Plucking the Eagle's Wings

Plucking the Eagle's Wings

Israel. My studies confirm that Jacob's life was full of schemes and acts of deceit. His name means supplanter . Yet, God promised Jacob that the covenant made with his fathers, Abraham and Isaac, would be fulfilled through him. God even changed his name to Israel, which means prince of God or ruling with God . In 1626, Captain John Smith wrote a history of Virginia and New England. The cover page of the book had sketches of the three English monarchs who commissioned its exploration. The sketches depicted Queen Elizabeth I, King James I, and King Charles I. Instead of using their English names, however, their names were written in Latin. James was referred to as "Jacobus" and this clearly identifies James I as a namesake of Jacob, or as he was later called, Israel. Because of this name association, we could claim that the first English colony in the New World was named after Israel, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Just as the twelve tribes issued forth from Israel (Jacob), twelve of the thirteen original colonies came from Virginia (Virginia was chartered through James/Jacob). During the early days of American settlement, all of the eastern shore of North America was referred to as Virginia. However subdued, the Hebrew thread is seen woven within American history. Jamestown—The Supplanter Just as Jacob of the Bible deceived and manipulated those around him, the people of Jamestown did the same to their Indian neighbors. Threats, robberies, and even a kidnapping stain the legacy of those early settlers. It resulted in starvation, cannibalism, and death. On several occasions, the people of Jamestown faced starvation. Instead of asking the Indians for help they demanded it and, in some cases, seized it. God had allowed the colony to settle in an area where the natives would have been willing to teach the colonists how to plant, fish, and become self-sufficient. But the colonists' attitude was arrogant. They expected the Indians to serve them so they could turn their attention to the more pressing matters of looking for gold. Ironically, this is the same serpent attitude that bit Columbus. The only time the English became concerned about the lack of food was when it was too late to do anything. No doubt God wanted to use them to further His purpose, but their unwillingness to conform to His will and to practice His principles

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