Abstract
The Israelites’ religion was a driver of their actions. It led them out of bondage in Egypt and out of disunity, leading them into the possession of the land of Canaan and ultimately into national unity and empire. The main function of their religion throughout their history was to help them achieve both their individual, collective and, ultimately, national goals. Among the nations of the ancient Near East, the Israelites traced their origin as a small community. They saw themselves as underdogs among the nations; but underdogs who by strategies backed by their religious beliefs, transformed their weak minority status to eventually become a great and redoubtable nation. How the Israelites used their religion to spur them into liberating action is a lesson that, if well mastered, could transform the state of the black community into a formidable force for complete liberation and self-reliance.