Alrighty, so yesterday, we talked about how, after Solomon passed away, Israel split into two kingdoms due to long-standing tribal rivalries that had been around since the days of Exodus.
The southern kingdom ruled by Rehoboam was called Judah.
And the northern kingdom ruled by Jeroboam was first called Israel.
But after a few decades, the northern kingdom also became known as “Ephraim” because the tribe of Ephraim became the dominant tribe in the north.
This is an important Bible truth to remember because the names Israel and Ephraim often refer to the same northern kingdom.
Knowing this will make the rest of the Old Testament and Bible prophecy a helluva lot easier to understand.
So let’s pick it up from there by fast-forwarding to the 5th year of Rehoboam’s reign.
Remember, he was the King of southern Judah.
In the 5th year of his reign, Shishak, the Pharaoh of Egypt, suddenly showed up with his army and utterly ransacked the Temple.
They stole gold and silver bowls, tools, furniture, and all the shiny items sitting in the Temple and its storage rooms.
Interestingly, Shishak probably didn’t view himself as a robber.
In his mind, he was just taking back what Egypt was owed.
Recall what happened during the Exodus.
The Egyptians handed over all of their gold and silver to the Hebrews right before they fled.
So from Pharaoh’s perspective, this was payback time, not a heist.
Either way, this was the first major attack Solomon’s Temple suffered.
Now, up in the north, a totally different tragic scene was unfolding.
Jeroboam, the northern King of Israel, decided to ignore the Temple in Jerusalem altogether.
What did the homie decide to do instead?
He erected two of his own worship centers.
One in the tribal territory of Dan for the homies living in the north, and one in the south for the folks residing there.
What happened at these worship centers was sickening.
At the worship center in Dan, calf worship was adopted!
I haven’t personally been to that area.
But from what I’ve heard from those who’ve been there, there’s pretty clear evidence of abominable worship practices.
The 10 northern tribes added Ba’al and animals to their worship practices.
There’s also strong evidence that human sacrifice occurred.
You can even find the remains of a square, horned altar there, patterned after the one in the Temple.
So what takeaway can we extract from all of this?
There’s a lesson here based on what happened with the tribe of Dan.
In chapter 7 in the Book of Revelation, God seals 144,000 people from the tribes of Israel.
Every tribe gets called by name.
Except for one.
Guess who gets excluded?
Yup.
It’s the tribe of Dan.
These homies are nowhere to be found.
The tribe straight up vanishes from the list.
Now, the Bible never tells us exactly why.
But think about what I just covered.
Dan’s territory had been an idol factory for centuries.
It started all the way back in Judges, when the Danites stole an idol and hired their own fake priest.
Jeroboam just made it official by erecting his own ridiculous golden calf in their territory.
From there, Ba’al worship, animal worship, and the abomination of human sacrifice followed.
All of this happening right there in Dan’s backyard.
The lesson here is clear.
If you sin against the Lord…
You will be REMOVED.
Even if you’re one of the original tribes of Israel.
Dan lost their name and standing due to their compromise with idolatry.
However, the story doesn’t end there.
Dan wasn’t erased forever.
God’s grace still prevailed.
Check out this passage from the Book of Ezekiel:
“Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan.“-Ezekiel 48:1
So we see when God laid out the restored land, Dan wasn’t just included.
They are listed first and got the northernmost allotment!
The very next verse moves on to Asher, then the list works its way south through all twelve tribes.
But wait, we ain’t done.
Check out this verse:
“On the east side,
which is 4,500 cubits long,
will be three gates:
the gate of Joseph,
the gate of Benjamin
and the gate of Dan.”
-Ezekiel 48:32
Holy kosher roast turkey with a healthy heap of cranberry sauce piled on top of it!
When the gates of the new city are named after the tribes, Dan gets one of the northern gates!
So Dan shows up twice in the restoration picture!
They get a land portion.
And their own city gate!
Now I get that Ezekiel’s vision comes chronologically before Revelation was written.
But who gives two hooties, homie?!
The events it describes (the restored land, the millennial temple) are understood as future.
So the order of events is as follows:
Dan sins for centuries.
Dan gets left off the Revelation 7 list.
But then…
Dan is waiting in the restoration when God redraws the map.
What does this mean for us?
The little idols you tolerate today can cost you your seat at the table tomorrow.
But even then…
If you repent…
And honestly seek to depart from your wicked ways…
God’s mercy will get the last word.
Ya feel me?
Done.
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