The 'multitude' of peoples include the Gentiles saved during the period

of the Acts of the Apostles.  The nation of Israel was to be the focus and

gathering point of a called -out company of nations or peoples, but not in

the sense that is often made of this passage by 'British Israel' teachers.

Not nations as such, whether Britain, America or the Colonies, but peoples

consciously saved, and 'justified by faith', are in view.

The last reference to 'people' in Genesis that has a bearing upon our

subject reveals that Judah was chosen for the royal line, and that to One

bearing the sceptre of the house of Judah should the 'gathering of the

peoples be' (Gen. 49:10).

It would be a natural inference from the superficial reading of this

passage, to reckon that the 'gathering' of the peoples was but the logical

outcome of the 'assembly or congregation' of the peoples already considered.

This, however, is not the case.  There are but two occurrences of the Hebrew

yiqqehah in the Old Testament and in the second reference, Proverbs 30:17, it

is translated by the word 'obey'.  There is an Arabic word, however, which is

a cognate and this means, 'to obey readily and cheerfully'.  The Companion

Bible associates this obedience with the 'Lawgiver', as the note on Genesis

49:10 shows:

a

The Sceptre shall not depart from Judah.

b

Nor a Lawgiver from his seed.

a

Until He, Shiloh, come (whose right it is, Ezek. 21:27).

b

And (until) to Him (the Lawgiver, shall be)

the obedience of the peoples.

'The obedience of faith' made known unto 'all nations' is incipient in

this early prophecy, and is included in the secret that was silenced until

made known through the early ministry of Paul (Rom. 16:25 -27).

We have seen from the references to a 'people' or to 'peoples' in

Genesis, that: Israel, was the nation of which Abraham was the father;

Israel, was the people marked by circumcision; and the 'peoples' blessed

through them fulfilled the initial promise made to Abraham that, 'in thee and

in thy seed shall all families of the earth be blessed'.  These observations

prepare us for the discovery that in the history and goal of this 'people' we

have a most important factor in the outworking of the purpose of the ages.

Genesis is the seed -plot, not only of the remaining revelation of

Scripture, but of the people whose fortunes and destiny we are considering.

As a 'people' they do not exist in Genesis.  The fathers Abraham, Isaac and

Jacob have come before us, and the narrative ends with the entry into Egypt

of the descendants of Jacob.  With this feature the book of Exodus opens:

'Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into

Egypt ... seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already' (Exod. 1:1 -

Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, and multiplied and waxed

exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.  This increase was the