Lemba People … Are They One of the Lost Tribes of Israel?
I know the next statement will shock you [insert sarcastic grin here] … “I was reading a book yesterday.” Seriously, I was engaged in some fascinating reading by a geneticist named David B. Goldstein entitled Jacob’s Legacy: A Genetic View of Jewish History. In this work, Dr. Goldstein in truly laymen’s terms attempts to lay out the science and rationale for tracing the genetic history of the Jewish people.
The first chapter was fascinating as it showed how it is entirely possible to trace Jewish men who believe they are from not only the tribe of Levi but also a part of the Cohanim (priestly class) through DNA evidence back to at least Solomon’s time. Wow!
However, the chapter that most fascinated me (and what drove me to the internet on a hunt) regards the Lemba people of Southern Africa (specifically a region of South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, etc.). The Lemba people believe that they are descendants of one of the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel dating back to the destruction of the Northern Kingdom in 712 BC by the Assyrians.
And while the circumstantial evidence is fascinating — keeping kosher, keeping the Sabbath, no intermarriage, etc. — what was fascinating to Goldstein and to myself is that these people share many of the same genetic markers/identifiers as people with the last name of Cohn, Cohen, and Kahn.
As you might expect, Tzedakah Ministries will examine these people more in-depthly as it relates to their need of the salvation reality of Messiah Jesus. There are 70,000 members of the Lemba tribe and they need Jesus … regardless of whether the legend is true or not. And if they are from one of the lost tribes, they need Jesus in the reality of Romans 1:16 as much as a Sabra (native born Israeli).
However, and almost resignedly, I also discovered that the mission organizations for Africa do not have a mission outreach to the Lemba people. Hopefully, that will change! It must change.
So as you pray for the Jewish people tonight and in the future, remember the Lemba people as well for they very well might be members of the tribe for whom Jesus first (in time and priority) came. Shalom!
