Questions Answered Page 2
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QUESTION: I have questions about: (1) Moses leaves Simeon out of his last prayer; Why left out? Does Simeon appear again, in Luke 2:25, to exclaim Christ Jesus? Does this mean that there is hope for the evil rejected worthless failures not because of themselves but because of who Christ Jesus is?
ANSWER: The Tribe of Simeon is a bit of a mystery in the Old Testament. We know that they are descendants of Jacob’s second oldest son Simeon (Genesis 29:33), who was actually one of the two brothers who showed great cruelty in taking revenge against Shechem for what was done to Dinah (Genesis 34:25). In Jacob’s prayer for his son in Genesis 49, he even says, “Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; let not my honor be united to their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man… 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” (Genesis 49:5-7). This prayer of Jacob turned out to be prophetic for the fact that Levi’s descendants became God’s priests (Exodus 28:1-43), and were not given any of Israel’s inheritance when they got to the Promise Land, and the Tribe of Simeon seems to have dissipated into obscurity. For example when reading through Numbers the tribe of Simeon lost more than 27,000 people, which was a decline of more than fifty percent of their population. They went from 59,300 (Numbers 1:22) to 22,200 (Numbers 26:14). It is also interesting to note that the man whom Phineas killed at Baal-Peor (Numbers 25:14) was the head of a Simeonite clan. One could easily argue that if the Simeonites were leaders in the apostasy at Baal-Peor, the plague that was unleashed by the “anger of the LORD” (Numbers 25:3), which killed 24,000, may have fell upon the majority of that tribe (Numbers 25:9). The Tribe of Simeon seems to have been so small by the time they entered Canaan, that they had to share their inheritance with Judah. Joshua 19:1 says, “The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. And their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah” (cf. Joshua 19:9).
With all of this being said, a reasonable answer to the first part of your question, “Why did Moses leave Simeon out of his last prayer?” could be as follows. It is quite possible that because of the steady decline in the Tribe of Simeon’s population, they ended up being blended in with the much larger tribe of Judah. The Bible mentions nothing about my next comment, but it has just come to me that there is a lot of incredible symbolism in this theory. You see, Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, and it is by being in Christ, and taking on His identity that we are saved (cf. John 15:4; Rom. 8:39; Eph. 1:3; 4:32). Though this is stretching it a bit, it could be that Simeon’s identity was now hidden in Judah (symbolic of Jesus. cf. Joshua 19:1, 9), and was no longer recognized as the Tribe of Simeon. Not only was Simeon left out of Moses’ prayer but also the Tribe of Simeon was not mentioned in the books of Samuel or Kings either.
In regards to your question about the Simeon from Luke 2:25-32, there is nothing in the Bible that even remotely suggests that this Simeon has anything to do with the Tribe of Simeon, other than his name. Although your idea is a great one to ponder as the Bible is overwhelmingly clear that even the worst of sinners can find hope in Christ (cf. Romans 5:8).
QUESTION: Abraham's Ishmael is born to the handmaiden and excluded. All 12 of Jacob's sons are included even though 2 of 4 mothers were handmaiden/concubine? ...and sinful the 12 were...i.e. Rueben's folly
ANSWER: Hagar and Ishmael were not excluded from God or from Abraham, and the significance of their story is not about the acceptance or rejection of handmaiden or concubines. When reading through Genesis 16:8-15, we read that it was actually Sarai that excluded Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 16:1-4; 21:9-10), and this is nothing knew under the sun for any relationship that involves more than one man and one woman. Take for instance the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:2-6, Hannah was provoked year after year by Elkanah’s other wife Peninnah. However, this is not what Ishmael and Hagar’s story is all about.
When looking at the life of Hagar and Ishmael, we discover that God was not displeased with them, but He actually blessed them (cf. Genesis 16:10). We also see that Abraham was “very displeased” when Sarah suggested that Ishmael be sent away (Genesis 21:11). However, the LORD came to Abraham and informed him that Sarah was right. Ishmael should be sent away because Isaac is Abraham’s heir (Genesis 21:12). However, God brought Abraham comfort by informing him that Ishmael would become “a great nation” as well (Genesis 21:13-21).
The tension that we see in Scripture between Sarah and Hagar is a beautiful symbol between faith and works of the flesh. Isaac was God’s promise to Abraham, in which Abraham and Sarah had to walk by faith to receive. Ishmael is the classic example of someone taking things into their own hands. Because Sarah and Abraham did take things into their own hands (Genesis 16:1-3), it brought division in their household (Genesis 16:4-6), and ultimately heartache for Abraham (Genesis 21:11). In Galatians 4:21-31, Paul uses the story of Sarah/Isaac and Hagar/Ishmael as an example of the contrast between grace and law, as well as faith and works. He uses their life as an example of the two covenants (Galatians 4:24), the Old Testament Covenant of the Law of Moses, and the New Covenant of faith in Jesus. Ishmael’s birth came about because of Sarah and Abraham’s lack of faith in God’s promise, while Isaac’s birth came about through their faith, or more accurately put, God’s faithfulness to His promise.
So when we talk about Hagar and Ishmael being excluded and exiled, we are really saying that those who follow the works of the law will be excluded from God’s promises, and those who follow by faith will be included in the promises of God. It is truly that simple.
QUESTION: I have doubts about being able to handle all that life has given me. Single parenting, loneliness, worry, worry, worry, and depression. How do I overcoming the worry and depression?
ANSWER: There are 366 times in the Bible where we are instructed “do not worry”. In Matthew 6:34, for example, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Our merciful God prepares us today for what we will face tomorrow. He gives us all we need for this time, and urges us to lean on Him to enable us to face the challenges that follow. Proverbs 3:5 is clear: “Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding...” It may not be a quick or sudden “fix”, but learning the nature of God and His purposes in these times is truly the meaning of “working out our own salvation with ‘fear and trembling’.”
QUESTION: I have doubts about: Totally forgiving myself of the past. It seems to linger and repeat itself with my children. How do I to totally erase the nightmares of the past?
ANSWER: After a lifetime of (obviously) poor choices, the thief on the cross next to Jesus asked Him to “remember me...”. It was the thief’s request for forgiveness that saved him. Nothing else was required. Jesus assured the man that he would be with Him in Paradise, even that day. (Luke 23:43) If we “linger” in our past sin, we allow Satan power he does not have, authority he cannot claim. And we minimize the saving work of the cross. Regardless of how you “feel”, once you’ve asked for Christ to forgive you of your sins, you are free! “Your gift from God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
Even the involuntary dreams (nightmares) we experience can be overcome by the power of God. “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption...” (Romans 8:15) In Acts 2:39, we are also told this gift of freedom from sin, eternal life, is offered to our children, too. The Bible does not teach that they are not destined to “repeat” your sin or submit to the same temptations. Memorize 2 Cor. 10:4-6. Our battles “belong to the Lord”. Believe it.
QUESTION: My question is about forgiveness. I am a sinner and frankly have a couple of whoppers in the mix. (10 Commandment offenses) I have done some pretty stupid things and am most regretful for them. I have asked God for forgiveness from deep within my heart. I feel compelled to ask forgiveness for old sins (as well as new ones, over and over again. Some of the whoppers are old news, years and years ago old. But, I still keep asking for God's mercy for those same old sins. I am filled with guilt. I recently read in the Bible, if you are truly sorry for your sins, no matter how grave the sins, and you ask for Jesus to forgive you, that you are forgiven. Done, over with. Go forward. No need to keep on praying for forgiveness for the same old sin.
Here's the doubt: I worry that when I get to the Pearly Gates and the book of life is opened and God finds my name, those old sins will still be listed there.
ANSWER: The closer we get to Jesus, the one who paid our debt forever, the deeper our relationship with Him. But if we keep looking back, to the things we did, the person we were before we were saved, we can’t help but take our eyes off our Savior. By living in the past, we are mistakenly believing that if we feel bad enough, that will somehow help our cause before the “judge”. Nothing is farther from the truth. Our sins were judged when Jesus said, “It is finished.” There is nothing more we can do to help God forgive us other than trusting in His son to pay our debt. If we doubt the power of the cross to save us, we don’t understand God’s nature; we doubt His love for us...to make a way. “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (I Cor. 3:11) But there is something we can do to accept His forgiveness and go forward in “a Spirit of righteousness”. Be in the Word. Pray constantly. Make Christian friends. And watch how you mature and live in freedom as God reveals Himself to you.
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