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BIBLE
STUDY LESSON
For
the week beginning Sunday June 9, 2019
JACOB
BLESSES HIS SONS
Genesis
49:1-28
In Genesis 49 Jacob continues to
pass down his legacy of faith, this time, to his remaining sons. He starts by
demoting his firstborn son by Leah, Reuben, for his adulterous act with Bilhah,
one of his wives (Genesis 35:22). Then he denounces Simeon and Levi for their
violent ways, such as when they murdered the entire town of Shechem, killing
even those who were not responsible for, and had nothing to do with their
sister Dinah’s rape (Genesis 34).
Jacob then gives Judah perhaps the
brightness forecast of all his sons in this extensive oracle. He tells Judah,
in essence, that he would be the son whose line leads directly to the MESSIAH.
He tells him in verse 8 that all his brothers will praise him, he will defeat
all of his enemies, and all of his other relatives will bow down before him.
In verse 9 Jacob describes Judah as a young
lion who has finished eating its prey and then lies down in peaceful sleep,
daring anyone to awake him. Jacob assures Judah that “the scepter will not
depart from him” until the coming of the MESSIAH, JESUS CHRIST WHO owns it, the
ONE WHOM all nations will obey.
Jacob also blessed the remainder of his
sons with blessings that were appropriate to each of them respectively
(Vs.13-27). Zebulun’s descendants would be enriched by the sea trade. The
descendants of Issachar would be strong workers, but unfortunately they would,
for the most part, always be forced to work for others, including many invading
armies.
The descendants of “Dan”, which means
“judge”, would be called to provide justice for the people, but instead, they will
choose, and gain a reputation for treachery. They will become like poisonous
vipers by the side of the road, who look to bite the heels of the rider’s
horses as they pass by.
The descendants of Gad will often be
attacked by marauders, but they too, will also occasionally play the role of
the attacker, as border raids would often be experienced by the tribes who
dwell east of the Jordan River.
The descendants of Asher will be known for
their production of rich crops due to their location along the fertile northern
coast of Canaan. And the descendants of Naphtali will be a free-spirited bunch
who will settle in the mountains northwest of the Sea of Galilee.
Joseph,
who was, quite literally, a prince among his brothers, will be blessed with
fruitfulness and life, protection and strength, blessings while on earth (wells
and springs of abundant waters) and from Heaven (rain and sunshine vital for
crop growth). Jacob gave like blessings to Joseph’s direct descendants, Ephraim
and Manasseh, and this is later evidenced in the lives of people like Joshua,
Deborah, and Samuel who were all from the tribe of Ephraim, and in the lives of
Gideon and Jephthah, who were from the tribe of Manasseh.
And finally, in his prophecy regarding his
youngest son, Benjamin, Jacob says that his descendants would be a tribe that
is violent in spirit “like ravenous wolves on the prowl”. They went on to gain
a reputation of being cruel people, not unlike the Apostle Paul (Saul) was,
before his conversion by CHRIST JESUS along the Damascus Road (Acts 9).
In closing, although Jacob had obtained his
own birthright and blessing through bribery and trickery, over the years it had
been perfected through trials and strong faith. And here at the end of his
life, he is able to pass on a legacy that consisted of “an anointing faith”
that would empower an heir (Joseph) to become the keeper of the Abrahamic
Covenant.
The legacy we leave behind will always
depend on how we live our lives. And even though we ourselves may have
inherited a life that may leave something to be desired, we can still take on
the attitude, that, someone in the family must eventually take the
responsibility of breaking the downward cycle, and drawing a line in the sand.
And if we want to leave a legacy of faith that will truly honor the Almighty
GOD, we must begin to exercise and apply that faith in ways that are pleasing
to HIM. And, we must remember also, that, it is equally imperative that our
faith be evident to our children, and to others, who experience our presence,
if we are to succeed.
JACOB’S
DEATH AND BURIAL
Genesis
49:29-50:13
As we close out this chapter of
Genesis, Jacob tells his sons that he will soon die, and he requested specifically,
and in detail, that they bury him with his father and grandfather in the cave
in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a
permanent burial place. It is where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and
his wife, Leah, are buried. When Jacob had finished his charge to his sons, he
lay back on his bed, and breathed his last breath.
After Jacob died, Joseph threw himself upon
him and kissed him and wept bitterly (Genesis 50:1). Then he instructed his
morticians to embalm his father’s body, a process that, in those days, and by
their method, took forty days. In addition, Joseph called for a seventy day
period of national mourning, which was only two days short of the mourning
period reserved for the Pharaohs of Egypt.
When the mourning period was over, Joseph
went to Pharaoh’s advisers and asked them to speak to the Pharaoh on his
behalf. He told them that his father had made him swear to take his body back
to Canaan for burial in his family plot that had been purchased by his
great-grandfather Abraham. He told them to ask Pharaoh for permission to take
his father’s body back immediately.
The Pharaoh granted Joseph’s request and a
great funeral procession was put together which included many of the top
officials in Egypt. The whole family of Jacob, with the exception of the small
children, went back to Canaan for the seven day event, which was held at the
threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan River. After the funeral, the local
Canaanites re-named the place “Abel-mizraim”, which means “Mourning of
Egyptians” because it was a place of very deep mourning for these Egyptians.
A Sunday school lesson
by,
Larry D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER-
Official Website
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