The Descendants of Rueben, Gad and Manasseh

INTRO

This is an interesting chapter in several ways. We’ll be discussing the lineage of the 12 sons of Jacob, who was renamed Israel. We’ll start with the lineage of Rueben. But first, let’s look at the big picture—the plan—from Adam to Noah to Abraham to Jacob to the twelve sons all the way down to the kings of Israel and Judah. The lineage tells the whole story of God’s plan through Israel’s history. All of it points to the Son of David, Jesus. This chapter tells the story of Rueben, Gad, and the half the tribe of Manasseh.

TEACHING

1 Chronicles 5:1: Rueben was Jacob’s firstborn son, born to Leah, but he defiled his father’s bed so his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph. Deuteronomy 21:15–17 explains that Rueben was the firstborn even though his mother wasn’t Jacob’s beloved. As the firstborn, he should have received the birthright—a double portion. Since Jacob had 12 sons, he divided his wealth into 13 shares, the firstborn traditionally received two of those shares, while the other sons should have each received one share. However, Rueben forfeited his birthright, not because he was the son of the unloved wife (Leah), but because he defiled his father’s bed. Genesis 35:19–22 describes Rachel’s burial. Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin, Jacob’s twelfth and last son. While Jacob’s family dwelt in the land of Eder, Rueben lay with Jacob’s concubine Bilhah, and Jacob (Israel) heard about it. Bilhah was Rachel’s servant, who now belonged to Israel. So, Rueben lay with one of the mothers of Israel’s 12 sons. This act violated the law of God. Therefore, Rueben defiled God’s plan by laying with Bilhah, and consequently lost his birthright.

1 Chronicles 5:2-6: These verses listed a portion of the genealogy of Rueben, but does not give the connection between Joel and Rueben. A little research shows “Joel” is named four or five times in Chronicles, so how do we keep this straight? Joel’s relationship with Rueben is unstated. Suggestions include that Joel was the son of Carmi, or that he was the son of Hanoch because Hanoch was listed first. Because Scripture doesn’t give Joel’s connection to Rueben, any conclusion we reach will be conjecture. The only thing we can know is that, down through the generations, Beerah was Joel’s descendant who was taken captive by Tiglath-pilesar, the king of Assyria.

1 Chronicles 5:7-10: Rueben’s descendants (Jeiel, Bela, and Shema, the son of Joel) settled in Aroer and toward the desert east to the Euphrates. During the days of Saul, they warred against the Hagrites and dwelt throughout the region of Gilead. Rueben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh dwelled east of the Jordan while the remaining tribes crossed the Jordan into Canaan. These two and half tribes lived in the expanded territory where they faced more of the enemies from the east and the north.

1 Chronicles 5:11-17: The children of Gad, another of Israel’s sons, lived in Bashan, which is modern-day Syria and the Golan Heights. The generations of Gad were listed, with Joel (descendant of Gad, not the previously mentioned Joel who was of Rueben) as their chief. Many of the people in this genealogy are not listed anywhere else in Scripture. At some point in time, Jotham, the king of Judah, did a genealogy, which preserved the names of these descendants of Israel. Jeroboam, the king of Israel, also completed a genealogy to preserve the lineage of all the tribes of Israel.

1 Chronicles 5:18-22: The men of Rueben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh numbered 44,760. These men were trained for war and waged war against Israel’s enemies. The Hagrites were the descendants of Hagar (handmaid of Abraham's wife, Sarah). Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab were sons of Ishmael. This describes the conflict between the Israelites and the Ishmaelites. The Israelites cried to God in battle, and they defeated the Hagrites and captured their livestock. Because it was God’s battle, the Hagrites were defeated and the tribes of Rueben and Gad lived in this land until the exile.

1 Chronicles 5:23–26: The descendants of half of the tribe of Manasseh settled east of the Jordan in the land of Bashan to Mount Hermon. Although they were known as mighty men and were famous in their day, we know nothing else about them because they transgressed against God and chased after the gods of foreign nations. As a result, God delivered them into the hands of Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria, who carried them into exile. Second Kings 15—16 provides more details about Tiglath-pileser’s campaign against Israel.

Although Rueben didn’t inherit his birthright because he violated his father’s bed, this passage describes a time when his descendants cried out to God and defeated their enemies (1Chronicles 5:18–20). But when they turned from God, they were defeated by the king of Assyria (vv. 25–26).

There will be times in our life when we know we have things that aren’t pleasing in the sight of God. Yet God’s promises are established in our lives, therefore, violations do not remove us from the blessings of God. We need repentance in our lives. We need to stand firm in our journey for the things of God and His plans.

Rueben lost a great deal because of the major sin in his life that brought shame to his father and to God. His birthright was given to Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. But when the time came to take the land—the Land of Promise that God had assigned to the Israelites through Moses and Joshua, they could take it because God had promised it to them. God kept His promises to Israel even though there was sin in the nation.

We can draw four principles from these events:

1. There is one big plan. We can understand that God has one big plan with many players. While we don’t know anything about the majority of the people in Israel, God worked to bring His plan to completion.
2. God always rewards faithfulness. God loves those who consistently follow Him even if they mess up from time to time.
3. God blesses integrity. Rueben made a big mistake, and he lost the birthright. He didn’t walk away from God, but remained faithful to God. He didn’t walk away from the promise God made to him and his people.
4. The promises are for everyone. There were people living in this time who walked with God, so they inherited what God promised to Israel. We may not know their names, but we know they lived in the Promised Land as God had promised.

CLOSING

The promises of God are for everyone who will receive the word of God. We walk it out in faithfulness and integrity, cooperating in the big plan of God, so His plans are honored above our own. God’s promises for us today mean God never leaves us; He never forsakes us. He will honor His word, even though we transgress. We must honor Him in our obedience. God doesn’t give up on us. If He calls us to repentance, He will bring us back and honor His promise to us. Once we see the promise(s) of God come into our lives, we need to take stock of where we are with Him and let Him be the Lord of our lives, and then watch how He will bless us and walk us through. Integrity and faithfulness always cooperate with the big plan of God.