The Promise of Future Blessings

Living By Faith in a Foreign Land  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
0 ratings
· 1 view
Notes
Transcript

Introduction

I was sharing with someone this week about my grandparents house in Medina, WA...
GET program...
As I was drafting this message, I thought about how that gift given by my grandfather and set up by my uncle, has blessed my oldest daughter, my son, and will likely bless my younger daughters in the future.
I also asked a question of myself that I think we could all be wise to ask ourselves:
“How are you attempting to bless future generations today?”

Body: Genesis 49:1-27

Verses 1-2
We saw last week that Jacob was coming to the end of his life and blessed Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, giving Joseph a double portion of blessing that was typically reserved for the oldest son.
Now Jacob will speak to each of his sons, giving a sort of prophetic prediction about the tribe that each of them will found through their ancestors.
Verses 3-4
Verse 3 is a reflection of what Reuben should have been.
The firstborn was expected to be the tribal leader, reflecting all the father’s leadership strengths and more.
And yet, Reuben was “unstable as water”.
Meaning, his behavior was reckless and it cost him dearly.
The Jewish people for much of their history had a strong aversion to seas, because they were unpredictable and throughout biblical history many people met their end because of it.
How was he reckless?
Reuben’s greatest sin against Jacob was his sexual encounter with Bilhah.
Reuben’s sexual sin with Bilhah was not just simply a sexual encounter, but also an attempt to displace his father’s authority within the family. It came from a heart of arrogance, not just lust.
Therefore, another way to see Reuben’s sin would be that he was boiling over with lust and pride.
Historically, not one judge, prophet, military leader, or important person would come from the tribe of Reuben.
And Moses even prayed that they would not die out in Deut. 33, suggesting the weakness of the tribe as a whole.
The lesson of Reuben’s life for us ought to be: Sin always has consequences. For us, and often for future generations.
Verses 5-7
Why are Simeon and Levi mentioned together?
Because they were co-conspirators in the incident with the men of Shechem.
Plus, they were very much alike in their rage. You could say they are “two of a kind” or “cut from the same cloth.”
So, what Jacob is doing here is distancing himself with the shameful behavior his sons in murdering the men of Shechem.
By tricking the men of Shechem, then murdering them they brought great shame upon their family, before God and others.
They allowed their anger, even justified anger (their sister was raped) to drive them towards murder.
But the greater issue was that they used circumcision, the sign of the covenant, as a tool to gain a tactical advantage against their enemies.
So, in Jacob’s mind, both were a threat to the peace of the people because they resorted to violence.
If given their own inheritance, they would have probably eventually destroyed the others because of their violent heritage.
Remember, the ancients did not separate the actions of the forefathers from the actions of the children. Meaning, if your forefathers were violent, it was assumed that you would be too.
Outside of a major change, this is often true…
After the Exodus, the tribe of Simeon declined in importance and was not mentioned in Moses’ blessing.
Additionally, Simeon received no separate inheritance in the Promised Land, but was allotted cities within the inheritance of Judah.
Levi, the priestly tribe, was allotted 48 cities throughout the land, but no separate inheritance.
The lesson from Simeon and Levi is simple: don’t be controlled by your anger and desire for vengeance.
Verses 8-12
Judah is the first of the twelve sons to be blessed in a positive way by Jacob.
I wonder if upon hearing his father’s rebuke of Reuben, Simeon and Levi for their past sins, if Judah prepared himself for a similar fate.
Let’s face it, Judah refused to take care of his daughter-in-law Tamar, then slept with her when she was disguised as a prostitute. Additionally, it had been Judah’s idea to sell Joseph into slavery.
Yet, Judah would not face a rebuke, but instead the second longest blessing in this section, behind Joseph. Why doesn’t he face a rebuke like his brothers?
Because he was willing to accept responsibility for his actions and repent of his sin.
Judah has turned his life around and become a leader within his family.
The name “Judah” sounds like one of the Hebrew words for praise. Thus, Judah’s brothers will praise him, not with the praise due God, but as the leader of the nation of Israel.
In fact, no tribe of Israel has more biblical heroes from it than does Judah.
What does Jacob mean when he says, “Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouches as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him” mean?
Refers to strength, courage, and boldness. This is the symbol of the warrior tribe.
Seeing lions in Africa...
But the ultimate culmination of this would be the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ.
Revelation 5:5 ESV
And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Hebrews 7:14 (ESV)
For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah...
Of course, the clearest was Judah’s descendant, David.
But believers should also see the greatest ruler of the other tribes, King Jesus!
In fact, Jacob may or may not have known how this statement would come to total fulfillment with the Messiah.
Verses 13-21
Wait, did Zebulun really dwell at the shore of the sea?
No, thus this is a very difficult verse to translate.
Zebulun was within ten miles of the Mediterranean Sea. So it’s possible that it’s referring to their involvement in maritime commerce, not that they would own the land.
Some suggest that it looks forward to the future Millennium (futurists).
But, the most honest answer is, we just don’t know at this time.
As for Issachar, what does “crouching between the sheepfolds” mean?
Probably not referring to a donkey’s strength, but passiveness. They were unwilling to fight for themselves and would eventually submit to the yoke of slavery.
Issachar, like many of the other tribes failed to drive the Canaanites out of its territory and eventually traded their liberty for forced labor.
However, it was under the leadership of Deborah and Barak, from the tribe of Issachar, that eventually they threw off the yoke of Canaanite slavery.
As for Dan, the name “Dan” is a wordplay on the Hebrew word for judge.
When Jacob calls Dan and serpent and a viper, is that something negative or positive?
It’s both. They were dangerous and struck unexpectedly to overthrow larger foes.
Consider the Danite judge, Samson.
However, they would also abandon their land allotment and migrate to the extreme north of Israel.
Dan is even omitted in the list of tribes in Rev. 7:4-8.
What does verse 18 refer too and why is it here?
It’s a brief prayer, showing that without divine deliverance the people will not survive.
As for Gad’s “blessing”,
Gad was in constant danger from its southern and eastern neighbors, Ammon and Moab.
The Hebrew word “Gad” sounds like the term for raiders and raid. They would eventually become skillful warriors who used stealth to fend off the invaders.
As for Asher, the land they would inherit would be fertile.
Thus, the focus on food from Jacob.
As for Naphtali, like Asher, Naphtali’s land was rich with natural resources. They would flourish in this area of upper Galilee.
Additionally, they were free like a doe in that they had no northern border, with the ability to expand to the north if they so chose.
Verses 22-27
In verse 22, Jacob seems to suggest that Joseph is well-watered and fruitful.
Ironically, it was Rachel who was infertile for much of her life, but her son Joseph would produce the most fruitful tribe.
Then in verses 23-24 Jacob refers to the many hardships Joseph faced.
But, what does “from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel” mean?
Throughout this entire section there are more direct references to the Lord God than in any of the others.
This is because of Joseph’s emphasis on the sovereignty of his God, no matter what misfortune and suffering he faced.
God is called Mighty One of Jacob, Shepherd, Rock of Israel, God of your father, and Almighty in the section.
Look at all the ways Joseph would be blessed:
“blessings of heaven above”
Fertility of land from above. Likely well-watered crops.
“blessings of the deep that crouches beneath”
Fertility of land from below. Again, probably water and possibly rich soil.
“blessings of the breasts and of the womb”
Fertility of body.
Then, in verse 26 we see the highest blessing that Jacob could voice.
Jacob sees himself as more blessed than his forefathers and wants even more blessing for Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.
Verse 27
Is Benjamin’s blessing a positive or a negative one?
Benjamin’s tribe would eventually have a fierce reputation.
They were known for their archers and slingers. They would also defend the wickedness of Gibeah in Judges.
Interestingly, both King Saul and Saul of Tarsus (Paul) were from this tribe.

So What?

Earlier I asked the question, “How are you attempting to bless future generations today?”
It sad that we live in a time where very little thought is put into how our actions today will impact future generations to come...
The national debt is current $34 trillion dollars...
The average personal credit card debt in America is $6,100 (just credit cards)...
Making the minimum payments, it would take approximately 32 months to pay that off...
We tolerate that which used to be considered shameful…(What one generation tolerates, the next will embrace…)
For too many today, we are living what Paul warned the Corinthians of, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
This is not what God has call His people to!
Like Judah and Joseph, we need to live lives of repentance, of faithfulness, of trusting the Lord, and of godliness in the midst of a corrupt generation.
We must do this, because kingdom impact matters more than what we might experience in our lives.
Tomorrow is Veterans Day, which makes this message particularly applicable, because our veterans often have sacrificed so much in order to benefit others. That’s the soldiers calling. To potentially give all so that others may be free.
As believers today, we need to use Judah, Joseph, and our veterans as illustrations of how we too can sacrifice for the benefit of others in order to assure them the promise for future blessing.
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more
Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.