Jacob Blesses his Sons (Gen 49)

Introduction

If you have your Bible, please turn it to Genesis 49.

We now have two weeks left in our series through Genesis—our last sermon from Genesis focused on Jacob’s blessing over his grandchildren. This week, we’re looking at Jacob’s blessings over his sons. Next week, we’ll finish up Genesis by not only witnessing Joseph’s death, but really seeing the primary theme for the book as a whole—that what someone meant for evil, God meant for good.

With that said, our text for today is a little different because it seems like it’s just a collection of blessings from Jacob to his sons, but there’s more going on here—in that it’s all prophetic. God is speaking through Jacob in a way that informs what is to come of the sons and their lineages; and there’s a beauty in it because it ties everything that we’ve seen so far in Genesis to everything that we’re going to see in the rest of Scripture.

Let’s read Genesis 49 together.

Genesis 49 ESV

1 Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come. 2 “Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father. 3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. 4 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! 5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. 6 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. 7 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. 8 “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. 9 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? 10 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. 11 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. 12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk. 13 “Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon. 14 “Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. 15 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. 16 “Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 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. 18 I wait for your salvation, O Lord. 19 “Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels. 20 “Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies. 21 “Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns. 22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. 23 The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, 24 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), 25 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. 26 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. 27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.” 28 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. 29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.” 33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

As we study this passage, we’re going to break it into two parts: (1) God’s Sovereign Blessings and Judgments on the Tribes of Israel (1-28) and (2) God’s Promises even in Death (29-33). It’s a long passage, but it’s also clear insight into the future of what will happen with the twelve tribes of Israel—particularly concerning the Messianic line through Judah.

And I want to be abundantly clear from the onset—while it seems like these are nice things that Jacob is saying to his children—there’s a dual authorship type of thing happening here—while Jacob is saying blessings, God is speaking through Jacob prophetically and it’s in God’s words through Jacob that we essentially tie what we know from Genesis to the rest of Scripture.

My goal for you today is to be reminded that Genesis 49, while it is the end of Jacob’s life, isn’t the end of the Messianic promise given by God to His people. As such, our application stems from the idea that God’s promises endure even when we don’t see their fulfillment immediately.

Prayer for Illumination

God’s Sovereign Blessings and Judgments on the Tribes of Israel (1-2, 13-28)

Gathering the sons (1-2)

The text starts with Jacob gathering his sons one last time for a specific purpose:

Jacob is close to dying, we knew that from two weeks ago when we see him speak to his grandchildren.

He had already extended a blessing to both his grandsons—with the younger receiving a more prominent position.

And now, Jacob’s pulling together his sons — why? Again, because he’s dying.

And in the last moments of his life, he wants to speak to his sons to “tell [them] what shall happen to [them] in days to come.”

I mentioned that there’s a dual authorship in what we’re about to read—Jacob is the one speaking, but it’s clearly God who is speaking through Him.

We know that God is speaking through him because the things that he tells his children actually do happen in the future.

In fact, some of the words that he uses “that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come” sound like a prophetic statement that we see elsewhere in Scripture.

The Blessings and Judgments (3-7, 13-28)

And then, the next 26 verses then lists several blessings given by Jacob to his sons organized by the son’s names. And they’re clearly prophetic—they’re dealing with things that haven’t happened yet, but will happen. So, you see these blessings:

Reuben — because of his previous sins (particularly defiling his father’s bed) and his unstable character, despite being the firstborn, will not have the preeminence of the firstborn — a judgment for his sin.

Simeon and Levi — because of their violent sin committed against others, their offspring shall be divided and scattered in Israel — a judgment for their sin.

Zebulun — and his descendants shall dwell at the shore and because of their location by the shore, they will be a haven for ships. There’s a little bit of an oddity here in that the land given to Zebulun is actually landlocked, but it does showcase a spirit of entrepreneurship that results in sea trade despite being landlocked — really the first blessing that we see.

Issachar — though Jacob calls him a strong donkey, I don’t think it’s meant to be an insult — however, the idea given is that he “became a servant at forced labor” because of his desire for comfort — a blessing and really a curse as well.

Dan — is a little paradoxical — though his tribe will judge the people of Israel, in aggression (possibly through their judging of Israel), they will metaphorically bite Israel — essentially another blessing and curse.

Wedged between Dan and Gad, Jacob cries out for the Lord’s salvation “I wait for you salvation, O Lord.”

Gad — will face raiders who attack them, but they will be able to attack back — another blessing and curse.

Asher — prosperity in the form of royal delicacies and rich foods — a blessing

Naphtali — the people of Naphtali will be like a “doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns.” There are some language issues here that go beyond our scope of study this morning, but most commentators believe this to be a blessing—that Naphtali will be a tribe that is blessed enough that it conjures up images of wildlife simply enjoying life — blessing

Joseph — blessed with fruitfulness despite being attacked. In fact, Jacob expounds concerning the blessings on Joseph with several ideas—that the God of his father would help him, that the Almighty would bless him with the blessings of heaven and blessings of the deep and blessings of the womb. In fact, Jacob gives all his own blessings to be on the head of Joseph — a significant blessing

Benjamin — blessed to be fierce warriors, which is seen primarily during the time of Ehud in the book of judges — really a blessing

The section ends by bookending the blessings with a statement that “these are the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Each blessing was suitable for the person blessed

And each blessing applied to the tribe as a whole, which we then see fulfilled throughout the rest of the Old and New Testaments.

Transition: Now, if you were paying close attention, you may have noticed that we skipped five verses, let’s take another look at those.

God’s Promises even in Death (8-12, 29-33)

Genesis 49:8–12 “8 “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. 9 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? 10 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. 11 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. 12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.”

God’s Redemptive Plan through Judah (8-12)

In vv. 8-12, we read Jacob’s blessing on Judah and Judah’s descendants:

Judah and his descendants will be militaristically strong.

Judah’s brothers will praise him and bown down before him and his descendants.

Judah’s descendants are described to be like a lion—one who will lead in which the scepter will not depart.

Or, in other words, through Judah, will come one who leads not just Judah, but all of God’s people—and that person will reign in such a way that there will be prosperity, which is what’s referred to with the binding of a foal to the vine and the donkey’s colt to the choice vine.

There’s an element in Jacob’s blessing on Judah that is more than just prophetic—he does tell of Judah’s future, but there’s more here.

There’s an element in Jacob’s blessing on Judah that is messianic—it’s about a coming Messiah who will reign and bring about prosperity to His people.

Derek Kidner, “Up to [v. 10] the theme is the fierce dominance of the [Judah] among its fellows (8b, 9). Then with the advent of the promised one, who will rule the nations, the scene becomes an earthly paradise such as the prophets foretell in their Messianic poems. It is a miniature of the biblical scheme of history.” (Derek Kidner, Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 1, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1967), 229.)

Kenneth Mathews, “Historically, this verse provides for the Davidic dynasty (e.g., 2 Sam 7:13–16), which created the messianic expectation in Israel. The oracle has been notoriously difficult in the history of interpretation, and the literature is immense. Early Jewish interpretation commonly applied the passage to the Jewish Messiah (e.g., 4252; Tgs.; Gen. Rab. 98.8; b. Sanh. 98b; Tanḥ. Wayyeḥi 10), and in the Christian community interpreters related it to David and Jesus Christ.” (K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 890.)

The blessing or the oracle given by Jacob to Judah provides Messianic promises that are fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled by Jesus.

This ties everything happening in Genesis 49 to God’s promise to save His people in Genesis 3.

It shows how the Messianic line will come through the line of Judah through David and then to Jesus.

We know for a fact because Matthew and Luke opens up with genealogies that tie Jesus to this lineage; and because the New Testament connects Jesus to ideas tied to the imagery in this text.

Hebrews 7:14 “14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.”

Revelation 5:5 “5 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.””

We know for a fact that this prophecy given to Judah points to Jesus because both Matthew and Luke open with genealogies that trace His lineage through Judah—and because the New Testament consistently connects Jesus to the imagery found in this passage: the lion, the scepter, the obedience of the nations, and even the wine-soaked garments. This isn’t just poetic language—it’s prophetic fulfillment.

Now the last five verses then wraps up not just this section of the text, but really the whole of Jacob’s life. Let’s look at those last few verses quickly before talking about application.

Genesis 49:29–33 ESV

29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.” 33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

The Conclusion of Jacob’s Life

Jacob’s life wraps up after he tells his sons where to bury him.

He tells them to bury him with his “fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan.”

He wants to be buried with his people in the land that was promised to his people.

And it is in that location that his sons buried him after he commanded his sons and “‘he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last.”

Transition: Now, with all that we’ve worked through—it can be difficult to understand how to apply this. After all, this is essentially a list of prophetic oracles concerning the extended family of Jacob. However, all Scripture is breathed out by God; and as such, there is application for us, we just need to look at the big picture of all that is happening in Genesis 49.

Application

Consider how God cared for Jacob

Despite Jacob’s early life

Despite the mistakes and sins in his life

God cared for Jacob even until the end of his earthly life.

Consider how God cared for His people through the covenant’s fulfillment in Jesus

Despite how God’s people repeatedly reject him throughout the Old Testament, God cares for His people and keeps His Word concerning His covenant.

Despite how God’s people repeatedly love their idols instead of Him throughout the Bible, but even today—God cares for His people and keeps His covenants.

Despite how you repeatedly choose to love your idols instead of Him, how you repeatedly fall into your sin, how you continuously disobey Him—If you are His, God cares for you and He keeps His covenants.

If you are His, you are in a covenant with God—even when you don’t see how God is fulfilling His covenants yet.

Remain faithful to Him because He is faithful.

Even when you don’t see fruit, keep sowing

Even when obedience is costly, keep obeying

Even when you’re dealing with doubt, hold fast

Even when sin appeals, resist your temptation to sin

Even when life feels uncertain, trust Him.

Have hope in His promises because He keeps His Word.

His promises aren’t based on you, but rather on Him

So, even when you fall into sin, His promises still remain.

Even when you’re struggling with doubt, His promises still remain

Even when life is uncertain, His promises still remain.

Part of having faith in Jesus is trusting Him even when life feels unstable.

Live in light of the promises fulfilled.

He has fulfilled promises before.

Though we don’t see the fulfillment of some promises yet, we can trust that they will be fulfilled.

Stop living as if God isn’t trustworthy, as if He isn’t reliable, as if He doesn’t care about you.

Instead, live knowing that you are His and He cares for you.

To remain faithful, to have hope, to live in light of His promises is to stand firm on what He has said even when you can’t see what He is doing—because HIs Word is as unbreakable as HIs character is unchanging.

Friends, the life of Jacob—even at its end—reminds us of God’s covenant with His people. God’s promises never expire. His redemptive plan is unfolding—even when we can’t see it. So cling to His Word, trust in His Son, and live with confidence that His covenant endures forever.

Pastoral Prayer