915 Biblical Characters - Jacob’s Prophetic Proclamations (Gen. 48:1 - 49:28)
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14 “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. 15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
23 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.
- In that day is when His immediate disciples come to realise that He has risen from the dead
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- Too often, Christians read this verse & believe that Jesus is saying that this applies to them
- This is not correct because Jesus, in the context here, is talking strictly to the 12 disciples who would be called apostles
- Jesus does not give His authority to everyone & it is a misreading of Scripture to think that He is here giving them this kind of authority
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- Even with His apostles, that authority is exercised 1. By asking Him & 2. By keeping His commandments & will - He is not some genie in a bottle
- Asking for anything does not mean a house, a boat, car, Jet plane etc..
- It must be according to His will & through a love of His commandments
- Strictly speaking, then, Jesus is saying that if you ask anything that has the kingdom of God as its goal, I will do it – that is the confidence His apostles could have & we see that exercised in the book of Acts
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- There is, however, a passage of Scripture which speaks to Christians being able to appeal directly to Jesus to have their requests granted
- The letters of John - 1st, 2nd & 3rd John are addressed to a sector of the church being taken captive by a cult who thinks they are the only ones who have access to Jesus & His salvation
- Against this cult-ish group of “elite” Christians who seem to have taken the wider church captive , the apostle John writes…
14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
- The every day Christian does have access to Jesus without being part of a special elite group
- We just need to remember to read Scripture carefully as to who Jesus is speaking to & to draw the proper distinction between His chosen apostles and those of subsequent generations
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- This also stands true of the patriarchs
- Here, in today’s reading, Jacob is making proclamations about the future of his sons - it doesn’t mean that we have the same authority to do the same with our children
- Now these proclamations raises a difficulty
- Are these statements affirmative or determinative?
- That may seem gibberish, but are his statements:
- Affirming or declaring their future
- Or, in some sense, does his declarations decree their future?
- Well, I going to suggest that it is probably a bit of both
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- I want to look, this morning, at his proclamations on his sons but especially his proclamation about Judah
- For in this proclamation, we have the second hint in the history of Scripture to the coming of the Messiah
- The first hint, I hope you remember is in early Genesis & which has been called the proto-evangelium or first-Gospel
15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
- The battle between the serpent & the woman would end in the fatal blow to the serpent’s seed – meaning his utter end
- The triumph of the seed of the woman who we understand through NT teaching to be Jesus
1. Prophetic Blessings on Joseph’s Sons
1. Prophetic Blessings on Joseph’s Sons
- One of the things we note here is the causal relationship between what the brothers have done in the past, to what will happen in their future
- This is handy to know because often we get the idea from some preachers that there are no consequences for sin
- Of course, we can all be forgiven through the blood of Jesus, but there can be ramifications or consequences that remain
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- It is also true, in many respects to any damage we may do to our bodies
- If you cut yourself with a knife, there’s a good chance that you will have a scar that remains
- You don’t need me to tell you that sin leaves scars that we have live with
- These are the consequences – I have them & I’m sure you have them
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- Joseph is a noble character & it would be hard to find sin in his life
Q. Was he sinless? I doubt it, but it doesn’t say
- The Scripture, at this point, isn’t going into this except that it paints a very rosy picture of the character of Joseph
- He is an outstanding example of a man who brought God into every area of his life – that, we know for sure
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- Jacob proceeds, in chp. 48, to bless Joseph’s sons but he couldn’t see them because he was practically blind
- Joseph proceeded to put his sons on old Jacob’s knees
- Manasseh, his firstborn, was placed on Jacob’s right-hand side & Ephraim was placed on his Left-hand side
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Q. What’s the deal here with the right-hand side as opposed to the Left-hand side?
- Firstly, most people are right-handed
- We have a few lefties playing Squash, but the majority by far are right-handed
- Therefore, preeminence, strength & honour are attributed to the right-hand as most people would fight with their sword in their right-hand
1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
- It came to be, then, that blessing & strength were associated with the right-hand side
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- Even in the NT, Jesus talks about the separation between the sheep & the goats
33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
- The sheep on His right side inherit the kingdom, but the goats on His left are assigned to the outer darkness where there is weeping & gnashing of teeth
- However, it has nothing to do with denigrating left-handed people – it is simply using the fact which represents the vast majority or norm – that the right arm is the preeminent & strongest side
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- When Jacob blessed Joseph’s sons, he crossed his arms & put his right-hand on Ephraim the second born & his left hand on his firstborn, Manasseh
- Of course, Joseph intervened & said, No my father, your hands are placed wrong
- My firstborn should be the preeminent one & get the double portion of inheritance
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- Wow, we’ve come across this before, haven’t we?
- The firstborn is the one who assumes the preeminent place, getting the double portion, yet, by God’s will the second is His choice
- We spoke about the reason for this as we looked at Abraham, Isaac & Jacob – Isaac chosen over Ishmael, Jacob chosen over Esau – in both cases the second born trumps the first-born
- To just recap, the short answer is that in reversing the norm God is showing that this glorious promise to Abraham does not have its origin in man, but in God
- History records God’s actions in bringing forth the promise across many generations until it found it’s fulfilment in Jesus
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- Nevertheless, Jacob does not change his hands – he knows that the firstborn is on his right, but the second born Ephraim receives the proclamation of preeminence & the double portion of inheritance
- This suggests to us that Jacob has insight into the future
- That he is Spirit-motivated to make this determination about the future of these two boys – it seems rather scary, but as history unfolded, it is precisely what happens
2. Prophetic Pronouncements on Jacob’s Sons
2. Prophetic Pronouncements on Jacob’s Sons
- As the consequences of Joseph’s noble character is shown through the blessings on his two sons & on himself, we see that the consequences of the ignoble character of some of Jacob’s other sons are revealed in a dim future
- The first to be frowned upon was Reuben, Jacob’s first born
- After Rachel died (Jacob’s favourite wife), her handmaid Bilhah was free of her authority, so Reuben took advantage & slept with her
- But she was married to his father, Jacob, as his concubine
- It was still a legal marriage – but not as preeminent as a standard marriage because she was a form of slave – a handmaiden to Rachel
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- Reuben had preeminence as his firstborn, but because of his actions, he loses that preeminence & it is given to Joseph & his sons
- Actions have consequences
1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright.
- We also see that it is Joseph, who is called to Jacob’s death bed, not Reuben
- Joseph takes over the preeminence of the family at this point
26 “The blessings of your father Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; May they be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.
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- Then there was Simeon & Levi
- These murderers murdered many Shechemites because the king’s son forced himself upon their sister Dinah but apparently he loved her & wanted to marry & care for her
- So, these brothers devised a plan whereby the king & his people would have to agree to be circumcised or else they would not give Dinah in marriage to the king’s son
- So, they agreed, but while the men were sick with infection, Simeon & Levi came upon them & slayed a multitude
6 “Let my soul not enter into their council; Let not my glory be united with their assembly; Because in their anger they slew men, And in their self-will they lamed oxen.
- He would not sit in the council of Simeon or Levi
1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
7 “Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel. I will disperse them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.
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- Eventually, the tribe of Simeon becomes integrated into the tribe of Judah & hence dissolved
1 Then the second lot fell to Simeon, to the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families, and their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Judah.
- Shimei was a son of Simeon
27 Now Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many sons, nor did all their family multiply like the sons of Judah.
- Eventually, they were swallowed up by the tribe of Judah – dispersed & gone as Jacob had said
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- The tribe of Levi was never given land of their own – they never received an inheritance but became the priestly tribe of Israel
- All they got were a few cities that were scattered over the land of Canaan
- Actions had consequences
- The other sons had proclamations made of them too
- But I really want to spend our time on this significant proclamation about the tribe of Judah – Yehudah (for the benefit of my grandson)
3. Prophecy of the Messiah
3. Prophecy of the Messiah
Q. One of the questions I really haven’t solved & have not found any help on is the question: why is Judah singled out for this amazing, incredible privilege & blessing? - the line of the Messianic king
- If it had been Joseph, I would have understood, but why Judah?
- I suppose it could be said that Judah offered himself to Joseph as a slave rather than have Benjamin remain as a slave in Egypt
- Also, Judah told his brothers to not lay a hand on Joseph but to sell him to the slave traders
27 “Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.
- I suppose selling him might have been the best-case scenario for Judah seeing his brothers were absolutely bent on killing Joseph
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- I can’t be totally certain that this is sufficient reason as to why Judah & his tribe is selected
- We can certainly say that it is by God’s sovereign hand & choice that Judah is chosen, although, I can’t help being sympathetic to the fact that Judah offered himself in exchange for Benjamin so that his father would not suffer life-ending grief
- With consequences for past actions becoming the basis for some of Jacob’s prophecy – Reuben, Simeon & Levi - then it may well be that Judah’s actions has warranted these glorious pronouncements of his future
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- So, Judah becomes a seed bed of rulers
- Not only does he rule over his enemies, but his brothers praise him & willingly submit to his rule
- Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
- Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
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- Do you remember when the brothers were very offended by the thought that they would have to bow down to Joseph?
- Even Jacob was offended by the thought that Joseph would rule over his brothers & even his mother and father
10 He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?”
- Now, however, Jacob says that Judah will have the praise of his brothers & the allegiance of his brothers – they will freely offer to bow down to him
- Judah told his brothers not to lay a hand on Joseph, but Jacob, in his prophecy/proclamation, says that Judah will lay his hand on his enemies
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- This is speaking definitively of the rule & power of Judah
- He compares him to a young lion: vigorous, mighty, fearsome
9 “Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up?
- Anyone who tries to defy his rule will end up no better than someone who pokes at a lion
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- I want to deal with v.11 first & then go back to v.10
11 “He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 “His eyes are dull from wine, And his teeth white from milk.
- This speaks here of so much abundance & fertility that the King could tie the colt to the grape vine & it wouldn’t make a difference to the fullness of the vine
- Imagine tying a goat to a stake alongside your prize garden – can you imagine what that goat would do to your garden?
- Well, this is saying something like that – but in this case your garden is so abundant & so large that the animal could eat its heart out & you couldn’t tell the difference
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- Judah & his ruling sons would have so much wine – that they could wash their clothes in it
- Wine & milk are symbols of fertility
- What we mean by that is that these kings will have plenty & plenty of everything – the crops, the animals, everything will be prosperous
- We might consider the fable of the Midas touch here
- Midas has a gift – everything he touches turns to gold - & that’s as far as I want to take that fable because it doesn’t end well because when he hugged his daughter she also turned to gold
- But this king will have the blessing of God on everything
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- Going back now to V.10
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.
- “until he comes to whom it belongs” – I like that!!!
- Of course, this is seen as a Messianic passage – predicting the coming of the Messiah, the ruler of the world
– It has a long history of understanding by not only Christians but Jews
- Sadly, the Jews are still waiting for the Messiah – they still stubbornly resist Jesus as the Messiah
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- I have in my possession a Jewish commentary – called the “Jewish Study Bible”
- What they say is fascinating
- As one understanding of this verse, they make these comments…
Some commentators, beginning as early as the Aramaic translation known as Targum Onkelos, read the word rendered here as tribute … to him as “his due” (Heb “shelo”): God shall uphold His promise to Judah even till the royal figure comes to claim the dominion that is his due1
According to Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno, an Italian commentator of the 16th century, the messianic king rides an ass rather than a horse because it is God who wages the wars by which he comes to rule, “and he will become king in peace2
- All this seems to agree with our take on Jesus, except, the problem they have is that there was no war – no take down of God’s foes
- Jesus’ life ended, in what they see, as a false Messiah because He was killed
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- So, they cannot reconcile a ruling, powerful king with a Messiah like Jesus surrendering to pagan forces & being killed – this king cannot be that king they reason
- Yet, if they would only be open to those passages in Isaiah which speak of the suffering of the Servant of the Lord
13 Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.
- The Servant of the Lord is truly a suffering Servant yet someone who is also highly exalted – sounds very Php. 2 like: - therefore God highly exalted Him & gave Him the name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow
- Our Messiah/& Servant of the Lord will come back in utter victory, power, splendour & might
- We have the right king/Messiah; the Jews just have the timing all wrong - He had to suffer first before He would take up His rule
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- Now, the sharp person will see something far more here than merely the descendants of Judah
- They will see David, king of Israel who is from the line of Judah
- They will see the Davidic Promise of God that He would have a descendant who will have an eternal or everlasting kingdom
- They will see this Davidic promise as an extension of the promise to Abraham – of this king being a blessing to all the nations
- They will see Jesus, who in Revelation 5, is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah – I must read this to you…
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” 6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
- This slain Lamb has given us a future
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
- Here it is – the two are, in fact, one
- The lamb is the suffering servant of Isaiah’s prophecies & the Lion of the tribe of Judah is the kingly Messiah who will rule with an iron rod
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- Isaiah does not miss the obvious though – even though he speaks of the suffering servant of the Lord, he also saw a victorious Messiah
2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. 3 You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; 4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. 5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist.
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
- This is your king & my king – this is Jesus
- Although Isaiah speaks of the suffering servant of the Lord, the kingly reign of this Servant/Messiah is also spoken of – unfortunately the Jews cannot see that the two are really the one Person
- God is giving us a glimpse in this passage today – in Jacob’s prophetic proclamation of Judah’s triumph & reign – of further revelation – of the ultimate fulfilment of His promise to Abraham whereby all the nations of the earth will be blessed
- That blessing is new life in Jesus Christ the Messianic king who is to come & who will rule the world
1 Adele Berlin, Marc Zvi Brettler, and Michael Fishbane, Eds., The Jewish Study Bible, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 97.
2 Adele Berlin, Marc Zvi Brettler, and Michael Fishbane, Eds., The Jewish Study Bible, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 97.