FINAL WORDS part 1

“Then Ya’akov called for his sons and said, ‘Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the acharit-hayamim.’”
Genesis 49:1

In Genesis 48 we read the account of Ya’akov calling for Yosef and his sons, blessing Efrayim and M’nasheh. It is here in chapter 49, though, that Ya’akov calls for all his sons, and adopted sons, so that he may give his final blessings before passing away. This was a special time. This was the time when the father would give the double blessing out to the men in his clan, when he would pass the baton, and when the next generation would rise up. So with expectancy, Ya’akov’s sons came to his side to hear his final will and learn what would happen to them concerning the acharit-hayamim, the end of days.
Today’s portion of the Torah reading allows us an inside look at the words spoken to the first seven sons of Ya’akov. While with each son a depth of their lineage can be traced and proved, I will only hit on key aspects. And so we begin with Re’uven. Re’uven was the firstborn son, and it was expected that he would receive the double portion. As Ya’akov had twelve sons, the tradition would be to split all the father’s possessions into thirteen segments in this case, and give Re’uven two segments. Yet Re’uven’s actions caused him to miss out on this blessing. Instead, Ya’akov addressed the fact of what he had done with Bilhah, Ya’akov’s concubine and mother of Dan and Naftali. This defilement so angered Ya’akov that he spoke of him being as unstable as water. How did these words come to pass? In Numbers 16 it was Re’uven’s tribe that joined in the rebellion of Korah the Levite, questioning the leadership of Moshe and being swallowed by the earth. It was this same tribe that chose to not move forward but take land on the east side of the Jordan in Numbers 32. And it was this tribe who was sung about in Judges 5 as searching their hearts instead of engaging in the battle against Sisera. This single act of sleeping with his father’s concubine led the line of Re’uven to not only miss the double portion, but live in instability.
Next Ya’akov addressed Shim’on and Levi, stating they were brothers. This is true, as they were both also born of Le’ah. But in this context what is meant is that they were two peas in a pod. They were always getting in trouble together, always seen together, and always hanging around each other. They thought like brothers. It was this mutual thinking that they would not be commended for as Ya’akov recalled the sin of murder they performed against the men of Shechem. These partners in crime received the word of being divided in Ya’akov and scattered in Isra’el. When later they received their inheritance in the Promise Land, Shim’on received pockets of arid and barren land within Y’hudah’s piece. Additionally, the numbers of this tribe decreased in each censes from 59,300 in Numbers 1, to 22,200 in Numbers 26. The leading cause is thought to be idolatry and plague as recorded in Numbers 25. Of Levi we also read of scattering as it was the Levities who would not be given specific land, but would rather have a portion of each to live off of as instructed by Adonai. While having certain allotments and benefits may be a plus for the Levities, the tribe of Levi never had a place all their own, nor does even still today.
To Y’hudah the double portion is given. As was custom, along with the additional blessing came the respect of all the brothers as leader. Since this was taken from the first three brothers based on their actions, the title of leader rested on Y’hudah and was spoken of in stating, “Your brothers will acknowledge you” (Gen 49:8). Contrasting to the words of doom spoken to the first three brothers, the words to Y’hudah are of blessing. Y’hudah means praise, and here he was in essence being praised. It is also where we see the shortened version Jew, also giving way to leadership as the entire race was named after him. The greatest claim to fame for Y’hudah, however, is seen in the words of the scepter not passing from him, for it is from this line that first King David rose and later our savior, Yeshua himself. It was in Y’hudah that people would obey, but this fact would be seen in all his descendants for it would be a kingly line. Yet let us not overlook the final words in this blessing over Y’hudah that speak of his robes, his eyes, and his teeth, for they too depict for us an illustration of our savior.
Z’vulun would live at the seashore. Four hundred plus years later this prophecy would be seen truthful as Y’hoshua would allot to this tribe the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. This allowed for trading routes, in which Z’vulun was heavily involved, and as was also declared on them by Moshe in Deuteronomy 33:19, stating they shall take the abundance of the seas and the treasures hidden in the sand. It is awesome to see, though, all the pieces come together. Ya’akov spoke also that the border of Z’vulun’s territory would be at Tzidon. When Y’hoshua divided the land, Tzidon was not included in the piece given to Z’vulun. In fact, it was not theirs until the tribe of Asher was unable to defeat remaining Canaanities and the tribe of Z’vulun began attacking and defeating the Canaanities. This victory allowed them the land.
Of Yissakhar it is said he was a strong donkey. Not sure we would read that as a complement these days. But the truth in these words in that Yissakhar was valuable, as were donkeys at this time. It was the donkey that carried the burden, and it was the donkey that would later carry the Messiah. But it was said that this donkey would bend his back to the burden and submit to forced labor (Gen 49:15). The idea here is that the tribe would be one to fight for what it had, preventing evil from coming in and stealing from it. This is seen in the account of the judge Tola in Judges 10 who led for twenty-three years as a brave leader. We see this idea again in I Chronicles 7 where the tribe was said to be valiant men of might in their families and generations. They were laborious, but also invincible in war burden bearing, and valiant. Perhaps the best compliment for this tribe comes in I Chronicles 12:32 where they were spoken of as men understanding the times, knowing what Isra’el must do.
Lastly for today, we look at Dan. The name Daniel means God is my judge. The name Dan, however, means judgment. Who was the most famous descendant of this line? None other than the judge named Samson. It was through the Danites that the Philistines would find judgment. However, the tribe of Dan also shows a heavy reverting to idolatry, thus the spoken reference to the snake in Genesis 49:17. History shows in Judges 18 that the tribe of Dan grew tired of its allotted land and went looking for some place new. Scouts found the town of Laish and decided to conquer it. Six hundred men and one Levite from Ephraim, who brought with him a graven image, marched to Laish and defeated the town with ease. They named the town Dan and set up an image for themselves. In time, Dan became the cult center for idol worship. The final words over Dan by Ya’akov, however, are a prayer. “I wait for your deliverance, Adonai.” The idol worship of Dan would continue until its capture and only then, when the people were humbled, would things change. In time, true salvation would be found in the Messiah, but until then Ya’akov would wait in prayer for his son to see the way and stand as a strong pillar.

Genesis 49:1-18