Jacob Blesses his Sons, painted by Dr. Harry Anderson
Genesis 49 ~ New International Version
Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
2 “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel.
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, the first sign of my strength,
excelling in honor, excelling in power.
4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.
5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers—
their swords are weapons of violence.
6 Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,
for they have killed men in their anger
and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.
8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
11 He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.
13 “Zebulun will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.
14 “Issachar is a rawboned donkey
lying down among the sheep pens.
15 When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and submit to forced labor.
16 “Dan will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan will be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backward.
18 “I look for your deliverance, Lord.
19 “Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders,
but he will attack them at their heels.
20 “Asher’s food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.
21 “Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.
22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility.
24 But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms stayed limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25 because of your father’s God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty, who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,
blessings of the breast and womb.
26 Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
thanthe bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.
29 Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.”
33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
Attitudes and Blessings of Christmas
Jacob believed he was the descendant carrying Abraham's blessing. "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” He seems, to me, to be very positive as he wants to bless his children. This is not a man fading away, but relinquishing his spirit in gratitude and verve. The Blessings Thief, interestingly enough, wants all his 12 sons to be blessed.
This summer I was having a emotional day. I went to the grocery store with my son and the clerk said to me, with great enthusiasm and sparkling eyes, "God Gives You What you Need for Each Day, hang on to that." Jacob lived this.
Psalm 68:19
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah
and/or King James Bible
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Jacob is telling us of his life remembrances ~ as a father, as a child of God, and as - Father God.
Jacob is gathering his life together - to go on. Look at this with me a unique way; not as a man with 11 children, but a lifetime of memories.
Biblical illustrations by Balage Balogh
Reuben ~ recall with me, tried to save Joseph. In personality, Rueben stands out in Scripture, however Reuben has laid to waste his relationship with his father over Jacob's concubine, Bilhah. Jacob and Bilhah had two sons, Dan and Naphtali. God is telling us sexual sin can cross boundaries and cause irreparable harm.
Psalm 107:30
They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven
How good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land. In Ecclesiastes 5 we learn about this. Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.
Proverbs 29:4
By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts tears it down.
Matthew 5:25
"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison."
Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Proverbs 18:16
A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before the great.
1 Corinthians 12:4
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
Naphtali ~ is a doe set free, that bears beautiful fawns. We are, obviously, treated to a moment in Jacob's memories of Naphtali's mercy. And the reward of seeing the unusual and appreciated fawns the next year.
Ephesians 2:4-6
God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Benjamin ~ Jacob's treasured son with his wife Rachael, this passage seems to suggest Benjamin is a yuppie with determination and skill. As Benjamin's life develops - he gives back blessings to others.
Ephesians 4:13
Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Joseph~ here we reach the crux of this passage. Forgiveness. Trust. Blessings. Jacob, Israel, wrestler of blessings, believed Joseph was killed by a wild animal. His sons are never recorded asking for forgiveness. And yet, importantly, Jacob wishes to bless his sons. An example of Father God.
Jacob had a life with misery, upon occasion, yet he believes himself to be the bearer of Almighty God's blessing.
But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms stayed limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
because of your father’s God,
who helps you,
because of the Almighty,
who blesses you
with blessings
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