Genesis 49

In the last chapter, Jacob blessed the two sons of Joseph, giving to Joseph a double portion by placing these grandsons in the position of his own sons. All that remains is for Jacob to speak his last words concerning his remaining sons. His words at this time of his death come to the assembled sons of Joseph as the voice of God.

What would God have to say about you at such an important moment? How sad if it had to be the words that Jacob gave to his firstborn, Reuben: “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!” His sexual sin with his father's concubines was a downfall for Jacob's oldest son. How is it that his name still appears in heaven? The apostle John assures us that on the gates of heaven, “the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed.” Is Reuben's name there just because of the tribe that descended from him? Or is Reuben himself, who was “unstable as water” according to Jacob, actually a citizen of heaven?

Next Jacob mentions the names of Simeon and Levi, and draws attention to their slaughter of the Shechemites. Simeon will eventually be lost as a tribe within the territory of Judah. Levi, the tribe of the priests and tabernacle workers will live in various designated cities throughout Israel.

It is God's Word to Judah, the forth son of Jacob, that is the first one on the list to truly impress us. The other brothers shall praise Judah. Long before the Law of Moses, centuries before the great Samuel will pour anointing oil on the head of David the son of Jesse, Jacob gives the word that Judah will be the tribe of kings. Jesus, that great Lion of the tribe of Judah will be a descendant of king David. Like a great lion, Judah will reign over any other power. When he speaks His Word with heavenly authority, no enemy will be able to stop Him. We need a Savior and a King who is that mighty. Jesus is able to protect and defend us against the threats of His and our enemies. Because of the Jesus who saves us, the tribe of Judah will have the King's scepter, until the One comes to whom it belongs. To Him shall be the obedience of the nations. He who road the Messiah King's donkey into Jerusalem was willing to stain His garments with His own blood, so that we might gain the white robes of His perfect righteousness. See 2 Corinthians 5:21.

Each of the tribes will have a story of their own, but the words of Jacob tell us very little that we must understand. Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, and Naphtali... There is no great notice given here of victory. They are simply included in the number of the tribes of Israel. The words of Jacob lead us to Judah, and then to the favored sons of Rachel, and especially to Joseph.

We hear the cry of the patriarch's heart in the midst of his curious words of manifold blessing: “I wait for your salvation, O Lord.” This is our cry too. Hundreds of years will pass before King David will be born, and hundreds more before the true David, Jesus the Messiah, will give His life and rescue us from eternal destruction. We wait for your salvation.

As Jacob dies, there can be no doubt that Joseph is to be a fruitful tree. Ephraim and Manasseh will flourish. As the brothers of Joseph had once treated this favored son with such cruelty, the descendants of Joseph in Gilead and in Samaria will suffer the attacks of neighbors who will harass them severely. Yet as Joseph survived and even flourished through much suffering, there will be a future and a hope for the descendants of this great man.

God, the Mighty One of Jacob, made Joseph who he was. God, the Shepherd of the Sheep, and the Stone of Israel, loved the descendants of Jacob. God, the God of Jacob, would bless even these northern tribes under the eventual leadership of Ephraim with the blessings of heaven above. They would fill the land. If Assyria would seem to be too great a power to be resisted, that empire would still be only a temporary tool of discipline in the hand of the Almighty.

The God of Israel, who disciplines those He loves, would refer to Israel many years later as “my son.” Here he makes his determination known that He will greatly bless this son. God's blessings would be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.

Jacob's days were done. The words that He spoke were suitable to each one. Even though we may not fully understand their meaning, they point to the knowledge and power of Almighty God, and His saving hand through His appointed King, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He gave these words through a man who was about to be placed in his burial grounds in Canaan by his sons. Through the lips of Jacob, in his 147th year of life, God's plans for the tribes of Israel were given in words that even Moses could not have understood so many years later.

Jacob was gathered to his people in hope. We bury our loved ones too. Our confidence in the midst of a world with enemies and trials is in the power and love of God. He knows what will come to pass, and He will do it. He has placed His Son far above every other authority. His Word is sure.