God selected Abraham to be the patriarch of a brand-new country. Abraham and God established a covenant whereby God would bless Abraham. According to Genesis 12:1-3, he would be the father of nations and the source of blessings for the entire world. Jacob and Esau were the two sons of his son Isaac. Jacob was selected by God to continue Abraham’s lineage. The [covenant guarantee] given to Abraham would go to him. Jacob’s name was changed by God to Israel, and the tribes of Israel are descended from Jacob/Israel’s sons.
Jacob’s family
Jacob and his entire family, though still rather large at this point, relocated to Egypt. Jacob’s family had become a nation after 400 years, yet they were still slaves in Egypt. After God delivered them from slavery in Egypt and redeemed them, Moses was able to take them from a group of two million slaves to a nation governed by laws and regulations. Because they were heading into a country to conquer and make it their own, God provided Moses extremely specific knowledge about the tribes and families, their inheritance, and the land.
Tribes had key roles
Every tribe resembled one of the several states that comprised the state of Israel. Numerous tribes played important roles; among them were the Levites, who rose to prominence as this new nation’s priests and religious leaders. As a result, we discover that God talks a lot about this tribe and how they are to carry out the task He has given them.
Another significant tribe is Judah, since it is from this tribe that the promised Messiah will originate. When Israel first arrived in Canaan, the names of the tribes were not as significant. One of the tribes was emphasized for whatever reason only when a prophet or leader originated from that particular tribe.
