The Twelve Tribes of Israel: Reuben

 

And so Reuben was the oldest of Jacob's sons.  I did find some interesting stories about Reubens life at WHO WAS REUBEN IN THE BIBLE @ questions.org. You might be interested in reading about him as I have copied and pasted them below for you. 

Who was Reuben in the Bible?

ANSWER

Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob by Leah and the forefather of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The story of Reuben in the Bible is told in Genesis chapters 29–50.

Reuben’s mother Leah became the wife of Jacob by a cunning trick (Genesis 29:15–30). Jacob had gone to live with his uncle, Laban, in Paddan Aram. There he met and fell in love with Laban’s beautiful daughter Rachel. Jacob agreed to work seven years for the right to marry Rachel, Leah’s younger sister. On their wedding night, Laban substituted the heavily veiled Leah in Rachel’s place. The next morning, Jacob was shocked to discover the deceit. So smitten was he with Rachel that he consented to work another seven years for her.

Leah’s life turned out to be heartbreaking as she sought to win Jacob’s love. But God blessed Leah with the honor of bearing many children, including Jacob’s oldest son, Reuben.

Several meanings have been assigned to the name Reuben, but the most widely accepted is “behold a son.” When Leah gave birth to Reuben, she explained her choice: “She named him Reuben, for she said, ‘It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now’” (Genesis 29:32). This statement introduces the lifelong tension that existed between the two sisters in their marriage to Jacob.

As an adult, Reuben was one of the more honorable sons of Jacob. Reuben saved Joseph’s life when his brothers plotted to kill him. He talked the brothers out of murdering Joseph and convinced them to leave him in a pit instead (Genesis 37:21–22). Reuben intended to return privately and rescue Joseph, but his plan failed when, in his absence, the other brothers sold Joseph into slavery. Years later, as all the brothers faced misfortune in Egypt, Reuben called out his brothers for bringing disaster on their family: “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood” (Genesis 42:22).

An interesting episode involving Reuben in the Bible centers on his mother’s and aunt’s belief in folk medicine in Genesis 30:14–17. One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben came across mandrakes in the field. Mandrakes were herbaceous flowering plants known for their exotic fragrance and human-shaped roots. They were also believed to enhance a woman’s fertility. Reuben picked the mandrakes and brought them to his mother, Leah.

Rachel asked for some of the mandrakes Reuben had found, but Leah rebuked her: “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?” (Genesis 30:15). So, Rachel struck a deal with Leah. In return for some of the mandrakes, she let Leah sleep with Jacob. As a result, Leah became pregnant and gave Jacob a fifth son, Issachar.

Reuben demonstrated extreme love for his aging father when he offered his own two sons as a guarantee for the safety of Benjamin (Genesis 42:37). But, despite Reuben’s admirable qualities and good intentions, he lacked enduring strength of character.

Reuben’s great failure occurred when he slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah. This act, a serious crime punishable by death, revealed the loss of his earlier integrity. After Rachel died, Reuben was likely anxious because Jacob had shown favor to her sons over Leah’s. He may also have been worried for his mother. By sleeping with Bilhah, Reuben was likely challenging his father’s authority and grasping for power.

As the oldest son of Jacob, Reuben should have been granted the birthright, but he was denied this honor because of his act of disrespect: “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, 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 49:3–4).

The tribe of Reuben descended from Reuben and his four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. After helping the other tribes take possession of the Promised Land, the tribe of Reuben settled east of the Jordan River. Initially starting out strong, the tribe was always mentioned first—in the place of honor—in lists of the twelve tribes of Israel. However, because of Reuben’s incest with Bilhah, the tribe eventually lost its place of preeminence as Jacob had prophesied. No prominent judge, prophet, or ruler came from the tribe of Reuben, and no mention of the tribe, other than the listing in Revelation 7:5, is made in the New Testament.

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Reuben did have his share of troubles in his family. But what stood out to me was that as an adult he was an honorable son to his father. How many sons in life, whether in Bible days right up to current times, can honestly be said of that? Some fathers don't deserve honorable sons. Others do. But looking at the life of Jacob, his own sons tried to murder one son, Joseph. Reuben did not participate in this, and in fact saved his brother's life. 

No matter his troubled life. He was an honorable man. 

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. 

Come back on Wednesday, Feb.8 for the next post.

God bless you!

Twelve Tribes of Israel: A Broken Family

 God can't use me. I come from a broken family.

I ask you, "Really?"

The fact of the matter is this:

Sprinkled all through the bible are stories of familes in conflict, hate, murder and more.

And yet, each person, each family had a purpose that God chose them to fulfill.

And so it was with the twelve tribes of Israel. 

If you missed it before, the twelve tribes came from Jacob's twelve sons.

Emma Danzey explains it this way: 

One of the most intriguing concepts in Scripture is the establishment of the 12 tribes of Israel. I find it amazing how we see a connection from the old covenant to the new covenant of Christ. We see 12 tribes established out of the line of Israel, then we see 12 disciples established from a variety of backgrounds. Each of these tribes had a significant role and responsibility for the nation of God’s people. As we acknowledge the Lord’s plan for His people, we can gain a greater understanding of what each tribe is known for. what each tribe is known for.

Who Are the 12 Tribes of Israel? The 12 tribes of Israel came from Jacob’s 12 sons. Each tribe was named after one of Jacob’s children or grandchildren. I love how when we look at the story of Jacob, we see the Lord still choosing to use his broken family for a greater purpose. Jacob was tricked into marrying Leah, then married her sister Rachel, then the women waged war over who could produce children to the point of giving their servants Bilhah and Zilpah to their husband. Out of these four women in a damaging life situation, came the 12 tribes of Israel. Below is the order of the sons of Israel (Jacob), the meaning of their names, and what each tribe is known for. 

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To find out more about these tribes, I will take one a day for the next twelve days (including today) and give you some information on each one. Starting with the first Tribe of Reuben

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Reuben: “It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now” (Genesis 29:32) The tribe of Reuben had territory east of the Dead Sea. They were never blessed like they could have been because Reuben sinned against his father with Bilhah (Genesis 35:22)

My notes. Please be aware that according to the KJV of the bible, I did not see that Reuben was not blessed like he could have for sleeping with Bilhah. It does say he slept with her but did not give that as a reason for not fully being blessed. 

According to the Torah, the tribe consisted of descendants of Reuben, the first son of Jacob, and a son of Leah, from whom it took its name. Modern scholarship views the events described in Genesis and Exodus, which contain the early stories about Jacob and his immediate descendants, as non-historical. ^[7][8][9The Bible divides the tribe of Reuben into four clans or families, the Hanochites, Palluites, Hezronites, and Carmites, which according to the Bible were descended from Reuben's sons Hanoch, Pallu, Hazron, and Carmi. ^[10]

Genesis 49 contains the Blessing of Jacob, a series of predictions which the Bible presents as delivered by the patriarch Jacob about the future fate of the tribes descended from his twelve sons. Some textual scholars date it substantially later than these events. ^{[11][page needed]} Reuben is characterized as fickle, "unstable as water", and condemned to no longer "have . . . the excellency" due to Reuben's crime of having sexual relations with his father's concubine Bilhah. ^[12]

The Bible relates that Jacob and his twelve sons, along with their sons, went down into Egypt as a group of about seventy persons, including Reuben and his four sons. ^[13] According to the account in Exodus, the Israelites stayed in Egypt for 430 years, and their numbers grew to include about 600,000 men, not counting women or children. ^[14] At this point they left Egypt (see The Exodus) and wandered for forty years in the wilderness between Egypt and the promised land of Canaan. ^[15]

As the tribes prepared to enter Canaan by crossing over to the west side of the Jordan, the Book of Numbers records that the Israelites defeated Sihon and Og, kings east of the Jordan. ^[16] The tribes of Reuben and Gad requested that they be given land in the territory east of Jordan, because it was suitable for their needs as livestock grazers. In exchange for their promise to help with the conquest of the land west of the Jordan, Moses accepted their request and granted to them and half of Manasseh land east of the Jordan. ^[17] Following the death of Moses, SAccording to Kenneth Kitchen, this conquest occurred around 1200 BC,^[21] but "almost all" scholars have abandoned the idea that Joshua carried out a conquest of Canaan similar to that described in the Book of Joshua. ^[22] Israel Finkelstein et al., have claimed that lack of evidence for a systematic conquest or the abrupt appearance of a new culture indicates that the Israelites simply arose as a subculture within Canaanite society. ^[23] The territory of Reuben encapsulated the territory of the earlier kingdom of Sihon

(see Wikipedia for more information)

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The above is what I found on Rueben today. Please forgive me if it looks a bit messy as I am having problems with my computer today. 

On Monday, February 6 I may have more on Rueben or may go to the next in line which is Simeon.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends.

God bless you

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The Twelve Tribes of Israel

 There has to be some reason for why these tribes were created by God and why are they important to us today? 

If you have been with me for any length of time, I have stated that I am not a bible scholar by any means of the word. And because of this, I am learning along with you on many parts of the Bible.

Although I have been in church for a lot of my life, I have heard about the twelve tribes and have at times even read parts of the Bible concerning them. But at this time, I find myself wanting to know more about them. And so, because of that, I will be copying and pasting things from other websites about them. And of course, will also be giving the credit to those whose sites and writings I do use. 

So why are the 12 Tribes important to us today?

Knowledge of the 12 tribes is important because it helps us to understand current-day situations. We have greater insight as to why there is always unrest in the Middle East. We see why it is always in the United States' best interest to be a friend to Israel because God has always promised to protect them. He will bless those that bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel (Genesis 12:3). This promise is also for Christians. God will bless those who bless us and curse those who curse us. We understand better why the people of Israel have enemies because it was this way in the beginning. It is safe to assume that turmoil in the Middle East will continue until the return of Jesus Christ. It also helps us to understand why there may be a gathering of Israel.             By:  Dr. Sandra Hamer Smith

 Contributing Writer June 04, 2021

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It's interesting that the Twelve Tribes of Israel can help us   understand what is happening today in the Middle east.  

God made promises to his people that he has kept and will continue to keep. 

And he has made promises to you and I, if we bless Israel, he will bless us. 

I don't think I have ever suggested my readers give money to any worthy cause. I do give mostly to Christian causes that I trust. But the Jewish one that I support is one that I would like to suggest if you would like to bless them with your donations. This may be the only one that I ever suggest to you, but I believe it is a very worthwhile organization to give help to those that desperately need it.

You can find them online at: International Fellowship of Christian and Jews

May God bless you if you decide to contact them.

So today, we have learned why the 12 Tribes were established by God. Do we know what their purpose was? 

Come back on Saturday to find out the answer to that question. 

Thanks for coming by. Have a wonderful and blessed day!

                   

 

The Twelve Tribes of Israel: What Happened to Them?

What Happened to the 12 Tribes of Israel?

The tribes were named after Jacob’s sons and grandsons. They were Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, Zebulun, Judah and Benjamin. Of these 12, only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin survived. The 10 “lost tribes” are the ones that inhabited the kingdom of Israel but were exiled by the king of Assyria, who conquered Israel in 721 B.C. Historians and biblical scholars have come up with numerous theories on the ultimate fate of these people. Scholars speculate that the tribes lost their distinct qualities when they were assimilated by various captors. Different religious groups have had their own theories about this over the centuries, but there is little agreement among them. The descendants of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin have survived as Jews because they were allowed to return to their homeland after the Babylonian exile of 586 B.C.   

Whatever happened to the 12 Tribes of... | Almanac.com

 Its interesting that only two of the twelve survived. However, the above gave us little information about why they were important enough for God to include them in His Word. 

Not being a bible scholar myself, I have to sometimes just take bits of the bible at a time in learning things that I have never studied before, and that is what I am doing with this series. My next question will be posted on Thursday, Feb 2. about why they were important to be included by God.  

Thank you for coming by and have a blessed day.

Whatever happened to the 12 Tribes of... | Almanac.com

The Twelve Tribes of Israel

 Map of the Twelve Tribes

  The Twelve Tribes of Israel. Who Were They?

Good question. Truthfully, my study of them is limited at best. And so, I think it is time for me to find out what I can about these tribes.

To get started we find that the twelve tribes are as follows:  Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Ephraim and Manasseh.

 But where did they come from? 

got questions.org explains it this way:

The twelve tribes of Israel came from the twelve sons of Israel. “Israel” is the name that God gave Jacob (Genesis 32:28). His twelve sons are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin (Genesis 35:23-26; Exodus 1:1–4; 1 Chronicles 2:1–2). When the tribes inherited the Promised Land, Levi’s descendants did not receive a territory for themselves (Joshua 13:14). Instead, they became priests and had several cities scattered throughout all of Israel. Joseph’s tribe was divided in two—Jacob had adopted Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, essentially giving Joseph a double portion for his faithfulness in saving the family from famine (Genesis 47:11–12). This means the tribes who received territory in the Promised Land were Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. In some places in Scripture, the tribe of Ephraim is referred to as the tribe of Joseph (Numbers 1:32–33).

After King Solomon died, Israel split into two kingdoms. Judah, to the south, included the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The other tribes combined to make the kingdom of Israel in the north. In the ensuing years, many Israelites in the north emigrated to Judah in the south to flee the apostasy in their homeland (see 2 Chronicles 11:16; 15:9). Eventually, Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians, and most of the Israelites were either killed or deported; the Israelites who remained most likely integrated with Judah as many of the faithful before them had.

Jesus was from Judah, Paul was from Benjamin, and John the Baptist was a Levite, but, since the diaspora in A.D. 70, identifying the tribe of a modern Jew is a little more difficult. That doesn’t mean that the tribal divisions are irrelevant. During the tribulation, when most of the world has abandoned God and is following the Antichrist, 144,000 Jews will be sealed by God. This number comprises 12,000 from each tribe. So, even if we don’t know who is in what tribe, God has kept track. The tribes are listed again in Revelation 7:5-8, but they are not the same tribes that were given land in Joshua. Manasseh is there, and Ephraim (under Joseph’s name). But instead of Dan, Levi is included. No explanation is given as to why.

This gives us some information about the tribes. But do we know what happened to them?  

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Come back tomorrow as we find out more about these tribes