05-25-2018, 06:37 AM
Wrap this into your reading of Old Testament History: Ephraim's tribal leaders were often frightfully arrogant, always seeking to dominate decision-making in the nation of Israel. They were a primary source of discontent and internal rivalry.
They came by it honestly. Consider: Who was Jacob's favorite son? Who had visions of saving the whole family and them bowing down to him? And who eventually did save the household from famine by bringing them down to Egypt? Who became the viceroy of Egypt and locked in for Pharaoh his feudal power over the ancient Egyptian nobles? Joseph.
Joseph wasn't particularly arrogant, but his job required him to act in an overbearing manner in public. He was most certainly very self-assured because of his faith. He had two sons in Egypt and Jacob was able to bless them and to promote them forward as his own heirs, making them fathers of their own tribes. And in the process, he promoted Ephraim over the elder Manasseh. Try to imagine how all of this would impact Ephraim as a boy, and later as a man. His father was viceroy of Egypt and savior of Israel's household. Ambition was built into situation.
Granted, during the Exodus and Wandering, Reuben was a major problem. This was related to the fact Reuben was the first born son who lost his ranking. He slept with his father's concubine at some point. It took a while for the tribe to absorb their loss of stature. And we bear in mind that Jacob also said that Simeon and Levi, as the next two in line for primogeniture, both committed a crime back in Canaan Land that could have gotten the whole family killed -- they murdered a whole city through trickery. This put every pagan nation in Palestine on edge about Jacob's household. It's a good thing they moved to Egypt for a few centuries.
Once we get past all of that and into the Conquest, right away Ephraim starts making trouble. Joshua was an Ephraimite, but a rare humble one. Still, his leadership elevated his tribe's political stature. During the period of Judges, Ephraim remained pretty pushy. And who was the first king of Israel? Saul was an Ephraimite. He wasn't so much chosen by God as it was that God tolerated Saul's election by the nation. Saul was a nobleman and stood physically head and shoulders above most everyone else. This, when the biggest need of Israel was a warlord, not an actual "king."
But the prophecy said Judah was the royal tribe, and eventually things had to be corrected. The Tribe of Ephraim resented their loss of stature yet again. Consider that well before they even had a king, the Ephraimites and the rest of the northern tribes had already developed a somewhat different culture. Their pronunciation of words had drifted away from that of the southerners. Look up "shibboleth." That symbolizes a cultural drift that saw the northern tribes so quickly and easily drift into idolatry, far more so than in the south.
When David rose to become king, Ephraim led the northern tribes in delaying by seven years their acceptance of him as king. When Rehoboam acted a fool and provoked the nobles of the tribes, it was Ephraim that led the revolt. What you need to understand here is that we should be surprised at how long it took. All of the tribes engaged in some manner of rivalry, but Ephraim led the way in being the biggest headache of anyone trying to rally the nation for anything at all.
They came by it honestly. Consider: Who was Jacob's favorite son? Who had visions of saving the whole family and them bowing down to him? And who eventually did save the household from famine by bringing them down to Egypt? Who became the viceroy of Egypt and locked in for Pharaoh his feudal power over the ancient Egyptian nobles? Joseph.
Joseph wasn't particularly arrogant, but his job required him to act in an overbearing manner in public. He was most certainly very self-assured because of his faith. He had two sons in Egypt and Jacob was able to bless them and to promote them forward as his own heirs, making them fathers of their own tribes. And in the process, he promoted Ephraim over the elder Manasseh. Try to imagine how all of this would impact Ephraim as a boy, and later as a man. His father was viceroy of Egypt and savior of Israel's household. Ambition was built into situation.
Granted, during the Exodus and Wandering, Reuben was a major problem. This was related to the fact Reuben was the first born son who lost his ranking. He slept with his father's concubine at some point. It took a while for the tribe to absorb their loss of stature. And we bear in mind that Jacob also said that Simeon and Levi, as the next two in line for primogeniture, both committed a crime back in Canaan Land that could have gotten the whole family killed -- they murdered a whole city through trickery. This put every pagan nation in Palestine on edge about Jacob's household. It's a good thing they moved to Egypt for a few centuries.
Once we get past all of that and into the Conquest, right away Ephraim starts making trouble. Joshua was an Ephraimite, but a rare humble one. Still, his leadership elevated his tribe's political stature. During the period of Judges, Ephraim remained pretty pushy. And who was the first king of Israel? Saul was an Ephraimite. He wasn't so much chosen by God as it was that God tolerated Saul's election by the nation. Saul was a nobleman and stood physically head and shoulders above most everyone else. This, when the biggest need of Israel was a warlord, not an actual "king."
But the prophecy said Judah was the royal tribe, and eventually things had to be corrected. The Tribe of Ephraim resented their loss of stature yet again. Consider that well before they even had a king, the Ephraimites and the rest of the northern tribes had already developed a somewhat different culture. Their pronunciation of words had drifted away from that of the southerners. Look up "shibboleth." That symbolizes a cultural drift that saw the northern tribes so quickly and easily drift into idolatry, far more so than in the south.
When David rose to become king, Ephraim led the northern tribes in delaying by seven years their acceptance of him as king. When Rehoboam acted a fool and provoked the nobles of the tribes, it was Ephraim that led the revolt. What you need to understand here is that we should be surprised at how long it took. All of the tribes engaged in some manner of rivalry, but Ephraim led the way in being the biggest headache of anyone trying to rally the nation for anything at all.