In this series we examine the biblical records of the 12 tribes of Israel, the sons of Jacob, the great grandsons of Abraham.

What do these records matter to you?

What do these records tell you about our God?

Jacob’s sons by Bilhah

Dan 1^st son by Bilhah

Genesis 30:⁴ And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.

^{5And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. 6And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.}

 Jacob’s blessing

Genesis 49:¹⁶ Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. ^{17Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.}

Moses blesses the sons of Jacob- Dan
Deuteronomy 33:¹And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. ^{2And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. 3}Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. ^{4Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. 5And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.}

^{22And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.}

Dan’s position to the tabernacle in the wilderness wandering

Numbers 2:¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ^{2Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.}

²⁵ The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. ^{26And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.}

Promised Land

Judges 1: ³⁴And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley: ³⁵But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries. ³⁶And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.

The children of Dan capture the gods and the priest of Micah

Judges 18:¹ In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.

²⁷And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire. ^{28And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein. 29And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first. 30And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. 31And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.}

Dan not part of the 144,000 sealed at the end of the tribulation

Revelation 7:¹ And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. ^{2And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 4And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. 5Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthali were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 7Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. 8Of the tribe of Zebulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.}

Questions for reflection

1) Do you understand Rachel’s reason for naming Dan?

2) What does Jacob’s blessing mean to you?

3) What does Moses’ blessing mean to you?

4) Why do you suppose God documented these records for you and me?

5) What do you learn about God from these records?

6) What lessons do you take from these records?

7) Why do you suppose none of Dan will be sealed at the end of the tribulation?

Our Focus -Hebrews 12:¹Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.³ For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Our challenge- Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good  plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti