Genesis 49

Jacob the Prophet

According to Genesis, Jacob's last act was to utter a prophecy concerning his twelve sons. At least one commentator points out how fitting this is, given that Jacob's life began with the prophecy of 25:23, that the younger son of Isaac would be the greater of the two. Now Jacob himself is the prophet, and he names his sons, predicts their fortunes, pronounces a blessing on them, and finally gives directions regarding his burial arrangements.

There are four main emphases in this chapter which are worth pondering. The first is the predictive nature of prophecy. It is rightly pointed out that prophecy is more than prediction. The function of the prophet in the Old Testament was not so much to predict the future as to deliver God's word faithfully to the present. But at the same time, the Old Testament prophets did, in fact, speak to the present in ways that showed that God was revealing the future to them.

Such is the case with Jacob in this chapter. What he says has a reference to future days -- this is explicitly stated in verse 1. God reveals the future. He alone sees the future, and he alone can tell the end from the beginning.

As the book of Genesis draws to a close, this is an important indicator to us that the Old Testament is moving along clearly distinguished lines and axes; the trajectory of God's purposes is moving towards carefully defined and considered goals. History does not have an aimless wandering character, but a clearly defined and predetermined character. That is no indication that we have no freedom, or that our choices are insignificant; quite the contrary. It is a reminder to us that our choices are interwoven in a pattern carefully designed by the God of the covenant. We may not know how the future will fall out; but we do know that all things will work together for good to those who love the Lord.

Secondly, this chapter highlights for us the unique role of Israel in God's saving purposes of grace. Here is Jacob, who was called Israel in 32:28, now focussing our attention on the future of his sons and their descendants. This is more than a paternal interest in the family fortunes -- this is an indicator of how God intends to repair the ruin in the human family caused by sin. If it was true that Adam's sin at the beginning of Genesis brought ruin to all of his sons, then it is also true that Jacob's prophecy at the end of Genesis shows us how salvation is to come to mankind -- through the unique place of Israel.

The foundation, therefore, is being laid here for subsequent Old Testament history. Why will God deal with the tribes of Israel in a way incomparable to his dealings with other nations (Psalm 147:19-20)? Because Israel will be a light to the nations; during the long years of the Old Testament Satan will have power to blind other nations of the world, and the descendants of Jacob will experience the blessings of grace through covenant. But eventually Jesus, the Israel from within Israel, will be made a curse for us so that the blessing promised to Abraham will break the bounds of Israel's national life and be extended to the Gentiles. John saw this in Revelation 20 as a millennial binding of Satan, and therefore a reversal of the Genesis tragedy: in Genesis the first Adam was bound by Satan -- in Revelation Satan is bound by the last Adam.

Genesis 49 is a signal to us of the place which ethnic Israel will have in the unfolding revelation of God's salvation, while the Word will remind us constantly that the true sons of the covenant are not those who are related to Abraham or Jacob through Jewish ancestry, but those who are of faith (Romans 2:28-29).

Third, this chapter highlights the pre-eminence of the tribe of Judah in God's saving purposes. While God will work in and through all the tribes, the central part of this narrative is the prophecy concerning Judah (verses 8-12). Judah, whose name means 'praise' will indeed be praised (verse 8), for God has singled out the family of Judah as the family in whose bosom the 'law-giver' will appear.

Judah's story has already been noted, as we have seen, in chapter 38. There, however, Judah's immorality is contrasted with Joseph's self-control and self-discipline. Now, where sin abounded, grace abounds even more, and the tribe of Judah will be associated with law and with salvation. The writer to the Hebrews offers us the ultimate commentary on these words when he says: "it is evident that our Lord came from Judah" (7:14). That fact is also emphasised in Matthew 1:2-3 where Judah's place in our Lord's ancestry is noted, along with the sin which God over-ruled in order that the Saviour might be born. From Judah came the royal line of king David, whose son Jesus was. Psalm 78:67-8 celebrates it this way: "he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim: but chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved".

As the history runs its course, God has his eye upon the 'seed of the woman' who will crush the head of the enemy. Jesus is the focus of God's saving purpose and design, and it is through Judah's line that Jesus will come. Just as all roads once led to Rome, so all the roads of biblical prophecy run to Jesus!

Finally, we are reminded here of the last resting-place of Jacob. He was not buried in Egypt, but in Canaan, in the land of promise, 'gathered unto his people', as the closing verse of the chapter puts it. The cave of Macphelah, where Abraham and Sarah, and Isaac and Rebekah had been buried, would also house the bones of Jacob. Again, as in chapter 48, there are hints of resurrection: the gracious blessings of the covenant have to do with death-issues as well as life-issues. For the believer, the true heir of the promises, life is filled with the blessings of God's covenant of grace, but death and resurrection will bring us to full possession of them!