“The oldest son of Israel was Reuben. But since he dishonored his father by sleeping with one of his father’s concubines, his birthright was given to the sons of his brother Joseph. For this reason, Reuben is not listed in the genealogical records as the firstborn son. The descendants of Judah became the most powerful tribe and provided a ruler for the nation, but the birthright belonged to Joseph.”
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1 Chronicles‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT

God has a way of righting injustices. Sometimes it may take many years to do so. This is because he looks at the larger scope and operation of creation, not as a series of singular events, but as one large narrative with different interconnected parts. For this reason, every action is either the cause or the effect, but it is never alone in its context. Here we see such tight storytelling play out. There are two basic elements of earlier injustices being sorted out. The first is that Reuben’s sin meant that he would be completely disqualified from a continuing legacy. Poetic because the sin had the opposite intent. Interestingly, his birthright was also given to Joseph’s offspring. Given that Reuben actually tried to save him, it is possible that a statement was being made that he should have done so. This would be a bittersweet outcome for Reuben as his birthright passes onto Joseph despite the fact that he actually couldn’t save him. At least , in this way, he saved Joseph in the end, in a matter of speaking. Interestingly, we also see that Judah ends up becoming the seat of kings. This would also make sense as Simeon and Levi were equally judged for their slaughter at Shechem. This is of course relevant because Christ would be born from Judah but not from Reuben, Simeon or Levi’s line. Effectively, in God’s narrative, everything is eventually accounted for.

Divine Justice: God addresses injustices over time, viewing events as part of a larger narrative.

Reuben’s Fate: Reuben’s sin led to the loss of his birthright, ironically given to Joseph’s descendants, highlighting the consequences of his actions.

Judah’s Ascendancy: Judah’s lineage became the seat of kings, significant as the lineage of Christ, emphasizing God’s ultimate plan.