for Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;
Numbers 1 hands each tribe to one named man. Simeon's man appears here with nothing but his own name and his father's — no deeds, no history, no record of his work.
God picks the leaders
The census did not start with the people. God named the men who would stand beside Moses, and the tribes had no say.
Our chapter records that, first of all, a "head" or prince of each tribe was chosen. The choice was not left to the people, or even to Moses. The word to him was, "These are the names of the men who shall stand with you…" God chose His own leader for each tribe. This reminds us that God still chooses His own servants and leaders today. He does not put the matter to a popular vote.
Why the bare names matter
Scripture tells us nothing else about Shelumiel. So the names are the message, and it matters which man was joined to which tribe.
We are told nothing about these men except their own names and their fathers' names. For that very reason, if there could be any doubt otherwise, we can be sure their names are meant to speak to us. All these Bible names should speak, and their link with the tribes they represent must matter. There must be a reason why Elizur, and not Shelumiel or Nahshon, is prince of Reuben; and we find it by looking into Reuben's history.
"Shelumiel" — at peace with God
Simeon's family record was violent. His father Jacob described that character in Genesis 49, which makes the name of Simeon's prince a reversal.
In order of birth the tribe of Simeon comes next, and the prince of Simeon was Shelumiel (v.6), which means "at peace with God." That is a striking contrast to Simeon's character as his father Jacob described it in Genesis 49:5-7. Simeon, along with Levi, was guilty of cruel and vicious hatred in the murder of the men of Shechem (Gen. 34:25-26). Only the grace of God could make any difference in so terrible a case. Is the flesh in us any better than in Simeon and Levi? Not at all. Yet God has in pure grace reconciled all believers to Himself (2 Cor. 5:18), and we are "at peace with God," as Romans 5:1 declares.
"Zurishaddai" — my rock is the Almighty
The son's name rests on the father's. Peace is not a mood in the man; it stands on something outside him, and the possessive pronoun makes it personal.
Shelumiel was the son Zurishaddai, meaning "My rock is the Almighty." This reminds us that peace with God depends on the stability of God Himself, the Almighty; and in this case not only is God the Rock, by "my rock." How good it is for us if we appropriate to ourselves this living truth! This is a wonderful sustenance in warfare.
Simeon's old alliance replaced
Simeon's old strength was a partnership with his brother, and it ended in violence. His prince's name points to a different bond.
Simeon's very alliance with his brother is a confession of weakness — a weakness he would cure by turning to what so many turn to today: banding together with others. And he does find strength there, but only to use it cruelly and to walk apart from God. So on his part it ends in division and scattering. That has to happen if he is to be saved from himself. Having found where natural strength leads a man, he may turn to the One in whom there is all-sufficiency and with whom is holiness. This is now the Simeonite prince's alliance, and such a bond never needs to be broken up again. So Shelumiel, that true peace with God which comes from communion with Him, springs from Zurishaddai, the known and enjoyed strength of the Almighty.
His place in the camp
Shelumiel does not stand alone. His place is next to Reuben's prince, and the two names echo each other.
If Reuben's prince is Elizur ("God is a rock"), the father of Simeon's prince is Zurishaddai — "my rock is the Almighty." So they are well-matched companions. But the communion that Simeon stands for must follow Reuben's lead of holding to God and submitting to Him. Only then can it stand up under the warfare of the desert. That is how he fills his own place here.
Why anyone was counted at all
Behind the whole roll call stands a question of ownership.
This was an expression of His rights as Lord of Israel. He had the right to count them, for they were all His own. If He had no claim on them, and nothing to look for in them, He would not have counted them up. The same is said of His divine right in another part of His dominions: "He tells the number of the stars; He calls them all by their names."
Summary
- Counted — God numbered Israel because they were His own; He calls them by name, as He does the stars.
- Chosen — God appointed the man who stood for Simeon; the tribe did not elect him.
- Named — no deeds are recorded, so the two names carry the lesson: Shelumiel, "at peace with God," son of Zurishaddai, "my rock is the Almighty."
- Reversed — Simeon's family name stood for cruelty. Only grace turns that record into peace with God.
- Ready — that peace rests on the Almighty as my rock. It holds a man in the desert warfare, in his place beside Reuben.