All right, we were kind of into the part of First Chronicles where it's starting to just give us
some information about the twelve tribes and
Of course Judah has been real heavy of a presence
it's we've kind of got to see a lot about Judah and really it's because Judah dominates the
the twelve tribes to the point where there's just a lot of great men that were of the of the tribes of
Judah and
so last
Last time we're here
Most of the whole chapter was about Judah and some of the mighty men of Judah like her and all those guys and Caleb
So guys that just weren't necessarily in the line of data
They were related to David in some ways
But they're just kind of the branch offs that were still great men of God
And then he had Simeon some of the Simeonites. So we covered Judah Simeon now we're going to talk about
Ruben Gad and Manasseh, so let's just get right into it in verse number one. So this is the sons of Ruben and
Verse number one says now the sons of Ruben the firstborn of Israel
For he was the firstborn before as much as he defiled his father's bed
his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the sons of Israel and
Or excuse me the son of Israel and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright
so
It's explained to us here that even though Ruben was the firstborn
That he is not the one that was the chief of the children of
Israel because of the fact that he committed a great sin against his dad and he defiled his father's bed
He slept with his
stepmother basically
Which is wicked and even though it's not his blood relation
It's still the Bible in in the law of God pronounces the death penalty for someone that would do something like that
and even before the law was was there it was still a wicked sin, so
it's something that you know was just disgusting and
And when it happens in Genesis it says and Jacob heard of it. So Jacob knew that he did this and
He addresses him in the prophecy and we'll go to that at the very end of the sermon here, but
and so really
Joseph
Who is not?
The first second or third born he's way down the list, but he's the best of all the sons in reality
I mean all the rest of his the sons
You know tried to
You know they were gonna kill Joseph they threw him in a pit
But then they decided not to kill him Judah was gonna sell him and
Reuben didn't want to throw Reuben didn't want to kill him. He did speak up for him, but
Ultimately they sold him into slavery and he was the best of course he pictures the Lord Jesus Christ in many different ways and
So the genealogy is not reckoned after the birthright, so what does that tell you though that the birthright?
normally the birthright of
The the favored position in the family is given to the firstborn son in the family. That's the basic rule of
God's you know of
People that are born into God's family like this so anybody that has a family
This is this is still I think that this still holds some weight in our in our world today
But there's also the picture of what it represents
So you know and you're not going to see a lot of people giving
Two parts more to the to the firstborn son most of the time people are giving equal
inheritance is to all their children and doesn't matter whether they're male or female or whatever but
In this case though it should have gone to the second born, but that's not how
Jacob decided to do it so
But normally it does go by the order of the birth and that firstborn son gets two parts more
he gets a double portion and
More than the other sons that are born to him so
And this just goes to show that one mistake can change the course of your life and your family line forever
You can make a really big mistake and it can affect the rest of your life
And in fact it didn't just affect the rest of his life
But it affected the rest of his family's life because where he ends up is lost to the annals of time
He's the first one that's captured and taken out of the land out of all the children of Israel
It's Reuben that gets taken out. He's the one that gets captured first
He's the one that gets removed out of the land and it's because of what you know it ultimately is because he you know
He didn't get that first place spot
So one person's sin can have a lifelong or generational long
Effect on what happens so we should be aware that the sins that you know people say well
It's just that one sin. I did that it only affects me. That's just not true
Sin affects all those people that are around you and can have
Major effects on you your immediate family. Do you think that this had a major effect on his immediate family of course it did
I mean their family was pretty dysfunctional without this happening, but even this is just a stain on their family
It's it's horrible
So and then one major mistake can also change the course of your life in this world whether you're a Christian or not
Because you can make a mistake when you're not a Christian
But that mistake that you make can follow you into your Christian life and just because you become a Christian
That doesn't mean it wipes that away. It doesn't just magically change all your circumstances because you became a Christian
Because the mistakes that we make in our life
Those can have a lifelong effect on our lives in this world
And so it's very important that we make good decisions and whether someone's saved or not you know if you
Sleep around you could get a disease
That you can never be cured and whether you become a Christian or not that doesn't
Change the fact whether you have AIDS or not
You're still gonna die of AIDS
You're still gonna have
Some kind of venereal disease that you can never get rid of and how are you gonna explain that to your Christian spouse?
You know what I mean, and so like these types of things are
You know these again, and it's like I'm not saying that you should be judged for these things by other Christians
I'm saying that the decisions that we make can have an effect on our life going forward and
You know whatever problems you have when you get saved again
They don't just you know your sins are washed away. They're wiped clean
Yes, that's true
But it doesn't mean that the ramifications of things you've done in the past don't follow you into your salvation because they do
so
those
And but that doesn't mean also that God doesn't love you God of course God loves you
but he just you know we reap what we sow that's what the Bible teaches and
Whatsoever we sow that shall we also reap is what the Bible teaches so and
That doesn't mean that God can't bless you
You know you might have gotten saved, and you already have some baggage that you carry into your Christian life
But God can still bless you God's God can still you know he can forgive you of course
he does when you're saved and he can bless you in your in your new Christian life and
Maybe you're not you don't have the perfect will of God because maybe you didn't get saved at the time
you should or maybe you didn't make decisions that you could have the like just for instance if you you know you
desire to be a pastor in
Your Christian life, and you're like well that happened when I wasn't saved
But it doesn't stop the qualifications of the pastor from you know that you don't have them now because maybe you were divorced remarried
Or maybe you didn't have you know you only have one child instead of children or whatever it is
There are some things that you just you know and that doesn't mean that you're you can't be used of God of course you
Can be used of God, but it just means that there's certain things that you just can't do
so
Maybe you're not in the perfect will of God, but you're still in the will of God
There's always a plan B as has been taught in other sermons before
We you know there's that perfect will of God and you know not everybody's in the perfect will of God
There's very few that are probably actually in the perfect perfect. You know nobody's in the perfect perfect perfect will of God
But we should try our best to be as close as we can into the will of God that we possibly can be
With the life that we have and whatever has followed us into our Christian life
We just have to you know make peace with the fact that we can't change those things
You know that's why Paul. You know Paul did things horrible things before he was saved
But did that stop him from evangelizing the whole world didn't stop him
They didn't stop him at all and he said not to look back on those things
But to look forward on the things that we're gonna do in the future right so
so God is not a respecter of persons though and
Apparently neither was Jacob
Jacob's like you know what you're my firstborn, but you're done
You're not going to be the leader of the family and really what this what this birthright is is that you basically
Take over as the leader of the family when the dad that can no longer do it or he dies
And you also inherit the double portion of the blessings, okay?
so
And that's like what you see with Jacob. He took those things from Esau
That's why Esau was so angry and wanted to kill him because Jacob beguiled him and deceived him out of those things
But Jacob wanted him. That's why he's hanging on to his heel. He's like. I want to be born first
You know he's just like got it got a hold of his heel when he's born
And it's like that just shows just the will of Jacob was he wanted to be the first
He wanted to be first so bad that he's even hanging on to his brother's heel and his brother didn't care about those things
And so ultimately
God saw what Jacob really wanted even though he went a bad way to go get those things
But ultimately he did want those things and Esau didn't he didn't even care he traded his his
he traded for a bowl of soup and
You know he was tricked
You know into you know going for a hunt and then Jacob went and you know his mom prepared the the goat
The way that Esau would have prepared it
Jacob put the hairy the hair on his arms and went in and tricked his dad or whatever so that he got the blessing
the birthright so
Turn to 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 17 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 17
So we have to understand that no matter who we are
No matter what our station in life is that God doesn't just say hey that person's a pastor
So I'm not going to come down as hard as on him as I am on everybody else
That's not how God is God doesn't look at the President of the United States and say
You know he's the president, so I'm not going to judge his sin like I would other people
We might look at things and say things like that or think things like that
But that's not how God looks at things look at what the Bible says in 1st Peter
1 17 it says and if you call on the Father who without respect of persons
Judge it according to every man's work past the time of your sojourning here in fear
So what fear of what fear of the Lord?
so
When our works are good we have nothing to be concerned about but when our works are evil
When our you know when we have guile and the things that we do when we're
Lying and stealing and screwing people over out of things and and just doing things that are ungodly
God
Does not respect who you are he doesn't respect whether you're a Christian whether you're doing more soul winning than everybody else
He's bad that stuff has nothing to do with the fact that he's going to come down on you for what you did
He doesn't care who what your name is what your last name is I mean didn't he come after David?
Just like he comes after everybody else David's a man after his own heart, and then God just shows you know some and sometimes
He might even hold leaders even more responsible
Because they have such a vast responsibility and when the leader does something wrong
Then it puts a stain on the name of Christ it puts a stain, and that's why he said what you've done
Cause you know will cause the name of God to be blasphemed among the heathens
So now turn to Galatians chapter 6 verse 7 Galatians chapter 6 verse 7
So what Reuben did by defiling his father's bed he went up to his couch the Bible says
Was not something you know it doesn't matter what his name is what his standing was as the firstborn son
seeing a lot of families will overlook what a
male does in the family because he's the he's a male and
And they'll they'll overlook what you know they won't overlook what other people do or they'll have favorites that they choose
God might have favorites based on certain reasons
But he's not gonna not judge what they do do you understand what I'm saying, so
You know like I'm sure Paul was one of his favorites, but then Paul also received some of the worst beatdowns in
Bible history I mean he had a pretty long list of things that were done to him would you like to be in those shoes
But God loved him and when he was going through hard times
He said I'm not gonna let anybody sit on me to hurt thee Paul
And he would come up and you know I just kind of picture that as him
Just kind of giving him the side hug or whatever like I got you Paul
You know, but you're gonna be in a shipwreck tomorrow. I just want to let you know that you know
Well, I'm not gonna let you die, but did you die though?
But
Galatians 6 7 says be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man so if that shall he also reap
And it says for he that soweth to his flesh
I'll reap of the flesh corruption, but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
Everlasting and let us not be weary in well doing so what should we be doing well doing doing things well?
Doing good deeds
Doing good works helping people. That's what Christians should be doing it says, but he that soweth to the Spirit shall excuse me
And let us not be weary of well-doing for in due season
We shall reap if we faint not see some people think well. I'm not getting what I got coming
I feel like I've been reaping a lot of good things and all I've been
Doing is getting judged or I've been you know getting punished
Or I don't feel like I'm getting the blessings that I'm supposed to be getting for the well-doing
But notice what it says it says in due season
So does it does it mean that God's just gonna bless you instantly for everything that you do right?
No, it says in due season. We shall reap and then it says if we faint not
See a lot of people they think well. I'm just not getting what I'm supposed to begin, so I'm just gonna quit
That's isn't fainting quitting. Oh, I just couldn't do this anymore
You know I just don't feel like I was getting what I should have been getting
That's not that shouldn't be your motivation number one
But number two you have to wait for the blessing think about Joseph look at how righteous his acts were
I mean why did he get picked I?
Mean his brothers even his own parents were like kind of throwing shade on him Jacob was even kind of mad that he's having these
Dreams he's like your mom and dad are gonna bow down and worship you to Jake or Joseph
He's having these dreams that everybody's gonna bow down and worship him
Which is a dream that later on he is gonna be bowed down to worship by all of them because he's gonna be the second in
charge basically not worshiped as in like a god, but
You have to do obeisance to the king basically and that's kind of what he became
So, but what made Joseph so great well
He just when it came time where he would commit adultery with Potiphar's wife. What did he do he ran the other way?
He dropped everything and said see ya wouldn't want to be a
And then got thrown in jail for his troubles
I mean he went and and reproved his brethren and they tried to kill him
They tried to you know then they sold him and then you know all these that he's thrown in prison for years
He even he even interprets dreams of
Unsaved guys and says hey remember me when it comes to talking to Pharaoh, and they forgot about him
I mean, thanks a lot, buddy
Thanks for remembering me and but later he remembered him
I think Joseph was in prison for like five years
Where's he when's he getting his
When's he gonna get what he's been sowing?
Well, he did get what he was sowing didn't he he got everything and a lot lot more
He was blessed beyond all measure and became
really
The head of the family at that point and his sons were blessed above the other children of Israel
So when we faint not we will reap
So don't get don't get don't faint don't quit and God's gonna bless you
For the good deeds and the good acts that you do
so
Look at verse 10 it says and as we have therefore opportunity let us do good unto all men
Especially unto them who are of the household of faith
It's good to help people that you know you have no reason to really help them
Other than the fact that you just want to do something nice for somebody
But then it says to especially do stuff for the people of the household of faith other Christians other Christians in need and
The Bible says in Romans 12 21. I won't have you turn there
It says be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good
This is the way the Christian thrives in this world
You know people want to do evil to us and they they say all manner of evil to us
And it's real easy to shoot back on them and say things back and sometimes we do
Sometimes we get in the flesh and we say things we shouldn't but the best way
to overcome evil is to do good to them and
That is hard to do though
It really is because our flesh doesn't want to do that our flesh wants to fight our flesh wants to say something back our flesh
Wants to physically fight you know and and but that's not how God said to overcome evil
He said to do that with doing good
Reaping and we're gonna reap good things for doing that now
What does the right of the firstborn son picture for us though in a spiritual manner?
What is the purpose of this right of the firstborn well?
The Lord Jesus Christ is the firstborn and only begotten son of God
so he inherits
Everything from his father, and we as brethren get to inherit with him as adopted sons and daughters
So we're like you know he gets like the double portion or whatever because he basically made everything
Spoke everything into existence. He's the Lord of all heaven and earth and
He's like hey
I want them to be my brethren
We get to get in on that because why because he wanted us to because we're his brothers and sisters
Turn to Colossians chapter 1 so the picture though is that
The firstborn in
Reality should be like Jesus Christ, but that's not always the case right, but Jesus is the picture
Jesus is the he is what the picture represents is the Lord Jesus Christ
He deserves the double portion he deserves all the inheritance. He's he does he does and has done everything
bigger better and and
and more perfect than anybody else ever has and
So he does deserve that title
Of the firstborn so and he is the firstborn of all creators
So look at what Colossians chapter 1 verse 15 says it says who is the image of the invisible God?
Talking about Jesus the firstborn of every creature
For by him of course who was it that said was talking about the creature was it you or was it Jack?
You yeah, it's not a creature as in like it's the human creature right okay, but firstborn of
Every creature for by him for all things created that are in heaven that are in earth
visible and invisible
Whether they be of throne be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him
That's why he's the firstborn of every creature
because he is the one that created all these things and he is Lord of all these things and
He is before all things
So why would you be the firstborn because he's before all things
That's why and by him all things consist
Molecules atoms all the different things that exist in this world
everything
consists because of him and exists because of him and for him
All things are created by him and for him so it says and he is the head of the body the church
Who is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead?
Why is he the firstborn from the dead because he's the first one with a glorified body
And he's the only one with a glorified body even to this date right now
That in all things he might have the preeminence. What does that mean that means that he has the first place?
He's before everything so he's the firstborn turn to Romans chapter 8 verse 29 Romans chapter 8 verse 29
So why does God have this rule of the firstborn
Well because it pictures the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why
But if they don't stand up if they don't if they're not up to the standard then they're cast aside aren't they?
Just like the law was cast aside
Because it wasn't it wasn't able to save people it was put in place for a time
Until the actual firstborn came and made everything perfect so look at Romans 8 29
It says for whom he did for know he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son
That he might be the firstborn
Among many brethren, so we're all brethren, but he's the firstborn of those many brethren
Hebrews chapter 1 Hebrews chapter 1
The Bible is very consistent in teaching this and it's and it's all taught
Pretty much in the first in the in the New Testament for us to see
But it is a doctrine that's that's important and you know people because people might think well
Why is the firstborn son get everything because it pictures Christ?
That's why because it's you know because Christ is the preeminent one
so
Look at Hebrews 1 verse 1 it says God who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake and time passed unto the fathers by the
Prophets hath in these last days spoken to us by his son whom he hath appointed heir of all things
By whom also he made the world so God appointed him what heir of all things
So he's the firstborn
He's the heir who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and
Upholding all things by the power of his word when he had by himself
Purged our sins sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high
Being made so much better than the angels as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they
For unto which of the angels said he had any time thou art my son this day have I begotten thee and
Again, I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son and again when he bringeth in
The what to say their first begotten
Into the world he saith and let all the angels of the of God worship him
So he's called the first begotten here in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 6
And it says and of the angels he saith who maketh his angel spirits and his ministers a flame of fire
But unto the son he saith thy throne
Oh, God is forever and ever a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom
so
There's God the Father calling the Son of God God
So he's not just he wasn't born in the sense that we are born Jesus Christ has always existed
He is the eternal Son of God
this is what we believe at this church because if he's at the beginning with God, and he is God then they're there
They've always been it's not like they were created or
Came into existence at some time
They always have been wrap your mind around that one. I mean it's it's kind of difficult
It's like and it's like well. I have to understand these things why?
Why do you have to understand these things?
You know a lot of people wonder these questions, and they and they ask questions to which you know and our mind
Wonders about these types of things, but why do we have to wonder about them?
Why don't you just believe what God says and just leave it at that?
You'll be able to ask him someday
You know but if if you don't if you never get saved
You're never gonna be able to ask him because you're gonna go and die and go to hell
Then you'll you'll never know the answer
Talk about torture especially the people that like to ask a lot of questions anyway Hebrews chapter 12 verse 23 Hebrews chapter 12 verse 23
the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 23 is 12 23 it says to the General Assembly the church of the
Firstborn which are written in heaven
So what's the General Assembly the church in heaven going to be called the church of the firstborn who's that?
It's the Lord Jesus Christ isn't it which are written in heaven and to God the judge of all and
To the spirits of just men made perfect
one more on this
Revelation chapter 1 Revelation chapter 1 just a probably a few pages over in your Bible
Revelation chapter 1 verse number 5 the Bible says and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness and
the first begotten of the dead and
the prince of the kings of the earth unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and
Hath made us kings and priests unto God and his father to him be glory and dominion forever and ever amen so
What's really cool is that even though we're not the older brother?
We're still brothers. We're still sisters and
He what he likes to share. This is an older brother that doesn't like to just beat up his brothers and sisters
This is an old a good older brother that likes to share his toys
He likes to share the things he has he likes to share the inheritance
He's not a selfish older brother. He's not a mean older brother
so older brothers you better be nice to your brothers and sisters because
God you know that's how Jesus is he loves his brothers and sisters, and he treats us good I
Guess every once in a while. He smacks them around when they deserve it, but that's another sermon from the time right but
Jesus Christ is the first place in everything and in every aspect
He truly is the one that's done everything like I said bigger better and first so
Now let's look at verse 2 in our chapter. Don't get alarmed. We're gonna get through it all
Next hour and a half or so and I was kidding all right first first
Chronicles 5 to
For Judah prevailed above his brethren so Joseph even though he's the one reckoned by the birthright
Judah is the one that actually prevails above his brethren the Bible says and of him came the chief ruler
But the birthright was Joseph's so
God doesn't care about the birthright when it comes to these things because the birthright got thrown out
because of what Reuben did and
You know Joseph seemed to be the one that it should have gone and like any of us like I've talked about this before
But any of us would have picked Joseph, right?
But God picked Judah why?
We don't really know the answer to that question
But there's a reason why and I mean I guess if you look at the genealogies
of all the great things that the children of Judah did and then you look at the
Genealogies and the things that Joseph's family did who did who did greater?
Who was greater what what great things came out of Manasseh and Ephraim, I mean there were some great men
But I mean Manasseh is a blurb in here. There's not much about them. That's very great is there and
Ephraim are a bunch of drunkards let them alone is what the Bible ends up saying about them
And they just kind of get washed off into history, too
but Judah stood for a long time and of course Judah will prevail forever because Jesus Christ is of
The tribe of Judah
That's why he's prevailed above his brethren
it says and of him came the chief ruler and but the birth right was Joseph's and
verse 3 says the sons I say of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were
Hanuk and Palu
Hezron and Carmi and the sons of Joel Shemaiah the son his son Gog his son
Shimei his son. I mean he's not really picking very good names either here Gog is like what the end times destroyer and
Well the very very end not not the ones that the Baptists are always preaching about nowadays, but in the very very end
Shimei, you know he's that's not a very great name in the Bible, but anyway Micah his son
Reaiah his son Baal his son
Now Baal means Lord, but Baal
worship was the worship of a different God of course and Baal is a
Representative of the devil
But just because something is named Baal in the Bible that doesn't mean that it necessarily
He's caught like he didn't name his son the devil or something necessarily, okay?
but
That's what it means is Lord so anyway Bearer his son
Whom tilgath police police nerd police or excuse me king of Assyria carried away
Captive he was the prince of the Reubenites
Sounds like he wasn't a very good one though
I mean a prince means the rule. He's like the ruler. He's the head of the whole family, and he is taken away
By the king of Assyria tilgath police police nerd pill Nieser excuse me
And he's taken away captive so
And it says in his brethren by their families when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned were the chief
Gile and Zechariah and
Bella the son of Azaz the son of Shema the son of Joel who dwelt in a warrior
Even unto Nebo and Baal-Meon now
I have a map here that kind of shows where they lived, but you're probably not gonna see it from here
But you can come up and look at it afterwards, but here's the Dead Sea
I'll just put it up here like a teacher would I guess but I need a whiteboard
I didn't have time to draw it up here, but here's the Dead Sea
This is where this is where Ruben would have lived right here
And this is where Gad lived
I think I've shown this before but this goes up to the Sea of Galilee and Gad
Kind of had this little sliver that kind of hit the very corner here
This is where the maniac of Gadara was and then
right here is
Manasseh so
Manasseh and then so and and then this is the Jordan River goes from
The Sea of Chinnereth, which is what it was called in the Old Testament
But Sea of Galilee goes all the way down here and goes into the Dead Sea
Which is where Sodom and Gomorrah was down in here
And that's why it's dead now because when God smoked it when the sodomites were there
Nothing can grow in that little area down there anymore. It used to be like the land of Egypt
Used to be very plush and luxurious
that's why Lot chose it but
The reason why all the and all the other tribes lived on this side of Jordan so when they say this side of Jordan
This is what they're always talking about this side of Jordan so the the the tribes were talking about here tonight
these three tribes are on the other side of Jordan and they all went together in this little pact and
that and and so it seems like
They're kind of you know
They're not reckoning them in order in these last chapters that we're going to go through that explains the twelve tribes
It went to Judah and Simeon and Simeon's
land is in the middle of where Judah is Judah is this big huge area right here and
Simeon's land is in the middle and they're kind of tied together if you remember last the last sermon
They're tied together a lot with the children of Judah
Which Benjamin is also right here a little small spa, but they're also
Tied with Judah a lot, but
anyway
just want to kind of explain that to you because
if you remember when
in the Bible were they come in and Moses is still leading them at this point and
Aug of Bashan comes out against them Bashan is that area where I just showed you on the other side the east side
of Jordan
That's where Aug of Bashan and the giants of the land were where he had the giant bed and all that kind of stuff
So when Moses and the children of Israel destroyed that King when they were done, that's where
Manasseh and Gad and Reuben
Wanted that land because they wanted it for what their cattle right and they they wanted to build that place up
Moses gets angry, and he's like should your brethren go to war
Without you know and you're not going to go help them or whatever and then they agreed to help them
To take the promised land and then they would come back to that land when everything was all said and done, which they did
They did do that and then they built an altar
After all that warring was done
And then all the children of Israel came to destroy them and kill all the people in those tribes
Because they thought that they rebelled against the Lord does anybody remember this story, okay?
so but really they were building that altar as a witness that they were going to serve the Lord and
Continue to serve the Lord and that was a witness against them or you know as
Evidence that they were going to continue to serve the Lord, but who's the first people that?
Got smoked out of the land. It's these three tribes
So I just find it very interesting that they're tied together in this chapter
They're also tied together in the fact that they all got taken out together
They got tied together because they all wanted the same area and property
They all bound themselves together their neighbors together
They they came in the land together
They took the same land together, and then they all got taken out together, and they got taken out early
So all the things that they said they were gonna do they didn't end up doing
And I really don't think that that was God's plan for them to be in that area
That's Ogg's land, and I don't you know the pro. I don't necessarily think that the promised land was that area
So they wanted something that wasn't really in the perfect will of God is what I'm trying to tell you
Now Moses allowed them to have it God allowed them to have it
But just because God allows us to have something it doesn't mean that we should always choose to have those things
You know a lot was allowed to go to Sodom
but it doesn't mean that God was no necessarily okay with that and
Then one end up happening it ruined his life
Ruined his family so
Just because you know God does give us a lot of choices and a lot of grace and a lot of areas
You know sometimes it's like and it's like sometimes people come to me for advice and say hey
What do you think I should do on this situation? I'm like well
You know and I get I give the best biblical advice I can
But I also try to give warnings to people about certain play. You know about moving to a place with no church
No good church. I
Always think that's a mistake and you know why because my track record of
Is always right about it
Because I know what happens when you move out to Bay Shan, and there's no good church there
Eventually it might not happen right away. It didn't happen right away with these guys, but eventually
You know you're gonna get taken with the people of the land and you know who their neighbors were
Ammon and Moab and
The Midianites to the south on so on the other side
You know you had the the eat there on the east side and then to the east of them is all these heathen nations
That try to destroy the children of Israel when they came to the land the Midianites. You know Balaam was
was you know secured to try to
Curse the children of Israel, and then he wasn't allowed to because he could only do what God what God allowed him to do
But they even smoked the Midianites
God
Told him to destroy the Midianites because they did that and
Then they saved all the women alive and God's like what are you doing? I mean Moses like what are you doing?
Why are you saving them like the women and the children?
And you're like that's terrible. Well. You know what they're pricks in their eyes
They're they're a thorn in their side
That's what he said if you let them live and survive on they're going to destroy you
That's why he said to kill them all because they're that evil and that wicked look at verse 9
The Bible says an eastward he inhabited into the entering of the wilderness from the river Euphrates
Because their cattle were multiplied so this is Reuben. It's talking about
The river Euphrates I mean are there any people that are like map people in here
Anybody like you kind of have a mental visual picture of where Israel is and where?
Iraq is
It's a big vast desert and a lot of wasteland there in between
It's it's the equivalent of probably driving an hour south from here to
Sacramento probably an extra hour. That's how much
Room they they covered after that so I showed you just that little bubble
But
Because their cattle were so multiplied they stretched forth all the way to the river Euphrates
Which is a huge amount of land it doesn't say how far north and how far south
But I would imagine they stayed away from Iraq
Because that's Babylon at that time
But they did go all the way up there, and you know that's a lot of that's a lot of area to travel
But it says and in the days of Saul so talking about King Saul
They made war with the Hagarites
Now who are the Hagarites well Abraham's wife was named Hagar right his concubine and
You know Ishmael was his son. I don't know why they're called Hagarites. Maybe they took on mama's name or something
I'm not exactly sure why but I'm guessing that this is you know they're related to
him in some way shape or form, but that's probably the area in which they settled because when
when Ishmael left
You know the people will say and I'm sure this is probably true that all the you know those Bedouin tribes and all those tribes
That are in Saudi Arabia and stuff are
related to Ishmael because he went to the east he went out to the wilderness and
You know these Hagarites here are
Fighting with the Rubenites here, and so this is in the days of Saul, so we're fast-forwarding in time some
but
It says who fell by their hand and they dwelt in their tents throughout all the east land of Gilead
I mean that's a vast amount of land that they occupied
But you know what if you have that much land
And you can't really you don't have the numbers to to keep it you're gonna find yourself in a lot of trouble
So but I mean think about this
Their great claim to fame is this they had lots of cows
They had a lot of cattle and maybe they didn't have cows
Maybe they had sheep they just called anything that had herds was it was cattle, right?
They had donkeys and camels and asses and all these other you know whatever
They had sheep and goats and whatever so
But they had to stretch it out because they became these
Cattle barons of some sort right it's like they just like we want to be in Texas now
You know they just kind of stretched it out to the to the Afrades River
and so they're fighting with these Hagarites and
Their great big claim to fame is that
They strip you know they they had the biggest cattle
The biggest amount of cattle out of the children of Israel or something
But you know you think about the bulls of Beit She'an that's talked about as a bad thing in the scriptures
But
You know Ruben's excellence is that
You know they expanded a cattle empire. What would he do like?
That's that's the the big thing that Ruben did that's why Jacob said
Unstable is what you're unstable as water, and you're not going to excel
It's like well. What did you do Ruben we had lots of cows amen?
Tons of cows we had lots of we had lots of goats and sheep
I mean that's not exactly the most spiritual thing to be known for is it now
Let's go on to the sons of Gad, and I preached the whole sermon when I was in
Yakima about them, so I'm not going to cover too much if you want to
Listen to that sermon you can go over to the to the Yakima channel listen to it
I've kind of preached a lot about Gad, so I'm not going to really go into it too deep here, but
It says and the children of Gad dwelt over against verse 11 over against them so that means next door to them
They're the next tribe up and
in the land of Beit She'an
unto
Salcha
Joel the chief and Shaphan the next and
Janaya and Shaphan and Beit She'an and their brethren of the house of their fathers was Michael
Meshelem and Sheba and Joriah and
Jacob and Ziah and Heber
Seven these are the children of Abba Hale the son of Hyuri the son of Joriah or Jor
Jorah the son of Gilead the son of Michael the son of Jeshishiah the son of
Jadah the son of Buz and
Ahi
the son of
Abdiel the son of Guni
chief of the house of their fathers
there's some good boy names if you're looking for those and
Says and they dwelt in Gilead and Beit She'an and in their towns and in the suburbs of Sharon
Upon their borders all these were reckoned by
Genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel
So one thing you might notice is that a lot of these
genealogies they go up
They go up pretty close to the time of Christ now these ones they don't why is that well because they got captured and
Taken into Assyria before Judah got captured
So why did these genealogies get reckoned what you know at these certain times well
Because it wasn't too long after this that they were all taken away into the land of Assyria
So why in the time of Jotham was their last genealogy reckon because it wasn't too long after that
Before they got taken away
These three tribes got taken away before the rest of the ten tribes got taken away. These were first
Well, how does that make sense? Well?
Assyria is
off in the distance
you know if they're on this side of Jordan, then you got Ammon, Moab and
Midian down here, then you got Assyria up here
So it makes sense that they're gonna hit this part first before they get on the other side of Jordan and take them out
But that's what ended up happening
They took the first three tribes out
And then they got the rest of them out in a matter of like 30 or 40 years probably or something like that
So there's three or four different kings that started this exodus of different of replacement theology
Basically where you have the Assyrians replacing the ten tribes, right?
So yeah, it's a different kind. It's a you know they were replaced before Jesus replaced them, right?
God allowed them to be replaced and now people were like oh, yeah the ten lost tribes
They're these African looking people in
And it's like how do you know like it's so funny how they say this kind of stuff is just like
And the black keeper Israelites, I think are the ones the main portrayers of this, but maybe it is
Israelites doing this now, but like in India
They'll say this is you know Ruben or Asher or whatever
It's like they have no way of knowing that all that stuff disappeared into the annals of time there is no genealogy to look at
It doesn't exist. They don't have the bones of
Any of these guys to test their DNA and for you to test it nowadays. You can't link it back all right, so
They're lost to the ten tribes do not exist today
You know only God knows who those people are that are related to the ten tribes, and they're probably so mixed together
That you would you know?
They're probably like one percenters or something
so
So Jotham though he was a good king for the most part
I don't think he was necessarily perfect like his father David, but he is the
son of Uzziah
Uzziah is the one that wanted to be the priest at the same time and then God made him a leper
After he became a leper his son Jotham became the king and then his son was Ahaz
so that's about the timetable if you're like thinking about I don't know if you have a
Grasp on the timetable of the Kings either, but we're talking second chronicles chapter
26 27
second Kings chapter 15 so deep into the deep into the game there, so and
So Jotham he reigns 16 years
Ahaz 16 years Hezekiah 29 years the last of the ten tribes were taken away
During Hezekiah's time so from Jotham to Hezekiah
That's when all this stuff happened so
712 you know there's a lot of date like if you just look up the dates of when they were taken away
You're gonna find a whole bunch of different dates. You're gonna find 720 BC. You're gonna find 721
You're gonna say I mean you're gonna find a bunch of dates
So I don't think that they nest they might have ballpark dates, but they don't have a hundred percent dates all right so
But Hezekiah you know supposedly
740 BC and then Jotham 721 BC or something like that anyway though
I don't know those dates aren't rock-solid, so let's go back to our text though first
Chronicles 15 or 518 says the sons of Reuben and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh of
Valiant men so now it's going to a story
It's it's referring us back to the story with Saul in the days of Saul
It says the sons of Reuben and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh of valiant men men able to bear buckler and
sword and to shoot with the bow and
skillful in war were four and
40,700 and threescore that went out to the war that's
44,760 people and if you want me to translate it from the King James ease there, so
Yeah
So a buckler what is a buckler well a buckler is similar to a shield, but it's more like a smaller shield
So if you want to get into close quarter combat
Fight okay you have the big giant shields
Where you're gonna hide behind those things to stop arrows from hitting you and then you have the closed quarter bucklers
Which are smaller fitting around your forearm where you can block with shields and and fight with swords, right?
That's what a buckler is and so these guys are skilled warriors and
44,760 quite a bit of guys and they're fighting with who the Hagar rights, but
it says in verse 19 and they made war with the Hagar rights and
Jettour and net fish and no dab so not only the Hagar rights is is it the Hagar rights, but there's also a few other
Tribes there that are fighting against them so again probably referring back to verse 10
where it talks about the days of Saul and
Verse 20 says and they were helped so they're all banned together
So here's another time when all three tribes are banned together. You know they they get the same land together. They they're bound together
They're what happens to them in life and in their history and in their nationality all happens together
They fight together this war and here's a good moment for them
this is something that they do and it might seem like well war is bad it is but
God is helping them in this war for a specific reason look what it says in verse
20 it says and they were helped against them and the Hagar rights were delivered into their hand and
all that were with them for they cried to God in the battle and
He was entreated of them because they put their trust in him
So what does it sound like to you if they put their trust in God? What does that mean to you?
They're saved aren't they?
They're saved they put their trust in God
They're saved if you trust in Christ you're saved if you believe in Christ you're saved
But it says they cried to God in battle and you know these are the times when God really
You know a lot of times we'll pray and maybe it's not our most passionate time of prayer
But you know what when you're crying out to God
It's a different kind of prayer when you're really needing help
Or you're afraid or you you know you're just like that's the first thing you think about is God
And it's like and God's God springs into action for those things
You know when he when you when you need him God's gonna be there for you, and it says
He
Wasn't treated of them they cried out. It's not like they were crying
Oh, please God knows another like God help us God give us the power to fight
He's just like okay. Let's do this, and he helps them because they put their trust in him
So they go out to battle together, and you know us as we as Christians
We need to learn to go out to battle together also and our battle is not a physical battle like this was but our
battle is a spiritual battle and but we need to be together also and
So it's a good lesson for us that when we go out we pray before we go out
Hey, I have some passion in that prayer before you go out because you know God is what we want
God to be and treated of us when we go out to battle because we trust in him
Verse 21 says and they took away their cattle and their camels
50,000 and of sheep
250,000 and of asses 2,000 and of men and hundred thousand
I mean so with the 44,000 they had they just took those captives a hundred thousand
So I mean this this fight here is a battle that they got a lot of spoil. I mean
250,000 sheep that's that's a some that's some sweet moolah there and
50,000 camels or notes 50 it was a 50,000 50,000 camels and
2,000 asses and a hundred thousand men that they took captive
And says for there fell down many slain, so that's not including all the people they killed
Because the war was of God
Now God isn't just someone that just loves war and he you know World War two is probably not something that was pleasing to God
But sometimes their war God is approving of war
He is
Because it says the war was of God here right and you're like thinking
What was it? What was the purpose of it? Well? It doesn't really say what it was
it just tells us what the spoils were it tells us why he was intrigued of him and
That he gave them the victory, but why was the war of God? Well? We don't really know why
But maybe it was some kind of beneficial reason for them
Maybe it was to keep them alive for a little longer
Maybe they're these people were gonna
You know destroy you know do something really wicked, and we don't really know the reason why but God
The war was of God is what the Bible says and they dwelt in their steads until the captivity
So they took God helped him take all that land
Until Assyria came and destroyed them and you know for those that you know would get mad about that the Bible says the Lord is
a man of war the Lord is his name, so
How many battles has God won for his people in the Bible?
I mean any time he said hey
I mean there when when Hezekiah had to fight the Assyrians see the Assyrians took out all the other ten tribes
But when it came time to fight Hezekiah
Hezekiah took his prayer to the Lord
he took the letters that they're threatening and mocking God to and he took those and spread them out before the Lord and
They
They prayed they fasted and then he said God's like you don't even have to go out to fight
Just stand with your battle in array and see what happens and God killed the whole host of the Assyrian army
And that's when the lepers go out
And they get all the spoil whatever
Because God's not gonna. Just let his name be mocked like that so number three
The sons of the half-tribe of Manasseh
Says the children verse 23 and the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwell in the land
They increased from Bashan and Baal Herman and Senith or Senir excuse me and unto Mount Herman
So they're up above where Gad was and there were the heads of the house of their fathers even Ephra and Eshai
Eliel as Ezreal and Jeremiah and Hodoviah and
Jadiel
mighty men of Valor famous men
and heads of the house of their fathers
But just because you're that doesn't mean that you're a mighty man of God
or you're famous because of
God blessing you
because it says and they transgressed against the God of their fathers and
Or maybe they just got lifted up a pride that God did bless them with all those things
But it says and they transgressed against the God of their fathers and went a whoring
After the gods of the people of the land whom God destroyed before them
It's just really strange to me that people will see God destroy all these other false gods
And then they're like now I want to worship that God. I mean this happens multiple times in the Bible
So understand it just really strange to me, but this is what happens even kings of Israel did this
But they went a whoring after these gods and you know they're mighty men of valor
Famous men heads of the house of their fathers
but
Apparently lifted up a pride
Transgressed against their God says in the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of pool
king of Assyria and the spirit of tilgath-palesner king of Assyria and
He carried them away
even the Rubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh and
Brought them under halah and habor and Hera and to the river Gozen unto this day
So I mean they had their their heyday
But eventually because of the thing you know their transgressions and you know being part of that northern tribe
Where you know they have the the idols and Dan the idols in Bethel
They're worshiping they have the work the the lowest
People being the priests of the of the so-called Lord they're not really worshiping God and
they have a wicked King that's rolling over them most of the time when they're in Israel and
God just gets sick of it and God gets tired of
These phonies there were there were obviously people saved God sent prophets to these people
I mean some of the greatest prophets in the whole Bible preached in these areas
Some of the greatest prophets that preached were from these tribes
Some of the greatest judges that judged Israel were from these tribes
but
eventually
They just washed out and even these mighty men of God
I mean had they used their might and their fame for God then they surely wouldn't have been taken out
but they're the first that are taken out and
How did it all start choosing the wrong spot? Oh this looks good for cattle, and then what's their claim to fame?
Oh, we we had lots of cattle
We fought in a war we got lots of cattle
Big deal there's lots of cattle in Texas too, but you think I want to move there
No offense Texans, but
If it feels like this every day
It does rain here though, I'll give you that but it's also not 115 degrees with full humidity right now, so
I'll take 99
So some things out of this chapter will be done here
Where you choose to live does matter and you can say well, you know, I don't know it seemed like it was a good place well
The land of all was not the promised land that God intended for the tribes to live in
When they when they did that the people freaked out, they're like, what are you doing?
What are you talking about? You can't just you can't just stop here. The promised land was across the river Jordan
It was it was on this side of Jordan. That's what the Bible that's where they were supposed to go
They weren't supposed to go to OGG in the land of Bay Shan. They just liked what the land looked like
They wanted to be homesteaders. Oh
We can hope I've already said this before we can homestead for the rest of eternity folks
Homesteading. Yeah, it's cool. Whatever you want to do it now. You want to have some chickens?
Well, I don't think anybody's stopping you in this town from doing that
Get your chickens get your whatever brand you want the ones that lay the smallest egg
The ones that lays the biggest ones whatever your Rhode Island
What are the I don't know anybody know a lot about chickens in here I don't
But
They breed them toward
There'll be all these cool these cool aspects of the eggs. Whatever. I don't know. I just like to eat them
They're good
Eggs are good. Salt is good. Bread is good
but
I'm just saying
We have eternity to do these things, but they wanted to homestead right then
They wanted to be away from the rest of the group and because of that
They're the first ones out and
You know the when we just start thinking that well, I'd rather just live my best life now here on this earth
Look, we're just passing through we're so journeying like Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Jacob and
These guys were supposed to be so journeying in this world with fear as Christians
Yes, America is the nation that we're born into but worse this this nation is not really our real nation
Or we are citizens of Israel the spiritual Israel
Where you know we have many Nate we have one nation called Israel and all the world. It's a spiritual nation
We're not traitors, okay
There's the physical nation of Israel of the so-called Jews over there, and then there's the spiritual nation
we're the spiritual nation and one day Jesus Christ is literally going to reign from the literal Jerusalem and
We are going to serve him in a thousand-year reign here on this earth and then after that
whatever surprises he has in store for us, but
You know while we're here on this earth
the best thing that we could do is live in the best place that we can live to serve God to our
maximum ability and
You know
Number two we could
You know who we hang around is important because notice that they're all hanging around together and everything that they did
their destiny was kind of
Together every they got taken out together. They live together
They fought together got taken out together
And so just who you hang around can be very good for you, or it could be very bad for you
So choose your friends wisely choose your you can't always choose who your neighbors are gonna be though unfortunately
But you can choose whether or not you talk to them
And if you have like some of these wicked neighbors that like to you know spy on you and turn you in
To the housing what what are those those?
huh HOA
These some of these HOA videos. I wonder if they're fake, but
Well, they're like you got too many packages on your porch this week or something. It's like
That sounds like hell living in a place like that
nearly anyway also number three
Choosing things over the things of God is always a bad decision choosing things over the things of God so
Storing up things on this earth treasure on earth instead of treasure in heaven. I mean, it's just a no-brainer to store up things
Well moth and rust does not corrupt so
We can stack gold we can stack silver we can stack baseball cards or whatever
But all that stuff's gonna burn up and melt away in the end. I'm not saying don't plan for a future
That's not what I'm saying
but
Those things are gonna go away at some point
Are we even gonna be here? Is there gonna be a Social Security in the next 10 years?
I don't know they always say that they've been saying that for years
but I
Don't know things are getting crazy
so
When they were doing well though these tribes
They did well together when they serve God together. They did well together when they fought together
They did well, but ultimately they failed together and the prophecy of Reuben is this
Reuben they are at my firstborn my might and my beginning of my strength the excellency of dignity and the excellency of my power
Unstable as water thou shalt not excel because thou winnest up to thy father's bed then defile us thou it
He went up to my couch
Manasseh in
Genesis 48 verse 7 17 you'll have to turn there, but you can't if you want, and I'm almost done
I promise you and when Joseph saw that his father laid his his right hand upon the head of Ephraim
So he brings his two sons in and Ephraim
He puts his right hand upon the head of Ephraim it displeased him
And he held up his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head into Manasseh's head
So Manasseh is actually the firstborn of the two sons and Jacob puts his hand to bless the wrong son
So this is the half tribe of Manasseh and the half tribe of Ephraim. That's what they become and
Joseph said unto his father not so my father for this is the firstborn put thy right hand upon his head
He gets mad right and his father refused and said I know it my son. I know it
He also shall become a people and he shall be great
But truly his younger brother shall be greater than he and his seed shall become a multitude of nations
And he blessed in that day saying in thee shall
Shall Israel bless saying God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh, and he set Ephraim before Manasseh, so
out of the two tribes
The firstborn is not blessed why?
Well because he didn't he didn't excel either and he's here
He is trapped in and with these other two tribes that don't excel very well either
And I think that Gad is probably the most successful of both tribes
I don't have time to get into that right now
But Gad's prophecy was what a troop shall overcome him because his name means a troop
But he shall overcome at the last so he does have that blessing at the end there
But he's also overcome and taken to captivity
But these three banned tribes banded together
Because they wanted land for their cattle
That's what it ultimately came down to and so is that really the reason
Why we're existing on this earth so that we can just have more stuff no
But they ultimately paid the price for being on the other side of Jordan together
Which was not the original and perfect will of God
So even though God permitted it, but she permits us to do all kinds of stupid things
We have free will
Like we'll think oh, well, maybe this was the right decision, and it's like then it turns out to be the wrong decision
There's been many
Decisions that I've made that I thought were the right decision and they end up being the wrong decision
But then when you backtrack to why you made that decision in reality
You can you can fool
Everybody, but you can't fool God and in reality you can't fool yourself
Because you really know the reason why you're doing things you can come up with all the greatest excuses you want
You can come up with all the greatest reasons you can come up with the pros and cons checklist
You know like there's just a lot of pros on this checklist
But if that pro doesn't have God at the beginning of that checklist
Then it's a bad checklist
We should try our best to do our
Best to be in the perfect will of God as much as possible. Let's pray Lord
We thank you so much for this chapter and Lord what teaches us Lord
I pray that you would help us to choose our companions
Well the people that we do the most of our time hanging around
With those friends that we have inside church and
I pray the Lord that we would choose the best friends for our
Lives Lord that we would choose the right types of influences Lord that we would
Always choose to live in the right place where there's a great church
Lord doesn't have to be this church, but just as long as they're in a great church. That's what's important
I pray that that Lord none of us would fail in this area, and I just pray Lord that you would
Watch over our church Lord help us to make right decisions and to
Do things for the right reasons Lord then and that we wouldn't be motivated by the things of this world
but by the things of you that you want us to be motivated by that we would do things and
And do do the things that we do Lord for the things of the kingdom of God and not for the things
That are for not Jesus name. We pray amen