Morning Light – October 1st, 2015: Are You of the Tribe of Dan or Judah?

Morning Light – October 1st, 2015
Today: [1 Chronicles Seven] Are You of the Tribe of Dan or Judah? The genealogies continue. In this chapter we find the genealogies listed from Issachar to Asher. Strangely from Ezra’s accounting Dan is omitted. Dan is also omitted from any New Testament prophetic passages about the 12 tribes. Why is Dan not counted? We do know that the tribe of Dan engaged early on and greatly motivated in idolatry. Yet at the same time Judah also tolerated idolatry as well. Dan means “lawgiver”. From the standpoint of religious character many Christians are members of the tribe of Dan because they are altogether judgmental. Judgmental attitudes can cost a believer far more than they realize and actually cause their destiny to be lost to them as the tribe of Dan’s was.
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[1Ch 7:1-40 KJV] 1 Now the sons of Issachar [were], Tola, and Puah, Jashub, and Shimron, four. 2 And the sons of Tola; Uzzi, and Rephaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father’s house, [to wit], of Tola: [they were] valiant men of might in their generations; whose number [was] in the days of David two and twenty thousand and six hundred. 3 And the sons of Uzzi; Izrahiah: and the sons of Izrahiah; Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Ishiah, five: all of them chief men. 4 And with them, by their generations, after the house of their fathers, [were] bands of soldiers for war, six and thirty thousand [men]: for they had many wives and sons. 5 And their brethren among all the families of Issachar [were] valiant men of might, reckoned in all by their genealogies fourscore and seven thousand. 6 [The sons] of Benjamin; Bela, and Becher, and Jediael, three. 7 And the sons of Bela; Ezbon, and Uzzi, and Uzziel, and Jerimoth, and Iri, five; heads of the house of [their] fathers, mighty men of valour; and were reckoned by their genealogies twenty and two thousand and thirty and four. 8 And the sons of Becher; Zemira, and Joash, and Eliezer, and Elioenai, and Omri, and Jerimoth, and Abiah, and Anathoth, and Alameth. All these [are] the sons of Becher. 9 And the number of them, after their genealogy by their generations, heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valour, [was] twenty thousand and two hundred. 10 The sons also of Jediael; Bilhan: and the sons of Bilhan; Jeush, and Benjamin, and Ehud, and Chenaanah, and Zethan, and Tharshish, and Ahishahar. 11 All these the sons of Jediael, by the heads of their fathers, mighty men of valour, [were] seventeen thousand and two hundred [soldiers], fit to go out for war [and] battle. 12 Shuppim also, and Huppim, the children of Ir, [and] Hushim, the sons of Aher. 13 The sons of Naphtali; Jahziel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.
In this chapter we find the genealogical records of additional northern tribes including Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Mannasseh, Ephraim and Asher. We find however no account of Dan or of Zebulun. Why would Dan be ommitted? Dan is also ommitted from any list of the 12 tribes found in the New Testament writings. This is possibly because in addition to setting up the golden calf in Bethel in Judah there was a duplicate golden calf set up in Dan. Dan was one of Rachel’s children born to Jacob. You will remember that Rachel and Leah competed in child bearing because of the strife between them. Rachel named him Dan which means “God has judged me and found me righteous” (Gen. 30:6). When Jacob spoke his patriarchal blessing over his sons he declared in Gen. 49:16 that “Dan shall judge his people Israel…” Yet incredulously Jacob also predicted in v. 17 “….Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward…” Dan therefore represents judgment and judgmentalism. He is also represents a snare by which failure comes. Judgmentalism brings failure but love never fails. If Dan is a serpent then he represents Satan using judgmental attitudes to destroy God’s people. The most striking criticism of Christianity among Christians and non-Christians alike is that they are “too judgmental”. James said this in his epistle:
[Jas 3:1 KJV] 1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
Jesus in Matthew 7 said “judge not that you should not be judged…” The lesson of Dan’s omission is that there is no place of judgmental attitudes in the life of a child of God. Judgmental attitudes will cause your destiny to be lost. Judgmental attitudes destroy your testimony and put a stumbling block before unbelievers. You cannot afford to point the finger – rather let us learn to move in mercy. Judah also had a golden calf like Dan but was not judged as Dan was. Judah means “praise”. Instead of being known for judgmental attitudes let us be known for our praise!
14 The sons of Manasseh; Ashriel, whom she bare: ([but] his concubine the Aramitess bare Machir the father of Gilead: 15 And Machir took to wife [the sister] of Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister’s name [was] Maachah;) and the name of the second [was] Zelophehad: and Zelophehad had daughters. 16 And Maachah the wife of Machir bare a son, and she called his name Peresh; and the name of his brother [was] Sheresh; and his sons [were] Ulam and Rakem. 17 And the sons of Ulam; Bedan. These [were] the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. 18 And his sister Hammoleketh bare Ishod, and Abiezer, and Mahalah. 19 And the sons of Shemida were, Ahian, and Shechem, and Likhi, and Aniam.
In the accounting of Mannasseh we see there was an Aramitess (or Syrian), in their bloodline. Therefore we see that this tribe early on readily engaged in intermarriage outside of their tribe contrary to the protocols in place to maintain their tribal cohesiveness. The child born to this half Israelite union then marries into the tribe of Benjamin. There is also a son by the name of Bedan who is perhaps the same Bedan who was one of the Judges before the time of Samuel.
20 And the sons of Ephraim; Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son, and Tahath his son, 21 And Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath [that were] born in [that] land slew, because they came down to take away their cattle. 22 And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him. 23 And when he went in to his wife, she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house. 24 (And his daughter [was] Sherah, who built Bethhoron the nether, and the upper, and Uzzensherah.) 25 And Rephah [was] his son, also Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son, 26 Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 27 Non his son, Jehoshua his son. 28 And their possessions and habitations [were], Bethel and the towns thereof, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer, with the towns thereof; Shechem also and the towns thereof, unto Gaza and the towns thereof: 29 And by the borders of the children of Manasseh, Bethshean and her towns, Taanach and her towns, Megiddo and her towns, Dor and her towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph the son of Israel. 30 The sons of Asher; Imnah, and Isuah, and Ishuai, and Beriah, and Serah their sister. 31 And the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel, who [is] the father of Birzavith. 32 And Heber begat Japhlet, and Shomer, and Hotham, and Shua their sister. 33 And the sons of Japhlet; Pasach, and Bimhal, and Ashvath. These [are] the children of Japhlet. 34 And the sons of Shamer; Ahi, and Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram. 35 And the sons of his brother Helem; Zophah, and Imna, and Shelesh, and Amal. 36 The sons of Zophah; Suah, and Harnepher, and Shual, and Beri, and Imrah, 37 Bezer, and Hod, and Shamma, and Shilshah, and Ithran, and Beera. 38 And the sons of Jether; Jephunneh, and Pispah, and Ara. 39 And the sons of Ulla; Arah, and Haniel, and Rezia. 40 All these [were] the children of Asher, heads of [their] father’s house, choice [and] mighty men of valour, chief of the princes. And the number throughout the genealogy of them that were apt to the war [and] to battle [was] twenty and six thousand men.
In verse 20 we find an early accounting of a war that took place between Ephraims sons and the Egyptians. You will remember that Ephraim was a son of Joseph. The sons of Jacob were allowed by Phraroah to live in Goshen and be shepherds while Jacob and Joseph were yet living. Apparently during this time men, Egyptians from Gath contended with the sons of Ephriam over a cattle dispute and many of Ephraims childen were massacred. Ephraim mourns greatly but then goes in to his wife and begins anew to build his legacy of sons. Again apparently this is a very ancient story dating back to the time when Joseph and Ephraim and perhaps even Jacob were still alive. Thus again we see in the midst of the geneolagies though difficult to study there are very interesting anecdotes discovered that aren’t seen anywhere else.