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In this leadership series, I’ll explore what we can learn from the life of Moses about leadership. We’ll spend our time in the book of Exodus. Let’s start by reading Exodus 1.1-7:
These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt. Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
Exodus starts with the genealogy of Israel as a bridge to connect the book of Genesis with the book of Exodus. There are a couple of interesting items to note. But to understand this, we need to compare our Exodus passage with two passages in Genesis. Let’s first look at Genesis 35.21-23:
Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. Jacob had twelve sons: The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun (ESV)
Compare this to Genesis 46.8:
Now these are the names of the descendants of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons. Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn (ESV)
Reuben Loses 1st Born Status
Reuben is not noted as the “first born” in Exodus because he usurped Jacobs place and slept with Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid, Genesis 35.21. This is significant. Even though his name is listed, he is not noted as the firstborn. (Note that Absalom did the same thing with David’s concubine in 2 Samuel 16.21 – and eventually lost his life as a result.) Reuben forfeited his rightful position by usurping Jacob’s authority. This illustrates that a position of leadership given to us by God can be forfeited through our sin. God gave Reuben his position of leadership through birth and Reuben lost it through his own, willful sin.
Simeon and Levi Commit Mass Murder
Along with the 12 sons of Jacob, they also had one sister, Dinah. Here is the story of Dinah’s rape and the subsequent mass murder, from Genesis 34.1-21:
Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my wife.” Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah. But his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came. And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. The sons of Jacob had come in from the field as soon as they heard of it, and the men were indignant and very angry, because he had done an outrageous thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing must not be done. But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife. Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. You shall dwell with us, and the land shall be open to you. Dwell and trade in it, and get property in it.” Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. Ask me for as great a bride-price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you say to me. Only give me the young woman to be my wife.” The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. Only on this condition will we agree with you—that you will become as we are by every male among you being circumcised.Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will dwell with you and become one people. But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone.” Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem. And the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his father’s house. So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, “These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become one people—when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. Will not their livestock, their property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us.” And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city. On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males. They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and went away. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. All their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and plundered. Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.” But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?” (ESV)
Dina was was raped by Shechem – who then goes to Jacob and her brothers to ask for her in marriage. The brothers are furious because their sister was violated. So they act deceitfully toward Shechem and Hamor, requiring all the men to be circumcised.
Simeon and Levi – while the men were “sore” – killed all the men. They commit mass murder. They also looted the entire city, taking all the flocks and herds, women and children, all their wealth. The hatred which must have existed in their hearts must have been burning within them. They left no room for God’s vengeance (Romans 12.19). Their murder started in their hearts (Matthew 5.21-26).
So Simeon and Levi – the 2nd and 3rd born, forfeit their leadership roles which would have defaulted first to Simeon and then to Levi because of their grievous sin. Once again, God removes them from leadership because of their sin. However, God uses Levi’s line to be set apart and become His priests for Israel.
Judah and Levi
Therefore, pragmatically, Judah becomes the 1st Born. It is through the line of Judah which Israel’s kings will come, including David and Christ. It is through the line of Levi which Israel’s priests and religious leaders will come – Moses, Samuel and others. They did not sin in the ways their older brothers did, so God anointed them for leadership and the line of Christ flowed through Judah.
Leadership Lessons
First, God may give you position and standing without you asking for it, but you can forfeit that position and standing by sinning against Him.
Secondly, even though you may sin greatly, God can still use you to further His kingdom as He did with Levi and His line. God can and does redeem some to leadership positions even though their past has significant sin in it. This means that your pedigree will determine less how God calls you to service than your willingness to follow God in the present and the future.
Summary
In this post, we have derived two core leadership lessons from the first seven verses of Exodus by comparing this passage with two passage in Genesis. These two lessons are:
- God may give you a position of leadership through no effort or desire on your own. You can forfeit His calling through your own sin
- Yet, in spirt of your sin, your pedigree will determine less how God calls you to service in the future than your willingness to follow God
Bill English, Publisher
Bible and Business
