Genesis 49: Jacob blesses the rest of his sons

Genesis 49: Jacob blesses the rest of his sons:

Last week, we closed with these thoughts:

(Gen 48:14) Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. . . .{20} So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will bless, saying, 'May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!' " And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh. {21} Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.

Had Abraham told him what he had been told?

(Gen 15:12-16 NKJV) Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. {13} Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. {14} "And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

(Gen 15:15) "Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. {16} "But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."

Back to Genesis 48

(Gen 48:22) "Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow."

We understand his giving a portion above his brothers by claiming his two sons as his. What isn’t clear is the statement about his sword and bow. We have no written record of this.

The Formal Introduction of what Jacob is about to say concerning his sons and their future.

(Gen 49 NKJV) "And Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: {2} "Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.

Reuben: What you could have been and

What you are!

(Gen 49:3) "Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. {4} Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father's bed; Then you defiled it; He went up to my couch.

(Gen 35:22 NKJV) "And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine. . .

“Reuben forfeited by his crime the rights and honors of primogeniture. His posterity never made any figure; no judge, prophet, nor ruler, sprang from this tribe.” JFB

(Gen 49:{5} "Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. {6} Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. {7} Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.

(Gen 34:25-31 NKJV) "Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. {26} And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out.

Jacob let Simeon and Levi know at the time they did this that he was very displeased with their action:

(Gen 34:30) Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me.

{31} But they said, "Should he treat our sister like a harlot?"" --Apparently somewhat unmoved by what their father said.

Then there is Judah!

Through whom David comes!

Through whom Christ comes!

So what would indicate all of this?

(Gen 49:8) "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you.

The King: The Lion, and the description continues:

(Gen 49:9) Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? {10} The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

This must be more that just the words of Jacob. These are prophetic words which God accomplished. The kingdom was never taken from the sons of David. Even when they failed, God would not take the kingdom from David’s descendants because of David.

(Gen 49:11) Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. {12} His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.

What do these verses describe? Some think it is a reference to Christ, which it might be, but others want to make it apply to Judah in general. In either case, what is the meaning?

“Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine,” This is apparently just a poetic parallel statement. It would seem to indicate a time of peace after war. The donkey can be tied to the vine—the war is over.

“He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes.” Again, a poetic, parallel statement. Apparently, wine and grape juice would be in such abundance for Judah that you could wash your clothes in wine. Practical? No! But a poetic way of speaking of times of abundance.

And his teeth whiter than milk. Some feel that this is a way of expressing the abundance of milk that would be for Judah especially.

(Gen 49:13) "Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.”

For whatever reason, when the land was divided, Zebulun did not reach the Mediterranean or the Sea of Galilee.

(Gen 49:14) "Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens; {15} He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves.

“Bearing patiently, as most understand it, the fatigues of agriculture, and submitting to exorbitant taxes rather that exert themselves to drive out the old inhabitants.” – Adam Clarke

(Gen 49:16} "Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel. {17} Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse's heels So that its rider shall fall backward. {18} I have waited for your salvation, O LORD! {19} "Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last.

In what way did Dan judge his people? Some suggest that this is a reference to Samson. Even though Samson lacked much in the way of good judgment, he did cause a great loss for the Philistines.

(Gen 49:20) "Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties.

This seems to be a prophecy of the very rich soil that became his portion of the land

The meaning and allusion are obscure, since nothing further is known of the history of the tribe of Naphtali, than that Naphtali obtained a great victory under Barak in association with Zebulun over the Canaanitish king Jabin, which the prophetess Deborah commemorated in her celebrated song (Judg 4 and 5). – K & D

While some of these we do not know too much about, the statements concerning Levi and Judah are especially important. These two tribes become very important for the future of Israel.