Genesis 49 ~ because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel

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.




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.

 "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 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.

Simeon and Levi ~  have astonished Jacob with the ability to have supreme violence towards mankind and animals. How quickly humanity can destroy. Here is Jacob, called Israel, telling us families can have moments that stun and take the breathe away. We can see this two ways, a depressing event  or we can recall things in our family we would like to have improved, with merely a thought. Even God's chosen saints have these events.

Judah ~  The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, is of course, JESUS. And we are celebrating a birthday each year of God willing to come to us. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. We Rejoice in the Days God has blessed us. God is in His Heaven and all is right with the world. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch. Palm Sunday Events. 

Zebulun ~ a haven. Life forces compel us like the Mighty Mississippi river. We rejoice in the times of haven, days stretching before us like sunlight on water.

Psalm 107:30
They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven

Issachar ~ a work in progress, a work horse.

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.

Dan ~  providing justice for his people. Dan's verse is inspiring, a man of valor. For the days of our lives when we have so much appreciation for being protected and spoken up for.

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.

Gad ~ can be relied upon to give all that back.

James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Asher ~ is gifted. Don't we love to see the gifts our children have.


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.

Deer lithograph by Samuel Howell

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.

Of all the gifts we could possibly give our children, what we would provide for them......

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, with difficult events - yet he Believes himself to be the bearer of Almighty God's blessing. Jacob has joy in discovering, God has raised his beloved son. What has Jacob enjoyed about learning about Joseph, the man? 




 
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


Let these blessings bless all my family, I pray, Father God in Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves +

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