Jacob Blesses His Sons

<Gen 49> 

1 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.

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.

Lesson from the death of saints.

• Different responses to certainty of own death:
  • Those who are already learning to die while they live.
  • Those who have been living selfish and godless lives.
• Charles Spurgeon: “Be ready, minister, see to it that thy church be in good order, for the grave shall soon be digged for thee; be ready, parent, see that your children are brought up in the fear of God, for they must soon be orphans; be ready, men of business, you that are busy in the world, see that your affairs are correct, see that you serve God with all your heart, for the days of your terrestrial service will soon be ended, and you will be called to give account for the deeds done in the body, whether they be good or whether they be evil.”
• All who are saved in Christ will enter heaven eventually, but in what state will we enter?
• The passing of saints:
  • God’s reminder that we cannot rely on humans.
  • We who remain must fill the gap of gospel ministries.
  • Need to raise disciples of Christ.

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.

Blessings that sound like curses?

• Gospel teaches unmerited grace of salvation, yet our sins surely have consequences.
• Even if not punished immediately, the consequences of sin will catch up one day.
• God’s delayed discipline is to give us chance to repent.
• Commonality among Reuben, Simeon and Levi: Lack of SELF-CONTROL.
  • Never mind how many wonderful opportunities and talents we have, if we lack self-control, we will fall.
• Watch out for uncontrollable flame of anger.
  • Be careful of having the right reason yet wrong reaction to anger.
  • Often, the root of anger is selfishness.
  • In your anger do not sin <Ep 4:26>.
• Jacob not really cursing his sons, but pointing out their sins, so that they could repent and be renewed.
• Biblical prophecy is not to feed our curiosity but to turn us to piety.

Judah – the chosen Messianic tribe

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.

• Among Jacob’s 12 sons, God wanted to use Judah and Joseph extensively.
  • Judah: renewed through “being disciplined because of his sins”.
  • Joseph: refined through “suffering for doing good”.
• Judah (sounds like ‘praise’): King and Messiah will come from this tribe.
• Unpromising sinful start >>> repent >>> great blessing

Gen 49:28
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.

Unique yet United.