Sad Declension and Division

Narrator: Chris Genthree
Duration: 1min
 •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 9
In Numbers chapter 32 we see how cattle-minded the two and a half tribes were, when God let them have their own way, and were even allowed to capture many thousands more of cattle, camels, sheep, asses and men from their enemies; but because they transgressed against God they were the first to be carried away captive to Assyria (Deut. 3:77But all the cattle, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves. (Deuteronomy 3:7); 1 Chron. 5:18-2618The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war. 19And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab. 20And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was entreated of them; because they put their trust in him. 21And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand. 22For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity. 23And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baal-hermon and Senir, and unto mount Hermon. 24And these were the heads of the house of their fathers, even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of the house of their fathers. 25And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them. 26And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day. (1 Chronicles 5:18‑26); B.C. 1056). How stupid we may be to give the first place to self, business, prosperity and luxury.
It was due to unfaithfulness that God had to rend ten tribes from Solomon's kingdom (B. C. 975), and they in turn soon merited being "carried away out of their own land to Assyria," (2 Kings 17:2323Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day. (2 Kings 17:23); B.C. 721).