Genesis 49
Can you trust the Bible? When we say “yes - I believe the Bible,” I think that what many of us are saying is that we believe the STORIES, the MIRACLES, the TRUTHFULNESS of the Bible. We do not doubt the content of the Bible, but do we FOLLOW the Bible? Do we believe it enough that God’s Word is the predominant influence in our lives, or do we simply affirm that we believe the Bible but in actuality follow the crowd around us?
In “The Disciple Making Church,” Bill Hull addresses the dishonesty that often display as Christians. He writes, writes, "The people sitting in the pew are products of television more than the Word of God. Their world views are not scripturally based; rather they disciples of their culture." (Bill Hull, "The Disciple Making Pastor.)
That is a stunning statement, but one that I believe has great merit. We need to be reminded about the truthfulness of the Bible, not just the stories in the Bible but the very Scriptures themselves. One way for us to regain this confidence in Scriptures is to examine the accuracy of the Bible.
Today, we come to an amazing portion of Scripture affirming the accuracy of the Bible.
By studying Genesis 49 we will be reminded that we can TRUST the Bible even when modern culture rejects it. We will also be encouraged to FOLLOW the commands of Scripture because God’s Word is more trustworthy than the ideas of our contemporary world.
I. First, Let’s examine The Significance of Jacob’s Prophecies
Jacob is at the end of his life. He is ready to die, content and satisfied that God has fulfilled all that He had promised. Jacob has lived to witness the miracle that Joseph is still alive and is second in command in Egypt. He has been assured of God’s presence all of his life. Now he is passing on his blessing to his sons and providing each one with an analysis of their lives and an exhortation to live for God.
Jacob’s prophecy is not the first in Genesis, but it is the longest prophetic section in the book. The FIRST prophecy is Gen 3:15, and it is the foundation for all Biblical prophecy. In this “first gospel” fallen humanity is promised that God would send a redeemer to rescue them from the curse brought into the world through their sin. That Redeemer would be born of a woman and would permanently defeat Satan - clear references to Christ.
Here in Genesis 49, in his blessing for his sons, Jacob speaks to the future (49:1 “I will tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.”) These prophetic words were fulfilled exactly as Jacob spoke them!
There are TWO kinds of Prophecies in the Old Testament. First, there are prophecies that remain UNFULFILLED - prophecies such as the Seconding Coming of Christ, the Resurrection of the Saints and the future Millenial Kingdom.
Second, there are FULFILLED PROPHESIES. We have already seen some examples in Genesis
1. Israel will be in Egypt 400 years (Genesis 15:13 (ESV) “Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.”
2. 7 Years of Abundance, 7 Years of Famine.
JACOB’S PROPHECIES are an example of FULFILLED Biblical prophesy! By observing these prophecies and their fulfillment, we can ascertain that the Bible can be TRUSTED. Old Testament scholar Will Varner writes, “Jacob’s deathbed blessings on his sons recorded in Genesis 49 provide on of the most amazing examples of predictive prophecy in the Bible.” (Will Varner, “Jacob’s Dozen,” (23)
II. Second, Let’s look specifically at The ACCURACY of Jacob’s Prophecy. We will do this by focusing on TWO of the prophetic sections - the ones that relate to REUBEN and JUDAH
These prophecies were FUTURE from the time that Jacob spoke them. Most of them were fulfilled in later years, particularly during the time of the Judges - before the kingly reign of David. The prophecy that “the scepter would not depart from Judah” was not fulfilled in until David - from the tribe of Judah - was anointed King. That prophecy will not be completely fulfilled until Jesus, the SON of David rules on his earthly throne during the coming Millenial Kingdom. But for the other prophecies, we can see the fulfillment taking place when Israel wages war against the neighboring nations. “Most of the blessings pronoucned on Jacob’s sons were fulfilled during the period of the Judges, approximately six to seven hundred years after Jacob’s death.” (Varner, 25)
The prophecy for REUBEN was that he was “unstable as water” Genesis 49:3-4
In Jacob’s review of Reubin’s life, he is chastised for a sin he committed many years earlier. Reuben’s sin was sleeping with his father’s wife, Bilhah Genesis 35:22 (ESV) While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
The fact that Jacob raises this up so many years later teaches us something of the seriousness of this sin. Later, the writer of 1 Chronicles reiterates the importance of this prophecy. 1 Chronicles 5:1–2 (ESV) The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son; 2 though Judah became strong among his brothers and a chief came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph),
There were two things that SHOULD have been given to Reuben. The first was the BIRTHRIGHT. This was a double portion of the inheritance. Under the cultural rules of the day, Jacob would have normally divided his inheritance to TWELVE into THIRTEEN portions, giving two portions to the first born.
The SECOND was the position of Leadership that Reuben sacrificed through his concern for other things.
The BIRTHRIGHT privilege was given to JOSEPH (Joseph’s sons Ephriam and Manessah each inherit one portion, thus giving Joseph “two” portions received through his sons)
The LEADERSHIP was given to JUDAH, in large part because Judah rose to the occasion, providing the leadership to his brothers that should have been provided by Reuben.
The FULFILLMENT of Jacob’s prophecy can be found in Judges 5:15-16
"the princes of Issachar came with Deborah, and Issachar faithful to Barak; into the valley they rushed at his heels. Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart. " "Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds, to hear the whistling for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart."
When attacked by SISERA, The tribe of Reuben was indecisive. They were unreliable in the day of battle. This is a powerful fulfillment of what Jacob predicted in Genesis 49.
We can further see that The OT does not record a single JUDGE, PRIEST, KING, or PROPHET from Reuben! No significant leader arises from this tribe! Jacob’s prophecy remained fulfilled through the history of Israel.
The SECOND proof that we will study demonstrating the reliability of Jacob’s prophecies is the blessing given to JUDAH - “A Lion’s Cub” Genesis 49:8-12
Four Prophecies made of JUDAH (Varner)
A. Judah will be the Leader of his brothers (49:8)
1. Judah convinced his brothers not to kill Joseph
2. Judah speaks up to Jacob and guarantees Benjamin’s safety
3. Judah is the spokesman for the brothers before Joseph
4. TODAY: “Jewish” = “of Judah!
B. Judah will be a great conqueror (49:8 “your hand will be on the neck of your enemies” )
1. David’s defeat of Goliath!
2. David’s victories!
3. Kingdom under Solomon
4. JESUS Kingdom! Revelation 5:5 (ESV) “And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
C. Judah will produce a Royal line of Kings (49:12 “The Sceptre will not depart from Judah)
1. Meaning: Israel’s Kings will be Jewish
2. SAUL was from Benjamin - His line did NOT continue
3. DAVID and all the Kings after him.
D. Judah will produce the Messiah
1. “Until Tribute comes to him” (ESV)
a. “Until he comes to whom it belongs” (NIV)
b. “Until Shiloh comes “ (NAS, KJV)
2. Meaning: “When the Promised One who will rule the nations appears, ......These verses anticipate the kingship in Judah culminating in the reign of Messiah” Allen P. Ross, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 98.
3. The Coming Messiah will be the RESURRECTED son of JUDAH
a. Micah 5:2 (ESV) But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
b. Luke 2:11 (ESV) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
c. Jeremiah 30:4–9 "These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: Thus says the Lord: We have heard a cry of panic, of terror, and no peace. Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale? Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it. And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him. But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them."
III. LESSONS we can learn from Jacob’s Prophecies
A. You are leaving a legacy that others will follow. Jacob identifies strengths and weakness in his sons that carried through generations! What you do makes a difference for generations.
B. You can trust the Bible ! The original Circumstance was that these prophecies were made when the sons of Jacob were GUESTS in EGYPT! There was no glorious future that they could see! They were refugees without food or homes!
C. God does GREAT THINGS when you have LITTLE TO OFFER. God made a GREAT NATION out of a handful of REFUGEES! God made JUDAH the kingly tribe, even when it seemed that others were greater
For CENTURIES, Israel’s leaders did NOT come from Judah:
a. Moses from Levi
b. Joshua from Ephraim
c. Gideon from Manasseh
d. Samson from Dan
e. Samuel from Ephraim
f. Saul from Benjamin
If Jacob would have listened to the voices around him, he would have quit speaking Hebrew and taught his sons to be Egyptian! But he believed God's promises and acted in complete faith, trusting God to do what seemed to be impossible. And that's exactly what God did! He did the impossible. He will do it for you. Trust him and have confidence in His word, even though others reject it.
