The Cost of Rebellion
Deu 33:29 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
It is strange that Deuteronomy ends with Simeon being left out and not blessed by Moses. In the book of Numbers, you recall there were two instances when there was a census. The results revealed a lot especially the second census of male soldiers after a plague devastated the Israelites after immorality with the Moabites. According to Numbers 1; Simeon was the third largest group with 59,300 only after Judah 74,600 and the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim combined to 72,200.
Now, let’s examine the second census taken approximately 40 years later listed in Numbers 26. Numbers 26:2 confirms that it is again the sum of males “twenty years old an upward…all that are able to go to war in Israel,” so each census was conducted with the same criteria. Simeon, the third largest tribe in Israel had plummeted to be the smallest of the tribes … loosing 37,100 people while Manasseh gains 20,500 people and if you combine with Ephraim, the tribe of Joseph have taken the lead.
In the previous chapter we learn that Phineas, a Levite, executed “a prince in of a chief house among the Simeonites for his audacity in taking a Midianite woman into his tent at a time when God was punishing Israel for such deeds. Indeed, God sending a plague which killed 24,000 people was stayed by the action of Phineas. The Bible gives no details of the tribes that suffered the most …but to account for a drop of 37,100 people makes us suspect that the Simeonites bore the brunt of this plague. Simeon cursed with Levi for being an instrument of cruelty for the vengeance over the rape of Dinah now worsens its situation with immorality with the Midianites. It is suspected that there was a crisis after this incident that led to a mutiny of many men of Simeon …only 22,200 can now be counted.
Genesis 49:5-7 prophesies that impulsive wrathfulness leading to violence would characterize both Simeonites and Levites . Now the Levite has executed a Simeonite Prince. God mercifully re-directed the Levites’ propensity to violence into becoming a tribe of butchers, killing, cutting up and sacrificing innumerable animals under the system of animal sacrifices established in ancient Israel. Simeon fades out from the army either through a mutiny or a more natural attrition.
The final result is that Levi is forgiven and blessed by Moses but concerning the tribe of Simeon, Moses is completely silent. While Levi regained an important and blessed role, the Simeonites you could go say go went from bad to worse.
Moses ends his blessings by declaring that Israel are a happy people saved by the Lord … all their enemies shall be proven to be liars.
Reflect on this devotional. Are you in mutiny against the people of God. Is the correction of God to flee immorality and worldliness too severe for you to bear. Learn from the Simeonites and the blessings they eventually missed.
Song.
Holy, Holy, Holy 2 ce Holy is the Lord 2ce.
Mighty, Mighty, Mighty 2ce Mighty is the Lord 2ce.
Faithful, Faithful, Faithful 2ce. Faithful is the Lord 2ce.
Prayer : Father, Lord help me … I repent of everything that could cost me my destiny.
The Songs of Joseph is an integration of encouragement scriptural devotions, prayers and a compendium of songs of mercy, salvation, new beginnings and victory. We can expect as we trust and obey that our end will indeed be ultimately glorious because God works His marvellous agenda. Be blessed as you read and sing along, daily. Edited by Bolade Apampa
