The Tribes and Us: Simeon and Anger

[Genesis 49 is the record of Jacob’s prophecies about his sons and Deuteronomy 33 is Moses’ blessings to each of the tribes those sons engendered.  This is an exploration of these passages and others about the tribes of Israel and what we can learn from them for us today.]

Genesis 49:5–7

[5] “Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.  [6] Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company.  For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.  [7] 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. (ESV)

“C’mon, dad, couldn’t I get my own personal blessing?  Why do I have to be lumped in with Levi?”  That could have been on the mind, if not the lips, of Simeon.  As his father Jacob/Israel gave his prophetic utterance concerning each of his sons (“Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come,” Genesis 49:1) Simeon seemed to come up short.  Dad focused on his past as a portal to his future.

You see, Simeon and Levi were at the forefront of avenging their sister Dinah after she was raped by the prince of the land, Shechem.  Simeon might complain that his father was going to do nothing to cover his sister’s humiliation.  Shechem said he loved her (he had a funny way of showing it) and was willing to marry her and Jacob was willing to accept that and make peace with a potential enemy.  But Simeon and Levi told Shechem that they couldn’t give their sister to someone uncircumcised.  Only if all the men of the city were to be circumcised could such a union be established, and Shechem and all the men had the procedure done at once.  Then, as they were sick and in pain, Simeon and Levi attacked them and slew every man, then plundered their city.  Fun guys!

It is this anger that has Jacob concerned.  He wants to dissociate himself from his son’s anger and angry actions.  His prediction as to how this will be accomplished is their division within Jacob, their scattering among the people.  How did that work out?  Levi was given no land in Israel, only some cities, because their task was to care for the ministry of the Tabernacle and all the ritual, festivals and cultus associated with God’s dwelling.  This limited their ability to foment political action.  Simeon, on the other hand, got land given to them after conquering Canaan but it was curiously enfolded within Judah’s properties.  They were landlocked.

Unrestrained anger.  It needs restraint.  Anger must always be guided by wisdom.  Simeon had to learn this.  We all need to learn this.  Admittedly, some of us are not angry enough.  Simeon was angry because Simeon cared.  He cared for his sister and he cared for the honor of his family.  Some people don’t care enough.  But if you let your care and anger move you to impulsive and unwise decisions, your care and anger won’t produce anything but destruction.  And you may be caring about the wrong things.

Proverbs says,

A man of great wrath will pay the penalty, for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again. (Proverbs 19:19, ESV)

Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. (Proverbs 22:24–25, ESV)

A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression. (Proverbs 29:22,ESV)

Sometimes, maybe most of the time, our anger comes from caring about how we are perceived by others.  Yes, of course, we all want to be viewed as special and wonderful and valuable to those around us.  But we can’t care for that more than we care for those around us.  And we need to care more about what God wants than what we want, because He always cares most for us, more than we do for ourselves.  So the beginning of anger management must be self-management.  How do we need to see ourselves in light of God and who we are to Him?

And then, when our anger is spawned by caring for the right things, we need to use that anger wisely, like Jesus did at the temple.  He turned over tables in a display of concern for the holiness of the God of the temple.  He didn’t hit anyone, put any one down, certainly did not kill anyone.  His anger was constructive, not destructive.

Did Simeon ever learn this?  We don’t know.  Have you learned it?