Genesis 49 Devotional Bible Study

Genesis 49 Chapter Summary

Jacob then prophetically blessed his sons.

Even though Reuben was firstborn, Jacob said he would no longer excel because he slept with Jacob's concubine Bilhah.

 

He cursed Simeon and Levi's anger for killing the Shechemites after the rape of Dinah.

 

Judah was blessed with leadership:

 

"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."

- Genesis 49:10

 

Zebulun was to live on the seashore,

Issachar to do manual labor for his laziness,

Dan to bring justice through punishment,

Gad to fight back when attacked,

Asher to grow rich food,

Naphtali to have beautiful children,

Joseph to be strong and victorious through the power of the Lord and to be blessed with fertility both in crops and in children, and

Benjamin to be one who takes plunder from his enemies.

 

Before Jacob died, he instructed his children to bury him in the Cave of Machpelah. It was the place where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah were all buried.

 

“The Blessing Appropriate to Him”

Jacob blesses each of his sons in this chapter, and he does so based on each son’s character. In other words, he pronounces their future based on what they’ve done in life and who they’ve shown themselves to be. They will reap what they’ve sown. They and their descendants will receive the consequences of their sin.

It’s the same with us. What we’ve done in the past and what we do now will have a bearing on our future, whether for good or for ill.

But what about grace and mercy? Doesn’t God’s activity in our lives mean that we don’t always receive what we should?

Absolutely. Sometimes, God will save us from our past coming back to bite us. SOMETIMES. Other times, He allows the consequences to catch up to us – to teach us a lesson, to exact justice for someone we’ve hurt, to set an example for others not to fall into the same trouble we did. The good news is that whatever we’ve done, and whatever happens to us, God can use it for good.

As Jacob blesses/curses his sons, he still loves each one of them. He still wants each of his children to mature and prosper and do well. And God wants the same for us – one way or another. Some of us need to experience the consequences of our past to wake us up to experience the future blessings God has for us.