Thus the blessings which have been lost sight of in the beginning become the portion of a faithful remnant that is waiting for the full revelation of God's salvation in the second coming of Christ. The prophetic blessings upon the Sons of Israel. Within a generation, scholars think the tribe has disappeared; it is simply absorbed into Judah. The first lesson we learn is that "the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual" (1 Cor. Corruption and violence marked the last chapters of the Book of Judges and the first chapters of First Samuel. Christ Himself is the climax of our blessing, the crown of our happiness. Lastly, Jacob speaks about Benjamin. The âresting place is good and the land is fertile.â The last line, however, is open to interpretation. This prophecy concerning Shiloh is therefore a Messianic prophecy. As appears from the table below, the order of their blessings in the last words of the patriarch is only partially identical with their order of birth: In blessing his sons, Jacob first addressed the sons of Leah, putting Zebulun before Issachar. Now we come to the future application of these verses. The words of Jacob about Shiloh (meaning "he who brings rest") probably refer in the first place to Solomon, the king of peace. Gad, Asher and Naphtali show the results of God's salvation in the end time. [Josh 14.3-4] Another noteworthy aspect is that there is no mention of God directing any of his statements. And finally, Judahâs eyes are dark and his teeth whiter than milk â images of beauty! 4:14-5:8). Genesis 49: Jacob's Final Words to His Sons. Then the sons of the maids follow, of whom Naphtali is the one mentioned last. Jacob says, âDan will judge his people as one of the tribes.â Upon receiving their land allocation, this tribe is unable to expel the inhabitants. In this situation only God can show a way out. Three sons are special types of Christ and show us how He intervenes: first Judah and finally Joseph and Benjamin. A brief look at each prediction reveals that they were fulfilled. Our history as children and sons of God is not always flawless, as is shown in type in the first three sons of Jacob. The sin of Adam and Eve was their lust, the sin of Cain his violence, and they had to be driven out of God's presence. Joseph (meaning "He will add") is a special type of the Messiah who was rejected by His brothers; but exalted by God to sit at His right hand, thereby becoming the Saviour of the world. The remaining three sons of the concubines merit a single line of prophecy. The New Testament counterpart of this short prayer of Jacob is the exclamation in Romans 7:24 - "O wretched man that I am! On the one hand Christ in His utter humiliation is our model (Phil. He is like a âravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey, and at evening dividing the spoil.â This probably refers to the tribe of Benjamin becoming successful warriors and enjoying the plunder from their victories. The last words addressed by Judah to his sons were the following: ... appeared before him. These two evils, inner corruption and outward violence, have been the two principal evils ever since the fall of man. In the first three sons we see how natural man failed right from the beginning. Levi: the name means attached – Whose mother was Leah. âNapthali is a doe set free that bears lovely fawns.â No one really knows what that means. At that point God will bring about a change in the lot of His people. popery) have ruled over it. He says to Judah: âYour brothers will praise you and bow down to you.â Unlike the words of rebuke for his three older sons, Jacob has nothing but praise for Judah, using a play on words since his name means âpraise.â He will be the recipient of his brothersâ acclaim. 2. We learn from experience that we cannot expect anything good from ourselves and that only God can bring relief. Now if the order of Jacob's sons in Genesis 49 is determined neither by the order of their birth nor by the order of their mothers, what principle is used here? This period in Israel's history is reflected in Jacob's prophecy concerning Judah, the royal tribe, where nothing but praise is heard (Judah means "praise"). If He is formed in us in this way, our life will be more and more under the Lordship of the Man at God's right hand, who allows us to partake in the results of His victory (Benjamin shall divide the spoil). Joseph was upset and tried to switch back his father's hands. Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons - And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: “Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father. In fact, the territory of Asher is between them and the sea. To start, Jacob gathers all of his sons and asks them to âlisten to him.â He begins with Reuben. Dan marks the absolute low point and from there on Israel's history takes a turn for the better. Jacob's short prayer is the turning point of this chapter. In Joseph we see Him both in His rejection and in His exaltation, and our lives should be in agreement with this. Reuben was guided by his lusts, while Simeon and Levi used means of violence. By the end of the wilderness experience, it has fallen to 22,000 with no explanation. Once again, Jacob says very little at the time. Israel’s blessing will extend to all of his descendants in the years ahead. Now therefore, my husband will love me." The incident that Jacob is referring to occurs in Genesis 35:22. But then God brought relief through king David, whose birth is mentioned in the Book of Ruth. The third group of three - Zebulun, Issachar and Dan - marks the downward line of Israel's decline and ultimate apostasy (and also the apostasy of the last days). However, Israel's history too, was one of sad failure, in the wilderness as well as in the Promised Land. VERSES 1,2 “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. If the word is sheepfolds, it suggests inactivity and indifference. He had great pinions like the wings of the stork, and his horns were as long as those of the reem. Reuben: the name means see a son – Whose mother was Leah.