The previous month I wrote an article about the tribe of Ephraim and why they were not included in the 144,000 with the other tribes as mentioned in the book of Revelation chapter 7:4–8.
This month, I would like to research the tribe of Dan. Dan also has been eliminated in Revelation.
If the tribes mentioned are representative of the character traits and challenges that the true followers of God are to face and overcome in order to included in the 144,000, it would be well for us to understand the reason why some would not be there. We want to make sure not to make the same mistakes and find ourselves unable to gain entrance into heaven.
Those specifically who are following the footsteps of the tribe of Dan, would do well to take heed.
Dan and Ephraim had the same opportunities and privileges as had the other tribes. They were raised by the same parents. They went through similar experiences in early life. The journeyed back to Canaan and lived in the same environment as shepherds in Canaan with their brothers, but their course in life was much different.
Regarding the history of Dan we read:
Firstly, Dan was the 5th son of Jacob. He was born to Rachel’s handmaid, Bilhah. “And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.” Genesis 30:5–6
Although it was not according to God’s will for Jacob to have so many wives, Rachel felt that the Lord had heard her bitter cries for a child and now has given her justice in answer to her prayer.
Upon his death bed, when Jacob was pronouncing the blessings to his sons, he made a two-fold pronouncement about Dan. “Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for Thy salvation, O LORD.” Genesis 49:16–18
The Danites were endowed with the keen discernment necessary to be good judges. Judging is a good thing if it is done in a godly manner. Rachel gave an appropriate name for her son to mean judgment.
From the beginning the name of Dan was used in connection with judgment. Samson was from the tribe of Dan and he ruled for 20 years (Judges 13:24–25).
The second part of Jacob’s statement regarding Dan however tells of a very opposite character trait. He says that Dan will be like a serpent in the path that bites the heel of a horse from behind so that the rider falls off backwards. For those who have ridden horses, perhaps at one point in time, the horse got scared and spooked. What happened to the rider? Depending on how wildly the horse reacted through fear, the rider may have fallen off. This is an unexpected event. And so, also when an adder bites the heel of the horse.
This ended up being the true character of Dan. What a contrast between a judge and a serpent that is ready to attack a horse’s heel.
We see a combination of the two in the experiences of Samson. While he was a judge in Israel, he was cunning as a serpent in overthrowing his foes. In this sense, this character trait was a blessing for God’s cause. In the work of the Lord we are told to be as “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16. Serpents truly have been known to be wise, but usually are connected with evil, being stealthy and sly. We are asked to have the wisdom of the serpents, but not their evil. Use the wisdom for good.
In the first promise to Adam and Eve, Satan, taking on the form of a serpent, was prophesied to, one day, bruise the heel of the Son of God (Genesis 3:15).
Had the Danites remained faithful, they would have been a blessing in the nation. However, rather than using this talent for the honour and glory of God, they used their keen discernment to detect evil in others instead of the good and thus they became as serpents. There are people out there who make a religion of looking for evil in others. They go searching for it with stealth, and they study people as if they were under a microscope.
To have your heel bruised or bitten, someone must have come from behind you. It came as an unexpected surprise. You did not see them. And so, when someone does a sly evil deed, they can be labelled as “a snake”. This was the end result of the tribe of Dan. They became like serpents.
In the wilderness, the tribe of Dan was given a great responsibility—an exalted position. “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.” Numbers 2:25
In the building of the sanctuary in the wilderness, the Lord did not choose the Egyptians, even though some of them were very talented. “Among the multitude were Egyptians, who had acted as overseers for such work, and thoroughly understood how it should be done. But the work was not dependent upon them. The Lord united with human agencies, giving them wisdom to work skillfully.
“Skill in the common arts is a gift from God. He provides both the gift and the wisdom to use the gift aright.” –Conflict and Courage, p. 96
“Christ . . . gave to the builders of the tabernacle wisdom to execute the most skillful and beautiful workmanship. He said, ‘See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; . . . . And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee.’ Exodus 31:2–6.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 349
Years later when Solomon built his temple it was a descendent of Dan whom the King of Tyre sent to help with the craftsmanship (2 Chronicles 2:13–14). Why was this descendent of Dan living in a heathen country?
Since these talents remained with the tribe of Dan, living in the far north, they were attracted to the wealthy city of Tyre and intermarried with the people there (1 Kings 7:13–14). “The descendants of these workmen inherited to a large degree the talents conferred on their forefathers. For a time these men of Judah and Dan remained humble and unselfish; but gradually, almost imperceptibly, they lost their hold upon God and their desire to serve Him unselfishly. They asked higher wages for their services, because of their superior skill as workmen in the finer arts. In some instances their request was granted, but more often they found employment in the surrounding nations. In place of the noble spirit of self-sacrifice that had filled the hearts of their illustrious ancestors, they indulged a spirit of covetousness, of grasping for more and more. That their selfish desires might be gratified, they used their God-given skill in the service of heathen kings, and lent their talent to the perfecting of works which were a dishonor to their Maker.” –Prophets and Kings, p. 62–63
People who view themselves as very self-important and lend their talents to the world for personal gain when there is a need in the cause of God, are repeating the sins of Dan.
Regarding his inheritance in Canaan we read:
Dan was one of the larger tribes of Israel (64,400–Numbers 26:42–43) and from the Biblical record, the land they were given was not large enough for them. “The coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them.” Joshua 19:47
Why, one could ask, were they given an inheritance that was not large enough for their tribe?
The reason why it was too little is because the powerful Amorites dwelt there. “And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley.” Judges 1:34
They were not able to occupy their selected territory due to a lack of faith. Had they trusted in God and remained there, the Lord would have given them victory over the Amorites. Rather than stay in their allotted inheritance and trust the Lord to help them drive out the
Amorites, they took matters in their own hands. They decided to move north (Judges 18:1–31). Their original inheritance was in the central region on the western side, by the Mediterranean Sea. In the process of moving north the Danites stole Micah’s idols (Judges 18:14–19) and Micah’s priest agreed to be the priest for the Danites (Judges 18:18–20, 27). “Therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.” Joshua 19:47
Thus they went out from the original plan of God as to where they were supposed to dwell. The intention was for them to conquer the Amorites and extend their boundaries to the sea; however, they went their own way. They did not like the land that the Lord gave them for an inheritance.
Has the Lord laid out a plan for your life? Are you satisfied with that plan or do you want to change or “improve” on that plan?
This city of Dan became the northernmost city in the nation of Israel and you often can read “from Dan to Beersheba” quoted in the Bible, which would include the entire expanse of the nation. Jeroboam, first king of the northern kingdom of Israel, set up two golden calves for worship, one at each end of the nation, one in Beersheba and one in Dan.
The tribe of Dan rejected their God and was one of the first tribes to give over to idolatry (Judges 18:30).
Backbiting—Evil speaking
Dan represents the back biter because the serpent attacks the heel of the horse (back stabbing). What better way can evil speaking be described than how Jacob described it here. It bites the heel so that the rider falls off backwards.
“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” James 3:6-8
Words are very powerful. Words have divided families and friends. Words have started wars. Inappropriate words can keep you out of heaven. “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Matthew 12:37
“Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off:” Psalm 101:5. This is serious. You slander your neighbour and the Lord cuts you off.
“Who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? He that backbiteth not with his tongue.” Psalm 15:1, 3
In the nation of Israel there was a young man whose mother was from the tribe of Dan and his father an Egyptian, and therefore his family had to dwell outside the camp. He finally got fed up and decided to do as he wanted and pitch his tent within the camp (Leviticus 24:10–11).
He “left his own part of the camp, and entering that of the Israelites, claimed the right to pitch his tent there. This the divine law forbade him to do, the descendants of an Egyptian being excluded from the congregation until the third generation. A dispute arose between him and an Israelite, and the matter being referred to the judges was decided against the offender.
“Enraged at this decision, he cursed the judge, and in the heat of passion blasphemed the name of God. He was immediately brought before Moses.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 407
And what was his punishment?
“And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be showed them. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.” Leviticus 24:12–14
This man decided to rebel against the expressed command of God, and when called into account, rather than repenting, he cursed God.
Have you ever spoken a word unadvisedly in the heat of the moment and said something you should not have said? Have you ever slandered anyone? Family, friends, teachers, fellow-students, employers, church leaders, anyone with whom you disagree with? Have you spoken evil behind someone’s back? Backstabbed anyone?
“Evil-speaking is a two-fold curse, falling more heavily upon the speaker than upon the hearer. He who scatters the seeds of dissension and strife, reaps in his own soul the deadly fruits. How miserable is the tale-bearer, the surmiser of evil! He is a stranger to true happiness.” –The Signs of the times, February 8, 1883
Is there hope of forgiveness? All sin that is repented of can be forgiven. Sin that cannot be forgiven is the sin against the Holy Spirit. The sin against the Holy Spirit is a refusal to repent.
“What constitutes the sin against the Holy Ghost? It is willfully attributing to Satan the work of the Holy Spirit. For example, suppose that one is a witness of the special work of the Spirit of God. He has convincing evidence that the work is in harmony with the Scriptures, and the Spirit witnesses with his spirit that it is of God. Afterward, however, he falls under temptation; pride, self-sufficiency, or some other evil trait, controls him; and rejecting all the evidence of its divine character, he declares that that which he had before acknowledged to be the power of the Holy Spirit was the power of Satan. It is through the medium of His Spirit that God works upon the human heart; and when men willfully reject the Spirit and declare it to be from Satan, they cut off the channel by which God can communicate with them. By denying the evidence which God has been pleased to give them, they shut out the light which had been shining in their hearts, and as the result they are left in darkness.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 634
When someone brings you reproof, accept it immediately and repent. Do not make any excuses.
After the time of David, Dan is mostly referred to as the city in the far north and not referred to the tribe. Sadly, they departed far from the Lord and dwelt among the heathen. And thus you do not find Dan mentioned with the 144,000.
Although all the tribes of Israel made their mistakes, most overcame. The Ephraimites and Danites did not choose to change their course of action. This was their downfall. Sins of idolatry and evil-speaking are very difficult to overcome, but not impossible.
We need to have an experience like Isaiah. “Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” Isaiah 6:6–7
Then when the Lord asks us “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” We can answer, “Here am I; send me.” Isaiah 6:8
And also like Jeremiah, “Then the LORD put forth His hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth.” Jeremiah 1:9
The sin of idolatry is a very deep-rooted sin and very difficult to give up. There are so many things that can be included in this beyond just material objects. They can be pride, self-importance, pride of one’s own opinion, love of ease and pleasure, and so on. Anything that detracts us from the service of God. Anything that we waste our time with and thus have less time for devotions and doing the work of the Lord. Even working for the Lord can be an idol if one works many hours and does not have time for personal devotions or they work to be seen of men.
Idolatry begins in the heart and only the guilty person may be aware that it exists. Perhaps you may not know and should pray the prayer of David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23. The answer may not come directly from the Lord, but it may come from another person. Whatever the source, we must accept the reproofs given.
Backbiting and evil speaking also begin in the heart. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” Matthew 12:34
Again, we should pray like David, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
Each person is the architect of their own character.
The last mention of Dan is found in Amos 8:14.“They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.” The gods of Dan will perish one day and never rise again.
It would do well with us to guard carefully our words and our thoughts and claim the Lord’s promise when He says, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them.” Ezekiel 36:26
A new heart of flesh will only speak the words of Jesus; only do His deeds and “mortify the deeds of the body.” Romans 8:13. In other words, put to death anything that is unChristlike in our words, our thoughts, our actions, and our motives. It can be done, with the help of the Lord. We will then be ready to meet Jesus when He comes again in the clouds of glory.
Wendy Eaton