It's almost as if the entire Book of Genesis is building to a great crescendo, and in Chapter 49 it all culminates in a climactic explosion of revelation and prophecy. I speak of Jacob's blessings of his twelve sons. So much is revealed in this chapter. It almost takes several readings to truly grasp it all. And of all the prophecies told throughout Genesis, this one is by far the most revealing. We are given not only a more unambiguous announcement of the coming of the Messiah, but we are even told when, and under what circumstances, He will come! I was in a state of amazement while reading Jacob's prophecies, for it is so clearly Jesus Christ he speaks of.
I will begin with a brief statement on Ruben, Jacob's eldest. I found the treatment of Ruben saddening (though Jacob's reasons obviously were valid). Ruben virtually is denied a blessing at all from his father, and he is essentially told that he is a great disappointment and left to go his way. Ruben's progeny will be slight and unassuming.
Simeon and Levi are addressed next, and what Jacob has to say only hints at the great revelations to come. Jacob is clearly angry at these two sons "because in their fury they slew a man" (Genesis 49:6). Now what is interesting is that Simeon and Levi will be the forebears of the Jewish scribes and priests, and it was via the councils of those high and mighty scribes and priests that Jesus Christ was condemned to death.
And next we have Juda. Here Jacob gives his lengthiest blessing, for it is through Juda's line that famously great things will happen. Jacob begins by revealing the prosperity that Juda's posterity will enjoy, that they will be great kings (e.g., David and Solomon). Essentially, it is said that Juda's line will rule over the lines of all the other sons, and this does in fact happen. But then, interestingly, Jacob says that "the sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of nations" (Genesis 49:10). This verse ought to make anyone stop in his tracks! Suddenly Jacob is speaking of a person who is to be sent? and this person is the "expectation of nations"? These are loaded statements. But what is most revealing (and what should be most troubli
ng to Jews) is that Juda's sceptre has been taken away! The tribe of Juda has long since lost power in the Land of Israel, and the losing of that power can be traced back precisely to the time of Christ, just as the prophecy revealed. In fact, it was Jacob's prophecy (among others, of course) that led people living in the years just before Christ's coming to be expecting His appearance! This is verified not only by St. John, but by the gentile historians Suetonius and Tacitus. I find this all quite fascinating, and I would be curious to know how Judaism reconciles Jacob's prophecy.Verses eleven and twelve must be quoted in full:
"Tying his foal to the vineyard, and his ass, O my son, to the vine. He shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape.
His eyes are more beautiful than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk."
Through His Body and through His Blood, the Jew and the Gentile shall be united. To whom else but Christ could these verses allude?
After running through more blessings, Jacob comes to Joseph, his most special son. Though not given as lengthy a blessing as Juda, Joseph's blessing does go on for several verses. And once more does Jacob allude to a Figure Who is to come. And this time he utters a poetic phrase that has become renowned through the ages: "The desire of the everlasting hills" (Genesis 49:26). I've heard this epithet for Christ before, but I've never really pondered it in its context. It's such a beautiful expression. What I hadn't known is that the prophets and patriarchs of the Old Testament were known, in a spiritual sense, as the everlasting hills. This of course gives the epithet a whole new, and more important, meaning.
All of Genesis 49 reads like a poem. Each son is given a powerful message, beautifully uttered by the dying Jacob. For the sake of brevity I focused mainly on the blessings of Juda and Joseph, but there can be a treasure trove of truths found in almost every verse of this profound chapter. For example, even young Benjamin's brief blessing can be seen as a prefiguring of the apostle Paul, who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.
But I better stop there. :)
Thank you!
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