Reuben’s Lost Birthright and the Lion of Judah

Hey, hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This morning we are going to be looking at the tribe of Reuben in 1 Chronicles, 1 Chronicles chapter 5, the first 10 verses. So why don't we have some coffee, we'll pray, and we'll get into God's Word looking at 1 Chronicles chapter 5, the tribe of Reuben. Let's pray.

Father, we thank you so much for a beautiful day. Thank you for our time that we get to spend in your Word. Thank you for the blessing it is to have your Word in a language we can understand. We pray that we may be able to understand it, that your Spirit would enable us to believe it and to live it out. In Jesus' name, amen.

All right, so we're going to look at 1 Chronicles chapter 5, first 10 verses.

Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, by the way, remember Israel is the new name God gave for Jacob. So the firstborn of Israel, he was indeed the firstborn, but because he had defiled his father's bed, so he slept with one of his father's concubines, okay, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the sons of Israel.

So, the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright.

Yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph's.

The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanuk, Palu, Hezron, and Carmi.

All right, so, well, let's just clip on reading.

The sons of Joel were Shemiah, his son, Gog, his son, Shimei, his son, Micah, his son, Re'iah, his son, Baal, his son, and Barah, his son, whom Tiglath-Peleeser, king of Assyria, carried into captivity.

He was leader of the Reubenites and his brethren by their families when the genealogy of their generations was registered, the chief Jael and Zechariah, and Bela, the son of Azaz, the son of Shemah, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aror, as far as Nebo and Baal-Meon.

Eastward, they settled as far as the entrance of the wilderness, this side of the river Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead.

So, it's Transjordan on the other side of the Jordan, western, eastern side of Jordan.

Now, in the days of Saul, they made war with the Hagarites, who fell by their hand, and they dwelt in their tents throughout the entire east area of Gilead.

So, we need to ask ourselves, A, what is this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this?

And C, what are we called to do about these words?

So, this is the tribe of Reuben.

And the tribe of Reuben is the firstborn of Israel, but yet the genealogy hasn't been going in the order of the firstborn.

And there's something interesting to note here that the, what I think most likely Ezra, who wrote 1 Chronicles, points out, is that birthright didn't go to Reuben, the firstborn, but it went to Joseph, right?

So, not to Leah's firstborn, but to Rachel's firstborn.

And yet, who actually seized it?

Who got a hold of it?

It was Judah.

Judah himself is the one who prevailed as the strongest, prevailed as the lion, prevailed as the one who would rule over all of his brothers.

And so, it's just interesting that here, in hindsight, the person, the genealogist, is looking back and seeing, this is why it's ordered this way, but it's not even Reuben who gets it.

It's not, or sorry, it's not Reuben who gets it, and that's a historical reason, but it's not even Joseph and his sons who get it.

So, it's not Ephraim, it's not Manasseh who get it, instead it's Judah.

So, it's one of those interesting things, and it says even where they were.

Well, they're on the other side of the land.

They're in Gilead.

They're towards the Euphrates, and they have a huge flock, and they have lots of cattle.

They have a big herd.

The Lord blesses them on that side.

They even go to war with the Hagarites.

So, this tribe of Reuben is where this is getting at.

Again, the whole idea of this is proving that they were actually Israelites.

Bringing the paperwork, showing the deeds, right?

You've got to have your ID card to be able to go into the temple.

You've got to show that you are of the tribe of Israel, of the family of Abraham.

You're a true inheritor of the promises.

Now, so that's what this is about.

This is the genealogy of the tribe of Reuben.

What's the B best verse to summarize this?

Well, in my Bible, I would underline verse 1 as the best verse to summarize this.

But it's interesting because even though now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel,

now that first sentence tells what I'm trying to say is what this is about,

but it doesn't actually start listing the sons of Reuben until verse 3.

So, I'd also underline that.

The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanuk, Palu, Hezron, and Carmi.

So, that's what I underline there.

So, what are we called to do with this type of information, right?

What do we do with this?

How does this influence us?

Did we just read, as one preacher called it, nothing more than a Jewish phone book, right?

I don't think so.

I don't think so because God had chosen a covenant people.

He renamed Jacob Israel.

He gave him a covenant name.

He made promises to him.

He gave him the promises of his father Abraham and Isaac.

They were transferred, now inherited, given to Jacob.

Now, Jacob had faith.

He believed in God the same as his father Abraham had.

And that's why he was righteous.

That's why he had received the promises.

And so too with you and so too with me.

Go read Romans chapter 4.

Why was Abraham declared righteous before God?

Because he received it by faith.

Right?

There were all these Jewish people who wanted to come around John the Baptist and act like

they were God's people because they had been children of Abraham.

And he says, don't say, well, we've got Abraham as our father and think that's good enough.

I'm telling you, God could raise up children from the rocks for Abraham.

Right?

So don't think that somehow just because you're Abraham's children, you're good to go.

No.

Will you repent of your sins?

Will you actually follow after God?

Do you love God, follow him, trust him so much that you would bow your knee to him and follow him in your life?

Is that the case for you?

Are you trusting in your heritage?

Maybe you've been going to the same church that your parents did, that your grandparents, that your great-grandparents went to.

And you keep thinking that somehow that's going to be what saves you.

That's what's going to be what keeps you a Christian.

No.

It'll never be that.

It's never your genealogy that saves you.

Do you trust in Jesus Christ?

Do you walk in the ways of the Lion of the tribe of Judah?

Have you bowed your knee to the inheritor of the promises in 2 Samuel chapter 7?

Is it Jesus?

Is it Jesus you follow?

Let's pray.

Father, we thank you that you have adopted us into a family.

You have adopted us into your family by faith.

Father, we pray that we would follow after you and love you all the days of our lives.

Thank you for the good news you have given us in Jesus.

In his name we pray.

Amen.

May God bless you.

I hope the noise of the road traffic around wasn't too bad for you and you could hear me fine.

And I hope that you walk in the ways of Jesus Christ, loving him always.

I'll see you next time.

Bye.