Versatile Psalmist 122.0

The Twelve Tribes

O give thanks to the Lord God almighty, for He is good

Bless all of Israel in your heart and your neighborhood,

As you do to them, so shall it be written down by scribes

To give aid to a stranger is to bless one of twelve tribes.

There is Naphtali, who was the youngest of two at birth

Conquered by Assyria and assimilated all over the Earth,

They will be reunited when the King sets up His throne

He rules these lost sheep and calls them one of His own.

There is Reuben, the oldest by birth to Leah, his first wife

He sold his brother into slavery, was haunted all of his life,

Do you place conditions on others that keep them in place?

Break the cycle and the shackles, rejoining the human race.

There is Simeon, the next born of Leah, and the wife veiled

Jacob tried to marry Rachel and in his first attempt failed,

Do you wear a veil over your face as a ruse and a disguise?

Does the shroud of sin sear your sight and darken your eyes?

There is Issachar, another born of Leah and the tribe was lost

The Lion of the tribe of Judah will find them and paid the cost,

In either this life or in the next, those born of Christ will renew

What was stolen from them will be paid back as a factor of two.

There is now Benjamin, who was born of Rachel and loved by all

He became assimilated into Judah, his brother just down the hall,

When all is sorted in Heaven with your new name and are within

You may be surprised to find you are from the tribe of Benjamin.

There is the tribe of Dan, the Lord’s strength poured into a hero

Samson is his name; of obedience, he was found to possess zero,

How many of you are bound by the pursuit of a carnal pleasure?

Flee from Delilah, lest you desire to fall into sin beyond measure.

There is now Zebulun, another wife of Leah, who seems forgotten

Do you endeavor to have a relationship with God’s only begotten?

If you ever feel lost and obscure, more like a citizen of second rate

Remember that Zebulun will be restored, having its very own gate.

There is Manasseh, a grandson of Jacob, via Joseph and a dream

He was an ancestor of Gideon, a judge and much more it seems,

A shofar was blown and in the midst of the confusion in the night

The enemy panicked and the Lord’s instructions put them to flight.

There is now Levi, a tribe tasked with being facilitators of the law

They were meant to be a blessing to all of Israel, without a flaw,

As is the nature of fallen mankind, lawyers today seek out power

Devising numerous ways in court to conquer, divide and devour.

There is Asher, a tribe that to this day is a point of contention

Lacking is the oil of gladness within prosperity and convention,

If your barns overflow, are you motivated to give to the needy?

Or build bigger barns as a means of idleness and being greedy?

There is Ephraim, another of the twelve via their father, Joseph

A diviner of dreams, the favor of the Lord went where he goeth,

Ephraim rebelled after King David, trying to form a kingdom apart

Do you rebel against the Lord of Hosts and thus break His heart?

There is Gad, a tribe of whom not much is written down or known

But in the end of time, all the deeds will be recorded and shown,

Does the lack of acclaim from the world system create an error?

Will you reject the Lord, thus being left to the beast and the terror?

Finally, there is Judah, the name that most assign to all of Israel

From Judah, will arise the Messiah, on whom the sins of all fell,

The Cornerstone that designers of men rejected in their pride

In the end, all knees will bow; His will for mankind not denied.

If you are counting, this numbers thirteen, one more than twelve

Let us more deeply into this numerical enigma more deeply delve,

Joseph had two prominent sons, so one tribe has now become two

In the end, the King will sort things out and decide just who is who.

As I finish these poetic verses, I leave you with this point to ponder

When you see your brother in need, you will be a first responder?

Are you ready to take your place in His kingdom with a new name?

Live a life a holy and blameless; your future will never be the same.

Written by Gary Cox 01/10/2021...to God be the glory