As we saw in the last post, the destruction of Shiloh, which housed the Tabernacle for almost four centuries, marked the turning point of how the birthright went from Ephraim to Judah. If you remember, Reuben was the firstborn of Jacob and Leah and thereby had the right to his father’s birthright. Yet Reuben sinned against his father (Gn 35:22) by sleeping with one of his father’s concubines, Bilhah, the servant of Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel. This may have been Reuben’s attempt to assert his right as the firstborn against his father’s favoritism to his son Joseph, son of Rachel. It could have even been spite for his father loving Rachel over his mother Leah. We don’t know for sure, but we do know that Joseph was given the birthright from Reuben because of this act by Reuben against his father (1Ch 5:1). Jacob gave the birthright from Manasseh, Joseph’s firstborn, to Ephraim (Gn 48:20).

When inheritance was given out by Joshua, a single lot was drawn for Joseph. The people of Manasseh and Ephraim complained, and they were given more land, and it could have been even more if they had driven out all the Canaanites as God had commanded. Their combined land accounted for 40% of the total Israeli land mass allotted and at least twice or more the size of any other tribe. Their land was central to all of Israel and was some of the most fertile parts of Israel.

Ephraim was given the honor to host the tabernacle at Shiloh as it was centrally located in Israel. Yet, because of the actions of this tribe of Israel, Ephraim was set aside by God, and the inheritance was given to Judah. Let’s read what God said in Psalm 78.

He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes. But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes. Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. When God heard them, he was furious; he rejected Israel completely. He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among humans. He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy. He gave his people over to the sword; he was furious with his inheritance. Fire consumed their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs; their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep. Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine. He beat back his enemies; and put them to everlasting shame. Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever. He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hand he led them (Ps 78:55-72).

So, it was at this point that Judah became the royal tribe of Israel, destined to produce Israel’s kings. Psalm 78 literally ignores the reign of Saul, as Saul was not from Judah and not from the new birthright tribe. So, why did God choose Saul from the tribe of Benjamin if that was not the birthright tribe he had chosen? There is no real answer—just speculation:

1 – Benjamin was the only son of Jacob born in Canaan. So it makes sense for the first king to come from Benjamin.

2 – The people were asking for a king, so Saul was someone who looked impressive and looked like someone the people would expect to be a king. The people probably would not have chosen someone like David in the beginning. This allowed God to choose someone like David who had the right heart and then get the people to be on his side.

3 – God was giving Benjamin a second chance, so to speak, for what their tribe had done previously and had almost been wiped out completely. Several notable people came out of Benjamin: King Saul, Mordecai and Esther, and the Apostle Paul.

Yet, we don’t know for sure if these were indeed the reasons God initially chose Saul from the tribe of Benjamin to be king, but we do know that God chose Judah for all future kings after Saul, which would eventually lead to the promised Messiah.

This shows that whatever God prophesies comes true. Jacob prophesied of Judah having the scepter even though at the time, he had also passed the inheritance down through Joseph’s son, Ephraim. Yet, as we see, Judah did indeed become the tribe God eventually chose. Therefore, we should never question the authenticity of what God tells us. What he says will come to pass even if it doesn’t seem possible to us. Our trust should always be in him.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens