Your Curses Are Not the End Of You

Have you ever been cursed? It's not pretty. It hurts. It can stick with you for a while. If you're not careful, you can pass it on to your children and their children after them. What's crazy is to see the people of the Bible, even some of the great heroes be in the cursing business. You may remember from way back in the early days of Israel's story, Jacob is on his last days and decides to bless his sons before death just as Moses does here in Deuteronomy 33. But his first three sons are not blessed at all, they are in fact denounced and cursed. Listen especially to what Jacob said about his firstborn, Reuben:

Genesis 49:3–4 (ESV) “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. 4 Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!

Unstable as water is a tough one. You can't get much less stable than basic liquid, right? To be sure, Reuben committing sexual immorality earned him trouble.

What's even worse about Jacob's words is that he said they were PREDICTIVE:
Genesis 49:1 (ESV) Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.

It's like a teacher or parent telling a grown child there is no chance they will succeed because they've made far too many big mistakes and proven their character is questionable at best. What a terrible thing to hear.

But what does Moses say about Reuben 400 years later?

Deuteronomy 33:6 (NLT) Moses said this about the tribe of Reuben: “Let the tribe of Reuben live and not die out, though they are few in number.”

First notice the chance of tone here from Moses. He begins with "let". In other words, Moses is not predicting the future or cursing Reuben's heritage but rather opening a door to opportunity. Where Jacob questioned hope for Reuben, Moses is offering him and his tribe another chance.

The work of God through Moses and years of transformation gave Reuben a new vision for the future. He will not die out, he will live. And what is more, he will live on even if he may not be that numerous. Although, in both censuses in Numbers (3 & 26), Reuben is still very populous. 

Moving on, look also to what Jacob has to say about Simeon and Levi:

Genesis 49:5–7 (ESV) “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.

Way back in Genesis, Simeon and Levi avenged themselves on the men of Shechem for defiling their sister. The took matters into their own hands with violence. Evidently, this was a common practice seen by their father Jacob. So common, in fact, that all he can do is denounce their hostilities. Jacob tells them they will be divided and scattered. 

Yet what does Moses say about Levi?

Deuteronomy 33:10–11 (ESV) 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.”

In spite of what Jacob had decreed, Levi proved faithful among his brethren. His tribe would alone become the priests of God in the Old Covenant.

Now for Simeon there is no statement from Moses. This is troubling at first. Consider it was the Simeon tribe who most heinously committed sexual immorality with the Moabite women in Numbers 25. In fact, the man who brought the Moabite woman into the camp and was struck through by the hand of Phineas was a member of the Simeonite clan. How incredible that these two tribes connect in that story (Phineas was from Levi).

So at this point in the narrative of Israel, it looks like Simeon is going to lose out due to their terrible sin. Perhaps the curse has the last word? No. You have to wait a long time but eventually, redemption comes to Simeon through the tribe of Judah. In parceling out the land to the respective tribes, we find Simeon has been absorbed into the inheritance of the royal tribe of Israel.

Joshua 19:1 (ESV) The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the people of Simeon, according to their clans, and their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the people of Judah.

Now, what does this have to do with us? Because in the New Covenant, Messiah who provides us salvation from our sins is from the tribe of Judah. Jesus is the one who absorbs us into His inheritance no matter what we've done. The curse does not have the last word.

God be praised.