The History of Judah and Israel

It's time to completely understand why Jews are called Jews, and why the Kingdom of Judah hailed to be distinct from the rest of Israel.
Many questions my stir into ones mind, why was Judah so distinct to Israel, why is Judah so popular within jewish culture and pop culture in itself. Well let's get into that...

What is the technical difference between Judah and Israel in origin? There is no difference, when Israel first began all the tribes were united into the United Monarch Israel State... This lasted up until Solomons death when the rest of the ten tribes refused a King from Judah..

"31 Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what YHWH, the God of Israel, says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes. 32 But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. 33 I will do this because they have [a] forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molech the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in my ways, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my statutes and laws as David, Solomon's father, did.

34 " 'But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who observed my commands and statutes. 35 I will take the kingdom from his son's hands and give you ten tribes."
1 Kings 11:31-35

Jeroboam was proclaimed king over all Israel at Shechem, with the Tribe of Judah and the Tribe of Benjamin remaining faithful to Rehoboam.

We can now see the political separation of Israel and Judah while in reality yes, they are a people of Israel, or we quite possibly wouldn't even be having this conversation...
Let's just go a bit deeper into the distinct difference between the "state" of Judah, and the remaining 10 tribes. Well we seem to have more proof that the Southern Kingdom of Judah was a political state... What is the significance? Judah is suppose to supply all rulers over Israel, including the messiah sense he takes on the role of a king and ruler.
Yet the state of Judah consisted of more than one tribe after initially being left by itself as a punishment from Yahweh... The tribe of Benjamin later joined the state of Judah in order to be under the jurisdiction of Southern Kingdom.

The inhabitants of the Kingdom of Israel were scattered throughout the East, and are popularly known as the Lost ten tribes of Israel.

"Judah held its ground against Assyria for yet one hundred and thirty-four years, and became the rallying-point of the dispersed of every tribe, and eventually gave its name to the whole race. Those of the people who in the last struggle escaped into the territories of Judah or other neighbouring countries naturally looked to Judah as the head and home of their race. And when Judah itself was carried off to Babylon, many of the exiled Israelites joined them from Assyria, and swelled that immense population which made Babylonia a second Judah".

You begin to see why Jews proclaim to be Judah, sense the 10 tribes had become invaded by various enemies and the Judah being the last surviving tribe of Israel as a Kingdom...

"In 537 BCE, the ruler of the Persian Empire, Cyrus the Great permitted exiled populations within the newly conquered Babylonian Empire to return to their native lands, marking the end of the so-called Babylonian Captivity.
Any Israelite exiles retaining their national identity or having joined with their fellow exiles from the Kingdom of Judah, and possessing the will to return to their old territories would have begun returning to the territories of the former Kingdom of Israel at this time."

Lets go back for just a second, in case all this still doesn't sink in.

Yahweh anointed Saul threw Samuel from the tribe of Benjamin as the first king of the Israelites, in 1020 BCE. It was David 1006 BC, who was responsible for consolidating the monarchy and creating the first Hebrew state.

In retrospect, Israel was a one Kingdom before two kingdoms (obviously) for it had to be split. You can assume Judah is meant to have royal blood, but one started to get picky with my questioning, like how did Judah get a long with having the advantage of the levi's present for temple services, well apparently Levi's have just as rich of a history as Judah yet their zealousness for Yahweh is above reproach.

"The Levites were constantly willing to risk their lives for God's service. They carried the sanctified vessels of the Tabernacle, which if mishandled, resulted in death."

"The Levites were tested and proved themselves able, thereby earning their elevated spiritual status."

: "Cursed is their zealousness for it is brazen and their wrath for it is hard. I will separate them in Ya'akov and scatter them throughout Israel" (Genesis 49:6-7).

- Jacob

"The general population was influenced by the evil promptings of the mixed multitude. The Levites rallied to the side of Moshe to avenge God's honor."

The Levites were the only one of the Israelite tribes who received cities but no tribal land when Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan. The Tribe of Levi served particular religious duties for the Israelites and had political responsibilities as well. In return, the landed tribes were expected to give tithe to the Levites, particularly the tithe known as the Levite Tithe.

So last question, we know that Judah is Israel, but can you consider Judah it's own country when it developed the Southern Kingdom?

Well I guess we can use a bit of common sense to say that sense the levi's continued to participate with the Israelites of Judah and Benjamin and I will re quote

"And when Judah itself was carried off to Babylon, many of the exiled Israelites joined them from Assyria, and swelled that immense population which made Babylonia a second Judah"."

Judah wasn't a second kingdom in a sense of country, but in a sense of territorial jurisdiction, an independent state. Same rules, different state, different King... Did these two kingdoms go to war?
War with varying success, between the two kingdoms for about sixty years.

"United by their commitment to God, they battled for centuries against enemy states and invading hordes. The underlying theme is that when the people remained united by their faith in God then they prospered and defeated their enemies. But when they abandoned their faith in God, and when they were led by kings who were driven only by the desire for personal wealth and power, then the people became divided by civil war and were conquered by their enemies. The early scriptures say ...

Follow after none of the other gods of the people who dwell around you, lest the Lord's anger blaze out fiercely against you and wipe you off the face of the earth, for the Lord your God is a jealous God. Seek to do all that is good and right in the Lord's sight, so that you may prosper and enter into possession of the good land which the Lord has promised to your fathers, to clear it of all who oppose you, as the Lord has commanded.

Do not make idols for yourselves, nor set up carved images, nor erect stone sculptures for the people to worship, for I am the Lord your God. If you practice my commandments then I shall grant you seasonal rain, the land shall produce crops, and the trees shall bear fruit. You shall eat well and live in safety. I will chase away your enemies who will fall before you by the sword.

But if you do not listen to me, then I shall turn against you and you will be defeated by your enemies. Your land will not produce crops nor will your trees bear fruit. I will destroy your livestock and unleash wild beasts into your fields. I will tear down your altars and pile your corpses upon your broken idols. I will turn your cities into ruins, and so thoroughly lay waste to your land that your enemies who settle on it shall be astonished.

Around 930 BC, political differences forced the population to divide into the northern state of Israel, and the southern state of Judah. The people living in the southern state became known as the Jews.

The two states continued to endure civil wars and foreign invasions until around 720 BC, when the northern state was conquered by the Assyrian Empire. The defeated Israelites were taken away as slaves and no longer appeared in history. They became known as the lost tribes of Israel.

The jews had been told by their ancient prophets that their forefathers had made a pact with God. As long as they continued to obey his commands then God would protect them. And so each time disaster fell upon them they were told by new prophets that they were being punished for their disobedience to God. "

We can ignore the direct claim that the southern kingdom had become known as jews. But we can use this quote to clearly see that the two states or Kingdoms did have political signifiance enough that they would go to war with each other. Well we end up asking again, can Southern Kingdom of Judah be accepted as it's own independent country.

In conclusion yes... But it doesn't change the fundamentals of what Israel because the way Yahweh handled the twelve tribes, the only difference between the two Kingdoms was political boundaries.

"The nation of Israel was later divided into two kingdoms, called Judah and Israel, about 2900 years ago. The kingdom of Israel lost its independence when it was conquered by Assyria about 2700 years ago. Judah lost its independence about 2600 years ago when it was conquered by Babylon."

So what tribe does modern "Africa America" come from? I would insist the main tribe Judah, and the benjamites and many Levites. Maily Judah, if you would read this whole writing expecting to find the answer you would see that remaining 10 tribes were scattered out of history.

In Ezekiel 37, the prophet is told to write on one staff (quoted here in part) "For Judah..." and on the other (quoted here in part) , "For Joseph..." (the main Lost Tribe). The prophet is then told that these two groups shall be someday reunited.

"Igbo Jews of Nigeria claim descent variously from the tribes of Ephraim, Menasseh, Levi, Zebulun and Gad"

"The Beta Israel (also known as Falashas) are Ethiopian Jews. Some members of the Beta Israel as well as several Jewish scholars believe that they are descended from the lost Tribe of Dan, as opposed to the traditional story of their descent from the Queen of Sheba."

Is Ethiopia Israel? Not of the 12 tribes definitely... Do they have the right to worship Yahweh? Of course...

the reuniting of the 12 tribes

Ezekiel

"The word of the LORD came to me: 16 "Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, 'Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.' Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, 'Ephraim's stick, belonging to Joseph and all the house of Israel associated with him.' 17 Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand.

18 "When your countrymen ask you, 'Won't you tell us what you mean by this?' 19 say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim's hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah's stick, making them a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.' 20 Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on 21 and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. 23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God."

can you assume that the King will still come from David? Yes. The Kingdom was taken away from his sons, yet it shall be returned.

Blessing of Jacob: the staff shall not depart from Judah, nor the sceptre from between his feet..

Some of the most important literary prophets, including Isaiah, as well as Amos, Habakkuk, Joel, Micah, Obadiah, Zechariah, and Zephaniah, hailed from Ju
dah.

"Monarchy of the House of David"

"Upon being chosen and becoming king, the custom in the times of the Tanakh was to be anointed with olive oil poured on the head. In David's case, this was done by the prophet Samuel. The anointing is called meshicha (meaning "pouring") in Hebrew which is why a king (melekh or melech in Hebrew) is referred to as a Moshiach or Messiah or a Melech HaMashiach meaning "The Anointed King". The procedure of anointment, in David's case, symbolized the descent of God's holiness (kedusha) upon the king and as a sign of a bond never to be broken."

"And Nathan said to the king:...Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the name of the great ones that are in the earth... and I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord tells you that the Lord will make you a house....Then David the king went in, and sat before the Lord...'now therefore let it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you; for you, O Lord God, have spoken it; and through your blessing let the house of your servant be blessed forever.'" (II Samuel, 7:1-29)

We finally have a conclusion of why Jews would call themselves this. They have failed themselves though and depend on our ignorance, if Judah was found, and reestablished themselves as a country where are the rest of the 10 tribes? They claim to be of Judah, Benjamin, and levites... They have not brought the other 10 tribes to their country, or they have yet to receive a messiah / the last end time King.

"The United States and the international community have made clear that Hamas must recognize Israel's right to exist, must abandon terror, and must accept all previous agreements between the Palestinian Authority and Israel."

President George W. Bush: "America's commitment to Israel's security is strong, enduring and unshakable,"

"There's nothing more deep than recognizing Israel's right to exist. That's the most deep thought of all.... I can't think of anything more deep than that right."