Before Jacob passes away and falls from the picture of God’s covenant story, he steps in as a prophet for what will happen in Israel. He speaks about the future of each tribe, about the path Israel will take, and about what it will all mean. And so we need to pay attention to these words, because ultimately they point us to Jesus. Let’s have a look.
Genesis 49:1–28 (ESV)
Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come. Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.”
Often at the very end of someone’s life, the family gathers to remember the good times, and reminisce about the life the person has led. But that’s not what’s happening here. Jacob isn’t remembering the good times. He calls his sons and says, “I will tell you what shall happen in days to come.” These are prophetic words and they give us a peak into how God is about to play out his sovereign purposes.
“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!”
Reuben should have been first in line. The firstborn. The strongest. But sin cost him the blessing. His instability, his sin against his father’s bed, stripped him of the place he might have had. Remember that at the time Jacob had said nothing when Reuben’s sin was revealed to him. Now it comes back to haunt him. It’s a sobering reminder that sin has consequences, and that the privilege of being first does not guarantee blessing.
“Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen. 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.”
Simeon and Levi are marked by violence. Their rage over Shechem disqualified them from leadership. They would be scattered among Israel. And yet, even here, we remember God’s surprising mercy. Yes these are violent men, but Levi’s descendants would later be set apart as priests. Scattered, yes, but scattered to serve God’s people. God can redeem even violent sinners for His glory.
“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.”
Here’s the high point. Judah receives the royal promise. The lion of Judah will rule. The scepter will not depart from him. This is God speaking through Jacob. God points us forward to the promise of Jesus, the true Lion of Judah, who rules forevermore. He is the one to whom the obedience of the nations belongs. He is the one whose garments are washed in blood, whose reign brings abundance and life. Out of Judah’s line would come David, and ultimately Jesus, the King of kings.
“Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.”
Zebulun’s blessing is geographical. His tribe would settle by the sea, open to trade, a place of connection. This shows us that God uses each tribe in different ways, some are in leadership (like Judah), some in war (like Simeon), some in commerce (like Zebulun). Our natural abilities and talents exist to serve God’s greater purpose.
“Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor.”
Issachar is described as strong but submissive. He enjoys the land but ends up under burden. Not all blessings are glorious. Some tribes will live under the weight of others. Yet God weaves even that into His plan for His people.
“Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward. I wait for your salvation, O Lord.”
Dan is called to judge, but also pictured as a serpent. His tribe would be crafty, even dangerous. Perhaps Jacob saw both promise and danger here. Notice how he breaks off suddenly to cry, “I wait for your salvation, O Lord.” Even Jacob knows these sons cannot bring salvation. Only the Lord can do that. I am guessing that Dan probably wondered about this weird prophecy for many days.
“Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels. Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies. Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns.”
These are shorter blessings, Gad will be a warrior, Asher will bring abundance, Naphtali will bring beauty and freedom. Again each tribe has its own place and purpose to play.
“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.”
Joseph receives a rich blessing. He has suffered a lot in his life, he was attacked, hated and betrayed, but God kept him safe. His arms were made strong by “the Mighty One of Jacob.” That’s how he endured. That’s how he became fruitful. And that’s how we endure too. Not by our strength, but by the God who helps us, the Shepherd and Stone of Israel, Jesus Himself.
“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.”
Benjamin is pictured as fierce and victorious. His tribe would produce warriors. We see these in Saul the first king, and later in Paul the apostle. Again, God can transform even fierce zeal into people who can and do serve him wonderfully.
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.
Each son receives a word. Some are warnings, some are promises, some are glimpses of Christ to come. But all together, they form the picture of God’s people. Flawed people, but people set aside for a purpose. And isn’t that the story of the church too? Different gifts, different abilities, yes different failures, but we are all one people under one King, the Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ. And that truly is the place of blessing.
Prayer
Father, we thank You that even through Jacob’s weak voice, You spoke powerful promises. We thank You that the scepter did not depart from Judah, but was fulfilled in Jesus, the Lion of Judah and our King. Teach us to see our place in Your family story, to live by grace, and to trust Your sovereign plan for our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.