Jacob Foretells The Future Of His Sons. Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves [around me] that I may tell you what will happen to you and your descendants in the days to come.
“Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; And listen to Israel (Jacob) your father. Gen 49:1-2
INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD TESTAMENT
II. GOD AND THE CHOSEN FAMILY, Genesis 12-50
3. The History of Jac0ob’s Sons, Joseph and His Brothers
(4) Jacob Goes to Egypt. He and Joseph Die There, Genesis 46-
88. What did he prophesy regarding his descendants-especially of Judah’s line?
89. And of Joseph’s?
JACOB BLESSES HIS SONS
Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves [around me] that I may tell you what will happen to you and your descendants in the days to come.
“Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; And listen to Israel (Jacob) your father.
“Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might, the beginning of my strength and vigor, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power [that should have been your birthright].
“But unstable and reckless and boiling over like water [in sinful lust], you shall not excel or have the preeminence [of the firstborn], Because you went up to your father’s bed [with Bilhah]; You defiled it–he went up to my couch. [Gen_35:22]
“Simeon and Levi are brothers [equally headstrong, deceitful, vindictive, and cruel]; Their swords are weapons of violence and revenge. [Gen_34:25-30]
“O my soul, do not come into their secret council; Let not my glory (honor) be united with their assembly [for I knew nothing of their plot]; Because in their anger they killed men [an honored man, Shechem, and the Shechemites], And in their self-will they lamed oxen.
“Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; And their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide and disperse them in Jacob, And scatter them in [the midst of the land of] Israel.
“Judah, you are the one whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
“Judah, a lion’s cub; With the prey, my son, you have gone high up [the mountain]. He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, And like a lion–who dares rouse him? [Rev_5:5]
“The scepter [of royalty] shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh [the Messiah, the Peaceful One] comes, And to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples. [Num_24:17; Psa_60:7; Eze_21:27]
“Tying his foal to the [strong] vine And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washes his clothing in wine [because the grapevine produces abundantly], And his robes in the blood of grapes. [Isa_63:1-3; Zec_9:9; Rev_19:11-16]
“His eyes are darker and sparkle more than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.
“Zebulun shall dwell at the seashore; And he shall be a haven (landing place) for ships, And his flank shall be toward Sidon.
“Issachar is [like] a strong-boned donkey, Crouching down between the sheepfolds.
“When he saw that the resting place was good And that the land was pleasant, He bowed his shoulder to bear [burdens], And became a servant at forced labor.
“Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.
“Dan shall be a [venomous] serpent in the way, A fanged snake in the path, That bites the horse’s heels, So that his rider falls backward.
“I wait for Your salvation, O LORD.
“As for Gad–a raiding troop shall raid him, But he shall raid at their heels and assault them [victoriously].
Asher’s food [supply] shall be rich and bountiful, And he shall yield and deliver royal delights.
“Naphtali is a doe let loose, [a swift warrior,] Which yields branched antlers (eloquent words).
“Joseph is a fruitful bough (a main branch of the vine), A fruitful bough by a spring (a well, a fountain); Its branches run over the wall [influencing others].
“The [skilled] archers have bitterly attacked and provoked him; They have shot [at him] and harassed him.
“But his bow remained firm and steady [in the Strength that does not fail], For his arms were made strong and agile By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (By the name of the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), [Gen_48:15; Deu_32:4; Isa_9:6; Isa_49:26]
By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of the heavens above, Blessings lying in the deep that couches beneath, Blessings of the [nursing] breasts and of the [fertile] womb.
“The blessings of your father Are greater than the blessings of my ancestors [Abraham and Isaac] Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; They shall be on the head of Joseph, Even on the crown of the head of him who was the distinguished one and the one who is prince among (separate from) his brothers.
“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And at night he divides the spoil.”
JACOB FORETELLS THE FUTURE OF HIS SONS
Once more Joseph visited his father’s dying-bed. This was the third time and the last. He stood as one of twelve strong bearded men, gathered around the aged form, whose face was shadowed by death, but aglow with the light of prophecy. How intense their silent awe as they heard their names called one by one, by the old man’s trembling voice, speaking with difficulty! The character of each was delineated with unerring insight: the outstanding incidents of their past history enumerated and their future forecasted. The scene was an anticipation of the final judgment, where men shall hear their lives reviewed and the sentence passed. Shiloh means Peace-Giver. What a fragrant name for our Lord! What wonder that He shall gather the nations to His cross and throne!
JOSEPH SPECIALLY BLESSED
The position of Zebulun and the following tribes in the land of promise is accurately foretold. Compare the allotments of Jos_18:1-28. Notice the exclamation of the dying man in Gen_49:18. Such a spirit of waiting cannot be disappointed. See Isa_26:8-9. Joseph’s blessing is pre-eminently beautiful: Fruitful! This is mentioned twice, reminding us of Joh_15:8. But fruitfulness is only possible where there is the wall for separation, and the well for communion. When these are present, the branches droop over the wall with clusters of blessings to a thirsty world. Let us seek divine strength and ask that the mighty hands of the God of Jacob may be placed under our own poor weak hands! See Psa_141:1. The separated life is the crowned life. To the heart of the dying man came the memory of his native land and its mountains. What mountains are to a country, God is to His people!
Comments by
WILLIAM MACDONALD
Believers Bible Commentary
On
Genesis 49:1-27
II. THE PATRIARCHS OF ISRAEL (Chaps. 12-50)
D. Joseph (37:1–50:26)
11. Jacob’s Prophecy Concerning His Sons (Chap. 49)
49:1, 2 Jacob’s last words were both a prophecy (v. 1) and a blessing (v. 28).
49:3, 4 Reuben, as the firstborn son, represented the primacy of his father’s manly strength in procreation, and held the place of power and dignity. The birthright, with its double portion, belonged to him. But he forfeited his preeminence because he boiled over with dark passion and sinned with Bilhah, his father’s concubine (Gen_35:22).
49:5-7 Because these brothers had cruelly killed the men of Shechem and hamstrung an ox, Simeon and Levi would be dispersed in Jacob and scattered in Israel. By the time of the second census (Num. 26), these were the two smallest tribes. This was also fulfilled when the tribe of Simeon was largely absorbed by Judah (Jos_19:1-9), and the tribe of Levi was assigned to 48 cities throughout the land. Jacob cursed their cruel deception but not the people of these two tribes themselves.
49:8-12 Judah (meaning praise) would be praised and respected by his brothers because of his victories over his enemies. He is likened to a lion that goes forth to capture prey, then returns to well-deserved rest that no one dares disturb. Just as Joseph inherited the birthright with regard to territory, so Judah inherited it with regard to government. Rulership would continue in this tribe till Shiloh (the Messiah) came, and in Him it would remain forever. His people would give Him willing obedience in the day of His power. The meaning of the name “Shiloh” is obscure. Some suggested meanings are: Prince of peace, tranquil, seed (of Judah), his descendant, whose it is (cf. Eze_21:27).
49:13 Zebulun would enjoy prosperity from maritime commerce. Since this tribe’s territory in OT times was landlocked, this prophecy may look forward to the Millennium.
49:14, 15 Issachar is likened to a strong donkey, so content to rest in pleasant pastoral surroundings that it had no will to fight for independence and so became subject to the enemy’s yoke.
49:16-18 Dan, true to the tribe’s name, would concern itself with judging the people. Verse 17 is difficult. It may allude to Dan’s introducing the idolatry which caused the nation’s fall (Jdg_18:30-31). Many think that it is a veiled reference to the Antichrist’s springing from Dan, and that this is why this tribe goes unmentioned in 1Ch_2:3; 1Ch_8:40 and Rev_7:3-8. In verse 18, Jacob injects a prayer for the final deliverance of his people from their foes or for his own deliverance.
49:19 Gad, unprotected in its territory east of the Jordan, would be subjected to frequent enemy raids. But the tribe would trample the troops of its foes.
49:20 Happily for Asher (happy), this tribe would have fertile agricultural land, producing delicacies fit for a king.
49:21 Naphtali is likened to a doe that has been released from confinement. It springs forth with tremendous speed to carry good news. All the disciples except the traitor came from the territory of Naphtali, and much of the Lord’s ministry was there (Mar_4:13-16).
49:22-26 Compassing the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph is a fruitful bough, sending out blessing far beyond his own borders. He was the object of bitter hostility but he did not yield, because he was strengthened by the Mighty God of Jacob—the One from whom the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel (that is, the Messiah) comes forth. God blesses Joseph with rain in abundance, wells and gushing springs, and numerous progeny. Jacob humbly felt that he had been blessed more richly than his ancestors. Now he wishes that such blessings might come to Joseph, the one who was separate from his brothers.
49:27 Benjamin, a tribe of fighters, would continually conquer and divide the spoil. Someone has said that Benjamin proved himself the most spirited and warlike of all the tribes.
49:28-33 In closing, Jacob instructed his sons to bury him in the cave . . . of Machpelah, near his home in Hebron—the burial place of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah. Then he drew himself back into the bed and breathed his last.
DONATIONS FOR BIBLE DISTRUBUTION — Quovadisworld
On MeWe join our group at Friends in Jesus
We also have a Page about Creation Ministries International.
See also Young Earth Creationists
You can also find us on Parler.
On Facebook;
Join our closed group at : Quo Vadis Christian Community Group to read and partake in the Bible study to learn to know Jesus Christ. To know Him is to Love Him.
We also have an open Page at Quo Vadis Christian Community you might want to know more about.
Please ad yourself to our Messenger group to receive notification and chat to other members of the group.
You may however wish to disable notification and look at post when you have the time.
Join our messenger group at Friends in Jesus.
If you want a Bible please contact: Please let me have a Bible.
If you want a Bible in Pakistan.
You may also want to join Creation Ministries International.
Find more Study topics at Quo Vadis World
DONATIONS FOR BIBLE DISTRUBUTION — Quovadisworld
We give thanks and acknowledgement to Rick Meyers from e-Sword.
P.O. Box 1626
Franklin, TN 37065
United States of America
www.e-sword.net
