Advent Journey - Following the Seed From Eden to Bethlehem Sampel

Day 10

12 SONS, 12 TRIBES

Jacob (22)

Jacob lived a high-drama life. He grew up competing with his twin brother, Esau (eventually stealing his birthright). He worked seven years for a wife he didn’t choose – then another seven years for the wife he did choose.

He wrestled with an angel of God. He received a famous name change (from Jacob to “Israel”). 

His sons wreaked havoc on his family. They kidnapped their younger brother (the favored son, Joseph), sold him off to slavery and fabricated a story about a deadly animal attack. 

(Does this count as a dysfunctional family?)

Still, Jacob’s most significant life contribution might just be his twelve problematic sons. These twelve sons resulted in twelve mighty tribes. 

These tribes would become God’s strategy for organizing and protecting the new nation of “Israel,” (the Israelites). 

And protecting Israel meant protecting the Seed!

Back to the big picture. While Satan was working feverishly to destroy the Seed, God was building them for survival.

Like any thriving nation, this Israelite nation would one day need to be strong, independent, well financed, heavily armed. They would need government that could sustain order. 

God accomplished these functions through the twelve-tribe alliance. The member tribes worked together to share land, share a unified army, share governance, share in the welfare of the poor and widows, etc. 

Much like the thirteen colonies that governed the new America, these twelve tribes governed the new nation called Israel. 

But only one of the tribes could transfer the Seed? Which tribe would have that special honor?

Reflections:

Using our own system of government today, consider the various ways God organized the twelve tribes. 

- For a congress, they had Levites. 

- For a president, they had a prophet (initially Moses). 

- Instead of member states, they had member tribes. 

- Instead of a democracy (governed by the people), they were a theocracy – (ruled by God).

- God gave them laws and regulations (see Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)