Genesis Chapter 49
Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 33:26
0 ratings
· 15 viewsFiles
Notes
Transcript
Genesis Chapter 49 (The Blessings of Jacob)
Genesis Chapter 49 (The Blessings of Jacob)
Intro :
We saw last chapter Jacob passing his blessings to Ephraim and Manasseh,
Remember Ephraim, and Manasseh were the grandsons of Jacob, The sons of Joseph
and how Ephraim would become the more noteworthy of the two tribe and inherit the birthright
and the way when Jacob blessed them, he crossed his arms that was believed to be a mistake
Really representing how we have to always remember NOT to just follow mans traditions, but let the plan of God always be what leads us
God’s plan is more important and can change without explanation unto “mans” tradition.
During our last study, James went over how this was the start of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Here in Chapter 49 we are going to see Jacob, further passing down his blessings unto the other tribes which would become the rest of the 12 tribes
And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
Chapter 49 is going to be a prophecy unto these men.
Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob;And hearken unto Israel your father.
Once again, we mention it every chapter over Jacob,
Jacob and Israel, same person, Israel was his divine name given by God.
There is a covenant that started between God and Abraham, that has been passed down to Isaac, the Jacob,
And Jacob is now passing down this blessings and promises of God to his sons.
Not only speaking to each and every one of them which would become the tribes of Israel,
But also speaking to them prophetically, speaking to them with divine wisdom on their future.
Reuben, thou art my firstborn,My might, and the beginning of my strength,The excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
Reuben who’s name meaning “behold a son”
Jacobs firstborn from Leah,
Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel;Because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed;Then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
Jacob is sort of “demoting” Reuben,
And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
There was a sexual immoral that Reuben had committed.
He did this in a way to unlawfully or forcefully take Jacobs inheritance and take his birthright on his own.
He was “unstable as water” he could not be trusted, although he was strong, and dignified in his power, he could not be trusted because he fell to temptation and greed.
Simeon and Levi are brethren;Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
Simeon meaning “herd”
Levi meaning “joined”
Simeon and Levi were the ones who back in chapter 34, orchestrated the massacre of the men of Shechem.
their dwellings are referenced here by Jacob as “instruments of cruelty”
O my soul, come not thou into their secret;Unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united:For in their anger they slew a man,And in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
Jacob is formally separating himself from the evil of Simeon and Levi.
Jacob had no part in what they did unto Schechem.
Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce;And their wrath, for it was cruel:I will divide them in Jacob,And scatter them in Israel.
Jacob is separating these two brothers and their descendants.
I believe hit on this last study, but
We are going to see later on,
Levi’s descendants will become the Levitical priesthood that is divided into the cities among Israel.
Simeons descendants will be scattered throughout the other tribes as well, but we will see them be mostly absorbed into the tribe of Judah.
Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise:Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies;Thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.
Judah is to inherent dominance over his 1st three brothers
Reuben, Simeon, and Levi because they were dismissed from the inheritance of the birthright.
and his other brothers will bow to him as well.
But remember, Judah was not a perfect man of God and without sin.
And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
Judah was the one back when they were going against Joseph, to recommend selling him unto slavery.
Even though he did not want to kill him,
He was still after the profit motive over Joseph.
That being said, we see a sort of transformation happen in Judah and his way of life.
Back throughout all the back and forth from Egypt for them buying grain to take back home to their people,
Judah steps up and shows great leadership skills and self accountability over his brother benjamin.
I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:
Judah is stepping up and taking the responsibility over Benjamin and in a way, making a self sacrifice for if he does not bring Benjamin home.
At this time they still did not know Joseph was the head over Egypt.
Judah went from initiating the selling of his brother unto slavery to make a profit,
To now making himself responsible for looking after Benjamin his youngest brother.
This is showing that there was some sort of change, or awakening in Joseph’s life.
We say it all the time, Christianity is not a religion, it is a way of life.
And Judah has shown how he has fell into sin, but through a change in outlook and change in life, and divine actions from God, it is not too late to be forgiving by God from that sin.
Judah is a lion’s whelp:From the prey, my son, thou art gone up:He stooped down, he couched as a lion,And as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
Judah is being illustrated as a lion here
This is a metaphor for his strength and cunning that will come to pass.
We are going to see throughout, all the way to revelation, where “the lion of Judah” is mentioned.
We are going to see this phrase again and it is used as a descriptive way to explain and compare to Christ.
We see it used in Micah Chapter 5 and Revelations Chapter 5 in this way in particular.
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,Until Shiloh come;And unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
What is this verse really buckling down and telling us?
We have seen the same example just written differently in verses 8, 9
This is referencing the messiah, Christ to come from the tribe of Judah.
This blessing over Judah is not only for him, but also a prophetic reflection and example for the goodness of God’s blessing unto the undeserving.
This blessing being passed to Judah is a reflection of Christ in a way.
Judah, who through his past sin is undeserving of this blessing.
But through his repentance, God saw Judah to be fit.
The same way we can be with Christ.
We all fall short and sin against God.
But through our repentance and changing out life and outlook, God see’s us fit and Christ already shed the blood for the physical sacrifice.
Through our faith, works, and repentance we too can be seen fit to inherit the greatest blessing.
To enter the kingdom of Heaven and be with our creator.
Binding his foal unto the vine,
And his ass’s colt unto the choice vine;He washed his garments in wine,And his clothes in the blood of grapes:
His eyes shall be red with wine,
And his teeth white with milk.
11 and 12 here are just furthering the blessing unto Judah.
Not just that the Messiah would come from him, and the leadership over his brothers,
But also they elaborate the materialistic blessings as well.
Strong vines, that could be used to hold an animal,
plenty of wine, great wine growing, etc
Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea;
And he shall be for an haven of ships;And his border shall be unto Zidon.
So up until this point, these blessings were being given in birth order.
Reuben, Simieon, Levi, and Judah,
To now Zebulun which is the 10th born son. But pay attention, he is addressing his sons born from Leah.
So what is this verse saying here?
Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double heart.
The tribe of Zebulun later on shows faithfulness towards king David.
They gave the largest number of soldiers unto king David than any other single handed tribe. Thats what we are seeing here in 1st Chronicles chapter 12
Zebulun’s name meaning ( a habitiation)
Issachar is a strong ass Couching down between two burdens:
Issachar meaning (reward)
was the 9th son in order but a son of Leah as well.
This is comparing him to a strong donkey, laying down between two burdens.
And he saw that rest was good,
And the land that it was pleasant;
And bowed his shoulder to bear,
And became a servant unto tribute.
We are going to see in numbers how the tribe of Issachar is the 3rd largest tribe, representing that strong donkey.
They become a band of slaves because they were targeted by other armies often from their size.
Again this is a prophetic blessing.
Dan shall judge his people,
As one of the tribes of Israel.
Name literally meaning (judge)
Dan was the 5th son of Jacob, but was the 1st son by Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid.
The tribe of Dan did judge the other tribes of Israel.
Once of the most prominent well known judges was from the tribe of Dan
Samson.
His long hair was an example of his strength from God
That Samson.
Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
An adder in the path,
That biteth the horse heels,
So that his rider shall fall backward.
When we first read this, it sounds like a curse being layed upon Dan, “a serpent”
But again, these blessings were giving also as prophecies,
the tribe of Dan, we will see was a very troublesome tribe.
Lot of Idolatry takes place within the tribe of Dan
1st kings chapter 12 shows explains this.
and In the book of Amos we see how Dan was like a center of Idolatry in Israel.
I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.
Again Jacob does not know the exact detail on how the tribe of Dan will be troubled, but through his divine prophetic blessing he knows trouble will be there.
He uses this statement here in verse 18 as a way to stop and ask for God’s blessing.
This shows us that even though we see trouble coming,
We know trouble is ahead, ask for God to be with us throughout.
It is out of Jacob’s control so he is giving his worry to God and asking for his salvation before going on to the next son.
Gad, a troop shall overcome him:
But he shall overcome at the last.
Gad meaning “a troop”
Jacob is prophesying here that his tribe will be overthrown
But that they will overcome them at the end.
Jeremiah 49 we will see this prophecy come to pass when foreign armies oppress Gad and his people.
Just like all the children of God, we always come to confliction and troubling times, But just like Gads prophecy here, “he shall overcome at the last”
God’s children going through troubling times and being sinned against, but yet we still prosper in the end.
Gods grace over his children.
Out of Asher his bread shall be fat,
And he shall yield royal dainties.
Asher meaning “blessed”
In Deuteronomy chapter 33, we later see this same prophecy being reiterated by Moses unto Asher.
This is a blessing of an abundance of materialistic things, goods, and food.
Necessities will be abundant for Asher and his people.
but not just the necessities but royal dainties, luxury materials and goods.
Naphtali is a hind let loose:
He giveth goodly words.
Naphtali meaning “wrestle”
This is prophesying what we will see in Joshua where the land of Naphtali is described, and the same region where Christ did a lot of his teaching.
Joseph is a fruitful bough,
Even a fruitful bough by a well;
Whose branches run over the wall:
The past couple of months we have been studying Joseph’s story,
Joseph is addressed as the one son of Jacob, but remember back in the previous chapter,
This blessing is given to Ephraim and Mansseh.
The tribe of Joseph is actually 2 tribes here.
and we are going to see from here through verse 26 that this is a prophetic illustration of Joseph’s life, but also a personal blessing to his descendants
Joseph’s people were already blessed through the famine and such that is why we see it passed over to his sons.
God’s plan of action having bigger outcomes then we could ever imagine for ourselves.
So as we read through verse 26, try and compare this future blessing to Josephs descendants, to also what we have learned about Joseph’s history.
The archers have sorely grieved him,
And shot at him, and hated him:
Joseph was sold unto slavery
Imprisoned,
he constantly faced confliction.
But his bow abode in strength,And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the mighty God of Jacob;(From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
Joseph was made head over his masters house in slavery
He also was made head over the prisoners when being imprisoned
Why? Because of the guidance and grace of the Almighty God.
Joseph was guilty of sin and doubt, he was a man of the flesh, but he would repent and ALWAYS give God the glory and the first thanks. in good and in bad times.
Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee;And by the Almighty, who shall bless thee With blessings of heaven above,Blessings of the deep that lieth under,Blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
Almighty God, the same God who’s guidance and wisdom has been passed down from generation to this point, will further bless Joseph’s descendants where it says by the breasts and of the womb.
The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors Unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills:They shall be on the head of Joseph,And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
The greatest point of Joseph’s story, was that he consistently followed and kept a strong relationship with God, and God blessed him for it.
And now he was such a great servant unto God, that now his sons will be passed the blessing and so on.
But I want us to stop and discuss something here.
We’ve said it before, but your relationship with Christ is personal.
I cant ride on my dads relationship with Christ, or my granddads.
So why is that Joseph’s sons are receiving blessings and inheritance from God.
This is not just his sons riding his coat tails,
This is a lead by example case here.
Joseph’s relationship with God was so sincere and honorable, that his sons have witnessed this from their father, so naturally, they would have a relationship with God by their age of accountability as well.
This is why parents listen closely.
Whether we know it or not our children are watching our every step
James hit on this last Sunday,
Hank is not mine, he is God’s child.
God is trusting Jasmin and I to take protection and responsibility over this soul that is a gift from God.
As parents, it is our responsibility to lead by example to our children,
Show our children through first hand witness and action that Christ is the answer.
He is the answer to confliction, sadness, sorrow,
He is the answer to Eternal life and Blessing.
Just like Joseph to his sons,
It is our responsibility to have such a great relationship with Christ,
That we reflect His light directly onto our children firsthand, So that when our children grow to the age of accountability,
They will be blessed and prosper because they have saw how powerful a relationship with Christ truly is. Directly from their parents.
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old, he will not depart from it.
We are to raise up our children in the way of the Lord, and if we do so out of love and honor for God, by the time of our children becoming of the age of accountability, they will not depart from it.
It doesn’t say they “should” not depart, but they WILL not depart from it.
and not trying to scare any parents, but there is a greater responsibility to raising children than just to keep them fed and clothed.
That is necessities of the worldly body, but what about the necessities for the eternal body?
Even though we cant give them eternal life, We should know how and should take action on guiding them toward the answer
Which is what?
Christ.
Back to chapter 49.
Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf:In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.
This is prophecying what is to be seen in Judges 20
We are going to see the soldiers from the tribe of Benjamin be experts of swords and with slings.
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
So to wrap up what we have just seen,
Jacob is passing his covenant that was passed to him, but this time instead of one inheritance like we have seen so far,
Jacob has divided and passed down this covenant toward 12 of his descendants.
and its easy to look at this and say “well isn’t Jacob trying to take things in his own hands by passing down this covenant by dividing it up?”
We have to remember that this was not just simply a passing down of the covenant.
This was also divine prophecy being given towards 12 tribes that come from Israel or Jacob.
Showing that this was God’s prophecy that would take place. Jacob is just simply the messenger for this prophecy.
And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
The cave of Machpelah
In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.
Abraham buying this lawfully was what we saw in Genesis 23
There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.
And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.
Here we see the death of Jacob in the flesh.
He has passed down his inherited covenant from his father and grandfather,
He divided it between 12 of his descendants, by divine guidance and prophecy driven from God.
and here we see the 12 tribes of Israel being established.
Conclusion:
This chapter shows us the blessings from Jacob, the passing down of the covenant to his sons and grandsons, and not only the passing of the covenant, but also prophecy being giving to each and every one who inherited.
But what is the pattern we keep seeing here in these prophecies given to the tribes of Israel?
Were constantly seeing confliction/ blessing
Confliction/blessing pretty much repeated in different ways to each one of these tribes.
These 12 tribes of Israel are going to see confliction, and then be shown blessings from God.
What is this teaching us?
Even in the original 12 tribes of Israel, man in the flesh will always deal with some sort of conflicts
Some sort of trials, tribulations, hardships, other men sinning against you,
Because as long as we are in the flesh, we are going to fall short from God’s perfection,
We are going to fall short of God’s commandments.
The temptation of sin in the flesh is impossible to run from alone.
But just like we have seen with God’s chosen people and we are going to continue to see time and time again throughout the bible,
The only way we are going to be able to separate ourselves from sin and strive for God’s commandments is through
Faith, repentance, and submission unto Christ.
Christ was the ONLY flesh body that was free of sin.
and through HIM is the only way we can be delivered out of conflict-ion and into prosperity.
Not kept away from conflict, but guided through it and protected around it.
And by submitting to Christ, repenting from WHEN not if we fall short of his commandments,
Then we will be delivered blessing along with guidance through conflict-ion.
Just like we see is going to happen with the tribes of Israel here.
Again, these were not only blessings being passed down from Jacob, but also divine prophecy being given.
Genesis Chapter 49 (The Blessings of Jacob)
Genesis Chapter 49 (The Blessings of Jacob)
