Moses began to speak the blessings over each tribe of Israel.
You will find them all recorded in the middle of Deuteronomy Chapter 33. Verse 6 says: Let Reuben live and not die, nor his people be few.”
Those words were the words Moses used to speak the first blessing over the tribe of Reuben.
KNOWING THE HISTORY
Historically; Reuben was the first born son of Jacob/Israel, so he is mentioned first by Moses.
You must understand the history of this tribe all the way back to the days of Reuben to know what Moses meant in making this prayer/blessing over this tribe.
Remember our Genesis study when we studied the blessings of Israel over his sons as he died?
Remember the blessing that Reuben received?
Reuben really deserved to be cut off according to the words of his father. He sinned greatly and Jacob/Israel took those sins as a personal insult to his honor.
THE SON THAT DISGRACED HIS FATHER
The words that Jacob/Israel spoke over Reuben are found in Genesis 49:4; “Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it.”
In other words; Reuben slept with one of Jacob’s concubines (his brother’s mother) in Jacob’s house; while living with Jacob.
This one fact will always come back to haunt Reuben; though he was allowed to live and his tribe will be allowed to continue; his sin carried consequences that were forgiven; but not forgotten when his father blessed him.
RIGHTS OF THE FIRST BORN SON
The rights of the first-born had been withheld from Reuben in the blessings of Jacob.
Moses, however, promises that this tribe will continue and prosper.
Yet he notes; the tribe will now be much less in numbers than before. This happens to them throughout history; with one calamity after another coming to reduce the numbers of the tribe; yet they do survive. They are just a much smaller tribe than when they originally began their journey through the wilderness.
NO HEROES IN THIS TRIBE
No judge, prophet or national hero ever arose from the tribe of Reuben. It is obvious that their destiny was much less because of the stain of the sins of their father.
Though Reuben and Simeon were the oldest two sons; the most righteous in this line was Judah, who was born to Israel third.
Judah obtained the honor of the first-born son from the point of Israel’s blessings and going forward.
Reuben and Simeon were next to each other in the birth of the sons of Israel as first and second sons that lost their place in the line.
SIMEON FOLLOWS RUBEN’S PATTERN
Like Reuben; Simeon’s sins were also outrageous. His descendants had committed even more sins to add to the list that was already there in the time of Jacob’s days.
Simeon was the next in age to Reuben; but he is passed over entirely in the blessings of Moses, because according to Jacob’s blessing (Genesis 49:7) he was to be scattered abroad in Israel, and lost his individuality as a tribe.
Because of this Simeon is considered to be a part of Judah’s blessing.
So; that tribe called Simeon IS actually blessed; but their blessing is a general blessing which they share with another tribe (Judah.)
We will talk more in further lessons about how Moses spoke blessings over the other tribes of Israel.