Final Words

The word we speak to one another… are powerful.

The words we communicate tell a story or share information… but the motive behind the words tell of our purpose and give the words deeper meaning.

I’ll never forget the old cartoon character named Droopy. Maybe its because he was a basset hound… but I liked him for another reason. Droopy would say things like, “You know what? I’m happy.” Or, “You know what? That makes me really mad.” He would say this without showing an ounce of expression on his face.

Looking at Droopy, you would not be able to tell what kind of “mood” he was in! He rarely showed his emotions and his words rarely matched his expression.

What we say… and how we say it… will make a big impact on how a person interprets what we are attempting to communicate.

Think about things like satire or sarcasm. Vocal tones and presentation will help determine if what is said is received as intended. And yes… people miss the joke from time to time!

And… some words are more memorable than others.

I can remember specific words that were spoken to me that are more than a few decades old.

What makes them memorable are the reasons behind those words.

Some of them are positive words of encouragement spoken when I needed to hear them.

Others are words of discouragement spoken or written to tear me down.

They often say… a picture is worth a thousand words… but I would suggest that sometimes, certain words will outlast any picture we may have.

Take, for instance, the words we find in Genesis 49. This is a very somber chapter. Chapter 48 ended with Jacob telling Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers.”

No one wants to hear these words. In fact, they are words we dread… words we hope to never hear. We dread the day that we hear of a close friend or family member is on their death bed. But that is where Jacob is… and he has a few more words to share with Joseph and his brothers.

The chapter starts it off in this way.

Genesis 49:1–2 NIV

1 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. 2 “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.

Jacob is about to give his final words. And right out of the box, we need to note that these are in fact Jacob’s final words… not words given to him from the Lord.

The words and blessings to follow might be presented as prophecy by some. But what we see is the discernment of a father… the wisdom of a father… the lessons of a father given from observation and compassion.

How many parents do we have in the room?

How many want God’s best for your kids tonight… no matter what age they might be?

How many understand that choosing to live for God’s best is a choice your kids will one day have to make?

We can raise our children to honor and revere the Lord. But they will have to ultimately choose if they want to go that direction.

Jacob is about to speak over the lives of his sons in his final moments. What he says is derived from what he knows of his sons.

The words are… his “predictions” of what is to come based off the choices they have made.

Which begs the question… can we determine the outcome of a person’s life based off the choices they have made?

I think it really comes down to the way the mind of that person is being governed: by the flesh or by the Spirit.

What the world defines as “success” is sometimes not what the Lord would define as succes. For instance, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?

Sometimes, worldly success comes at a greater price than a person might realize.

So Jacob… shares some final words with his boys… and they may not be exactly what we would think of as final words.

Jacob’s Final Words

Jacob’s words to Reuben… his firstborn.

Genesis 49:3–4 NIV

3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. 4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it.

Oof… those are some tough words! Strong as he might be, Reuben is told he will no longer excel. Why would Jacob go this direction?

This goes all the way back to Genesis 35:22

Genesis 35:22 NIV

22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. Jacob had twelve sons:

Reuben had sinned against his father and had sinned against God. Therefore, Jacob withheld the birthright from him.

A lack of character that results in moral failure can remove or permanently prevent a person from holding a position of spiritual leadership.

I find it interesting that Scripture records no conversation when this happened, but Jacob did not forget.

Jacob’s words to Simeon and Levi

Genesis 49:5–7 NIV

5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers— their swords are weapons of violence. 6 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. 7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.

Once again, Jacob lays down a strong word! Why does he do this? Because of what took place in chapter 34.

Simeon and Levi went on a killing spree because of what happened to their sister. This went against their father’s wishes and Jacob informed them of his disgust.

Genesis 34:30 NIV

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”

Jacob did not forget.

Jacob’s words to Judah

Genesis 49:8–12 NIV

8 “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. 9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. 11 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. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.

Now… this blessing seems like something you might have expected for the oldest son… but it lands on Judah instead. Look at some of the details here:

Judah’s descendants would hold a position of general authority over other tribes of Israel “until he comes to whom it belongs.” this was fulfilled in part by David… and the final fulfillment was found in Christ.

“He comes to whom it belongs” points to Jesus… the One Jacob said that all people of the nations would obey.

Jacob’s words to Joseph

Genesis 49:22–26 NIV

22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. 23 With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. 24 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, 25 because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb. 26 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.

Whoa… now that is a blessing. Now here’ the question: is this blessing just more of Jacob’s “favor” showing up for Joseph or… is this a result of all that Joseph had been through?

Think about the words: he was attacked but remained steady. And to whom does Jacob credit Joseph’s success? to God!

Once again… God’s favor on Joseph was clearly observed and remained in place. This remaining was NOT because Joseph was now ruling over Egypt… it was in place because of Joseph’s faithfulness to God!

God’s blessing would continue so long as Joseph remained faithful in the Lord!

Closing Thoughts

Now… we didn’t cover all of the words mentioned by Jacob in this chapter for sake of time. But there is something we need to consider regarding the words we did look at.

How did Jacob choose his words that he spoke to his sons? He based his words off their choices. He based his words off what he had observed in their lives.

So these blessings… and curses… spoken over his sons were based on their choices which means… the future outcomes would also be based off their choices.

So basically dad is saying… “this is where you have been and if you continue in this way… this is where it will lead you.”

Jacob is not trying to discourage his sons or punish his sons. He is using the last bit of breath in his body to steer them in the way they should go.

Jacob knew he didn’t have much time left. In fact, Genesis 49:33 closes the chapter by saying this:

Genesis 49:33 NIV

33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

Jacob knew he would no longer be with his sons to guide them and to lead them. So he spoke words over them in hopes to move them into the future God had for them.

We don’t know how much time we have… nor do we know how many encounters we have with the people we know.

So can I encourage you to use your words… and opportunities… wisely. Jacob was encouraging his sons that the choices they make will determine their outcome. This was true then… it is true today.

The choices you make today will greatly impact what life looks like tomorrow. So when making choices… try to stop and see beyond the moment. Talk to God about that choice and consider what the Word says before committing to that choice.

God has GREAT things in store for all that choose Him, first.