1 Chronicles 5:1- 2
! Chronicles 5:1 – 26 “These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. Though he was the firstborn, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. So he is not reckoned according to birthright. And though Judah prevailed over his brothers and a ruler came from him, the birthright belonged to Joseph. The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
The descendants of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria carried into exile.
Beerah was a leader of the Reubenites. His relatives by their clans are recorded in their genealogy: Jeiel the chief, Zechariah, and Bela son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel. They settled in Aroer and as far as Nebo and Baal-meon. They also settled in the east as far as the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates River, because their livestock had increased in the land of Gilead.
During the days of Saul they waged war against the Hagrites, who were defeated at their hands, and they occupied the homes of the Hagrites throughout the region east of Gilead.
The Descendants of Gad
The descendants of Gad lived next to the Reubenites in the land of Bashan, as far as Salecah:
Joel was the chief, Shapham the second, then Jaanai and Shaphat, who lived in Bashan. Their kinsmen by families were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all. These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz. Ahi son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was head of their family. They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its towns, and throughout the pasturelands of Sharon. All of them were reckoned in the genealogies during the reigns of Jotham king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel.
The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 warriors—valiant men who carried the shield and sword, drew the bow, and were trained for battle. They waged war against the Hagrites, as well as Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.
And because they cried out to God in battle, they were helped against their enemies, and the Hagrites and all their allies were delivered into their hands. Because they put their trust in God, He answered their prayers. They seized the livestock of the Hagrites—50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys. They also took 100,000 captives, and many others fell slain, because the battle belonged to God. And they occupied the land until the exile.
The Half-Tribe of Manasseh
Now the people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous. They settled in the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon (that is, Senir, also known as Mount Hermon). These were the heads of their families:
Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel.
They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their families. But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and they prostituted themselves with the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.
So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria) to take the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. And he brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan, where they remain to this day.”
How to really mess up??? Well, consider Reuben. Reuben was the first – born of Jacob/Israel’s sons and therefore should have had all the rights and privileges accorded to that position – land, livestock, riches, and power. But Reuben proved to be unstable and unworthy of that birth right. Reuben forced Rachel’s maid Bilhah, his father’s concubine, to have sex with him. (Genesis 35:22) By this act, Reuben was forcefully demonstrating his lack self – control and his lack of respect for his father as well as his lack of respect for Bilhah, the mother of two of his brothers. Reuben was also acting as if his father was already either impotent or dead. (Since this incident took place shortly after Rachel died in childbirth, Israel was obviously not impotent.) Such an act might well have been taboo and perhaps even punishable by death for most of the pagan tribes at this time. Just before dying, Jacob conferred Reuben’s birthright on Joseph and his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.
Remember the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half – tribe of Manasseh? All these tribes had large flocks and herds. When the Israelites were approaching Canaan from the east, they came into the lands ruled by King Og of Bashan and King Sihon of the Amorites. In those days, the land was very fertile, with excellent grazing and plenty of water. With God’s help, the Israelites annihilated both of these nations. The Reubenites, the Gadites, and those from Manasseh made a deal with Moses to claim these lands as their heritage and leave their families and animals there while they helped the rest of the Israelites conquer Canaan. (You can read the story in Numbers 32.)
While this decision made perfect sense from a farming standpoint, it was risky when considering the potential for attack from the east. While the rest of the tribes of Israel took up their heritages on the west side of the Jordan, these three groups remained on the east, making it more difficult to summon help if they were attacked. Being in such a vulnerable position meant that these tribes had to be ready to defend themselves. No wonder these tribes maintained 44,760 warriors. In the beginning, all was well because these tribes were depending on God to help them. But later, these tribes turned away from the God who had helped them and reaped a bitter reward. “They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their families. But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and they prostituted themselves with the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria) to take the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. And he brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan, where they remain to this day.”
APPLICATION: Reuben lost his birthright for failing to discipline himself and for failing to honor his father. Undoubtedly, Reuben had all kinds of excuses, never realizing that his selfish act was to blight his descendants for generations to come. History is littered with examples of those who missed greatness or who forfeited greatness for lack of discipline. Alexander the Great died at the age of 31, perhaps during a drinking bout. When King Agrippa was questioning the Apostle Paul, he was so moved by Paul’s story that he told Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” (Acts 26:28) Sadly, Agrippa remained in that spiritual state, continuing to worship Roman deities.
When the tribes of Reuben and Gad and Manasseh settled in the lands east of the Jordan, they had a wonderful chance at a new start. In the beginning, these tribes relied on God, and God helped them. The Reubenites even settled as far as the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates River. But this story has a tragic ending. Once these tribes began relying on themselves, they gave themselves wholly over to worship of pagan gods. In a few generations, the Assyrians collected them and sent them into exile into Assyria. The ten tribes captured by the Assyrians have been referred to as the lost tribes of Israel because once in Assyria, they never returned to Israel as tribal groups. Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin who were captured by the Babylonians eventually re – settled Israel and rebuilt the temple in a much smaller form. Truly, the tragedy of Reuben continued for generations!
What can we gain from these stories? Even in Jesus’ day, there was a saying that “the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge,” indicating that a wrong decision by a father can make trouble for his descendants. Perhaps part of the reason the Reubenites were willing to settle east of the Jordan was that they realized they would have no birthright on the west side.
God honored the decisions by the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half- tribe of Manasseh. As long as these tribes followed God, he protected them and helped them in battle. But that protection ended when these people became self – confident and forgot God. We must always remember that everything we are and have comes from God. St. Paul told the Greeks in the Areopagus: “In him we live, move, and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)
Today is the only day any of us have to make decisions! Decide today that you will follow the One True Living God completely and that you will trust in the blood sacrifice made by his Son Jesus Christ.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives! Help us to trust in the salvation that you offer when we believe in the blood sacrifice Jesus has made for our sins. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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