I conducted a research on the nations that were named after Abram and his descendants, and Abraham and his descendants. To my surprise, initially I could not find any nations of Abram!
My research revealed no recorded nations of Abram's pure bloodline other than the nation of Ishmael, who were known as Ishmaelites. However, all sons of Ishmael assimilated with other tribes, and were known as princes in their tribes but never to become nations themselves. They mingled with tribes like: Midianite, Hagarite, Arabs, and Assyrians according to my findings.
Furthermore, we should not expect to find anymore nations of Abram because his 1st Covenant with God was not an everlasting Covenant. It only lasted about 24 years, starting with the first day that God instructed Abram to leave his home and family [he was 75 years old, Genesis 12:1], until the initiation of the 2nd Covenant with Abraham [he was 99 years old, Genesis 17:1]. From 75 years old to 99 years old is 24 years.
During the first 11 years of the 24 year period, Abram traveled a good bit. The last 13 years of that same 24 year period, he was consumed with raising Ishmael!
The only nation associated with Abram that includes the name "Nation" is the Nation of Islam (N.O.I.). The N.O.I. is associated with the religion of Islam, which was founded by Dr. Wallace D. Fard Muhammad during July 1930, in Detroit, Michigan of the United States of America.
The founder of the religion of Islam is Muhammad Ibn Abdullah in the year 622 A.D., who claimed to be a descendant of Ishmael according to Muslim traditions. Whether true or not, we can only speculate.
The Islamic religion is the second largest religion behind Christianity today. Which is ironic because it mimics reasonably how the two Covenants would produce nations according to biblical scriptures:
- Abram, the father of Ishmael will become a great nation. Genesis 12:2 & Genesis 21:13
The Nation of Islam is not a nation-in-fact, by my definition of the word nation, but it does raise a small level of curiosity when you think about how Abram is linked to the Nation of Islam through Ishmael, even if only by name.
In my next article I will make a detailed distinction between what God said to Abram concerning how he would become "a" [meaning one] great nation, and what He said to Abraham concerning how he would become "many" nations.
Be Blessed, and enjoy all future articles from Robert J. Parker, Sr.
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