Genesis 49

Sunday Morning Bible Study

November 4, 2007

Introduction

The patriarch Jacob is nearing the end of his life. Last week we looked at the special blessing he put on Joseph and Joseph’s sons. Now Jacob is going to bless and prophesy over his entire family.

Genesis 49

:1 And Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:

:2 "Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.

last days –the things Jacob will be speaking about speak of the future. Some things will refer to what will happen as they come into the Promised Land, some will refer even up to the time of the end.

:3-4 Reuben

:3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.

:4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father's bed; Then you defiled it; He went up to my couch.

unstable as water – pachaz – recklessness, like boiling or overflowing water. Water isn’t so easy to control, it certainly doesn’t control itself; it just boils over.

Jacob is referring to the fact that Reuben had committed adultery with one of Jacob’s own wives (Gen. 35:22)

Lesson

Self-control

Reuben’s lack of self control kept him from taking the place that was naturally his, “first place”.

It would ultimately affect his family as well – the tribe of Reuben came from this man without self-control. History tells us that no prophet, judge, or hero in the Bible ever came from this tribe.

There are lots of areas of life where a lack of self-control can hurt you.

Sexual sin – this was Reuben’s problem

The Bible clearly tells us that God designed sex to be enjoyed in the specific setting of marriage. God designed sex to function at it’s best when it’s in the atmosphere of a man and woman who are committed to each other for life.

Sex outside the boundaries of marriage is called “immorality”. It’s a broad word that can include things like adultery (when people are married, but having sex with someone outside the marriage), sex before marriage, homosexuality, and just about any other thing you don’t want to be imagining.

(1 Cor 6:18-20 NKJV) Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. {19} Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? {20} For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

Samson was a man who was used greatly by God, yet he was ruined by immorality.

Drugs and Alcohol – if you don’t have self-control, you’re an addict.

Illustration

Can Alcoholics Change?

Can alcoholics overcome their addiction? Seattle's Downtown Emergency Services Center doesn't seem to think so. It's spending $11 million on permanent housing for homeless alcoholics. Seattle taxpayers were fed up with spending $50,000 per alcoholic, every year, on recovery programs, prison, and emergency room visits. The solution is 1811 Eastlake, a housing complex that accommodates 75 alcoholics. The residents are allowed to drink all they want, and they don't have to be in a recovery program—as long as they're off the streets. Bill Hobson, the program's executive director, believes most alcoholics can't change. "Once you're an alcoholic, you're always an alcoholic," he says, citing the example of an alcoholic who got drunk 10 minutes after leaving a detox facility he had been in for two months. Hobson and his group reject the transforming power of Jesus Christ and believe some people are beyond hope and help.

Do any of you think this is true? Can a person addicted to alcohol or drugs ever change? How many of you have changed?

Finances – today a lack of self-control is a dangerous thing if you start acquiring credit cards. If you don’t learn to control things, you may end up over your head in debt.

Emotions – for some folks the issue of self-control strikes at the way they handle their emotions. A person who can’t reign in their anger is ultimately going to have a lonely life. They may be able to intimidate people to stay around them for awhile, but no body wants to get close to a person who can’t control their anger.

School & work – you can’t get by forever by not doing your homework. Same principle applies to when you join the work force. If you can’t discipline yourself to get your work done when you should, don’t be surprised when other people are promoted over you.

How do I develop self-control?

1. The work of the Spirit

(Gal 5:22-23 NKJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, {23} gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Self control is one aspect of the “fruit” that the Holy Spirit wants to produce in your life. The kind of self-control that God is looking for starts by yielding your life to the work of the Holy Spirit, letting Him do what He wants in your life.

2. Learn to be faithful in small things

(Luke 16:10-12 NKJV) "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. {11} "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? {12} "And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?

Self-control is a key ingredient to “faithfulness”. Even though we see self-control being a work of God’s Spirit, it is also a result of what you choose to do.

Faithfulness starts with the “least”. Learning to be faithful in the small things of life teaches you to be faithful in the bigger things in life.

It might be learning save your money instead of spend it. It might be learning to get up when the alarm goes off instead of sleeping too late. Start with the smaller things in life.

I find that when you grow in self-control in one area of your life, you affect the other areas of your life as well.

:5-7 Simeon and Levi

:5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.

:6 Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.

Jacob is talking about another specific incident in the family history. Genesis 34 tells the story about how Jacob’s daughter Dinah was raped by the son of the mayor of Shechem. It was Simeon and Levi who organized and led the slaughter of the men of Shechem as a way of retaliating for their sister’s rape.

: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.

Neither the tribe of Simeon nor the tribe of Levi had a set independent territory when the land was divided up under Joshua. The tribe of Simeon was scattered within the tribe of Judah. The Levites, which became the priestly tribe, were given individual cities throughout each of the other tribes rather than their own set territory.

Jacob said their scattering was due to their anger.

Lesson

Anger

Anger by itself doesn’t have to be sinful.

(Eph 4:26 NKJV) "Be angry, and do not sin":

Yet in our human limitations, anger is generally not a good thing.

(James 1:19-20 NKJV) So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; {20} for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Getting angry with people is nothing close to what God wants to produce in your life.

I’ve had one person tell me that he got angry with people because it was the only way he knew to get people to pay attention to what he was saying.

Illustration

Minor League Manager Loses His Cool

On June 1, 2007, minor league Mississippi Braves baseball manager Phillip Wellman threw a major league tantrum that earned him the national spotlight, if only for a moment. During a losing game against the Chattanooga Lookouts, Wellman was infuriated over a call made by the home plate umpire. Wellman charged out of the dugout, stood nose-to-nose with the umpire, and began screaming. He then framed his hands just outside the umpire's face and shook them emphatically as he blustered all the more. Wellman then stormed toward home plate. He knelt on one knee, covered the plate with dirt, and then retraced home plate with his finger, this time about a yard wide. Then, after a brief altercation with the third base umpire, Wellman stole third base—literally. He pulled the bag out of the ground, sauntered toward second base, and hurled it discus-style out of the infield. But it's what happened next that got people talking. Walking back toward the pitcher's mound from second base, Wellman dropped to the ground and belly-crawled toward the mound, picked up the rosin bag, and, after pulling an imaginary pin with his teeth, lobbed it like a grenade at the home plate umpire. Then, he headed for the outfield. On his way, Wellman uprooted second base, picked up the discarded third base, and took them with him. Just before he left the field via the outfield wall, Wellman blew a kiss to the cheering crowd. Wellman's temper earned him global recognition—and a three-game suspension. The response from fans was mixed. While some appreciated Wellman's theatrics as all in good fun, others were embarrassed by the example such behavior modeled for young fans.

Raising your voice and letting your anger get out of control is not the way to motivate people.

In reality, it will only lead to the same consequence as Simeon and Levi – dividing and scattering people. I’ve seen this happen in the work place – employees can’t keep working for an angry boss. I’ve seen this happen in the home – families destroyed because a parent won’t reign in their anger.

How do I deal with my anger?

The Bible has some instruction in regards to anger:

(Eph 4:31-32 NKJV) Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. {32} And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

The Bible says to “put it away from you”. Apparently there is a choice you can make with your anger. You can hold on to it or you can let it go.

The Bible also tells you to replace your anger with something else:

kindness – chrestos – the word speaks of doing good things for others.

tenderhearted – eusplagchnos – having strong bowels; compassionate, tender hearted. Perhaps this might include trying to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.

forgiving – charizomai – to show one’s self gracious, kind, benevolent; to grant forgiveness, to pardon. The word is the verb form of “grace” (charis), giving something that isn’t deserved.

I believe these words talk about taking a positive step in the right direction, doing something tangible in the direction of grace rather than stewing in your anger. Even if you don’t feel like it, take a step and do the right thing.

:8-12 Judah

:8 "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you.

This is the first son who receives a positive blessing.

Judah … shall praise – Judah’s name means “praised”, there’s a play on words here.

shall bow down – instead of Joseph being the one the family will bow down to, the prophecy is that ultimately it will be Judah. This wouldn’t happen for another 800 years, when a young man named David from the tribe of Judah was anointed to be king over the nation of Israel. Ultimately every knee shall bow to the Son of David, Jesus.

:9 Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?

There is a name of Jesus that might be hinted at here. In the book of Revelation (5:5), Jesus is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah”.

:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

scepter – shebet – the scepter is a staff that a ruler will hold. Again, this hints at the family of David, the Son of David coming.

Shiloh – the word seems connected to the word for “peace” or “tranquility”. It might refer to a state of “peace” or it might be a reference to a person, the one who brings peace, perhaps the “Prince of Peace”.

:11 Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes.

:12 His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.

This could be painting a picture of prosperity – donkeys would most likely eat grapes on a vine so you wouldn’t tie your donkey to a vine unless you had more than you needed. And who else would wash their clothes in wine?

The phrase “blood of grapes” reminds us of what Jesus said at the Last Supper, that the cup of wine represented His blood which would bring forgiveness, in a sense a “washing” of our lives (Mat. 26:27-29)

Even though we see in some sense a greater blessing going to Joseph, the greatest blessing of the Messiah would go to Judah.

:13-15 Zebulun & Issachar

:13 "Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.

Zebulun would have contact with sea merchants, even though the tribe was not directly on the Mediterranean (though it did border Galilee).

:14 "Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens;

:15 He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves.

The tribe of Issachar settled on the fertile plain of Esdraelon. They were often the subject of invading armies.

:16-18 Dan

:16 "Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel.

:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse's heels So that its rider shall fall backward.

:18 I have waited for your salvation, O LORD!

The name “Dan” means “judge”, another play on words. Samson was one of the “judges” over Israel, and he was from the tribe of Dan. The tribe of Dan also was known for introducing idolatry to the nation of Israel – perhaps what the “viper” picture was all about.

:19-21 Gad, Asher, Naphtali

:19 "Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last.

The name “Gad” means “troop”. It’s related to the word “troop”, “tramp”, and “triumph”. Again Jacob is pulling from the name. Gad would be one of the tribes to settle on the eastern side of the Jordan where they were often the first tribes attacked by invading armies.

:20 "Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties.

Asher would settle on the northern coast of Israel, a land that is very fertile farm land.

:21 "Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.

The picture of a free running mountain deer. The tribe of Naphtali lived in the mountains northwest of Galilee.

:22-26 Joseph

:22 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.

fruitful - parah - to bear fruit; again the word “fruit” being related to Joseph. Last week in the blessing to Joseph’s sons we saw “fruitfulness” running through the chapter.

:23 The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.

Apparently Jacob has found out about the pain that Joseph’s brothers caused him.

:24 But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

Jacob saw that God was with Joseph throughout his life.

:25 By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

:26 The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

Joshua, Deborah, Gideon, and Jephthah all came from Joseph.

When Israel left Egypt, if you look at the counts taken in the book of Numbers (Num. 1, 26), you initially come to the conclusion that the tribe of Judah was the largest of the tribes. Until you realize that Ephraim and Manasseh are each listed as separate tribes. When you add the numbers of Ephraim and Manasseh, you realize that Joseph had become the largest tribe.

:27 Benjamin

:27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil."

Even though the first king, Saul, came from the tribe of Benjamin, they were also a vicious people who at one point went deep into immorality and idolatry (Judg. 20).

:28 Each blessing unique

:28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

:29-33 Jacob’s burial wishes

:29 Then he charged 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 of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial 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 there were purchased from the sons of Heth."

Jacob knew where his real home was. Even though he had lived in Egypt for the last seventeen years, his real home was back in the land of Canaan.

:33 And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

Lesson

The journey of faith

Jacob lives a life that at times was downright messy.

He took advantage of his brother Esau’s hunger and ended buying the family birthright for a bowl of stew.

He later tricked his father and stole his brother’s “blessing” by disguising himself as his brother. In the end his deception caused him to have to leave his home and family.

He met his match when he went to live with his uncle Laban. Jacob had to live by his wits in order to survive a man who was even sneakier than he was. He barely escaped his uncle’s grasp with his life.

He had the ultimate dysfunctional family. Married to four women. At the same time. Children who fought for their place in the family. The rape of a daughter followed by the murderous rampage of his sons. One son being secretly sold as a slave.

His relationship with God didn’t come easily. Even though God graciously took care of Jacob, he continued to struggle with God. There came a day when Jacob found himself at the most difficult point in his life with his dishonest uncle behind him and his angry brother in front of him. And Jacob found himself wrestling all night with this God who cared for him.

Even though the headlines the next day declared Jacob the man who “prevailed over God”, Jacob knew differently. God had been the real winner. Jacob had come out of the match as a cripple. Jacob had learned to be mastered by God.

And now at the end of his life he has long past given up trying to deceive people. Instead he is the one passing out the blessings. He is the one who has this close relationship with God where he is speaking into the future, declaring what is ahead for his family.

Where are you on the journey of faith?

Are you still trying to get by in life on your own wits? Are you still living under the philosophy that it’s “kill or be killed”?

Or have you come to the point where you’re ready to stop your fighting with God? Are you ready to let Jesus be the master of your heart? Are you ready to see real, significant things happening in your life?

Introduction

The patriarch Jacob is nearing the end of his life. Last week we looked at the special blessing he put on Joseph and Joseph’s sons. Now Jacob is going to bless and prophesy over his entire family.

Genesis 49

:1 And Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:

:2 "Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.

last days –the things Jacob will be speaking about speak of the future. Some things will refer to what will happen as they come into the Promised Land, some will refer even up to the time of the end.

:3-4 Reuben

:3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.

:4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father's bed; Then you defiled it; He went up to my couch.

unstable as water – pachaz – recklessness, like boiling or overflowing water. Water isn’t so easy to control, it certainly doesn’t control itself; it just boils over.

Jacob is referring to the fact that Reuben had committed adultery with one of Jacob’s own wives (Gen. 35:22)

(Gen 35:22 NKJV) And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heard about it.

Lesson

Self-control

Reuben’s lack of self control kept him from taking the place that was naturally his, “first place”.

It would ultimately affect his family as well – the tribe of Reuben came from this man without self-control. History tells us that no prophet, judge, or hero in the Bible ever came from this tribe.

There are lots of areas of life where a lack of self-control can hurt you.

Sexual sin – this was Reuben’s problem

Drugs and Alcohol – if you don’t have self-control, you’re an addict.

Finances – today a lack of self-control is a dangerous thing if you start acquiring credit cards. If you don’t learn to control things, you may end up over your head in debt.

School & work – you can’t get by forever by not doing your homework. Same principle applies to when you join the work force. If you can’t discipline yourself to get your work done when you should, don’t be surprised when other people are promoted over you.

How do I develop self-control?

1. The work of the Spirit

2. Learn to be faithful in small things

:5-7 Simeon and Levi

:5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.

:6 Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.

: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.

Jacob said their scattering was due to their anger.

Lesson

Anger

Anger by itself doesn’t have to be sinful.

(Eph 4:26 NKJV) "Be angry, and do not sin":

Yet in our human limitations, anger is generally not a good thing.

(James 1:19-20 NKJV) So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; {20} for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

I’ve had one person tell me that he got angry with people because it was the only way he knew to get people to pay attention to what he was saying.

Illustration

Minor League Manager Loses His Cool

Raising your voice and letting your anger get out of control is not the way to motivate people.

How do I deal with my anger?

The Bible has some instruction in regards to anger:

:8-12 Judah

:8 "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you.

This is the first son who receives a positive blessing.

Judah … shall praise – Judah’s name means “praised”, there’s a play on words here.

:9 Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?

(Gen 49:9 NLT) Judah is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness--who will dare to rouse him?

There is a name of Jesus that might be hinted at here. In the book of Revelation (5:5), Jesus is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah”.

:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

scepter – shebet – the scepter is a staff that a ruler will hold. Again, this hints at the family of David, the Son of David coming.

Since Moses is compiling all these prophecies, you might think that he’d tweak this and say that the rule over the nation would come from Moses’ tribe the Levites. But he doesn’t. The rule of Judah wouldn’t come until David’s day, four hundred years after Moses.

Shiloh – the word seems connected to the word for “peace” or “tranquility”. It might refer to a state of “peace” or it might be a reference to a person, the one who brings peace, perhaps the “Prince of Peace”.

:11 Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes.

:12 His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.

This could be painting a picture of prosperity – donkeys would most likely eat grapes on a vine so you wouldn’t tie your donkey to a vine unless you had more than you needed. And who else would wash their clothes in wine?

The phrase “blood of grapes” reminds us of what Jesus said at the Last Supper, that the cup of wine represented His blood which would bring forgiveness, in a sense a “washing” of our lives (Mat. 26:27-29)

There is a washing that comes from the wine. Our lives (like garments) are washed through the blood of Jesus Christ, represented by wine.

Even though we see in some sense a greater blessing going to Joseph, the greatest blessing of the Messiah would go to Judah.

:13-15 Zebulun & Issachar

:13 "Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.

Zebulun would have contact with sea merchants, even though the tribe was not directly on the Mediterranean (though it did border Galilee).

:14 "Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens;

:15 He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves.

The tribe of Issachar settled on the fertile plain of Esdraelon. They were often the subject of invading armies.

:16-18 Dan

:16 "Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel.

:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse's heels So that its rider shall fall backward.

:18 I have waited for your salvation, O LORD!

:19-21 Gad, Asher, Naphtali

:19 "Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last.

The name “Gad” means “troop”. It’s related to the word “troop”, “tramp”, and “triumph”. Again Jacob is pulling from the name. Gad would be one of the tribes to settle on the eastern side of the Jordan where they were often the first tribes attacked by invading armies.

:20 "Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties.

Asher would settle on the northern coast of Israel, a land that is very fertile farm land.

:21 "Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.

The picture of a free running mountain deer. The tribe of Naphtali lived in the mountains northwest of Galilee. Beautiful words – I guess he was a good communicator.

:22-26 Joseph

:22 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.

fruitful - parah - to bear fruit; again the word “fruit” being related to Joseph. Last week in the blessing to Joseph’s sons we saw “fruitfulness” running through the chapter.

:23 The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.

Apparently Jacob has found out about the pain that Joseph’s brothers caused him.

The picture of a free running mountain deer. The tribe of Naphtali lived in the mountains northwest of Galilee.