Jacob Blesses his Sons, painted by Dr. Harry Anderson
Genesis 49
New International VersionThen 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.
The Times and the People God used as Living Parables for His Beloved:
Jacob was a thief of a blessing. And in his lifetime with God, he gave back his blessing, not just to the eldest son, but some of the grandsons as well. The grandsons were children of the Egyptians, crossing borders like Jesus did as a child.
Jacob is Israel. The blessing is like that of Elijah during the time of starvation, enough was found to provide and share.
Jacob is chosen for his desire to bless. To forgive his sons. To endure with hope and faith and love. Jacob is willing to bless beyond the boundaries.
David had an idyllic life as a Shepherd. Simple. Beautiful and fruitful. David used these quiet times to come to know the Words of God tending the family flock. He is offered to be the Shepherd of Israel, and his life becomes far from idyllic. The journey is very difficult and events happen we would all prefer to avoid.
In David's far from idyllic life, Father God has chosen a man too over involved in too many things to become the father of Jesus generations down the time line. Chosen as a Father.
David is chosen for his desire to be blessed. To forgive his nation for allowing his anointing to be pushed out. To endure with faith and love. To believe that Father God is far more good than we would ever think to give Him credit for.
God tells us in the Gospel of Matthew the beginning is make straight the paths of the Lord.
Which gave Jesus a very diligent and difficult ministry filled with enormous burden and incredible God abilities for an impossible task without the Father of All.
Jesus has chosen what was not for Him to become what was not against Him. And in that journey, to have Jacob become Israel.
Jacob had a difficult crowd to bless.
David had a difficult people to redeem.
Jesus came and allowed God to live to prove to us - the burdens we have - He has carried.
Jesus arrived to be a servant to mankind. To lift us to Him to be near Jesus for Eternity.
Luke 23:34
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
John 14:3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Joel 3
The harvest is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,
for the winepress is full
and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”
14
Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
15
The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
16
The Lord will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the heavens will tremble.
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.
Blessings for God’s People
17
“Then you will know that I, the Lord your God,
dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy;
never again will foreigners invade her.
18
“In that day the mountains will drip new wine,
and the hills will flow with milk;
all the ravines of Judah will run with water.
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house
and will water the valley of acacias.
The Scriptures are the events leading to the Cross.
From the Cross, the Scriptures, the Word of God, then lead us to Jesus for Eternity.
This is Holy Week
And this is the Journey of the Scriptures and of Jesus.
Jeremiah 32:38
They will be my people, and I will be their God.
Revelation 21:21
21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Our Prayer is from Ephesians 1
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus. Our Savior. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment