael.

The future of the Arab peoples was predicted in Genesis 16:12: “He shall be a wild [pere, literally, an onager or wild donkey] man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”

Ishmael was likened to a wild donkey because “this animal is a fit symbol of the wild, free, untamable Bedouin of the desert. He is to live in contention, and yet to dwell independently, among all his brethren” (Barnes’ Notes). Job 39:5-8 provides a description of this untamed animal.

The prophecy of Genesis 16:12—“his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him”—predicted that there would be many violent struggles and contentions. The Arabs throughout history have been a proud people, well-known for their congenial hospitality, but often fighting to continue to exist despite encroaching empires and kingdoms.

As we will see in chapter 2, this struggle has been a tragic part of Muslim history and the bloodshed that has plagued the Middle East for centuries.

Abraham’s relationship with Ishmael

After Hagar returned to her mistress, she gave birth to Ishmael, and the two of them remained with Abraham and Sarah for approximately 16 years (compare Genesis 16:16 and 21:5, 8-10).

Abraham loved Ishmael. When God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision and explained that Sarah would bear a child in her old age, the patriarch replied, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” (Genesis 17:18).

Abraham might have come to believe that Ishmael was his promised heir. God quickly countered this reasoning:

“No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.

“And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

“But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year” (verses 19-21).

Ishmael and Hagar separate from Abraham and Sarah

As foretold by God, Sarah miraculously conceived and bore a son named Isaac. Their son’s name—Isaac—meant laughter, and this miracle child brought great joy to Abraham and Sarah. On the day he was weaned they made a great feast (Genesis 21:1-8).

The joyous occasion quickly soured when “Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing” (verse 9).

Whatever the reason or reasons for Ishmael’s “scoffing,” his action caused Sarah to immediately demand of her husband, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac” (verse 10).

This demand “was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son [Ishmael],” but God told Abraham to listen to Sarah and carry out her demand (verses 11-12). God then reminded Abraham that He would make Ishmael’s descendants a great nation (verse 13).

Abraham believed God and obeyed. In the morning he sent Hagar and Ishmael away with some bread and a skin of water (verse 14).

After wandering in the wilderness, Hagar thought they both would soon die of thirst. On this occasion, God told Hagar that He had heard the voice of her son (verse 17). God then supplied them with water and was “with the lad” as he grew and lived in the wilderness (verse 20).

The hard feelings that had existed between Sarah and Hagar had come to a head. And sadly, these contentious feelings of resentment and anger have continued through the ages between many of the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Jacob, one of the sons of Isaac.

The birth of Isaac

Having reviewed the history of Ishmael and noting the reasons Ishmael and his descendants resented Isaac, we are now ready to consider the history of Isaac and his sons, Esau and Jacob.

Previously we noted that Abraham may have thought that Ishmael would be his heir (Genesis 17:18). After all, Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born (Genesis 16:16), and as the years went by, this patriarch and his wife reached the time of life when most couples can no longer have children (Genesis 17:17).

But when Abraham was 99 years old, God appeared to him and made several monumental announcements. The first was that he would now be called Abraham, meaning “father of many nations” (verses 1, 5).

Then God instituted circumcision as a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants, including Ishmael (verses 10-14, 23).

After that, Abraham was told that his wife should now be called Sarah because she would become a “mother of nations” and that “kings of peoples” would come from her (verses 15-16).

When Abraham heard the reason for his wife’s new name, he found it difficult to believe. He “fell on his face and laughed” (verse 17). Old folks past the age of childbearing having a child? It just seemed incredibly funny to both Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 18:10-12).

But God was serious. This wasn’t a joke.

True to God’s word, Isaac (meaning “laughter”) was born “at the set time of which God had spoken to him [Abraham]” (Genesis 21:2). And, as God had instructed, Isaac was circumcised when he was eight days old (verse 4).

Then came Abraham and Sarah’s feast at Isaac’s weaning and the subsequent dismissal of Hagar and Ishmael from the household (verses 8-14).

The sacrifice of Isaac

We aren’t told much about the life of Isaac as he grew up. But the Bible does record one major event: God’s testing of Abraham by asking him to sacrifice Isaac on one of the mountains in the land of Moriah (Genesis 22:1-2).

This ordeal foreshadowed a crucial event in the salvation of mankind. And its location became a focal point of religious, political and prophetic significance, as we will see.

Abraham followed God’s command. He journeyed to the area God had said and made the preparations, including binding his son Isaac on the altar. As Abraham lifted his knife to slay his son, the Angel of the Lord called out to him, telling him not to hurt Isaac (verses 6-12).

“And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me’” (verse 12).

Because of Abraham’s willingness to obey, God expanded upon the blessings He had already promised Abraham and his descendants (verses 16-18).

There is much symbolism in this account. Abraham offering his son Isaac parallels God the Father offering His Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for mankind’s sins. A lesson that we can apply in our lives today comes from the ram God provided for the offering in place of Isaac: If we trust God, He can supply our needs.

The location of this sacrifice also became significant. This mountain is where David built an altar to stop a plague. Mount Moriah also became the site of the temple Solomon built for God in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 24:18-25; 2 Chronicles 3:1).

This temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., rebuilt during the time of Zerubbabel and destroyed again by the Romans in A.D. 70. Today the Western Wall of the temple’s foundation (important to Judaism) and the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque (important to Islam) are all located on this site.

For further study of this location, see “Temple Mount: Its History and Future.”

Isaac takes a wife

After the death of Sarah, who lived to be 127, Abraham instructed his chief servant to go back to his family and take a wife for Isaac (Genesis 23:1; 24:1-4).

After coming to a water well outside the city of Nahor, the servant prayed for God’s guidance and blessing (Genesis 24:10-14). God answered this prayer by having Rebekah, a beautiful granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor arrive at the well and offer to draw water for the servant and all his camels, fulfilling the sign the servant had requested (Genesis 11:27; 24:15-47).

After giving Rebekah and her family multiple gifts, the servant took Rebekah, who had agreed to become Isaac’s wife, and returned to Abraham.

Twin boys: Esau and Jacob

Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah (Genesis 25:20). Unfortunately, Rebekah was barren—unable to have children (verse 21). Isaac pleaded with God that they might have children.

After almost 20 years had passed, God answered Isaac’s prayer and Rebekah became pregnant with twin boys. Prior to their birth, “the children struggled together within her” (verse 22). Not understanding what was occurring, she asked God for an explanation.

“And the LORD said to her: ‘Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger’” (verse 23).

When the twins were born, “the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob” (verses 25-26).

Contention between Esau and Jacob

The struggles these twin brothers had in Rebekah’s womb were a forerunner of the struggles they would have with each other as they grew up and of the contention their descendants would have with each other.

“As the boys were growing up, Esau became skilled at hunting and was a man of the outdoors, but Jacob was the quiet type who tended to stay indoors. Isaac loved Esau, because he loved to hunt, while Rebekah loved Jacob” (verses 27-28, International Standard Version).

From the time they were in the womb, they had struggled with each other. And then after they were born, having parents who favored one of them over the other likely added to their rivalry.

Two additional incidents drove the wedge of disagreement between them even deeper. First, Jacob persuaded Esau to sell him his birthright for a bowl of red lentil soup when Esau was very hungry (verses 29-34).

Second, Jacob, with the help of his conniving mother, Rebekah, tricked the aging Isaac into giving the birthright blessing to Jacob rather than his older brother, Esau.

After learning of Jacob’s treachery, “Esau said to his father, ‘Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!’ And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

“Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: ‘Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above. By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; and it shall come to pass, when you become restless, that you shall break his yoke from your neck.’

“So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, ‘The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob’” (Genesis 27:38-41).

As prophesied, Esau did break away from his brother, and his descendants became the nation of Edom. The name Edom comes from the Hebrew word for red.

Jacob, whose name was later changed to Israel, fathered 12 sons whose descendants became known as the 12 tribes of Israel.

Although Jacob and Esau reconciled for a while after their father’s death, their descendants became bitter enemies. The marriage between Esau and a daughter of Ishmael (Genesis 28:9) linked these two branches of Abraham’s descendants who were against Jacob’s side of Abraham’s descendants.

Jacob’s descendants went to Egypt, where they were eventually enslaved, while the descendants of Lot, Ishmael and Esau remained in the land. When the Israelites returned to Canaan, the distrust resumed.

Esau’s descendants vs. Jacob’s descendants

When God delivered the ancient Israelites from bondage in Egypt, He promised that He would bring them “to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites” (Exodus 3:8).

When the Israelites approached these lands, Moses requested permission of Esau’s descendants (the Edomites) to pass through their nation.

“Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. ‘Thus says your brother Israel: “You know all the hardship that has befallen us, how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers.

“‘“When we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”’

“Then Edom said to him, ‘You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.’

“So the children of Israel said to him, ‘We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.’

“Then he said, ‘You shall not pass through.’ So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him” (Numbers 20:14-21).

Thus, when the Israelites returned to Canaan, they “bypassed the land of Edom” (Judges 11:18). By the time of King Saul, however, the Edomites had become full-fledged enemies of Israel. Saul fought against Moab, Ammon and Edom (1 Samuel 14:47). A long string of conflicts ensued between Israel and Edom (2 Samuel 8:14; 1 Kings 11:14-16; 2 Kings 8:20).

What we have seen thus far is that hard feelings, distrust and anger have existed among the peoples descended from Abraham since the earliest days. The animosity between these peoples, which began long ago, continues today in the Middle East and beyond.

Summary: seeds of conflict

Thus far, we have seen that the branches of Abraham’s descendants had multiple reasons for jealousy and distrust of each other as they all settled in the Middle East.

The conflicts between the Lot, Ishmael and Esau branches of the family and the Israel branch of the family continued through the establishment of the ancient nation of Israel. The conflicts persisted when Israel split into two nations—Israel and Judah—and lasted throughout the existence of the kingdom of Judah even after 721 B.C., when the kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians.

After the kingdom of Judah was taken into captivity by Babylon between 604 and 586 B.C., the Israel branch of Abraham’s family no longer had a nation in the Middle East.

After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, some of the Jews returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, but they didn’t fully return to the status of a sovereign nation until the 20th century.

While some of the Jews remained in the Middle East, many of the other descendants of Israel had migrated to the north and west, where they established many of the major Western nations that exist today. To learn more of this fascinating history—information that helps us understand end-time Bible prophecy—see our booklet The United States, Britain and the Commonwealth in Prophecy.

Even though a small remnant of Jewish descendants of Abraham’s family remained in the Middle East, many of them also migrated to other lands and nations established by the other descendants of Israel. Over the last two millennia, the Arabs have been the main descendants of Abraham to continue living in their ancient land.

It wasn’t until 1948, with the establishment of the State of Israel, that the Jews once again had a homeland in the Holy Land and many Jews returned. This development helped set the stage for many end-time Bible prophecies.

But before we consider what the Bible says about this part of the world before Christ returns, we need to consider some important developments that occurred among the Arab peoples who remained in the Middle East through the last 2,000 plus years.

In the next chapter we’ll begin exploring this part of the story of Abraham’s descendants.

The Canaanites were the peoples who settled in the area along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean after the Flood. According to the Bible, they descended from Noah’s grandson Canaan (Genesis 10:15-19). Tragically, Noah’s grandson demonstrated a lack of morality and was cursed (Genesis 9:22, 25). Because of the increasing wickedness of Canaan’s descendants, God promised these lands to the offspring of Abraham (Genesis 15:16-21).

By the time Abraham came into the land, the people had divided into several tribes—the Amorites, Canaanites, Hivites, Jebusites and Perizzites. Since this land was heavily inhabited by Canaanites, it was referred to as “the land of Canaan” (Genesis 12:5).

From the time Abraham sojourned in the land to the time the nation of Israel came into the land after the Exodus, the Canaanites who occupied it posed a continual challenge. As we will see, some of the descendants of the ancient Canaanites continue to exist today within the Muslim world.

Amalek, a grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12), was one of the chief leaders in Edom (verse 16). The Amalekites were the first people the Israelites encountered after they left Egypt for Canaan. Even though these peoples were kinsmen through Isaac, the Amalekites viewed this large train of immigrants approaching their nation as a threat.

So the Amalekites made an unprovoked attack upon Israel (Exodus 17:8-16). God intervened and allowed Israel to defeat Amalek.

After having wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of disbelieving in God’s promise and ability to bring them into Canaan, the Israelites once again prepared to enter their Promised Land.

On this occasion, Moses referred back to the earlier battle with Amalek, saying, “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.

“Therefore it shall be, when the LORD your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget” (Deuteronomy 25:17-19).

The Amalekites became Israel’s bitter enemies. God told King Saul: “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey’” (1 Samuel 15:2-3).

Amalek’s intense hatred and cruel acts against Israel were unjustified. But due to Saul’s refusal to obey God’s directive, Amalek was not completely destroyed and remained a thorn in Israel’s side. Amalek’s descendants made recurring attempts to harass and destroy Israel. In the State of Israel today, the Amalekites have come to represent the Jews’ irreconcilable enemies.