People have wondered what happened to the tribes of Isreal. The Bible tells of many times the children of Isreal ended up in captivity after losing battles with other nations and God telling them one day they would be able to go back home. As the years have gone on it seems that many people have lost track of which tribe one comes from. It can take a lot of extra work to find out what is going on in one’s ancestry, especially if one comes from a people group that has frequently been displaced due to various circumstances.
In this video “The Tribe of Menashe: A Lost Tribe of Israel Returns” you will hear the story of a group of people in North East India who are believe to be connected to Israel through the tribe of Manasseh. They have been very observant of Jewish traditions and have been formally acknowledged by Shavei Israel organization as part of the Jewish people which has been working to bring them to Isreal. This is a very interesting story that highlights the strength of shared cultural heritage and tradition despite such a great distance.
It makes me think of something else that is important to remember. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for... By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death…And without faith it is impossible to please God…By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children… All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth…they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:1-16 If we live by faith, despite being exiled in this sinful world, one day God will bring us to our true home.
