Inheritance and meaning
TWELVE TRIBES
Scripture speaks of the 12 Tribes of Israel that bore the names of the sons of Jacob. Jacob blessed his 12 sons, and Moses blessed the 12 tribes. They had both Blessing and prophetic words given them that we explore, and seek the relevance for us.
JACOB There were four women in Jacob’s life: two wives and two female servants
Jacob married first wife LEAH who bore: Reuben Simeon Levi Judah
Second wife`s servant BILHAH bore: Dan Naphtali
Leah servant ZILPAH bore: Gad Asher
Leah had further sons LEAH bore: Issachar Zebulun
Second wife RACHEL bore: Joseph Benjamin
Marc Chagall gifted the synagogue of the Hadassah Medical Centre, Jerusalem, with12 stain glass windows, one for each Tribe, Photographs of these are used to introducethe tribe.
When Jacob was close to death he bestowed prophetic blessings on each of his 12 sons. Genesis 49:1-28
Asher
means Blessed or happy
“Asher’s food will be rich; he will
provide delicacies fit for a king. v.20
Jacob`s eighth son is Blessed with prosperity
The Bible reveals that the Tribe of Asher did good things (Judges 6:35) and bad things (Judges 5:17) rather like us! Let`s be encouraged that their Blessings reveal that their sincerity out-weighed their flaws
About Asher Moses said: "Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him bathe his feet in oil. The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days. Deuteronomy 33:24-5
Asher liked to be re-assured. He was a follower, rather than one to initiate. He was content with his blessings, and appeared to enjoy a rewarded life. A question for us is whether we trust in God alone to provide for our needs.
Benjamin
“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder” Genesis 49:27
Jacob`s youngest favourite son
About Benjamin Moses said :
“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.” Deut.33:12
The smallest of tribes yet engaged in war,
(1 Chronicles 8:40, 2 Chronicles 17:17) and prepared
to share the spoils. Apostle Paul was of the Tribe of
Benjamin sharing the gospel far and wide.
King Saul Mordecai with Esther were members of this tribe
Benjamin was allotted territory which included important cities like Jericho, Bethel, and Jerusalem the prized possession of God, the city on which God has set His affection and said will be His dwelling place. So when we look at the prophecy in Deuteronomy 33:12 we think of that in terms of the proximity of Jerusalem and the temple mount. “May the beloved of the LORD dwell in security,” Benjamin is going to be specially blessed because he is going to have control of the territory where God will dwell in Jerusalem. The words “by Him,” includes a preposition of proximity: “who shields him all the day.” God will specially protect Benjamin because of the proximity to the temple mount. So this is a prophecy related to Benjamin’s geographical proximity to the dwelling of God on the temple mount.
Dan
“Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a snake by the roadside…that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward” Genesis 49:16-7
Moses said:
"Dan is a lion's cub, springing out of Bashan."
Dan is called a “snake” by his father giving rise to the dark dealings of this tribe. Though the tribe of Dan was allotted fertile land in Canaan it failed to conquer the area, and took matters into its own hands invading peaceful nations to take that land instead and began worshipping idols. (Judges 18) The Tribe settled in the far north , on the slopes of Mount Hermon where idol worship of false gods was rampent. The sense being that they were far away from where they should have been and were wrongly focussed. The tribe of Dan is omitted from the tribes of Israel mentioned in the Tribulation (Revelation 7:4-8) God`s plans are best, and we deviate from them at our peril.
Samson was of the Tribe of Dan
Gad
“Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels. Genesis 49:19
Jacob`s seventh son, had military prowess.The tribe received good fertile land when the Promised land was conquored for its Godly obedience and help to the other tribes (Deuteronomy 33:20-21; Numbers 32:18).
It seems that Gad would not allow bad things to be accepted.
About Gad, Moses said: “Blessed is he who enlarges Gad’s domain! Gad lives there like a lion, tearing at arm or head. He chose the best land for himself; the leader’s portion was kept for him. When the heads of the people assembled, he carried out the Lord’s righteous will,and his judgments concerning Israel.” Deut. 33:20-21
Isaachar
Jacob said to his ninth son, “Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens. When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labour” Genesis 49: 14-15
Being called a `donkey` may sound a bit of an insult, yet donkeys are loyal and hard working and fiercely protective. The name Issachar means a reward,repayment,or a wage. Issachar's blessing was to serve, bow down, and protect as well as perform hard work. Yet, his very name implies that he will be rewarded for this seemingly mundane blessing. To serve one another is a blessing, because those who serve are doing the deeds of Jesus. This steady, patient service is necessary in the fellowship and being faithful in times of conflict.
Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,a\ nd you, Issachar, in your tents. They will summon peoples tothe mountain and there offer the sacrifices of the righteous; they will feast on the abundance of the seas, on the treasures hidden in the sand.” Deut. 33:18-19
The tribe was loyal to Barak & Deborah and were known as “men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do”. It seems they were wise and understood the politics and culture of the day. - certainly a grace we could all do with! Their call to worship kept them focussed.
Joseph
Jacob blessed his eleventh , favourite son, Joseph, saying:
“Joseph is a fruitful vine…with bitterness archers attacked him…but his bow remained steady…because of your father’s God [who] blesses you with blessings of the skies above” Genesis 49:22-26 see also Deut.33:13-17
Jacob rewarded Joseph with a double portion of land by adopting his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh as his own (Genesis 48:5) This technically split the tribe of Joseph in two. We learn much about Joseph in scripture. His gifting and eventual humility won him favour with his father and ensured a prosperous future for his sons Ephraim and Manasseh.Joseph’s willingness to forgive his brothers despite their mistreatment of him saved all of Israel during a famine (Genesis 42)
Joshua and Samuel come from the tribe of Ephraim
Judah
Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. You are a lion's cub, Judah; .... The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his .Genesis 49:8-10
Judah would be a powerful nation, worthy of praise. Jacob’s blessing compares the tribe of Judah to a lion, the king of all beasts who fears no other animal despite having enemies who wish to kill it.Scripture calls Jesus “the King of kings” Revelation 7:14 who also fears no one and yet has enemies who wish to obliterate His name from the Earth.The prophecy that the scepter “will not depart from Judah” testifies to supremacy and eternal rule.
“Hear, Lord, the cry of Judah; bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause. Oh, be his help against his foes!” Deut.33:7
Judah was the tribe of kings, and pre-eminent over the others.David, Solomon and Jesus all came from this tribe. Caleb was from Judah and trusted God when others wavered. Judah “prevailed over his brothers,” 1 Chronicles 5:2, The tribe’s territory included the city of Jerusalem and the holy temple. King David was part of this tribe, and his royal line ruled in Jerusalem from around 1,000 BC until the city fell to Babylonian forces in 586 BC. Jerusalem was the capital of Israel and the capital of the Southern Kingdom after the nation divided.
Jesus is of the tribe of Judah (Matthew 1:1-2) Notable tribesmen include David, Solomon, caleb and Mary,
Levi
The fate of Levi’s tribe is a lesson in punishment as well as grace. With Simeon, he had taken revenge for their sister. Jacob pronounced judgement, which came in the form of the tribe not inheriting land but being scattered amongst the other tribes. The tribe of Levi was also shown grace in that God ordained the Levites to be priests, and only God’s grace could transform Levi into the founder of a priestly tribe! As Christians, this teaches us that even those afflicted can receive grace if they devote their lives to humility and service.
Moses + Aaron were of the tribe of Levi, remaining stedfast when others wavered., along with John the Baptist and Barnabus.
Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. And give them pasturelands around the towns. Numbers 35:2
To the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance, since the food offerings presented to the Lord, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, as he promised them. Joshua 13:14
Deut 33:8-11 gives the Levites instructions and reveals their intimacy with God above all others as they worship and instruct others..
Naphtali
Jacob’s sixth son, Naphtali, received this short but hopeful blessing:
"Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns" (Genesis 49:21)
Moses said: “Naphtali is abounding with the favour of the Lord and is full of his blessing; he will inherit southward to the lake.” (Deuteronomy 33:23)
Despite these blessings, the tribe disobeyed God by living among the Canaanites (Judges 1:33) and doubted God when he asked them to fight against the Canaanites (Judges 4:6-9)
However the land is in the region of Galilee and Nazareth and mentioned by the prophet Isaiah regarding the coming Messiah.
Reuben
“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honour, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it. Genesis 49:3ff
“Let Reuben live and not die, nor his people be few.” Deuteronomy 33:6
As the firstborn male, Reuben was entitled to a double inheritance, the royal kingdom, and the priesthood. However, Reuben lost all of this when he committed adultery with Bilhah, Jacob’s concubine (Genesis 35:22) Due to his sin, Jacob adopted Joseph’s sons Manasseh and Ephraim as his own, effectively transferring Reuben’s firstborn right of a double inheritance to his younger brother Joseph (Genesis 48:5) He also omitted Reuben by giving the kingdom to Judah and the priesthood to Levi. Reuben wasn’t disinherited but he and his tribe lost their prominence.
The story of Reuben’s tribe is a warning as to the consequences that are a result of our sin and failure to control our desires. Sins can be forgiven but consequences remain.Jacob, describes Reuben as “unstable as water." - the source of life yet can be destructive like a tsunami.We all need self control or we enter into danger. The tribe chose not to settle in the Promised land but remained east of the Jordan, with the proviso from Moses that they help conquor the land. In a sense they were not fully committed to the task, but they were not cut off. They did so, but they did not assist the other tribes in battle during the period of judges (Judges 5:16) and the tribe falls into scriptural obscurity. We may say they represent those who are “world-bordering” — they want to be as close to the world as possible, but this is not the place of protection. When the Assyrians came, the tribes that didn’t cross over the Jordan River were captured first.
Judas Iscariot may have come from the tribe of Reuben, and he too is portrayed as being worldly.
Simeon
“Simeon and Levi are brothers — their swords are weapons of violence…for they have killed men in their anger…Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel” Genesis 49:5-7
Simeon took revenge on those who assaulted his sister. The anger erupted in cruelty rather than righteous anger. The prophecy was fulfilled by the tribe sharing their land with Judah. They became scattered amongst the other tribes.The lesson and warning from the tribe of Simeon is that vicious anger prevents us from separating the sinner from the sin, which can cause us to engage in sinful acts ourselves.
Zebulun
“Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon. Genesis 49:13
The tribe did settle by the sea. They also were loyal to the cause "with an undivided heart" and helped King David
And Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. Genesis 30:19-20
from Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David
with undivided loyalty-50,000; 1 Chronicles 12:33