THE TRIBES EAST OF THE JORDAN THE SECRET OF STRENGTH AND OF WEAKNESS This chapter deals with the tribes who chose their portion east of the Jordan; namely: Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. A small area was given to those tribes; and they were the first to be captivated (5: 26). Presenting the two and a half tribes, this chapter reveals to us the secret of strength and of weakness in the life of the congregation, as well as in that of the believer. It reveals the mutual reaction between the congregation and the individuals. This chapter, in essence, is a call to enjoy the spirit of strength through the grace of God, His righteousness, and His holiness; He pours what is His in us; and grants us the spirit of fellowship with Him, of trust in Him, and the feeling of His divine presence, together with loving the brethren, and working together by the spirit of faithfulness, diligence, and watching, so as not to allow the devil to crawl secretly, even into our dreams. !- Reuben loses his privileges 1 - 11 2- The tribe of Gad 11 - 17 3- The tribes East of the Jordan defeat the Hagrites 18 - 22 4- The half-tribe of Manasseh 23 - 24 5- Having been unfaithful to the God of their fathers, they were the first to be captivated by the Assyrians 25 - 26 1- REUBEN LOSES HIS PRIVILAGES: “Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel – he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright” (1) With all the privileges given by God to man, the secret of his strength is not in the privileges given to him, nor in his position or work, as much as it is in his faithfulness and his attachment to God. Reuben has been the firstborn of Israel from Leah; and among the privileges of the firstborn was to enjoy two portions of the inheritance, and the position of leadership. Yet, Reuben lost the privileges of birthrights because of the sin he committed with one of his father’s concubines, defiling his father’s bed. (Genesis 35: 22; 49: 4). 1- He did not get two portions of the inheritance; for it was given to Joseph’s sons: a portion to Ephraim, and a portion to Manasseh; although they were born by Joseph’s Egyptian wife. The secret of this blessing given to Joseph was that he enjoyed a holy life contrary to his brother Reuben. a- Reuben defiled his father’s bed, while being the firstborn, enjoying the warmth of the family (Genesis 35: 22; 49: 4); Whereas his young brother, in the land of sojourn, in the humiliation of bondage, and deprived of the warmth of the family; under the pressure and seduction of the wife of his master Potiphar; he refused to fall into sin with her. b- It is amazing how many of the Israelites along the eras have fallen into idol-worship, and the betrayal of the living God; despite what God granted them of conquests on the pagan nations (the Gentiles); while Joseph, who lived helpless in Egypt, did not forsake the worship of the living God, nor perverted to idol-worship during the period of his bondage, and imprisonment; and even when he became the second man in the kingdom, and married an Egyptian wife. He indeed surpassed many of his people along the generations in his faithfulness and faith. 2- Reuben lost his second privilege concerning the leadership; For nowhere in the whole history of Israel up till the return from captivity, and even to the coming of the Lord Christ, we find one king, leader, nor priest of the tribe of Reuben. The privilege of leadership was given to the tribe of Judah; from which the first godly king, object of the pleasure of God, came from the tribe of Judah; And the Word of God -- the eternal heavenly King.-- incarnated from St. Mary, a descendant of the tribe of Judah 3- In Jacob’s farewell prophecy to his sons, he said with bitterness: “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the first fruits of my vigor, excelling in rank and excelling in power. Unstable as water, you shall no longer excel, because you went up onto your father’s bed; then you defiled it – you went up onto my couch” (Genesis 49: 3, 4). He likened him to the boiling water, kindled by carnal desire, he lost his stability and reason. As, according to the apostle James: “He …. is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind For not let that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1: 6, 7). So has Reuben corrupted God’s privileges and gifts, to let them become, not for his edification, but for his judgment. For whoever is give more, more will be sought of him. “Reuben”; was born in ‘Haran’ (Genesis 29: 32); his name is derived from ‘Raibe- Oni’, translated as “God saw my affliction” His attempt to save his brother Joseph from being killed by his brothers, delivering him out of their hands, reveals his good nature; saying to them: “… Let us not take his life; shed no blood, throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him” – ‘that he might rescue him out of their hands and restore him to his father” (Genesis 37: 21-22); That attempt, according to some scholars was for the sake of reconciling with his father, who was angry with him for defiling his bed; a view rejected by many others, who count his attempt as coming from a true desire to save his young brother Joseph from the hands of his brothers. Feeling that the troubles that dwelt upon them in Egypt were a retaliation for their cruelty against their young brother (Genesis 42: 22), he was ready to sacrifice his own two sons, as a surety to his father Jacob for bringing Benjamin back to him safe from Egypt; according to the request of Joseph from them to bring him with them to see him (Genesis 42: 37). The rebellion carried out by Reuben’s sons: ‘Dathan and Abiram’, in collaboration with Korah the Levite, was probably an attempt to confirm the authority of their tribe as the firstborn of Israel (Numbers 16). Probably feeling the contrition of heart of this tribe for losing all their privileges, the prophet Moses, in his final blessing of Israel, prayed for them, saying: “Let Reuben live, and not die; nor let his men be few” (Deuteronomy 33: 6); to which God responded. “Yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph’s” (2) Although not given the birthright, Judah became the royal tribe; And because David’s heart was pure, the Savior came incarnate of his descendants. Proclaiming the shift of birthright from Reuben to Joseph, the book of the Chronicles finds itself committed to refer to the tribe of Judah as being the strongest, having brought forth the Leader of the people of God. “The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi” (3) The four sons of Reuben were previously referred to in (Genesis 46: 9; Exodus 6: 14; Numbers 26: 5). Their census as it came in (Numbers 25: 9) was 46,500; while after the plague that dwelt because of God’s wrath on Israel in on account of that the people of God committed adultery with the girls of Moab; who drew them to partake of the sacrifices to their gods, and to worship them; their number got down to 43,730 (Numbers 26: 7). “Hanoch”; A Hebrew name, meaning (learned, trained, or dedicated); the firstborn of Reuben, and founder of the family of the ‘Hanochites’ (1 Chronicles 5: 3). “Pallu”; A Hebrew name, meaning (famous); head of the family of the ‘Pallupites’. “Hezron”; A Hebrew name, meaning (siege or a livestock fold), founder of the family of the ‘Hezronites’. Hezron and Carmi here, are different from Hezron and Carmi of the tribe of Judah. “Carmi”; A Hebrew name, meaning (a worker in a vineyard); head of the ‘Carmites’. “The sons of Joel were Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, and Shimei his son” (4) “Shimaiah”; meaning (Jehovah hears).(1 Chronicles 5: 4). “Gog”; a Reubinite. Shimei”; A Hebrew name, meaning (Jehovah hears). “Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son” (5) “Micah”; A Hebrew name, meaning (Who is like Jehovah?); one of the grandfathers of Beerah, who was taken into captivity by Tiglath-Pileser.. “Reaiah”; A Hebrew name, meaning (Jehovah saw or Jehovah cared). “And Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria carried into captivity”; He was leader of the Reubenites” (6) “Beerah”; A Hebrew name, meaning (well);.taken into captivity by Tiglath- Pileser. Having been the ninth generation after Reuben undoubtedly refers to that some generations were omitted from the genealogies. “And his brethren by their families when the genealogy of their generations was registered: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah” (7) “Jeiel”; A Hebrew name, meaning (God cares); A Reubenite chief (1 Chronicles 5: 7). “Zechariah”; A Hebrew name, meaning (Jehovah remembered). “And Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal-Meon” (8) “Baal the son of Azaz”; “Baal”, a Hebrew name, meaning (to swallow),. We know that the cities of ‘Aroer’, ‘Nebo’, and ‘Baal-Meon’, have fallen under the Moabite reign during the ninth century BC. “Aroer”; A Moabite and Hebrew name, meaning (a loan); a town east of the Jordan, on the border of Moab and Reuben; north of the River ‘Arnon’ in Moab; And south of the Amorite kingdom of Sihon. It was a portion of Reuben, then taken over by the king of Syria, after it was occupied and fortified by the Gadites and Micha king of Moab. It was affiliated to Moab in the days of the prophet Jeremiah; And is called nowadays ‘Araer’, 12 miles east of the Dead Sea, south of ‘Ziban’. “Shema”; A Hebrew name, meaning (news). “Nebo”; A Babylonian name, meaning (a broadcaster) “Baal-Meon”; A Moabite name, meaning (dwelling of Baal); a city built by the Reubenites, 9 miles south-west of ‘Hesban’; in which there are nowadays many ruins; mentioned on the ‘Moabite stone’. “Eastward they settled as far as the entrance of the wilderness this side of the river Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead” (9) While Reuben and Gad were more inclined to work as shepherds of livestock; when the other tribes were more interested in agriculture, , the two tribes lived as neighbors east of the Jordan, in pasture land. Because the tribe of Reuben cared more for temporal things, God gave them their heart desire; (enlarging their territories) (10), yet not in righteousness and virtue, but in the number of their cattle in Gilead (9). Nothing will destroy man’s life like sin; and nothing will pour goods on him like love, even for the oppressors, together with faith in the care of the Good God; He who brings forth out of evil, good things for His believers. “Now in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand, and they dwelt in their tents throughout the entire areas east of Gilead” (10) The tribe of Reuben disappeared early, and what remained of them were scattered. From this text it so seem that some Reubenite groups lived as half nomads at the boundary of the eastern desert up to the days of king Saul. “The Hagrites”; nomad tribes who dwelt east of the land of Gilead (East of the Jordan). It was not proved that they were descendants of Hagar and Ishmael. It was rich in horses, camels, and livestock. Was defeated by the Hebrews dwelling east of the Jordan in the days of king Saul (1 Chronicles 5: 10, 18-22). 3- THE TRIBE OF GAD: Having dealt with Reuben settling east of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, the author’s mind was ready to deal with the tribe of God (11-17), and half of the tribe of Manasseh (23-24), who also settled down in Gilead and Bashan. The tribe of Gad had a better spiritual sense than Reuben. Although they, like Reuben, sought pasture land (16), yet they had a true desire to remain as part of the people of God, in the days of ‘Jotham’ king of Judah “And the children of Gad dwelt next to them in the land of Bashan as far as Salcah” (11) This book exclusively has the genealogies concerning the tribe of Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh; probably taken from a census in the days of ‘Jeroboam’ king of Israel (17) The portion of Gad was north of Reuben, and south of Manasseh. “Selcah”; A Hebrew name, meaning (walking the path); It is ‘Selchad’ at the southern border of Gabal- el-Derouz; which was a portion of Manasseh on the frontier of Gad (Deuteronomy 3: 10); Bashan was for Manasseh (Joshua 13: 30); but the Gadites took over a part of it. Gad dwelt facing Reuben in the land of Bashan even up to selcah; which indicate that the tribes have altered the boundaries of their territories. “Joel was the chief, Shapham the next, then Jaanai and Shaphat in Bashan” (12) “Joel”; A Hebrew name, meaning (Jehovah is God); It is a name of a man from the tribe of Reuben, and of another of the tribe of Gad (1 Chronicles 4: 5, 8) “Shaphat”; A Hebrew name , meaning (He judged). This name came twice in verse 12: the first should be ‘Shapham’ according to the Hebrew origin; and the second ‘Shaphat’; two Gadite chiefs. ‘Shapham’ was the name of a Gadite chief who dwelt in Bashan; who together with his chief Joel fought against the Hagrites in the days of king Saul (1 Chronicles 7: 5-10; 18-220. “Jaanai”; A Hebrew name, meaning (Jehovah responds). A Gadite chief (12) “And their brethren of their father’s house: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, , Jorai, Jachan, Zia, and Heber – seven in all” !3) “Meshullam”; A Hebrew name, meaning (Who got his reward); a descendant of Gad in the days of ‘Jotham’ king of Judah. “Sheba”; A Hebrew name, meaning (seven) or (a part); A Gadite chief who dwelt in Gilead. Bashan “Jorai”; A Gadite chief. “Jachan”; A Gadite chief. “Zia”; A Hebrew name, meaning (moving) or (shaking); probably a Gadite family head. “Heber”; A Hebrew name, meaning (crossed over); A Gadite chief of a house in Gilead, Bashan. “These were the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz” (14). “Abigail (Abihail)”; A Nebrew name, meaning (Father of power or Father is power); A Gadite chief. “Huri”; A Hebrew name of a Gadite of the Horite family. “Jaroah”; A Hebrew name, meaning (soft or gentle). “Gilead”; A Hebrew name, meaning (solid or tough) “Michael”; A Hebrew name, meaning (Who is like God?); A Gadite who dwelt in the land of Bashan “Jeshishai”; A Hebrew name, meaning (an honorable elder); A Gadite descendant of ‘Buz’ “Jahdo”; A Hebrew name, meaning (union) “Buz”; A Hebrew name, meaning (despite) “Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was chief of their father’s house” (15) “Ahi”; A Hebrew name, meaning (My bother), or probably short of ‘Ahiah’; a Gadite chief who dwelt in Gilead, Bashan.. “Abdiel”; A Hebrew name, meaning (slave of God) “Guni”; A Hebrew name, meaning (light red) “And the Gadites dwelt in Gilead, in Bashan and its villages, and in all the common-lands of Sharon within their borders” (16) “Gilead”; is south of Bashan, and distinct from it; yet its border changed from one generation to another. “Bashan”; A Hebrew name, meaning ((a flat land); a province in the land of Canaan, east of the Jordan, between Mounts Harmon and Gilead (Numbers 21: 33). “Sharon”; A word meaning (a plain); a pasture east of the Jordan, where the Gadites dwelt; And according to some, it is the land between the River ‘Arnon’ and the city of ‘Heshbon’ (Deuteronomy 2: 10); different than ‘Sharon’ in the West toward the sea coast. Reference to ‘Sharon’ here is very strange, because the land of ‘Sharon’ is not close to this region. “All these were registered by genealogies in the days of ‘Jotham’ king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel” (17) “Jotham”; A Hebrew name, meaning (Jehovah is perfect) 4- THE TRIBES EAST OF JORDAN DEFEAT THE HAGRITES: “The sons of Reuben, the Gadites, and half of the tribe of Manasseh had forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty valiant men, men able to bear shield and sword, to shoot with the bow, and skillful in war, who went to war” (18) The two and a half tribes started as one entity; who had very noble stand, when they entered into the promised land; and with true love they fought together with the other tribes west of the Jordan until the end, when Joshua allowed them to return to east of the Jordan to settle down in the land they have chosen for themselves. “They made war with the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab” (19) The book here did not mention the date of this battle. For, in the days of Saul the union between those tribes was not strong the way it was before; as every tribe cared for its own interests. Reuben had a conquest over the Hagrites; then in a later era, when the union between the tribes got stronger, they defeated the Hagrites again.. With the courage and skill in war that characterized the armies of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh; yet the secret of their conquest was that they resorted to the help of the Lord and leaned on Him in their fights. It is good for man to have talents and capabilities, yet, it is befitting of him to sanctify them by trusting in the Lord (Psalm 20: 7) The two and a half tribes entered into war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab, and defeated them, for they trusted in God and cried out to Him. This chapter refers twice to the wars against the Hagrites – an Arab congregation that dwelt east of the Jordan : the first concerns the end of the eleventh century (10); while the second obviously concerns a later period (19-20). Despite being defeated twice, yet it was difficult to wipe them out completely; as they were mentioned, in a later time by the Greek authors ‘Strabo’ and ‘Ptolomy’, and the Latin author ‘Pliny’. “Jetur”; One of the sons of Ishmael. The Jetur tribe fought against the children of Israel east of the Jordan (1 Chronicles 5: 19); and his descendants dwelt in ‘Iturea’ (Luke 3: 1), close to Galilee. “Naphish”; One of the sons of Ishmael (Genesis 25: 15); and his descendant tribe dwelt east of the Jordan (1 Chronicles 1: 21; 5: 19). “Nodab”; A Semite word, meaning (honor or nobility); an Arab tribe in the Syrian desert, against whom the Hebrews who dwelt east of the Jordan fought. “And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayers, because they put their trust in Him” (20) According to some, the Hagrites are themselves the ‘Ishmaelites’, or a group of them; so called on account of that they were referred to ‘Hagar’.the slave girl of Sarai wife of Abraham. If ‘Ishmael was known for his strength and violence; Hagar, on the other hand was known for her weakness and helplessness. In our war against the devil and all his hosts, it is befitting of us to remember and trust in the promise of God, who gave us the authority to trample over the devil, sin, and death; for we carry the spirit of power, authority, and conquest. This chapter presents to us beautiful touches about those tribes; that, together with their courage and military skill; feeling that the war is the lord’s, they cried out to Him. We may say that the secret of their conquest were set upon: a- Their love, attachment, and true unity with the brethren b- Feeling the divine presence even during the battle, they cried out to the Lord. c- They had courage d- They walked with the spirit of reason e- Their spiritual war was the Lord’s “Then they took away their livestock – fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred and fifty thousand of their sheep, and two thousand of their donkeys – also one hundred thousand of their men” (21) “for many fell dead, because the war was God’s. And they dwelt in their place until the captivity” (22) 4- THE HALF-TRIBE OF MANASSEH: The author presents to us here, the names of the heads of their fathers’ houses of half of the tribes of Manasseh who dwelt in the east of the Jordan. At the beginning, their portion was only Bashan, but they greatly increase in number, wealth, power, and authority, to extend to the far North, until they reached Hermon (23). Although their region was huge in comparison with those of the other tribes, yet they abused the divine blessings; and instead of approaching the Lord with thanks for His gifts and grace, they turned away from Him, and betrayed the God of their fathers (25). For that, God allowed for them to be taken into captivity by Assyria, and to be carried to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gazan; and remained there until the writing of the two books of the chronicles. (26). “So the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land. Their number increased from Bashan to Baal-Hermon, that is, to Senir, or Mount Hermon” (23) “Hermon”; A Hebrew name, meaning (a holy mountain); it was the north-east limit of the wars of the Israelites under the leadership of Moses and Joshua (23) “Senir”; An Amorite name, probably meaning (the mountain of light). Here we find that Senir and Hermon are mentioned as two different mounts; but it is more probable that ‘Senir’ is the name of a part of “Mount Hermon’ (Gabal el-Shikh) “These were the heads of their fathers’ houses: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their fathers’ houses” (24) The rest of chapter 5 presented a concise account of the destiny of those tribes, who successfully made war against the Ishmaelites (the children of Hagar), with a small army of 44,760 men, to overcome the huge numbers of enemies. Trusting in God (20), He granted them conquest and a multitude of spoils (21). Yet, in spite of the military experience and skill of those heads in war, to come to be very famous all over the world, They forgot the Lord and betrayed Him, through their relationship with the pagan nations, being drawn to worship their gods. Hence, to chasten them, the Lord delivered them into the hand of the king of Assyria, to lose their country, and to live in humiliation and bondage under Assyria. “Epher”; A Hebrew name, meaning (a little deer); of the tribe of Judah, a descendant of ‘Ezrah’ (17). A chief in the tribe of Manasseh, east of the Jordan, also bears this name (2: 27). “Ishi”; A Hebrew name, meaning (a Savior); the name of a head of his father’s house in the half-tribe of Manasseh who dwelt east of the Jordan. “Eliel”; A Hebrew name, meaning (Eil is God), a head of his father’s house. “Azriel”; A Hebrew name, meaning (God’s help); a head of his father’s house, and a mighty man of valor Hodaviah”; A Hebrew name, meaning ((glory be to Jehovah); a head of his father’s house. “Jahdiel”; A Hebrew name, meaning (God rejoices), a head of his father’s house.. 5- BEING UNFATHFUL TO THE GOD OF THEIR FATHERS, THEY WERE THE FIRST TO BE TAKEN INTO CAPTIVITY BY THE ASSYRIANS: “And they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and played the harlots after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them” (25) Having referred to the glorious conquest of those tribes, united together, over the Hagrites, this chapter, as well, referred to their collapse before Assyria, because their unfaithfulness to God. The two verses 25 and 26 at the end of this chapter, refer to what dwelt upon those tribes in the east of the Jordan, on account of their unfaithfulness to the Lord their God, their worship of the gods of the pagan peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them; forsaking the worship of the living God, despite the long and amazing experience of their fathers of God’s dealings with them.. Abraham, the father of fathers, lived in a pagan atmosphere; even his own fathers worshipped the moon; Yet he, with a living faith, entered into a covenant with God, and enjoyed a fruitful spiritual life of faith, for which he got divine promises for his descendants to become as numerous as the stars in heaven and the sand of the sea. Jacob, who, oppressed by his brother Esau, who threatened to kill him, had to flee from his father’s house; In the midst of his affliction in the wilderness, he enjoyed seeing the heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending, and as though God Himself was welcoming him. And Joseph, the son of Jacob kept his faith in God, while being sold as a slave in a foreign land (Egypt); and unjustly imprisoned; And did not forget God when he became the second man after Pharaoh, and got married to an Egyptian pagan wife. Yet those people of the two and a half tribes perverted from the worship of the Living God, after their enjoyment of the promised land, and having got a law, priests, and Levites. What the Hegrites failed to achieve, the pagan worship and its abominations managed to do. They defeated the Hagrites, but they were defeated by their lusts and corruption. If they continued on their faithfulness to the Lord, as they were in the beginning, they would have kept the lands they took, and it would have increased more and more.. God who allowed for them to possess that land when they trusted in Him, allowed the Assyrians to take them into captivity because of their treason. “So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, that is Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He carried the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan to this day” (26) God used the pagan peoples as tools to chasten His people who perverted from worshipping the living God. He used the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans; all along the history (Isaiah 10: 5-6). The talk here concerns all the tribes mentioned in this chapter, who collapsed because they did not put God first in their life “Pul”; is himself, ‘Tiglath-Pileser; he changed his name after a famous Assyrian king. Pul came to Samaria in the days of ‘Menahem’ (2 kings 15: 19-20), then left after taking money from him; Then after four years, he joined forces with Ahaz king of Judah, he ascended to Damascus, took it over, captivated it, and killed its king; and also took the Northern of the land of Israel, and took its people into captivity (2 kings 15: 29); and took, as well, those dwelling east of the Jordan. He was used by God to chasten His people. Starting by that captivation, there was no return; Israel got mixed with the other people, lost their identity, and their race. “Helah”; Probably an Assyrian name of unknown meaning; the name of a province in the Assyrian empire; where the captives of the ten tribes were taken. It was probably the same province, known later as ‘Khalkitis’, in Mesopotamia, close to ‘Gozan’, in the basin of the two rivers ‘Habor; and ‘Saukoras’. “Habor”; An Akadian name of unknown meaning; pronounced in Hebrew ‘Kabar’; a river on whose banks the Jewish captives settled down. “Hara”; An Aramite name, meaning (the mountain); a location in Assyria where some of the captives of the ten tribes were taken; probably ‘Kergat Beghlar’, close to ‘Tel-Halaf’. “River of Gozan”; A river in the lands of the Chaldean; that runs southward through Mesopotamia; and after 190 miles, it joins the eastern branch of the river Euphrates at ‘Kerkasia’; where the captives from the ten tribes were taken, including the prophet Hezekiel, where he saw many visions. “Gozan; a town and a province in the land of ‘Made’ on the river ‘Habor’; where some of the Israeli captives dwelt; called ‘Gozinites’ by Plimy. ------------------------ AN INSPIRATION FROM 1 CHRONICLES 5 BY YOUR HOLY SPIRIT, GRANT ME, O LORD, THE SPIRIT OF STRENGTH + Reuben enjoyed the gift of firstbirth, but he slothfully despised it You granted me to be counted as a member in the church of the firstborn; To be qualified to the eternal inheritance; and to enjoy the reflection of Your splendor on me; Reuben denied himself the double portion in the inheritance; While his younger brother Joseph got qualified to get them, and to become two tribes; Reuben denied himself the position of leadership of the whole people; And no one of his descendants ever became a true leader to work to the account of the kingdom of God; While Judah enjoyed the leadership; and from his descendants came David, the righteous king; And from his descendants the Word of God, the King of kings, incarnated; Grant me to hold fast to my inheritance, to become Your splendid icon; And to be counted, together my brethren, like a heavenly host. + Reuben destroyed himself, as well as all his tribe; Defiling his father’s bed, by his shameful covetousness, he came to be like boiling water; Grant me the spirit of purity, to be sanctified by You, and to be clothed with Your amazing righteousness. + By Your fiery spirit, grant me to become sanctified, and to kindle my heart by the fire of love toward the generations to come. So as not to be an offense to my children and grandchildren; For the sake of the church and it holiness; I shall not allow the sin to crawl into my heart and mind; So that, on my account, Your wrath would not dwell upon the others. + Grant me the spirit of love and unity, particularly toward my brethren; If I am sanctified by Your Spirit for their sake, I would not enjoy Him by being isolated from them; Let me be attached with all my depths to them; so that my inner man would be transformed to a new heaven; To feel together with them, Your divine joyful presence; To feel, in the battle against the devil and sin, that it is the Lord’s battle; You are my weapon, conquest, and crown; I trust in You; and cry out with the spirit of hope To count every spiritual conquest, a free grant from You to me. + By Your Holy Spirit, I challenge the devil with all his tricks; By You, O the Resurrection, I challenge death; By You, O Almighty God, I fear no event; Let me hide in You; For I am not alone in the battle; You are the leader of the battle, who scatters the darkness, and grants the conquest; You are my weapon; that protects my spiritual, mental, and carnal being; You granted me the spirit of sonhood; How would I fear, even death?! + Grant me the inner conquest; Set a guard over my senses, emotions, and all my depths; Who can control my tongue, mind, and feelings, but You?! By Your Spirit, You perpetually renew my inner being; To experience the sweet taste of the deposit of heaven; To You, will be my thanksgiving, and praise, O Grantor of salvation.
Welcome