“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.”
~ Genesis 49:10
Hi James and Ellen,
Ask your dad what he thinks that you are going to be like and what you will be doing when you are his age? As Jacob was lying on his bed in the final moments of his life on planet Earth, Jacob had his twelve sons gather around his bed. The extended families of Jacob’s twelve sons would become the twelve tribal clans which would make up God’s specially chosen guys and gals. Jacob or Israel’s final moments on planet Earth were recorded by Moses in what is now Genesis 49. Jacob first of all wanted his sons to know exactly where he wanted to have his bones buried. Jacob then gave each one of his twelve sons a personal blessing or admonition. Some of Jacob’s sons by this time were probably older than your grandpaa. As Jacob’s twelve sons stood around their dad’s deathbed, Jacob went from his oldest son to his youngest son – blessing or admonishing individually each one of his sons by telling each son what kind of guy that he had seen his son to be and how he saw how that son’s extended family would be like. Jacob was by this time 147 years old. Jacob had a real good idea what each of his sons was really like. Jacob would be honestly brutal with each one of his twelve sons. Jacob started with his oldest son – Reuben. Jacob told Reuben that he had been born with honor and strength but because he had tried to defile his dad’s bed that he would not receive an inheritance blessing. Reuben had tried to be intimate with Rachel’s maidservant – Bilhah. Jacob had two sons – Dan and Naphtali, with Bilhah. Jacob then told his second and third oldest sons – Simeon and Levi, that because they let rage blind their actions when they avenged the rape of their sister Dinah by killing all the guys who were living in Shechem that their extended families would be scattered among the other extended families or tribal clans that made up the Israelite people group’s guys and gals – God’s specially chosen guys and gals. Jacob then told his fourth oldest son – Judah, that his family clan and extended family would be blessed the most. Moses recounts Jacob’s blessing for Judah in what is now verse 10. “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.” Jacob then told his fifth oldest son – Zebulun, that his extended family would live next to a sea shore that was a haven for ships. Jacob then told his sixth son – Issachar, that his extended family would be hard working – that they would always faithfully do the work that needed to be done. Jacob then told his seventh oldest son – Dan, that his extended family would help defend the allotted land areas that would be given to other Israelite tribal clans’ guys and gals.
After Jacob had addressed individually seven of his twelve sons, Jacob had to take a short break. Jacob asked God to help him to continue to do what he was doing. Jacob’s eighth oldest son was Gad. Jacob told Gad that when his extended family is attacked that his extended family would respond by fighting back against their attacker. Jacob then told his ninth oldest son – Asher, that his extended family would be able to prepare food that would be fit for a king to eat. Jacob then told his tenth oldest son – Naphtali, that his extended family would be independent and free to do what they felt like doing. Joshua was Jacob’s eleventh son and next to his youngest son. Jacob blessed Joseph for having been faithful to God and to his convictions. Jacob knew that God had and was blessing Joseph more than what he could have ever done to bless him. Jacob’s youngest son was Benjamin. Jacob communicated not being at all happy with the way that Benjamin was living his life when he told Benjamin that his extended family would be causing trouble all day long. Even though the Benjamin tribal clan produced guys like Ehud, Saul – who was the first king to rule over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, and Jonathan, the Benjamin tribal clan remained a small tribal clan. Your grandpaa has found it really interesting to track what Jacob said to his twelve sons as he lay close to death on his bed someplace in Goshen, Egypt and to see where the twelve sons’ extended families ended up living in the land that God had promised them that they would one day always have to live in as their very own land. The Simeon tribal clan did end up being allocated a piece of land but . . . the Simeon tribal clan over time just kind of disappeared. God blessed the Levi tribal clan when He chose the Levi tribal clan to be the designated tribal clan to offer up to Him the sacrifices that were given to be sacrificed by the other twelve tribal clans – which included the Manasseh and Ephraim tribal clans, of God’s specially chosen guys and gals.
Your grandpaa’s dad is now old. His health is not very good. What if your grandpaa’s dad called his four sons tomorrow to gather around his bed so that he could say something to each one of them, what do you think that your grandpaa’s dad would say to your grandpaa? Do you think that your grandpaa’s dad would say to your grandpaa that your grandpaa’s extended family would always bless and please God in whatever they did? Your grandpaa knows that his dad is proud of your grandpaa and what your grandpaa is doing. Your grandpaa and your grandpaa’s bros are in four different vocations. What do you think that your grandpaa’s dad would say to your dad’s Uncle Sam and Uncle Craig and Uncle Harold? What do you think that your grandpaa’s dad would say to your dad if . . . Jacob had twelve sons. Jacob’s twelve sons all marched to different drumbeats. God did not eliminate any of Jacob’s sons from being among His specially chosen guys even though some of them when they were younger really messed up – like selling Joseph to some Ishmaelites or Midianite merchants. God’s blessing is on you because of your dad’s, your grandpaa’s, your grandpaa’s dad, your . . . unwavering faith in God. Be prepared for lifetimes filled with blessings.
Genesis 49 (280)