The Book of Genesis
Part 97
Chapter 49:1-7
Jacob, realizing that his days were few, called his sons together before him. He sought to tell them what was to befall them in the last days. Actually his words were more in the way of predictions than in blessings. In the case of the aged patriarch there was a divine insight and foresight which enabled him to prophesy the future of the nation that was to arise out of his family. Notwithstanding the prophetic light imparted to him, much of what he said was the expected development from the characters manifested in his sons. Character expresses itself in behaviour, and in many cases gives indications of future reactions.
There seems to be a contrast between Jacob who sought a blessing from his father, albeit he did it in a wrong way, and his own children who, as far as the record is concerned, asked nothing of him. Perhaps they had become in measure like Esau and despised the patriarchal benediction.
The blessings of Moses upon the tribes of Israel (Deut. 33) are complementary to what was spoken by Jacob. Jacob saw the future in what he knew about his sons; Moses saw the future of the nation in what he knew about God and His purposes of government and grace. The expression used by both Jacob and Moses, “In the last days,” usually contains a reference to the period of Messiah’s rule.
Some expositors divide the blessings of Jacob upon his sons into four sections. In so doing there are some very important moral lessons to be learned. There are, of course, three names in each section. The first mentions Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, and reveals man by nature, man irrepressible and violent. The second mentions Zebulun, Issachar, and Dan, and indicates the influence which leads to departure and apostacy from God. The third lists Gad, Asher, and Naphtali, and suggests what God can do for those who in weakness turn to Him. The fourth contains Judah, Joseph, and Benjamin, and manifests the power of leadership that retards evil and seeks recovery.
Reuben is described by his father as being unstable as water. Literally he bubbled over as water when it boils. This suggests an unrestrained dispostition, a passionate nature. To Reuben Jacob said, “Thou shalt not excel. As a tribe Reuben sank from the first place to the most insignificant. A lack of self-control invariably results in a decline.
“Simeon and Levi are brethren,” said their father. Not only were they brothers in the same family but in the same disposition and crime. In his prediction their father had in mind their deceit and violence at Shechem, and upon them he uttered a curse rather than a blessing: “I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.”