Twelve Tribes of Israel (Part 1) Southern: Reuben, Simeon, Gad
“And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together,
that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.” (Genesis 49:1)
Intro: We begin with the genealogy from Adam to Noah…, up until the Great Flood…,
And we skip ahead after the flood to Abraham, and Isaac, about 600 years after the Great Flood to Jacob.
In Genesis 32:28, and again in Genesis 35:10, God said unto Jacob, Thy name is Jacob:
But thy name shall not be called Jacob any more, but shall be called Israel
And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply;
a nation and a company of nations…, and kings shall be of thy descendants…,
And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac,
I will give it to thee, and to thy offspring after thee…, will I give the land.
So today we are going to begin a sermon series titled “The Twelve Tribes of Israel.”
When Jacob was old and his health was rapidly failing him…
He called for his sons…, to gather around his bed side… And he began to tell them…, one by one…, a glimpse of what the future would hold for each of his children.
Today we are going to look at three of his sons: Reuben, Simeon, Gad You can see on the map: For the most part the lands of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad are the southern parts of Israel. Of course you will notice that the land of Simeon is inside the circle of the land of Judah… And we will talk later about the tribe of Judah being called the Southern Tribe of Israel.
But for today we are going to begin to look first at the Tribe of Reuben.
I. Tribe of Rueben
"And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said,
Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me." Genesis 29:32
Jacob had cheated his brother, Esau out of his birthright…,
and fled back to the land of Aram…, the land of his ancestors…
and he came to the household of his uncle Laban.
Laban invited him to stay with him and work for him.
The two men discussed the wages Laban would pay Jacob.
And in the course of their negotiations, Jacob agreed to work seven years for the hand of marriage of Laban’s beautiful daughter Rachel.
After working seven years he fully expected to receive the hand of Rachel in marriage.
But on the night of the wedding, Laban tricked Jacob and he ended up with the older daughter, Leah.
I know this sounds strange, but it is the way weddings took place back in those days.
What a shock to awake the next morning and find the plain Leah had been substituted for the gorgeous Rachel.
Jacob.... He bargained for Rachel, not Leah.
His crafty uncle had pulled a fast one and tricked him with Leah.
This was very similar to how Jacob deceived his brother Esau and their Isaac.
Into giving him the blessing of the birthright of inheritance…
Jacob went through seven years of hard labor…,
and all the traditional ceremonies to celebrate his wedding to Rachel.
He waited in the darkened tent for his bride to be delivered to him, and he assumed she was Rachel.
Let’s stop thinking about Jacob for a minute
and try to imagine what it must have been like to have been Leah that next morning.
Leah had hoped for Jacob’s love and she dared to think she could compete with her beautiful sister, But the next morning all the illusions were dashed away…, when Jacob hit the tent roof in the morning.
"But when Jacob woke up in the morning--it was Leah! "What sort of trick is this?" Jacob raged at Laban. "I worked seven years for Rachel. What do you mean by this trickery?"" Genesis 29:25 (NLT)
So Jacob agreed to work seven more years for the marriage hand of Rachel.
BUT after only a week or marriage Laban gave Jacob Rachel, too.
And Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.
(Now don’t forget the name Bilhah because she is also very important in our story of The Twelve Tribes of Israel.)
So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her more than Leah.
So Jacob stayed and worked the additional seven years for Laban
Leah was unloved,
Leah was undesired
Leah was unsought after…
But then we read one of the loveliest verses in this sad story of Leah the unloved one…
"But because Leah was unloved, the LORD let her have a child, while Rachel was childless." Genesis 29:31
God was not blind and unsympathetic to Leah’s plight.
He saw the ache in her heart.
And God does something about her situation by enabling her to give Jacob a son name Reuben.
In fact Jacob and Leah have 6 sons,
Jacob and Rachel’s hand maid Bilhah have 2 sons…, together
Jacob and Leah’s hand maid Zilpah have 2 sons…, together
It is not until the 11th child is born that Rachel and Jacob… have a son together…
So the 11th and 12th sons of Jacob are the only two born of Rachel.
Jacob calls Reuben to his bed side and prophecies to him…
"Reuben, you are my oldest son, the child of my vigorous youth. You are first on the list in rank and honor. "But you are as unruly as the waves of the sea, and you will be first no longer.”
You see when Rachel died…, Jacob took her body to Bethlehem for burial…
And while he was gone Reuben slept with Bilhah and dishonored his father and household…
Even though Reuben was the oldest and by all rights the heir to the wealth and promises of Jacob… The oldest some was supposed to receive a double inheritance…
But Reuben lost this special honor…The Tribe of Reuben never became the greatest of nations…
The Tribe of Reuben was plagued with dreams that never got carried out…
And The Tribe of Reuben was the first of the Twelve Tribes of Israel to be attacked by the King of Assyria and was carried away into the what is called the Great Captivity of Israel.”
Reuben was said to have been as unruly as the waves of the sea…
All the lessons of Reuben point to a person who put himself first…,
which is completely opposite of the teaching of Jesus Christ…
Reuben’s life has an unhealthy pattern of not taking into consideration how his actions are going to affect the people around him.
Learn this Lesson: Reuben is an example of a person who dishonored his father
Jesus Christ is an example of self sacrifice
An example of someone who honored his father in heaven
through all of the decisions he made in life.
The Holy Spirit and the Word of God teaches us and guides us in our thinking
Spiritual growth is letting God shape you…, not letting the environment shape you…
A lack of faith and a lack of being guided by that spiritual faith will destroy and ruin a promising life.
Reuben slept with his father’s concubine (one Jacobs own wives)
This showed how little respect and honor Reuben displayed for the other decisions in his life as well.
Do you allow God to guide you through your daily life?
Let’s look at number 2
II. Tribe of Simeon
"Leah soon became pregnant again and had another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, "The LORD heard that I was unloved and has given me another son." Genesis 29:33 (NLT)
In Genesis 29:33 Leah conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son.
Leah said, “Because the Lord heard that I was not loved he gave me this one too.”
She name him Simeon, which means “one who hears.”
Simeon had one of the smallest territories.
In fact…, notice…, that he is completely surrounded by the Tribe of Judah.
The land of Judah was considered to large for that one tribe alone
and so Simeon was assigned a portion within the land of Judah
instead of having its own territory in the newly conquered land.
Jacob says the of Tribe of Simeon and Levi
who are the next two sons born of Leah to Jacob
"Simeon and Levi are two of a kind-- men of violence. 6 O my soul, stay away from them.
May I never be a party to their wicked plans."
I’m not going to talk hear about the tribe of Levi…,
but it is important to note that the Tribe of Levi later becomes the priestly Tribe
after the order of the High Priest Aaron…
But Jacob sees a tribe who is full of wrath and known for its cruelty.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; cursed be their wrath, for it is cruel.
Therefore, I will scatter their descendants throughout the nation of Israel.
Genesis 34 tells the story of the fall of Simeon and Levi…
Their sister Dinah went to visit some young women who lived in the land of the Hivites.
There a man named Shechem son of Hamor saw Dinah and raped her.
Shechem declared his love for Dinah was strong, and he tried to win her affection.
He even spoke to his father about it. "Get this girl for me," he demanded. "I want to marry her."
But when word reached Jacob that his daughter had been defiled,
his sons Simeon and Levi were out in the fields herding cattle so he did nothing until they returned.
Meanwhile, Hamor, Shechem’s father, came out to discuss the matter with Jacob.
He arrived just as Jacob’s sons were coming in from the fields.
Of course Simeon and Levi were shocked and furious that their sister had been raped.
Just as any brother we be angry at hearing the news that their sister had been raped…
Shechem had done a disgraceful thing against Jacob’s family, a thing that should never have been done.
Hamor pleaded to let Shechem marry Dinah…
He even offered land and a dowry as trade for the marriage of Dinah…
Hamor begged and pleaded…, No matter what dowry or gift you demand,
I will pay it--only give me the girl to be my son’s wife."
But Dinah’s brothers deceived Shechem and Hamor because of what Shechem had done to their sister.
They said to them, "We couldn’t possibly allow this, because you aren’t circumcised.
It would be a disgrace for her to marry a man like you!
But here is a solution.
If every man among you will be circumcised like we are,
we will intermarry with you and live here and unite with you to become one people.
Otherwise we will take her and be on our way."
Hamor and Shechem gladly agreed,
But while the men of the Hivites were still healing from their wounds of circumcision of the flesh…
Simeon and Levi, took their swords, entered the town without and slaughtered every man there,
including Hamor and Shechem.
They also plundered the city to ground… having no regard for child or animal…
They returned with Dinah their sister to their own camp of Jacob.
Now some it is only natural to feel the anger of revenge at such a tragedy as the rape of a sister…
Did you know that there are over 200,000 rapes reported every year in America…
Sexual abuse and child abuse…, rip at the heart of countless homes
Nearly a 100,000 new cases of child abuse are reported in Kentucky every year…
It is likely that you…, yourself or someone you know has suffered from some time of sexual explotation…
The actions of Simeon were that of revenge…
And his revenge caused him to lie and deceive the Hivites…
They stole and plundered in acts of barbarianism that had far-reaching consequence…
Learn this Lesson: Simeon tried to take revenge into his own hands…
"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Romans 12:19 (KJV)
"Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head." Romans 12:20 (KJV)
"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21 (KJV)
When someone has raped your sister…
When someone has wronged you….
The temptation is the get even…
But Christ teaches us to turn the other cheek…
(Turning the other cheek is often easier said than done…)
One way to practice turning the other cheek is to make each your master piece.
God gives us a new white canvas every morning…
Every thought
Every deed
Every action is what we paint
What picture do you end up with at the end of the day?
You can change the pictures of brokenness, and bitterness,
but only if change how you paint your new day.
The Tribe of Simeon did not receive a blessing, instead Jacob pronounces a curse upon them:
The Tribe of Simeon was "divided and scattered" according to the prediction in Gen. 49:5-7.
They gradually dwindled in number, and sank into a position of insignificance among the other tribes.
They decreased in the wilderness by about two-thirds (Num. 1:23; 26:14).
Moses pronounces no blessing on this tribe.
For the most part the Tribe of Simeon is passed by in silence (Deut. 33).
Like the Tribe of Reuben, this tribe had little influence on the history of Israel.
Let’s look at #3
III. Tribe of Gad
"Gad will be plundered by marauding bands, but he will turn and plunder them." Genesis 49:19 (NLT)
Gad was actually the seventh son of Jacob.
But he was the first child by the concubine or hand maid of Leah name Zilpah
I want to briefly address the problem of this whole idea of concubine or more than one wife
or what we call polygamy seems awful by today’s standards…
Quite honestly it is seen by many as a topic of embarrassment for the church…
It is difficult to explain how God seems to give approval of concubines…
other than the custom appeared primarily during the period called the time of the Patriarchs,
Abraham, Jacob, Gideon, Solomon, David even Moses is recorded as having more than one wife…
It seems as though the custom was connected to the Old Testament Covenant
and seems to have died out for the most part around the first 100 years after Christ…
Remember the concubine was not a mistress
And the bible is specific to condemn adultery
A concubine was a legal wife…
and she had all the protections of being the legal property of the husband according to the old testament law…
So we see a lot has changed from biblical customs…when women were considered to be property…
To the modern interpretation of marriage today.
Let me say this about marriage…
In the beginning of Genesis 2:24 God established that marriage was between one man and one woman for life.
“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
And they two shall be one flesh:
so then they are no more two, but one flesh.
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
Again in Mark chapter 10 Jesus explains
"But God’s plan was seen from the beginning of creation, for ’He made them male and female.
This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife,
and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one,
let no one separate them, for God has joined them together." Mark 10:9 (NLT)
So we see that the norm of marriage as between one man and one woman
was the ideal that Jesus himself taught.
The Tribe of Gad asked permission of Moses to settle in the "land of Gilead," "on the East side of Jordan" Numbers 32:1-5.
But God’s Promised Land of Canaan was to the west across the Jordon
At first the Tribe of Gad said we do not want to cross the Jordon and fight for the Promised Land of Canaan.
The Tribe of Gad had cleared the land…, they had built houses and farms
And they were actually pretty well established without crossing into the Jordan River and attacking and fighting for the Lord and the Promised Land of Milk and Honey for Israel…
It is kind of like if two people are putting up hay…, and one says to the other…
If you will help me put up my hay I’ll help you put up your hay…
So the two men agree…
And they work together and put up the first man’s hay…
But then…,
Well, something comes up…
After receiving all the help…
You start making excuses..., to escape from helping finish the whole job.
And at first that was what The Tribe of Gad wanted to do…
All of Israel had helped build their sheepfolds…
They had their land cleared…
They had their wells dug…
They had their town fortified…
But then Moses made them a deal…
If the men of Gad would fight the battle across the Jordan river…
The Tribe of Gad could have all the land of Gilead as their property…
So the Tribes of Gad led the Israel army into battle
and crossed the Jordon river fully armed and fought for the Lord
And fought for Israel into the Promised Land of Canaan.
Learn the Lesson: Don’t isolate yourself and try to go it alone.
"Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.
But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NLT)
God designed us not be isolated… but to work together…
There is a big advantage to working together…, building trust…, cooperate with others
The television show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” has been around for at least 10 years now…
We have watched or heard people talk about it…
There are questions with four possible answers…
The first few questions are easy…
What does the color red on a traffic light stand for?
What does the letter “N” stand for on the transmission stick of an automobile…
But then you get past the hundred dollar question into the $1,000 questions
These are bit more difficult to answer…
But you have your life lines…,
Poll the audience, Remove two of the wrong answers, and Phone a friend
These are called lifelines…
When you get stumped you can use your life lines to help come up with the right answer…
Who are your life lines?
Look around you…, This room is filled with them…
The more you try to do things by yourself…, the more likely you are to give the wrong answer…
We need each other…
And Moses assigned the land of East of the Jordan to the Tribes of Gad, and also to The Tribe of Reuben and later we will also meet the Tribe of Manasseh.
So the Tribe of Gad stayed behind, and dwelt mostly on the East Side of the Jordan River by theirself.
The problem was they were often victim of raids by the people from Moab, and the Amorites
Jacob prophesied on his death bed…
"Gad will be plundered by marauding bands, but he will turn and plunder them." Genesis 49:19 (NLT)
The Tribe of Gad did not enter into the promised Land of Canaan.
Every time the tribe of Gad would make progress and build up its strength
Marauders came and tore them down, so they never became the greatest nation that God wanted them to be.
They were always trying to go it alone…
An old Communion Song written in the 1700’s titled Bread of Heaven talks about this very thing…
Guide me, O thou great Redeemer,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou are mighty,
Hold me with thy powerful hand;
Bread of heaven, Feed me till I want no more.
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fear subside;
Death of death, and hell’s destruction.
Land me safe on Canaan’s side:
Songs of praises
I will ever give to thee.
Closing: There are some of you here today…, you are not letting God guide your daily life…
Your decision making is just as wreckless and careless and unpredictable as the waves of the ocean.
You need to walk closer to God in your daily life…
There maybe someone here today and you are holding in bad feelings toward someone who hurt you…
They may have hurt you years ago… or yesterday…
But the longer you hold on to that bitterness the more it will fester and harm you…
Let today be the first day of new beginning…
And there are some here today who are going it alone…
You have to learn to work with others…
You have to build trust and strengthen relationships
This church is your life line…
Don’t try to go it alone…
