Simeon, Dan, and Joshua: Three Paths, Three Outcomes

S: Joshua 19

Simeon: ⁹ Out of the part of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon; for the portion of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had inheritance in the middle of their inheritance.

 

Dan: ⁴⁷ The border of the children of Dan went out beyond them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and lived therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their forefather.

 

Joshua: ⁴⁹ So they finished distributing the land for inheritance by its borders. The children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them. 

O:

Simeon: Back in Genesis 49:5-7, Jacob, in his final message before he died, recalled that Simeon and Levi had deceived the men of Shechem into circumcision, then slaughtered them while they were vulnerable. While it was legitimate for them to be upset at Shechem's rape of their full sister Dinah, their reaction was overboard -- murdering/genociding Shechem's entire tribe. So Jacob cursed them to be “scattered” in Israel.

Hence, Levi was literally scattered by being given no land but spread throughout the 12 tribes to serve in the priesthood. Simeon was “scattered” by being absorbed into Judah. During the monarchy, Simeon was virtually absent, being mentioned only in briefly in genealogical notes. They were absorbed into Judah, fulfilling Jacob’s words in a “dispersed” sense — not scattered city by city like Levi, but erased as a distinct tribal presence. Not that Joshua was punishing them, but this was the long-term unfolding through the generations. Sometimes consequences unfold slowly.

Dan found it too hard to conquer their assigned territory and gave up as it had stronger enemies, so, instead, they went and genocided a peaceful people not among those God had condemned – the Leshem of Laish. (See Judges 1 and 18.) This ended up being an early centre of Israelite idolatry, as mentioned in Judges 18:30. So, in their disobedience, they ended up apostate.

Joshua did not take advantage of his leadership position, unlike many of our political leaders today. He waited till everyone else had their inheritance, then he chose Timnathserah in the hill country of Ephraim. This was indeed in his tribal land of Ephraim, but it wasn’t the best agricultural land – it was up in the hills. He even had to build the city there himself, it wasn’t ready-made.

Conclusion

• Simeon was weakened by past sin, and got absorbed.
• Dan avoided the difficult task and did something easier but that was illegitimate, and ended up going apostate.
• Joshua did not take advantage of his political clout but as a servant leader, worked honestly for his own land and city.

A: Simeon’s story teaches us that, while working for justice is correct, going overboard with revenge is wrong. Dan’s story teaches us that we need to obey what God has for us to do, even if it’s difficult, and don’t take the easy, illegitimate way, out, or there will be consequences. Joshua’s story teaches us that we should not take illegitimate advantage of our power or position, but instead, reap the fruits of legitimate honest work.

All 3 faced a temptation:

• Simeon: the temptation to justify excessive retaliation in the name of justice.
• Dan: the temptation to avoid the hard obedience and redefine the assignment.
• Joshua: the temptation to use one’s position for personal gain.

 We need to choose the difficult right way over the easy wrong way and trust God for the long-term consequences.

P: Father, help me to be like Joshua and be faithful to You and not like Simeon or Dan. May I stay faithful to You, and repent quickly when I sin. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Jerualem in Judges 1: resolving the apparent contradiction

This morning, our DUMC Bible Reading Plan was on Judges 1.

I found it interesting that it says 

Judges 1:7-8 
Adoni-bezek said, “I once had seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off, eating scraps from under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” They took him to Jerusalem, and he died there. [8] The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it, killing all its people and setting the city on fire. 

But then

Judges 1:21
The tribe of Benjamin, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live in Jerusalem among the people of Benjamin.

Jerusalem was on the border between Judah and Benjamin, and had 2 parts: the lower city, in Judah, and the upper city, which was the citadel/fortified part, in Benjamin.

Judah and Simeon attacked and sacked the lower city, in their territory, but not the upper city. in Benjamin's part. There's a steep ridge dividing the two parts, so the Jebusites could defend that. Also, Judah and Simeon only sacked the city, and did not establish a permanent occupation.

As time went on, the Jebusites reoccupied and reinforced the whole city, so that David had to go and conquer it about 2 centuries later.

When I shared this with my family, my wife pointed out:

 They sacked the city but did not establish a permanent occupation of the lower city. 

This is partial obedience, which is essentially disobedience - the Lord had commanded the Israelites take possession of the land.

Habakkuk - Does God care about evil?

Many years ago, 2100 Productions, the media arm of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, the American branch of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, created a huge multiscreen multimedia slide presentation on the book of Habakkuk which tied into contemporary events. The original slideshow is no longer available, but they released the soundtrack on their website and some years ago, I took that soundtrack and made this. Though I made this some years ago, the issues are still relevant, e.g. Raymond Koh, etc.

Saved by the back door

S: Joshua 9-10

O: The Gibeonites, like Rahab, saw the power of Yahweh and believed. Their belief was of course not pure – it was motivated by fear of death, not perfect contrition. But impure or not, it was still belief and trust in Yahweh. Like Rahab, they decided to throw their lot in with the people of Yahweh.

But how to do that? They knew that Yahweh had already told the Israelites not to make a covenant with any Canaanites. But perhaps they heard of Rahab and realised that the condemnation was not absolute.

Centuries later, Yahweh made this clear through His prophet Ezekiel: “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that they turn from their ways and live” (Ezekiel 18:23) and Jonah, “And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” (Jonah 4:11)

Even when it is not explicitly stated, there’s always the principle with every condemnation Yahweh pronounces: “unless they repent.”

So, perhaps Yahweh allowed Joshua and the Israelites to forget to consult the Urim and Thummim, leaving open a “back door” for mercy – again, on the principle of “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that they turn from their ways and live.” Even when repentance is messy, incomplete, or awkward, Yahweh honours the movement toward Him.

And Yahweh did honour that messy, imperfect repentance. He never reprimanded the Israelites for their oversight, and in fact, gave them victory when the other Canaanites attacked Gibeon (Joshua 10). Centuries later, Yahweh called Israel to account when Saul violated that covenant (2 Samuel 21).

Human error, divine rescue. A covenant born in trickery, upheld by Yahweh’s faithfulness and mercy.

A: A couple of thoughts for application here:

1. God’s mercy is greater than my sense of fairness.

Jonah struggled with this – he wanted the Ninevites judged, forgiven. And Joshua and the Israelites struggled with it too, judging from their reaction when they found out they had been deceived. And I do as well. I like it when people I consider evil “get what’s coming to them.”

But God seems glad to save people who come to Him with half-formed prayers, confused motives, or even sheer desperation. Mercy is not something He reluctantly gives—it’s something He seeks opportunities to give.

2. God’s mercy also extends to me, too. 

Joshua and the Israelites’ failure to consult the Urim and Thummim didn’t thwart God’s plan – it became part of it, incorporating another people His covenant community. That doesn’t excuse carelessness, but it reminds me: God is not limited by my mistakes. When I mess up and repent, He can still work through it. My failures can become places where His mercy reaches someone I never expected.

 

If God pursued Nineveh through a reluctant prophet, and preserved the Gibeonites through a flawed treaty, how much more will He honour the covenant made through Christ — sealed not by trickery but by sacrifice?

P: Father, help me to have Your attitude – to be quick to rejoice when You show mercy to my “enemies”. Let me not be like Jonah, but instead be more like You. And when I fail, remind me that You can still bring good out of my repentance. Thank You that whether by the front door or the back door, You delight to turn the wicked from their ways and save them. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Yes, I know this is not how Joshua and the Israelites greeted the Gibeonites. But this video is illustrating how God welcomes sinners who turn to Him.