During Saul’s reign they waged war against the Hagrites, who were defeated at their hands; they occupied the dwellings of the Hagrites throughout the entire region east of Gilead. – 1 Chronicles 5:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (April 2, 2019): 1 Chronicles 5

Historically, there has been a tension between those who desired to settle in the land and the nomads who only wanted to wander through it. And during times of economic upheaval, the number of those who choose a migrant lifestyle seems to increase. According to the ones who have settled in the land, the migrants are often accused of being thieves or a bad influence on the young but, usually, this is simply untrue. Hoboes of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century were an example of a nomadic movement that has occurred in modern times. The Inhabitants of the cities often blamed the hoboes for the ills of the community. What is often unknown is that hoboes had a moral code that governed their behavior, and that they aimed to have a positive influence on the society which they inhabited.

The Hagrites were nomads. They were Ishmaelites that had chosen to honor the name of Ishmael’s mother, Hagar. Because they were nomads, they lived their lives wandering through their corner of the world. Like most nomads, they ignored borders. They also probably did not have a good understanding of the morals or ideals of those who had adopted a settled lifestyle.

The Reubenites had been nomads. When Israel left Egypt, the slaves of Egypt first became nomads of the wilderness before they became the nation that inhabited Canaan. But this comment says that during the time of Saul they waged war against the Hagrites. Ten generations had passed since they were the nomads. We know that it had been a hard transition for the Israelites when they stopped their desert wandering and began to settle in Canaan, but eventually, they did become the settled. They raised crops and had ranges for their animals that did not change, at least not in a significant way, as the years passed.

It is possible that the Hagrites inhabited the land that Reubenites moved into during the period of Israel’s taking of Canaan. But, during the reign of Saul, that was ancient history. It seems more likely that, at some point, the Hagrites moved into Reubenite territory. At first, maybe they were tolerated. But, as time passed, the friction between the nomads and the settled rose until the time came when the Reubenites decided that they need eradicate the Hagrites. This conflict happened during the time of the reign of King Saul. And once the Reubenites had defeated the Hagrites, the victors put to use the possessions of the ones who had been removed from the land.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 6