The Unchosen Tribe of Israel

Ps 78:67-68

Is history ever an objective account of what happened? We’re increasingly aware of agendas and perspectives that define data or fake fiction as fact. Who gets to shape what’s recorded and which narratives survive?   

The more we live through these turbulent digital times, aware of different media channels and the echo chambers that determine what’s real for millions of viewers - the more we know that objectivity is almost nonexistent. Behind every story is a storyteller with something to show and something to hide. The Bible is no exception, and today’s chapter of the psalms is a stunning sample of politics at play - one tribe depicted as savior while the other is the enemy of the people. But what’s the real story hiding here? 

Psalm 78 opens with a call to listen to the storyteller- this is a chapter with pedagogical purpose of transmission of key values - what the national narrative contains, with highlights of the people’s shared heritage, but then goes into the warning — who are the good guys to listen to - and who we should watch out for.  It starts off with the general gist of the Exodus story, and then veers towards the takeover of the promised land. 

And just in case it’s not obvious  that the glory belongs to Judah in the south and the Royal House of David, and not to Israel and the tribes of Joseph in the northern Kingdom — this chapter lays it out loud and clear: 

וַיְגָ֤רֶשׁ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֨ם ׀ גּוֹיִ֗ם וַֽ֭יַּפִּילֵם בְּחֶ֣בֶל נַחֲלָ֑ה וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֥ן בְּ֝אׇהֳלֵיהֶ֗ם שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ וַיְנַסּ֣וּ וַ֭יַּמְרוּ אֶת־אֱלֹהִ֣ים עֶלְי֑וֹן וְ֝עֵדוֹתָ֗יו לֹ֣א שָׁמָֽרוּ׃ שָׁמַ֣ע אֱ֭לֹהִים וַֽיִּתְעַבָּ֑ר וַיִּמְאַ֥ס מְ֝אֹ֗ד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ וַ֭יִּטֹּשׁ מִשְׁכַּ֣ן שִׁל֑וֹ אֹ֝֗הֶל שִׁכֵּ֥ן בָּֽאָדָֽם׃ וַ֭יִּמְאַס בְּאֹ֣הֶל יוֹסֵ֑ף וּֽבְשֵׁ֥בֶט אֶ֝פְרַ֗יִם לֹ֣א בָחָֽר׃ וַ֭יִּבְחַר אֶת־שֵׁ֣בֶט יְהוּדָ֑ה אֶֽת־הַ֥ר צִ֝יּ֗וֹן אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָהֵֽב׃

YHWH expelled nations before them,

settled the tribes of Israel in their tents,

allotting them their portion by the line.

Yet they defiantly tested God Most High,

and did not observe divine decrees.

YHWH heard it and was enraged—

utterly rejecting Israel.

YHWH forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,

the tent that had been set among mortals.

YHWH rejected the clan of Joseph

and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.

YHWH did choose the tribe of Judah—

Mount Zion, which was beloved—

Ps 78:67-68

Whoever wrote Psalm 78 - of the Asaph line of Davidic aligned authors, likely had an ax to grind here: The Northern Kingdom of Israel, ruled by the sons of Joseph, with its temple in Shiloh for hundreds of years - is not the legitimate choice. Rather - it’s the Judean terrain, with Zion-Jerusalem as the priority temple choice, and the House of David is the only valid option. 

This is intentional historical rewriting of a complex reality in which two kingdoms existed over centuries, each staking their claim to the national narrative. The Judean authors not only minimize the role of the northern tribes but vilify them. It’s unclear when this psalm was written - maybe during the decades between the destruction of the northern kingdom and the southern one, and its purpose is the warning to Judea not to follow the fate of its northern neighbor. And perhaps it’s even earlier, with its goal to insist the only the Judean/southern lore is legitimate. Over time - that perspective won - the narrative we know is that of the House of David as the keeper of tradition and the guardian of the legacy. 

But we who know more of our history today are wiser and can trace the troubling choices of pitting one part of the nation against each other, for territorial and power gains.  While the psalm begins by focusing on the shared path of the Exodus, it then continues to depict the northern tribes as enemies of the collective spirit of Israel. 

Ezra Butler notes that 

“This is how propaganda works.

By retelling a version of the biblical Exodus, a story known well to each and every child, the storyteller is able to prime his readers to trust everything he then says. A child would leave with the understanding that the priests were evil and that David was pure, and it was the will of God that David was king, and that the Temple was in Judah.”

We who are wide awake to the dangers of propaganda, of so called national narratives that downplay diversity and prioritize one place or perspective over others can be suspicious of what’s going on in this psalm. 

Whoever wrote it, and whatever its agenda, we can talk back to the text and know that David, like so many other rulers was no saint and not the only one chosen for leadership, and that our history, and our future, will flourish when multiple narratives and voices are celebrated, equally sacred, worthy and legitimate. 

Sorry Asaph — we’ll take it from here, with respect to how we got here and with whatever it takes to celebrate a more nuanced and complex telling of our stories, with less clear good and bad guys and with commitment to the storytelling of solidarity that transcends the tribal and celebrates all of our lives. 

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