The Blessing of the Sons
By and large, Genesis 49 is another genealogy – although it
is written in the form of a prophetic vision rather than as a look at the
past. However, that should not bother
us. A genealogy is a genealogy.
Notice that Jacob takes the sons in order and he does bless
them. In this particular genealogy,
though, we can get a sense of how the brothers acted in life. We can also get a perspective on how the
families would take shape and develop characteristics within the Hebrew culture
themselves.
Reuben
For example, take a good look at Reuben. We know that Reuben was a leader and a person
who took charge of his life. We know
that because there are many words here about him. Of course, we also know that although Reuben
may have been a “take charge” kind of guy, things didn’t always work out all
that well for him. Because of his
impulsive and sinful tendencies, he ultimately falls from grace and loses the
honor that should have been his as the first-born of Jacob.
Simeon and Levi
The same can be said of Simeon and Levi. There are a significant number of words here,
but they by and large reflect their sinful reaction to life. They too can be seen as leaders, but they are
leaders who are flawed. The good news,
however, is that God is a god of grace. Just
as God took His time in preserving His line through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
God will take His time preserving Simeon and Levi. Simeon largely becomes associated with Judah
(which is a god thing as we shall see) as the Promised Land is divided up. Levi becomes the line of God’s chosen priests
– largely on account of Aaron, Moses’ brother.
Even Simeon and Levi will end up in a place of grace, although they may
have to wait a few centuries to see it happen.
Judah
Judah is another of the brothers that we can see as a “take
charge” brother, although here in Jacob’s blessings we get a strong sense that
Judah has come a long way in redeeming himself.
Here we get promises of Judah being like a lion, ruling over his
brothers with a scepter, and washing his garments in grapes (which are often a
symbol of wrath). Of course, the typical
Jew would see these words as a prophecy pointing to David – and they are! David ruled as a lion in charge of his
“pride,” he certainly was in a position of leadership since he is remembered as
the greatest king of all Israel, and he was not far from treading in grapes of
wrath as David’s rule was filled with violence and other unfortunate
stories.
However, we as Christians can see this passage with a
fulfillment even beyond David. We can
see Christ in these words. Certainly we
view Jesus as the Lion of Judah, the King of the World, and certainly Jesus
Himself was the victim of the wrath of humanity as he hung on the cross.
The Rest Except Joseph
The rest of the brothers – except for Joseph – are to be
seen as non-type A personalities. There
is not much said about them, so their blessings are small. This is probably because their own
personalities were largely overshadowed by the vibrant personalities of Reuben,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, and Joseph. This is
not a bad thing, mind you. The world
needs leaders and the world needs followers.
There are challenges associated with leading and there are
challenges associated with following. In
the end, we can see these other brothers largely as followers who gain a “safe”
prophetic blessing through Jacob even if it is a small one. Some people are the “go big or go home”
mentality. Other people like to fly
under the radar and settle for less while assuring that it is at least good.
Joseph
The final brother that I will give time to here is
Joseph. Joseph’s blessing is the longest
by far. We should not be surprised by
this at all. Joseph was Jacob’s beloved.
Joseph was estranged from Jacob for at least 13 years, so Jacob has that on his
mind. Joseph is the one who provided for
the means in which the sons of Jacob could come into prosperity. Perhaps most importantly, Joseph is shown as
a patriarch who was faithful to God throughout his whole life.
Joseph really was an amazing man, and in many respects he
deserves the praise and blessing that he receives. The sad part of this passage is that
unfortunately we don’t see much of his lineage in the rest of the Old
Testament. Sure, we get glimpses here
and there – but no more than the other brothers who are given small
blessings. While Joseph may have been a
great man, his lineage throughout the generations does not always live up to
his standard of greatness.
Summary of the Blessings
In the end, I’m going to choose to leave the comments about
Jacob’s death until tomorrow when our chapter will allow me to focus on
it. So let’s summarize what this
genealogy teaches us. Those who are called
to lead will have a greater chance for blessing, but also have a greater chance
to fall. Those who are called to follow
will have a reduced chance of falling, but they will also have a reduced chance
at a great blessing. There is nothing
wrong with either place in life. The
important part is determining to which place God has called you and then move
forward in following God’s design.
A really think this is an amazing conclusion to reach. Some of us are spiritual giants. Others among us are spiritual dwarves. There isn’t anything wrong with either
position. The tragedy is when someone
that God has equipped to be a spiritual giant becomes a spiritual dwarf and
when someone who is equipped to be a spiritual dwarf tries to become a
spiritual giant. It is best to know ones
place and live it out while humbling oneself before God.
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