Prophecy is the spoken word of God. It can be just a declaration of God’s will, a pronouncement of judgment, or a foretelling of future events. Today’s chapter is a Jacob’s prophecy about what will happen to his sons, the future pillars of the nation of Israel.
Commentary:
Genesis 49:1-2. Not just another parting word, Jacob gathered his sons to prophesize to them. What he was going to say would be fulfilled in due time. The fate of Rueben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, and Joseph were of particular interest.
Genesis 49:3-4. Being the first born, Reuben should have preeminence over his brothers and receive a double inheritance. Yet he was immature and impulsive. His impetuous act resulted in his loss of his birth right.
Genesis 49:5-7. Simeon and Levi killed the Shechemites to revenge the rape of Dinah. This vengeance was not approved by God. It was judged as fierce and cruel. After the conquest of Canaan, while every tribe had a distinct border, the Simeon tribe received their portion inside the territory of Judah. Levites did not even receive a set territory and were scattered throughout the land.
Genesis 49:8-12. Here the tribe of Judah became the preeminence of all Israel. Judah would rule over other tribes; a promise fulfilled in King David. Judah would also rule over all nations when Shiloh comes. The word Shiloh means peace bringer, a term pointing to Jesus the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. When Jesus came the first time, the nations did not pay him homage. When He comes again, all knees would bow to the King of kings.
Genesis 49:22-26. Joseph was the reason that the family of Israel survived. Because of that, blessings of abundance were lavished upon him. The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh later grew strong during the days of judges and the divided kingdom.
Meditation:
While other religion has almost no prophecy, the Bible has many. Although the foretelling of future events is not the most frequent type in the Bible, it is impactful. People sit up and pay attention because of its miraculous nature. They know that the God of the Bible is the one true God because the prophecy is fulfilled.
The prophecy of Jacob has been fulfilled in many areas. The fulfillments assure Christians that the prophecy is true. One day all of it will come to pass. Jesus will return to reign on earth. In the Day of the Lord, we will all rejoice because Jesus will rule.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you that you have ordained the peace bringer to reconcile us back to you. We pray that Jesus will return soon to bring the true peace and justice. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
When is the day that Jesus will return? The end as we know is near correct? When the end is near, will the few who truly believe go to that of Heaven?
Comment by tsou — May 28, 2010 @ 7:50 pm