Reuben, was the firstborn son of Jacob. His name means “see it’s a son”; read Genesis 29:32, “And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.” The tribe of Reuben, was included in the migration of the “Ten Tribes of Israel” to the Americas in during the Persian captivity in 536 B.C.

Genesis 49: 1 “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.” The last days occur from the days of Christ till today. Read Hebrews 1:2.

Genesis 49:3 – “Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power.”

” My might, and the beginning of my strength…” Jacob, was letting Reuben know that being the firstborn was a blessing because all the strength, power and wealth that a man had would be given to his firstborn according to tradition.

Verse 3 continues – “…the excellency of dignity…”
Now Jacob is speaking of a characteristic of the tribe of Reuben. Dignity means nobility of character and respectful. When we examine the Seminole Indians, they possessed this quality of nobility in their dress code. 1They wore mitres unlike the war bonnets of their brothers the North American Indians, and garments of excellent design. The mitre, was to be worn by the priests of the Nation of Israel, who were held in high esteem because they were chosen to do the service of the Most High. Reuben, was indeed noble and honorable also in their pride for their nation. 2When the so called white man got the five civilized Indian nations to participate in the enslavement of the 3Negroes (from niger meaning black) the Seminole Indians (Reuben) was the only tribe to resist these demands. Instead of enslaving their brothers they made them leaders and gave their daughters to them in marriage. Many runaway slaves found safety among the Seminoles of Florida. The Seminoles, also participated in slave revolts in which they fought alongside their brothers. So Reuben, was the excellency of dignity.

Verse 3 continues – “…and the excellency of power…”
The “excellency of power” means Reuben was a powerful tribe. Ponce De Leon, found out about this power. He was killed by a poisoned dart in a battle against the Calusas (Seminoles). The so called white man could not bend Reuben, because of their honor and pride, which lead to brutal warfare. Many wars were fought and many lives lost but because of their dignity the Seminoles never willingly signed a peace treaty with the so called white man. They were tricked into signing one treaty, which they themselves broke. In the 5records of the white-man it is written that the Seminoles were the worst enemy they had encountered out of all the Natives because of their power and their strict belief in honor. Which shows that Reuben was, the excellency of power.

Genesis 49:4 – “Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defilest thou it; he went up to my couch.”

Reuben, was “unstable as water” because they were always moving around. During the years of the invasion of the Spaniards, the Seminoles were known to be a 6nomadic tribe traveling to Indian coastal towns in the Florida Keys, the Bahamas and the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico. That’s why the so called white man called them Seminoles, meaning “runaway”. It was because of this un-stability that they ended up in Florida, originally being in the mountains of Quito, in South America.

Verse 4 continues – “…thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defilest thou it; he went up to my couch.”

Reuben, was not going to excel as far as getting the birthright because he slept with Jacob’s concubine read; Genesis 35:22 and I Chronicles 5:1.

Genesis 35:22 – “And it came to pass that when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it…”

I Chronicles 5:1 – “Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright…)

So because of the sin of Reuben, he did not excel and his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh).

Deuteronomy 33:6 – “Let Reuben live and not die; and let not his men be few.”
Reuben’s honor lead them to many wars with the so called white man and massacres of their fellow tribesman. The main enemy of the Seminoles, was 7Andrew Jackson, he ignored the supreme court ruling that the Indians could remain in their land until the United States needed it. He led in the “Indian Removal Campaign” which was to be enforced by the gun. That’s why the Most High said; “let Reuben live and not die” because even though the Seminoles were being slaughtered, they would not utterly be destroyed and their men would not be few.

The following is what happened to Antonio Montezinos (a Spanish explorer), when he visited the Seminole Indians in the mountains of Quito, prior to their migration to Florida. The passage contains what was told to him by the Seminoles, concerning their identity, and the identity of their brothers located in Puerto Rico and Cuba. This information is found in “Lost Tribes and Promised Lands”, by Ronald Sanders on page 363-365.

“Upon hearing her words they rose, went over to Montezinos and, to his utter astonishment, said: “Shema, Yisroel, Adonai Elohenu Adonai Ehod” (Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One”). They had recited, in Hebrew, the fundamental credo of Judaism.”

“They told him that they were themselves of the tribe of Reuben, and that the tribe of Joseph lived on an island nearby.”

“Only the sorcerers of his tribe had perceived that they were a special people, and had given warning that they should be left alone. “The God of these children of Israel is the true God,” they had said, “and everything inscribed on their tablets is true. At the end of days, they will be lords of all the nations of the earth. One nation will come bringing many things to this land, and after we have all been provided for, these children of Israel will go forth from where they now are and reign over the whole earth, as they once did.”

Bibliography
1. “After Colombus”, by Herman J. Viola pg.138
2. “Black Indians”, by William Loren Katz pg. 57&58
3. “Black Indians”, by William Loren Katz pg.56
4. “American Heritage Dictionary”, Second Edition
5. “After Colombus”, by Herman J. Viola pg.143
6. “Black Indians”, by William Loren Katz pgs.60-62
7. “500 Nations”, Alvin M. Joseph pg.130
8. “After Colombus” by Herman J. Viola pgs 144-146
9. “500 Nations” by Alvin M. Joseph pg. 325