Sunday Sermonette: The X tribes of Israel

It ' s something of a puzzle why the Torah puts so much emphasis on the purported 12 tribes of Israel, since most of them never any explicit part to play in the later chronicles. Ten of them are said to have disappeared after the conquest of the region (I can ' t say Israel because it was not a unified kingdom) by the Assyrian kingTiglath-Pileser III in 753 BC, shortly before Exodus was written. Also, the lists vary somewhat from place to place in the Bible. This is the first one.Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.2 “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;    listen to your father Israel.3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,    my might, the first sign of my strength,    excelling in honor, excelling in power.4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,    for you went up onto your father ’s bed,    onto my couch and defiled it.This refers to an incident described in two sentences in 35:22, which appears as a total non-sequitur and of which nothing is made at the time. Jacob ' s only response it seems, after many decades, is to dis Reuben now.5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers—    their swords[a] are weapons of violence.6 Let me not enter their council,    let me not join their assembly,for they have killed men in their anger&nb...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs