Jacob's deathbed blessings on his sons
recorded here in Genesis provide one of the most
amazing examples of predictive prophecy in the
Bible says William Varner of "Jacob's Dozen".
Rueben - Unstable as Water, thou shall not
excel (Gen. 49:3-4) Rueben, as the First-born by
right of his status, did not receive the
birthright, which was divided and given to the
sons of Joseph. He also did not recieve the
status of leader of his brothers. This was the
result of Rueben's sin of laying with Bilhah,
his father's concubine. He did not bridle his
passion. This was the trait of his descendants.
They joined in the rebellion of Korah, the
Levite recorded in Number 16. They questioned
the leadership of Moses and Aaron. God swallowed
the gainsaying of Korah (Jude 11) Reuben
produced not one single prophet, military
leader, judge or important person in the history
of Israel.
Because of Judah prevailing over his
brethren, out of his loins came the prince but
the birthright stayed with Joseph (his two
sons).
Simeon and Levi - Partners in Crime (Gen
49:5-7) Always together were these boys in their
mis-deeds. When the tribes settled, Simeon and
Levi would not posses his own separate portion
of the Promised Land. Josh. 19:2-8 tells that
Simeon found his inheritance within the children
of Judah. That is the land that stretched from
the Meterranean Sea to the Dead Sea, from below
Jerusalem on the north to below Beersheba in the
south, a most inhospitable land. There was a
great reduction of that tribe due to their being
deeply involved in the idolatry of Baal-peor as
recored in Numbers 25:1-8. Jewish traditions
says all poor Jews are of the tribe of Simeon.
Because Levi stood with Moses when Moses came
down from Mt. Sinai and found Israel in
idolotry, God turned the curse upon him into a
blessing. God commanded that Levites be given
cities instead of a portion of the land.
Although landless, they were the most
priviledged of all the tribes. They became the
priest before the Lord.
Judah - Will be the leader of his brethren
(Gen. 49:8) His name means "praise". He assumed
his leadership role when he helped spare
Joseph's life by suggesting that he be sold
instead of killed. The tribe of Judah always
went first as they marched. The word Jew is
actually a shortened version of Judah. Jacob
said that Judah will be a great conqueror. The
greatest conqueror was King David. Five
different animals are associated with the
tribes. Judah is the Lion. (Issachar. the
donkey, Dan is the serpent but refused it and
took the eagle instead. Isn't that just what we
have today, these eagles who are in reality
serpents? Naphtali with a deer and Benjamin with
a wolf.) Judah would produce a royal line of
Kings.
All the legitimate kings of Israel throughout
her history were descendants of David. The right
to reign is always within Judah - later
when Solomon's line became apostate and wicked,
that right was narrowed down to David's son
Nathan, through whom Mary, the mother of Jesus,
was a descendant and the Messiah would come from
her lineage. Anyone claiming to be the Messiah
must present the credentials. A False Messiah
will arise in our future history. I suspect, the
snake will have much to do with claiming this
right.
Zebulun - Merchant (Gen. 49:13) This speaks
of maritime traders. They did live in the land
allotted to them between the Mediterranean Sea
and the Sea of Galilee. That was the great
trading route. Notice this sentence "For they
(Zebulun) shall suck the abundance of the seas
and treasures hidden in the sand." Dt. 33:19;
doesn't that really spring out at you when you
consider that Israel just discovered the largest
natural gas supply off her coast, at this area?
The Valley of Jezreel is in Zebulun's territory
and the future site of the End time Battle.
Zebulon was expert at war - I Chron. 12:33. They
are singlehearted and not double minded and
unstable like Rueben. Zebulun has courage to
face conflict due to an unswerving commitment to
the goal.
Issachar - Servant - the Strong Ass (Gen
49:14-15 Not much is known about this fifthborn
son through Leah. Deut. 33:18 says, "And of
Zebulun he said, "Rejoice Zebulun, in thy going
out and Issachar in thy tents." In Jewish
tradition Issachar was a student of the Torah,
while his younger brother Zebulun toiled as a
merchant to support Issachar in his studies. In
that culture, donkeys were most valued, they
carried the burden. Perhaps this is implying
that it is these who truly bear the burden of
today's Jewish people? His land is geographical
characteristic in that it is portrayed as the
fertile eastern land of Jezreel and sits between
two mountains, Mt. Tabor, on the north and Mount
Gilboa, on the south. They could be seen,
almost, like two packs over the side of a
donkey. A man of Issachar, Tola, judged Israel
for twenty-two years and was a brave leader. I
Chron. 7:1-5 describes the families, in all
their generations, as hard workers, hardy,
valiant, patient in labor and invincible in war,
bearing their burdens with great consistancy.
Dan - The Judge and the Viper (Gen. 49:16-18)
Dan was the son of Jacob's handmaiden, Bilhah.
Perhaps, Dan, along with Gad, Asher &
Naphtali (the other sons by the handmaids) grew
up feeling somewhat 'inferior' since they were
not the sons of jacob's wives Leah or Rachel.
Perhaps this is what is meant, "Dan shall
judge his people, as one of
the tribes of Israel."? Gen.
49:16 Jacob's statements about Dan and his
descendants involve a famous person, a familiar
problem and, finally, a fervent prayer. Jacob's
prophecy, therefore, involves a play on words,
"Dan shall judge". The Hebrew expression dan
yadin. Sampson was a judge and a Danite. Dan's
allotement of land was the SW Mediterranean
coast of the Promised Land. It was a difficult
place to inhabitate because of the constant
threats of the Philistines, Israel's ancient
enemy. Jacob's words in verse seventeen
graphically described Samson's tactics. "Dan
shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the
path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his
rider shall fall backward." This language
suggests that the principal aspect of Dan's
conquest would be by cunning rather than by
military confrontation. Jacob goes on to tell
this about future descendants of this serpent:
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts
of your father ye will do. He was a murderer
from the beginning and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he
speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he
is a liar and the father of it." (Jn. 8:44) The
clearest words on this subject are found in Rev.
12:9 "And the great dragon was cast out, that
old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, who
deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into
the earth, and his angels were cast out with
him." For this reason, Jacob's prophecy
indicated the satanic influence would be
dominant in Dan's future. The Bible indicates
that the problem of idolatry was a
characteristic malady of that tribe. That is why
it is believed that the future antichrist will
have the blood of Dan flowing through his veins.
Jacob was burdened for Dan and prayed about his
future.
Gad - Warrior (Gen. 49:19) NKJV says, "Gad, a
troop shall troop upon him, but he shall troop
on their heels." Gad was allotted land east of
the Jordan River. The Philistines vexed and
oppressed the children of Israel who lived on
the other side of the Jordan in the land of the
Amorites, which is in Gilead. Because of this,
they developed a reputation as men who could
handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like
the faces of lions and who were as swift as the
roes upon the mountains. Scripture doesn't
mention any individual. Gad graduated from the
proverbial school of hard knocks.
Asher - Provider (Gen.49:20) Out of Asher his
bread shall be fat and he shall yield royal
dainties. Asher will enjoy the rich products of
fertile land. Asher had fertile land but no
military capabilities. This tribe provided the
agricultural products. Today, this is the same
fertile land that produces much of Israel's
products. This land is also the land that is
being tested thoroughly for oil based upon the
above scripture. It is located in the same
latitude as where the recent natural gas was
found. Is this fat oil? Some believe this is
referring to olive oil since the word for olive
oil, shemen is used in this verse. Shemen is the
general word for olive oil in it's various uses
and is found 190 times throughout scripture. Yet
there are strong indications that there is oil
to be found here. I believe there is a future
prophecy in this scripture.
Naphtali - Communicator (Gen. 49:21) Once
again an animal is mentioned in Jacob's
blessings "Hind" is the word used in the KJV for
female deer or doe just as "hart" is used for
male deer or buck. Jacob's prophecy is that
Naphtali will be characterized by the speed and
agility of a doe. In Jewish tradition, the son
Naphtali was a very swift runner. he supposedly
ran all the way from Egypt to Israel delivering
the news to the aged Jacob that Joseph was still
alive in Egypt, thus a reference to "beautiful
words." Zebulun and Naphtali were a people who
jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high
places of the field. (Jud. 5:18) While some
tribes such as Reuben, Dan and Asher refused to
send their troops to battle, Naphtali were swift
to rush their troops to the battlefield, laying
down their lives if need. The lesson from Gad
is: be ready, from Asher: be
fruitful, from Naphatali: be swift.
Joseph - Faithful and Fruitful. It looks like
Jacob saved the longest prophecy for Joseph, his
faithful and fruitful son. We all know the story
of Jospeh so no need to get into that. He was
Jacob's favorite and despite the numerous
obstacles placed before him, he was faithful. He
saved Israel and the existing world in the time
of famine that came upon them by wise, fruitful
decisions. There are many, many pararells of
Joseph likened to Jesus. Joseph's two sons
Manasseh and Ephraim were adopted by Jacob.
Therefore the double blessing given to Joseph
meant that instead of producing one tribe, he
would produce two tribes. The prominence of
Ephraim is illustrated by the fact that the
entire northern kingdom often was called by that
name alone in many of the later prophets. Many
believe that the northern kingdom of Ephraim
migrated to Europe and thus are mixed in the
gentile race. I happen to find that to be very
probable, myself. Among the British, there is a
dominant hair color of red which is also seen in
Israel today. The Royality of Great Britain
links it's roots to the throne of David. That
must be proven, of course but still they lay
claim and may, eventually, prouce the future
leader which would come out of the tribe of Dan,
whom lived in that northern empire, in the city
of Dan.
Benjamin - A Ravenous Wolf (Gen. 49:27) This
is the last of Jacob's sons. Just as the
scripture indicates, Benjamin developed a
reputation as a Ravenous Wolf. Benjamin was
alloted a territory between the two dominant
tribes of Judah and Ephraim. It included many
important cities such as Jericho, Bethel,
Gibeon, Ramah and Mitzpah and most importantly
Jerusalem itself was in Benjamin, not in Judah.
Many ferocious Benjamites are recorded from the
earliest to the latest periods of Israelite
history. Ehud, the second judge of Israel was a
fearless warrior who single-handedly
assassinated Eglon, the king of the Moabites.
Ehud's left-handedness, which was characteristic
of Benjamites, was a bit ironic since Benjamin
means right-hand son. Concealing his weapon
under his garments on his right thigh, Ehud was
able to gain entrance to Eglon's presence and
ran the fat king through with his dagger and
escaped undetected. During the days of Israel's
infighting among themselves, the brutality of
the Benjamites, the other tribes launced
disciplinary action against the entire tribes.
(Jud. 20) Although greatly outnumbered,
Benjamin, with their famous seven hundred
left-handed stone slingers (Jud. 20:16)
inflicted forty thousand casualities on their
brethren in the first two days of fighting. Only
on the third day did the tide of the battle turn
around. Only six hundred escaped. The wolf,
himself, became torn and weak. King Saul was a
Benjamite. Saul's son Jonathan was a great
warrior. During the days of Queen Esther when
the tables were turned on wicked Haman and other
Jew haters, this prophecy bespeaks of Benjamin,
who divided the spoil in fulfillment of Genesis
49:27. Another famous Benjamite was Saul, a
Pharisee who was feroucious in his zeal against
the early Christians. Luke describes this son of
Bejamin, "As for Saul, he made havoc of the
church, entering into every house and, haling
men and women committed them to prison". (Acts.
8:3) This "wolf" tore in pieces the followers of
Jesus until his activities were brought to a
halt that day when, on his way to Damascus, he
was halted by the One whom he persecuted. From
that day on Saul was radically different. His
zeal was now channeled in the right way and he
became a great preacher to the gentiles of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I personally know of a Benjamite, who lives
in Israel in a gated community in the territory
of Benjamite. While on guard duty one night,
Arabs came to the gate. Having forgotten his
pistol, he grabbed a pitchfork and went after
them. They fled.