The Good, Bad And Ugly
Opening Prayer
Dear Father, Your love never grows old; it is new every day. A song of praise to You rises in my heart.
Read GENESIS 49:1–28
Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
2 “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel.
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, the first sign of my strength,
excelling in honor, excelling in power.
4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.
5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers—
their swords are weapons of violence.
6 Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,
for they have killed men in their anger
and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.
8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
11 He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.
13 “Zebulun will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.
14 “Issachar is a rawboned donkey
lying down among the sheep pens.
15 When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and submit to forced labor.
16 “Dan will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan will be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backward.
18 “I look for your deliverance, Lord.
19 “Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders,
but he will attack them at their heels.
20 “Asher’s food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.
21 “Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.
22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility.
24 But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms stayed limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25 because of your father’s God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty, who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,
blessings of the breast and womb.
26 Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than the bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matt. 6:13).
Think Further
Although Jacob is depicted as telling his sons “what will happen… in days to come” (1), the statements that follow also reflect on events that had already taken place. This is evident in the cases of Reuben, Simeon and Levi. The event referred to in verses 5–7 concerns the story recorded in chapter 34 in which two of these brothers engaged in an orgy of violence triggered by their offended honor after the rape of their sister, Dinah. There the incident is reported in all its lurid detail without specific expression of moral judgment, but here, years later, when the passage of time allowed for sober assessment of their merciless fury, the brothers are condemned. As Derek Kidner says, the Old Testament passes judgment on a vendetta and demonstrates that the “Judge of all the earth” both “sees and cares.”
The seamy aspect of the life of this family is not airbrushed out of the narrative, but it creates a longing for something different, for a transformation of individuals, families and nations. Thus, the celebration of Judah’s influence anticipates the hoped-for redemption when “he… shall come” who will redeem and unite “the nations” (10). Joseph’s achievements are recognized, but the wonderful catalogue of divine names in verses 24 and 25 leaves no doubt that the glory belongs to God alone. Jacob’s blessing of his sons concludes with a striking testimony of the power of God to keep his promises and of the riches of creation which are at his command (Walter Brueggemann).
In a fallen world Christians still wait for the day when “he shall come,” and so they pray Maranatha (1 Cor. 16:22). We too are a people of hope in the promise.
Apply
“The actions of our past begin to shape the pattern of our future.” Do you believe this statement? Why or why not? What actions can you choose or avoid today that will positively shape your future?
Closing prayer
Holy Spirit of God, I need Your wisdom and discernment with me every moment. May I see and hear clearly Your guidance as I face the decisions of today.
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