Scripture - I Chronicles 4:30 - "The men listed above by name were leaders of their clans. Their families increased greatly."


Observation - On the face of it the tribe of Simeon seems like an unfortunate group. Smaller than most of the others, even their inherited land was a hand-me-down from Judah. They were given a few cities in the midst of Judah and could have lived quiet lives there under the care of others. But Chronicles tells us there were leaders in the clans of Simeon. In fact their names are listed. And due to the leadership of these men, "their families increased greatly." So what were the qualities of leadership given to these men?

First, they had a larger vision and pressed the boundaries of what they had inherited. "They went to the outskirts of Gedor in search of pastures for their flocks." They were not content to live off of the charity of others. Instead they went in search of the future God had for them.
Second, they fought to overcome the obstacles in their way. Hamites dwelt in the new land. It would have been easy for the Simeonites to give up and go home. But instead of shrinking in the face of obstacles, they battles their way to victory.

Finally, they cleaned up the mess others had left behind. There were still Amalekites living in the land (who should have been destroyed years before by others!!!) Instead of seeing that unfinished business as someone else's problem - since obviously by this point they could have ignored the Amalekites - they finished the business at hand.
The result of the leadership was good, peaceful, prosperous land for the little clan of the Simeonites, and a perpetual place for them and their families to prosper.

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