It's interesting how Jacob's blessing of his sons and grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh on his deathbed set the stage for the future nation of Israel. The People's Bible says that by Jacob's reckoning Ephraim and Manasseh as his own sons, he was giving Joseph the double share that usually went to the firstborn son (Rueben). But since Rueben had slept with his father's concubine his "rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph" (1 Chronicles 5:1).
Regarding Rueben, The People's Bible says "He forfeited his position as leader and never furnished a prominent leader for Israel--no judge, no king, no prophet. Rueben's tribe is hardly ever mentioned in Israel's history."
Regarding Simeon and Levi, Jacob says, recalling their slaughter of the men of Shechem, "Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel." This is fulfilled as the tribe of Levi becomes the priests and they aren't given a specific portion of land but are spread throughout. The People's Bible says "Simeon received no block of territory except about a dozen and a half towns within the tribal territory of Judah (Joshua 19:1-8)...The tribe of Simeon gradually lost its identity in the tribe of Judah."
No comments:
Post a Comment