Focus: Reuben's Blessing

Text: Dt.33:6

"Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few."

In the final moments of Moses before his death, he blessed the 12 tribes of Israel, and Reuben was the first to be blessed.

Reuben is Jacob's first son, and Jacob describes him as "my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power" (Gen.49:3). His name means, 'See a son!' He was a sight to behold; he was cherished, loved, and held in high esteem. As the first born, he is entitled to the double portion of the family inheritance, and he is to fulfill the roles of king and priest in the family.

But Reuben got himself into a moral mess and ruined his golden destiny by it. He lost the rare privilege of a lifetime. He defiled his father's bed, and lived with guilt for the rest of his life, and from the last words of Jacob to Reuben and the rest of his children, it is clear that he was not really forgiven. Jacob kept it in his heart till the last moment. He says to Reuben, "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch" (Gen.49:4). Look at the last phrase of the verse: "he went up to my couch." It means Jacob did not only speak to Reuben personally, but he also exposed him to his brothers. And then he says, 'You shall not excel.' That means Reuben might strive, but he would certainly not thrive. Jacob put a ceiling over him that no matter how hard he tried, he could never rise above it. His life is hampered and his destiny caged.

The Chronicler raised again the issue of Reuben's sad past in his writing. He says, "Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright" (1Chron.5:1). Reuben lost the double portion to Joseph, the priesthood to Levi, and the kingship to Judah. He ended up with nothing. Joseph produced Israel's first king, and in the divided kingdom of Israel, the larger 10 tribes are known as Ephraim, as the book of Hosea reveals.

To make matters worse, some members of Reuben's tribe along with others, whom Moses describes as "princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown," ganged up against Moses, challenging his authority as their leader. In a swift judgment of God, in defense of Moses his servant, they all died horribly, for the earth opened up and swallowed them alive (Num.16:31-35). Throughout the history of the tribe, we find no great personality, no prophet, no person of influence, and surely, no outstanding leader.

Moses must have gone memory lane when he got ready to pray and bless Reuben. Each time a census was done, the tribe of Reuben was always diminishing in number. The tribe was dying gradually. They lived subnormal lives in a normal world. They accepted the average life and contented themselves with the business of animal husbandry.

Moses must have prayed for Reuben with a broken heart and tearful eyes. "Let Reuben live, and not die." That is like praying for Reuben to be given a second chance. That is actually a prayer for prosperity. It is more than being alive or to merely survive. It is prayer for a bubbling existence and a buoyant life. The word used for 'live' is 'chayah' in Hebrew. It is the fifth Hebrew letter - Hey. We know the number 5 as signifying grace, and when you go back to the fifth day of creation in Genesis 1, you will see that the number 5 is connected to fruitfulness and multiplication.

The word 'chayah' is translated in different places in the King James Version as 'save or saving, live or life, preserve, revived, quicken, repair, restore, whole, and nourished up.' Are you beginning to feel the impact of Moses' prayer? Moses is praying for prosperous and pleasurable existence, for a life of prosperity, not an empty or crippled subsistence. It is life with all the substance necessary for its nourishment and enrichment. In one word, Moses prays for Reuben's prosperity. Jesus says, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (Jh.10:10). I believe that is the kind of life Moses is praying for Reuben.

The second line of his prayer is: "Let not his men be few." Moses is praying for YHVH to preserve a posterity for Reuben. Let Reuben's posterity not be exterminated. Let Reuben sizzle, not fizzle. Moses is not really praying for them to be distinguished, but rather for them to be preserved, sustained and maintained. Amazingly, we read in the book of Revelation of twelve thousand people sealed from the tribe of Reuben (Rev.7:5). Reuben has finally made it to the last book of the Bible.

Grace is sweet. Grace is lovely. What a blessing to be alive and flourishing! What a blessing to have a second chance in life! By the cross of Christ, God has given us another chance. In Christ we have received both eternal and abundant life. In Him we live, move and have our being. Jesus Christ is our life, our peace, and our hope.

I pray for your prosperity and posterity. I pray John's prayer for you: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest PROSPER and be in HEALTH, even as thy soul PROSPERETH" (3Jh.1:2). I declare: You shall live, and not die, and may the Lord grant you a godly posterity. Jesus says to you now, "Because I live, ye shall live also… I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (Jh.11:25; 14:19). There is hope for us in Christ Jesus. God gives us richly all things to enjoy (1Tim.6:17). The blessing of Reuben is for us too, and much more!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter