Chapter 49-Jacob’s prophecy

We have come to the closing scene of Jacob’s life. Along the way we have seen glimpses of the spiritual nature in him but too often his old nature shines through. There was a fierce struggle in him between the spirit and the flesh, but as he nears the end of his life his faith becomes more and more evident.

Long years ago God had promised to give the land of Palestine to Abraham and his descendants. The promise was confirmed to Isaac as well, and finally to Jacob. But up to this time there has been no visible evidence that the promise would be fulfilled, Abraham and Isaac had come and gone. And now Jacob is dying, and not in the promised land, but many miles away.

Jacob summoned to his bedside each of his twelve sons, and proceeded to speak one of the most striking predictions in all of the Old Testament. Like many other prophecies, this one has a double fulfillment. It looks forward to the fortunes of the Twelve Tribes in the last days. But we should keep in mind that as we look at Biblical prophesies that are intended to show a type of Jesus, that no human type would be completely correct since Jesus was perfect and no human is perfect.

Therefore, when we look at what Jacob prophesied about each of his children, the prophecy can be carried only so far.

With that in mind, let’s look at what Jacob said to each of his sons beginning in chapter 49. (We are skipping over some very important chapters, but we will return to them as we discuss Joseph.)

· Genesis 49:1-4 Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel. “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up unto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it.”

Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob, a position of excellence and dignity. This was a natural result of his birthright. But he forfeited his position of pre-eminence by defiling his father’s bed. Therefore, the tribe that descended form Reuben would not “excel”. Finally, they would be turbulent as the waters, meaning that the tribe would diminish.

There are many passages in the Old Testament that bear out these predictions. But our attention is drawn to the first phrase: the “Firstborn, excelling”, and this is a picture of Jesus.

· Genesis 49:5-7, “Simeon and Levi are brothers---their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury so cruel! I will scatter them in Israel.”

I think these verses are proof of Divine inspiration of the Scriptures. If Moses had been left to his own thoughts he surely would have left out this portion of Jacob’s prophecy, since he himself was a descendant of the tribe of Levi!

Simeon and Levi are linked together and are called “weapons of violence”. There is an historical reference that lends credibility to this prophecy:

· Genesis 34:25 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male.

And there is reason to believe that Simeon was the instigator of the attempt to kill Joseph.

Notice that Jacob’s prophecy included a curse on “their anger”. However, an event in Numbers 25:6-13 we see the curse on the tribe of Levi being cancelled. Levi was first joined to Simeon in acts of cruelty, but later he was joined to the Lord in grace. But the most important thing in Jacob’s prophecy concerning the tribes of Simeon and Levi is that they were to be scattered and dispersed. And this was literally fulfilled when the land was divided in the days of Joshua. We will not take the time now to go into all of the details but the story can be found in Joshua 19:1-8.

· Genesis 49:8-12, “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness---who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until He comes to whom it belongs, and the obedience of the nations is His. He will tether his donkey to a vine, His colt to the choicest branch; He will wash His garments in wine, His robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine and His teeth whiter than milk.

We come now to the prophecy of Judah. This prophecy concerning Judah finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Himself.

Another part of the fulfillment was that his (Judah’s) father’s sons (all Israel) would bow down to him. Surely this can refer to none other than Jesus Himself, since, according to the flesh, all Israelites are “brothers” of Jesus.

Next, Jacob said that Judah’s enemies would be under his hand. So Jesus is the One who will have dominion over Israel and subdue its enemies. This dominion of the tribe of Israel began in the days of David, who was the first king from that tribe; and it was during his reign that Judah’s hand was on the neck of their enemies.

The future of the tribe of Judah is here described under the figure of a lion, which at once reminds us of Revelation 5:5 where Jesus is referred to as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.”

Verse 10 is a very familiar one to all of us. The “scepter” refers to a tribal rod symbolic of authority. And this scepter would not depart form the tribe until a certain Person appears on the scene. One version of the Bible says “until Shiloh comes.” And Shiloh is a reference to Jesus.

· Genesis 49:11-12, He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choice branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in he blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.

These verses have a double meaning; first to the tribe of Judah, and second to Jesus. Judah’s portion of the land was in the south where we see the wine-growing region. The second application, that to Jesus, reminds us of:

· Isaiah 63:1-3, Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with His garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? “I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with Me. I trampled them in My anger and trod them down in My wrath; their blood spattered My garments, and I stained all My clothing.”

There can be no mistaking that the one referred to here is Jesus. So Jesus is again tied to the tribe of Judah in Jacob’s prophecy.

· Genesis 49:13 Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven of ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.

In blessing his children Jacob here passes from his fourth child to his tenth. This seems strange. But the Holy Spirit is perfectly ordered and there is a reason for everything. In blessing his fourth child, the dying Jacob looked forward to the Messiah according to the flesh, who was to come from the tribe of Judah. The land of Zebulun is the area in which Jesus spent much of his earthly life, therefore the connection.

Zebulun is rarely mentioned in Scripture but when it is it is in a highly honorable connection. So Jacob’s prophecy regarding Zebulun spoke of the character of its people and the position they occupied in Canaan.

Zebulun is in the land of Galilee. Now check this. Moses writes in:

· Deuteronomy 33:18 About Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out.”

Isn’t it interesting that eleven of the twelve apostles were men of Galilee as well as Jesus Himself. Only Judas was not a Galilean.

Verses 14 and 15 refer to Issachar, about what little is said. However, Issachar occupied the land adjacent to Zebulun and was also part of Galilee about which Moses said:

· Deuteronomy 33:19 “And you Issachar, in your tents. They will summon peoples to the mountain and there offer sacrifices of righteousness; they will feast on the abundance of the seas, on the treasures hidden in the sand.”

Who is the Mountain? Jesus of course. Zebulun and Issachar are linked together. Zebulun was to be a harbor, or a safe haven. It was here in Galilee that Mary and Joseph along with the baby Jesus found a safe harbor when they returned from Egypt.

One further word about Issachar. Verse 14 says, “Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down between two saddlebags.” We would not be pleased to be called a donkey. However, in ancient times the donkey was an honorable animal and people of rank rode on them. Hence, the animal of choice by Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem prior to his crucifixion.

· Genesis 49:16-18, Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward. I look for your deliverance, O Lord.

Both Jacob and Moses predicted evil for this tribe. In Genesis 46 the sons of Dan are not given as with the other children. The same thing occurs in Numbers 26. In 1 Chronicles and in Revelation there is a total omission of the genealogy of the tribe of Dan. Dan is often mentioned last when the tribes are mentioned.

Treachery and cruelty are terms frequently used to characterize Dan. This can be seen by listening to the hints in the above passage.

Many prophetic students believe that the Antichrist will come from the tribe of Dan. (How we would know? I have no idea.) But if that turns out to be the case then the words serpent and viper seem to fit perfectly.

· Genesis 49:19, Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.

This tribe was to be in a constant state of warfare, first being attacked and then attacking and being very much a wandering, wild, unsettled existence. Did you ever wonder about the origin of the term “gad about”? Could it be that the tribe of Gad was the source?

· Genesis 49:20, Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.

Asher was part of the northern kingdom and occupied land along the Mediterranean Sea. They were also part of the area that was called “Galilee of the Gentiles” and this was appropriate for Asher because half of the people were gentiles. The area geographically was tropical, rich and beautiful, thus Jacob’s prediction. The city of Tyre was in Asher and it was from there that 2 Samuel says that Hiram the king of Tyre sent cedar logs and carpenters and stone masons to build the palace for King David.

· Genesis 49:21 Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.

The word Naphtali means “wrestling”. The word expresses the joy of an animal which has been a captive, and in getting liberty again, bounds away in gladness. Jacob then sees Naphtali rejoicing as a freed doe. After it regains its liberty, the tribe will sing a song of praise.

· · Genesis 49:22-26, “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. With bitterness archers attack him; they shot at him with hostility. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you. With blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb. Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.”

The first thing I notice about the prediction of Joseph is the length of it. Jacob says far more about Joseph than any of the others. Second, Jacob’s words are divided into two parts: verses 22 to 24 are past tense and 25 and 26 are future.

Joseph at first seems to be spoken of as a youth in his father’s house, pleasing to his father—all pictures of a fruitful vine in spring. Then Jacob refers to the bitter enmity and hatred directed against Joseph. But through all this Joseph is Divinely blessed. Verse 24 has caused some debate. Some think the reference is to Jesus but this cannot be since Jesus was not of the tribe of Joseph.

The prominent feature of this prophecy is fruitfulness and this received its fulfillment in the double tribe that sprang from Joseph—Ephraim and Manasseh. Joseph received a double portion of the land. Note that the “firstborn’s birthright” was transferred from Reuben to Joseph.

Finally, I should point out that Joshua was from one of the tribes that sprang from Joseph, and in him Jacob’s prophecy concerning his favorite son received its main fulfillment.

· Genesis 49:27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”

What a surprise we see here—how we see the setting aside of the natural man by God. Do you remember the anxiety Jacob had about sending Benjamin to Egypt with his brothers? Now we see this kind of prediction. If Jacob had followed the natural inclinations of his heart he would not have said this about Benjamin, his youngest and dearly beloved son.

The heroes of this tribe were marked by fierceness and wolf-like treachery. Some of the members of the tribe were Ehud, King Saul and Saul of Tarsus, who was a persecutor of the Christians before his conversion.

Now let me summarize these prophecies and notice how everything good in them finds its realization in Jesus.

· The prophecy regarding Reuben reminds us of the Excellency and Dignity of Christ’s person: He is the “Firstborn” in whom is the excellency and the dignity of power.

· The prophecy concerning Simeon and Levi may well speak of Christ on the cross: then it was that instruments of cruelty were used against Jesus; Jacob says: “O my soul, come not thou into their secret”—he would have nothing to do with them: so on the Cross Christ was forsaken by God and man; a curse is here pronounced by Jacob upon them, as, Christ, on the Cross was made a curse for us.

· The prophecy concerning Simeon and Levi anticipated Jesus’ Priesthood, for Levi became the priestly tribe.

· The prophecy concerning Judah pictures the Kingship of Jesus.

· The prophecy concerning Zebulun looks at Jesus as the great Refuge and Haven of Rest.

· The prophecy concerning Issachar prefigures His lowly service.

· The prophecy concerning Dan views Him as Judge.

· The prophecy concerning Gad announces His triumphant Resurrection.

· The prophecy concerning Asher looks to Him as the Bread of Life, the One who satisfies the hearts of His own.

· The prophecy concerning Naphtali regards His as God’s perfect Prophet, giving forth goodly words.

· The prophecy concerning Joseph forecasts His Millennial reign.

· The prophecy concerning Benjamin depicts Jesus as the terrible Warrior.