Since Reuben no longer had the rights of the firstborn,
Simeon could have obtained that title because he was second in line. But he and
Levi, the third son, lost that right because of an act of violence: they took
vengeance on their own hands (Gen. 34).
Simeon and Levi acted together; in the same way they
received their father’s final blessing, together…
(Genesis 49:5-7) “Simeon and
Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. (6) Let my soul come
not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in
their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen. (7) Cursed
be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will
divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
Simeon and Levi took justice on their own hands; they did
not repent, but rather they justified themselves (Gen. 34:31). They carried
that mistake for the rest of their lives. And because they didn’t repent, the
consequences affected their descendents…
(Gen. 49:7) Cursed be their
anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them
in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
Every single word of Jacob’s blessing came true. When the
time came to divide the land in the Promised Land, the Levites and the Simeonites
ended up separated and dispersed.
* To the tribe of
Simeon was given the land inside of the land of Judah (Jos. 19:9). On top
of that, the cities that were assigned to them were all in the most arid and
inhospitable region, known as the Negev desert.
* The tribe of Levi
did not receive their own land, but they were assigned 48 cities that were
dispersed in all the land of Israel (Jos. 21:41-42).
This division of land might seem “unfair”, as if they were
receiving a punishment; but that was not Joshua’s intention. When they were
colonizing the land, the way the land was assigned was more of a strategy. When
they entered the Promised Land, the tribe of Simeon was not very big in
population, which is why it was among Judah. Levi’s dispersion, on the other
hand, was not a punishment but a privilege, as we will see next…
A Simeonite and a
Levite
In the Bible, there is another instance which involves two
important members of these two tribes. But in this occasion, one takes the way
of sin and the other of sanctification…
When the Israelites camped close to Midian, on their way to
the Promised Land, the people fell into idolatry and adultery with the
Midianite women. As a consequence, the Lord broke out a plague among them. Many
Israelites regretted it and repented, but others kept on sinning shamelessly,
as was the case of one Simeonite.
(Num. 25:6-14) And behold, one
of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in
the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of
Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. (7)
When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and
left the congregation and took a spear in his hand (8) and went after the man
of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the
woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was
stopped. (9) Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four
thousand. (10) And the LORD said to Moses, (11) “Phinehas the
son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the
people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I
did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. (12) Therefore say,
‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, (13) and it shall be to him
and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood,
because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of
Israel.’” (14) The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the
Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father’s house belonging
to the Simeonites.
Zimri, a descendent of Simeon, continued sinning
shamelessly, before the entire congregation. In contrast, Phinehas, descendent
of Levi, rose in divine zeal and made justice before the people.
After this event, no other Simeonite stood out in Israel’s
history. On the contrary, their population decreased significantly. According
to the first census (on their way out of Egypt), the tribe of Simeon counted
with 59,300 men (Num. 1:23). But on their second census (40 years later), their
number had dramatically decreased to 22,200 (Num. 26:14). More than half of
their men had died. This can make us think that many of the ones that died
because of the sin with the Midianite women at Baal-Peor were of the tribe of
Simeon. Even so, in that occasion 24,000 died in total, which does not explain
the loss of nearly 37,000 men. It might be that the others died during the
other plagues, or that they didn’t have many children.
Another interesting fact about the tribe of Simeon is that
it was not included in the last blessings that Moses gave to the tribes before
he died.
What happened afterwards to the tribe of Simeon? As we
mentioned before, they were assigned to the territory in the middle of Judah,
in the desert region of the south of Israel.
We could assume that they were assimilated into the tribe of
Judah, but that was just in part. There are certain references that suggest
that some of them migrated north. When Israel was divided into two kingdoms,
only a few of the tribes were allied to Judah (2 Cro. 11:16-17; 2 Cro. 15:9).
Out of the Simeonites that were assimilated to Judah, there is only a mention
of a remnant of 500 men (1 Cro. 4:42-43). They were the ones who occupied the
region of the Amalekites, in the land of Edom, in the desert south of Judah.
Although to human eyes they seem to have disappeared, it is not like that to
God. This tribe is mentioned among the 144,000 redeemed in Revelation (7:7).
What happened to the tribe
of LEVI?
Unlike the tribe of Simeon, the Levites learned from their
past mistakes and looked to amend the curse that had been upon them because of
their father’s sin.
The zeal for justice that Levi had first made him react in an
impulsive and unmeasured vengeance to defend a human cause. But his descendents
used this impulse for good, not for evil. Levi’s descendents did not choose
vengeance, but they were fired by the zeal of God and defended a divine cause.
The moment that changed the Levites’ destiny was in the
setting of the sin of the Golden Calf. The Levites were the only ones that
stood on the side of God (Exo. 32:25-29); the result being the sanctification
of the Levites. God set them aside to have them serve Him as priests. Only they
would be able to enter into the Tabernacle to serve the Lord and offer him
sacrifices. Before this, all of the firstborns would be considered the “priests”
of their families; but afterwards the Levites were consecrated to take the
place of the firstborns in all of Israel (Num. 3:5-13).
Just as Jacob prophesied, the Levites were also dispersed all
over the land of Israel, but it was for a different reason then the Simeonites.
The Levites were assigned to 48 cities where they would live, which were
located all over Israel.
They did not have any land of their own, but they received a
better inheritance.
(Deu. 10:8-9) At that time
the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of
the LORD to stand before the LORD to minister to him and to
bless in his name, to this day. (9) Therefore Levi has no portion or
inheritance with his brothers. The LORD is his inheritance, as
the LORD your God said to him.)
(Deu. 18:1-2) The Levitical
priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with
Israel. They shall eat the LORD’s food offerings as their inheritance. (2) They shall have no
inheritance among their brothers; the LORDis their inheritance, as he
promised them.
The Levites would be dedicated to serving the Lord. They
would not have land because they would not have to work the fields. For their
livelihood they would receive offerings, firstfruits, and the tithe of the rest
of the tribes.
(Deu. 18:3-4) And this shall
be the priests’ due from the people, from those offering a sacrifice, whether
an ox or a sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks
and the stomach. (4) The firstfruits of your grain, of your wine and of
your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.
(Num. 18:8) Then
the LORD spoke to Aaron, “Behold, I have given you charge of the
contributions made to me, all the consecrated things of the people of Israel. I
have given them to you as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual due.
(Num. 18:20-24) And
the LORD said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land,
neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your
inheritance among the people of Israel. (21) “To the Levites I have given every
tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do,
their service in the tent of meeting, (22) so that the people of Israel do
not come near the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. (23) But
the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear
their iniquity. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and
among the people of Israel they shall have no inheritance. (24) For the tithe
of the people of Israel, which they present as a contribution to the LORD,
I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said of them
that they shall have no inheritance among the people of Israel.”
Moses blessed the tribe of Levi with these words:
(Deu. 33:8-11) And of Levi he
said, “Give to Levi your Thummim, and your Urim to your godly one, whom you
tested at Massah, with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah; (9) who
said of his father and mother, ‘I regard them not’; he disowned his brothers and
ignored his children. For they observed your word and kept your covenant. (10) They
shall teach Jacob your rules and Israel your law; they shall put incense before
you and whole burnt offerings on your altar. (11) Bless, O LORD, his substance,
and accept the work of his hands; crush the loins of his adversaries, of those
who hate him, that they rise not again.”
The tribe of Levi was able to turn the curse around, into a
blessing.
Unfortunately, several generations later, their descendents
turned aside from the way and went astray. What they had gained, they were
losing around the time of Malachi. The warning that the prophet made to the
Levites is as follows:
(Mal. 2:1-9) “And now, O
priests, this command is for you. (2) If you will not listen, if you will
not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the LORD of
hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings.
Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to
heart. (3) Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on
your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with
it. (4) So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my
covenant with Levi may stand, says the LORD of hosts. (5) My
covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a
covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. (6) True instruction was
in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace
and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. (7) For the lips of a
priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his
mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. (8) But you
have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your
instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says
the LORD of hosts, (9) and so I make you despised and abased
before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality
in your instruction.”
What one earns one has to care for. The descendents should
not trust in the glories of their ancestors. Each generation has to keep its
blessing alive in righteousness and justice (Ezekiel 18).
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