“The genealogy is not listed according to the birthright.” Joseph got the blessing, but Judah got the scepter.
Why would the tribe of Simeon (1 Chron 4:24-43) follow after Judah in the genealogies? That’s a good question. They lived along Judah’s southern border, on the desert’s edge. And why there? Recall the atrocity committed by Simeon and Levi on the men of Shechem. At that time, Jacob told his sons, “You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land” (Gen 34:30). Therefore, he said, “I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel” (49:7). Levi, due to their restoration at Sinai, had their curse turned into a blessing, received the Lord as their inheritance, and were placed among the tribes to administer the Word and justice. Simeon seemed to have no such turning to the Lord and, on arrival at Canaan, had no land to possess. But Judah showed both leadership and brotherly care toward Simeon (they were both Leah’s sons), now the smallest tribe (Num 26:14). “So Judah said to Simeon his brother, ‘Come up with me to my allotted territory’” ( Jdg 1:3). But Jacob warns, “Let not my soul enter their council” (Gen 49:6). In other words, don’t throw your lot in with those driven by anger; it’s like setting sail in a storm. Now Reuben is listed next (1 Chron 5:1-10), along with Gad and East Manasseh, all who settled to the east of the Jordan. We are again reminded of the consequences of sin and of this firstborn son being removed from spiritual leadership (vv 1-2). Nonetheless, the Lord blessed them, for “their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead,” and they expanded their holdings “as far as the entrance of the wilderness this side of the River Euphrates” (v 9). As our responsibilities grow, whether with our children or God’s, may we be sure to provide them with good grazing, too.