Scripture: Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come. “Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.
“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!
“Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen. 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.
“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
“Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.
“Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor.
“Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward. I wait for your salvation, O LORD.
“Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels.
“Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.
“Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns.
“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.
“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.”
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.
Genesis 49:1-28 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, Joseph presents his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to their grandfather to receive his blessings. But Jacob first pronounces that the two sons are his inheritance, establishing the tribes of Manasseh and Ephriam as substitutes for Joseph and Levi’s clans in the future Promised Land. Next, Jacob directs Joseph to bring his sons near to receive their blessing. So Joseph stands the younger Ephraim to Jacob’s left side and the older Manasseh to Jacob’s right. But Jacob crosses his arms and places his right hand on Ephraim’s head and his left on Manasseh’s head and utters a prayer that they would carry on the name and blessing of their patriarchs: to be fruitful and multiply. At this point, Joseph interrupts and switches Jacob’s hands to correct the supposed mistaken firstborn blessing on the younger son. But Jacob clarifies that the younger must receive the firstborn blessing and rise to greater prominence and progeny. Then, Jacob tells Joseph that his end is near and assures Joseph that God will be with Joseph and return him to his homeland.
Today’s passage continues the storyline of Jacob’s last words and blessings, gathering all his sons and pronouncing forthcoming blessings and consequences based on their character and past actions. Starting with the oldest and continuing in descending order, Jacob prophecies that Reuben shall not gain preeminence as the oldest son because he slept with Jacob’s concubine. He curses Simeon and Levi (who exacted murderous revenge on the Hivites), declaring that they will be divided and scattered in the Promised Land. For the rest of his sons, Jacob pronounces positive outcomes. In particular, though, he declares that Judah is a lion’s cub of whom the ruler’s staff shall not depart until tribute comes to him and the people obey him (vv.9-10).
Takeaway: Why does Judah receive this extraordinary blessing? As mentioned in a recent Daily Focus, he reasoned with his brothers not to kill the teenage Joseph. Judah later pledged his life to assure Jacob of Benjamen’s safe return. Lastly, when tested by Joseph, Judah offered himself as a substitute servant to free Benjamen—Christlike acts of substitutionary atonement. Indeed, under duress, he demonstrated humility and sacrificial love for his two younger brothers as Christ did for us. Indeed, as Micah foretold, the Messiah (our suffering servant who offered himself as a substitute sacrifice for our sins) would come from this highly exalted tribe of Judah (Micah 5:2). And as John reports in his Revelation of the end times, Jesus is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5).
But what about the future generations of those cursed tribes? Thanks to God, there is redemption! Moses and Aaron will rise from the tribe of Levi and lead the nation to the Promised Land. And while scattered among the other tribes without land for their possession, God himself is the Levites’ inheritance. Moreover, they shall live on the food offerings presented to the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:1-2) and receive refuge cities within the territories of the other tribes (Numbers 35:1-8). As for the remainder, each will find their place under God’s covenant blessings for the entire nation.
Our takeaway? Like Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, our past sins sometimes leave a long trail of consequences. Thankfully, our Lion of Judah has paid the price for our trespasses, and his Holy Spirit will, in due time, lead us unto paths of righteousness and redemption where our once scattered lives find refuge in our Lord, for Christ is our inheritance!
Our Part? Like the Levites, we must set ourselves apart as a “kingdom of priests” consecrated to serve our Great High Priest with gladness and singleness of heart. What does that look like? Moses first speaks God’s words to Israel at Mount Sinai, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel” (Exodus 19:5-6 ESV).
Peter applies Israel’s calling to be a kingdom of priests to the church, saying, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9 ESV). As such, Peter adds that we are to live honorably among unbelievers, exhibiting good deeds over our carnal passions (1 Peter 2:11-12).
Lastly, John, in his Revelation, writes to the seven churches, “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen”(Revelation 1:5b-6 ESV). Here, John emphasizes patient endurance amid our trials and persecution (1:9; 2:2; 2:19; 3:10).
In sum, as Christ treasured possessions and his kingdom of priests, we lead righteous lives by:
- Obeying his voice and keeping his covenant (spoken through Scripture, prayer, worship, and the body of believers)
- Proclaiming his excellencies, who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (through worship, missions, and evangelism)
- Patiently enduring trials and suffering by praying for those persecuting us and loving our enemies (Matthew 5:44)
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, the Lion of Judah, who is our inheritance. Please help us cooperate with your Holy Spirit to rise above our struggle with sins and their consequences by obeying your voice, proclaiming your Son’s excellencies, and persevering through trials and suffering to live lives worthy of our calling as your treasured possessions and kingdom of priests. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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