Lesson 46<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s Performance Review<\/p>\n
Genesis 49<\/p>\n
There was always one time of year when I was working that I did not like to see come.\u00a0 It was when annual performance reviews were to be done.\u00a0 One of the things I disliked more than anything was the personal assessment I had to do before the review was discussed with my supervisor.\u00a0 To grade oneself as the greatest thing since sliced bread bordered on pride.\u00a0 At the other end of the spectrum to give oneself low marks would mean no raise and possible dismissal.\u00a0 Fortunately over the years most of discussions between my superior and me were cordial. \u00a0We came to a mutual understanding the majority of the time.\u00a0 I did not always agree totally but those points were not mountains upon which to die.<\/p>\n
There is one assessment that each of us has to face.\u00a0 It is the scrutiny that God places on our lives.\u00a0 If I am honest with myself it is the one performance review for which I cannot receive high marks.\u00a0 As hard as I try there will always be something I mess up.\u00a0 I thank Him that my inclusion in His family is not dependent on what I can do, but what Christ has done for me.<\/p>\n
Churches face scrutiny like the one we will read about in today\u2019s lesson.\u00a0 It is the court of public opinion that decides whether we bring glory to God by the very culture of the church.\u00a0 If we were to sit down collectively before our own Israel and have him tell us his perception of who he thinks we are and where those characteristics will lead us, what would he say?\u00a0 It really does depend on the culture and values of the church which will dictate the future.<\/p>\n
I have often heard that over time the church will reflect the leadership.\u00a0 We do need to be careful that the leadership that is selected truly represents God and not themselves.\u00a0 Only when we glorify God can we expect to have a bright future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As we look at the words spoken by Jacob, we might see if any of the characteristics fit us. By becoming aware of any of those tendencies among us will cause us to address them by confessing, repenting and receiving repentance.<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:1-2<\/p>\n
Jacob\u2019s final act was to bring his son\u2019s together to share what the future would hold for each of them.\u00a0 There was no one better to do this than Jacob who had observed them for all the years of their lives.\u00a0 Not only were they going to hear the words based on Jacob\u2019s perception but prophetic ones he would speak under the inspiration of God\u2019s spirit. There were things said that he could not possibly know from a human stand point.\u00a0 Once his sons had come to him, he seemed to be saying come close to me so I can talk with you in an intimate way.<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:3-4<\/p>\n
He wasted no time but launched into what he had to say to and about each son.\u00a0 Not knowing what they might hear they did not utter a word, but waited for their father to begin speaking. As would be expected he began with the oldest.\u00a0 To Reuben he had to say that even though you are my first born because of your impetuous nature which led to sleeping with my wife, Bilhad, you will not be considered first born.\u00a0 Reuben according to the words of Jacob lost the blessing and the birthright.\u00a0 There were some telling events that were a fulfillment of Jacob\u2019s assessment of his oldest son.<\/p>\n
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Genesis 49:5-7<\/p>\n
The two brothers, Simeon and Levi, were kindred spirits thus Jacob dealt with them together.\u00a0 Their actions indicated they were violent and cruel men.\u00a0 Jacob did not want any part of that kind of attitude that had led them to kill men and injure animals.\u00a0 Rather than blessing them he cursed their anger and did not want to even be associated with it in any way.\u00a0 Neither of them would receive an inheritance of their own in the Promised Land.\u00a0 Both would be dispersed among the other tribes. Simeon eventually received some land that was part of Judah\u2019s portion.\u00a0 From Levi came the priestly family through Aaron. His family was given forty- eight cities and pasture lands scattered among the other tribes.<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:8-13<\/p>\n
When Jacob comes to his fourth son there appears to be a change in the way he views him.\u00a0 There is no discussion of the past failures of Judah.\u00a0 He does not mention his part in the selling of Joseph or the marriage to a pagan wife.\u00a0 Nor is there any allusion to the evil sons born out of that relationship.\u00a0 Something had happened in the life of Judah that now elicited praise and blessing from his father.\u00a0 Judah was a changed man as has been seen in the episodes leading up to Joseph revealing himself to his brothers.\u00a0 Now Jacob saw certain qualities in the man as he not only blessed him but prophesied an amazing future for his descendents.\u00a0 There are a number of beautiful word pictures that are painted in describing Judah and his family. Jacob said concerning him<\/p>\n
The promises to Judah only began with David who was the ancestor of the true Lion of Judah, Jesus.<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:13<\/p>\n
Although Zebulon was the youngest of Leah\u2019s children, Jacob chose to put him ahead of his brother Issachar.\u00a0 This meant that he would play a greater role in the history of Israel than Issachar.\u00a0 The words spoken to Zebulon may seem strange.\u00a0 Looking at the inheritance it received it is obvious that its borders did not originally touch either the Mediterranean Sea or the Sea of Galilee.\u00a0 Although with the shifting of borders it may have eventually encompassed cities around the Sea of Galilee including Nazareth and Capernaum.\u00a0 That would have given it the distinction of being the place where Jesus lived until He began His earthly ministry.\u00a0 (See Isaiah 9:1-2 and Matthew 4:12-16) Jacob could have in the Spirit of God seen that Zebulon would be located on a trade route which led to Acco in Asher thus giving access to a port on the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:14-15<\/p>\n
From Jacob\u2019s description of Issachar as a strong donkey certain images emerge.<\/p>\n
These attributes often came into play in history as this tribe was often overrun and enslaved by other countries.\u00a0 It is however mentioned in a positive way as it fought alongside Deborah and Barak.\u00a0 Later in the reign of David the writer of Chronicles spoke of them as men who had an understanding of the times. (1 Chronicles 12:32, 38-40)<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:16-17<\/p>\n
Dan the son of Bilhah was described as a judge and a serpent.\u00a0 This tribe produced the strongest of all the judges written about in the Book of Judges. Samson would be a judge in Israel for twenty years before his untimely death.\u00a0 He was a constant thorn in the side of the Philistines.<\/p>\n
One incident in the life of the Danites reflected the characteristic of a serpent.\u00a0 Dissatisfied with the inheritance given to them they went into the northeast corner of Israel and captured and destroyed the citizens of Laish who were living peacefully.\u00a0 It was in Dan that Jeroboam sat up one of his calves.\u00a0 Some scholars believe that it will be from the tribe of Dan that the Antichrist will come.<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:18<\/p>\n
Following his prophecy concerning Dan, Jacob was overcome with the pervasive sense of evil that would come through those who were descendants of his son. He responded by voicing a prayer.\u00a0 Jacob expressed a hope for the future that man could be freed from such treachery.\u00a0 His deep desire was to see the Lord save man from himself.\u00a0 In the Spirit He prayed for God\u2019s intervention into the affairs of man to break the cycle of evil. Like many others down through ages he was provided on a small glimpse of the future.\u00a0 He could not have known how God was going to answer that cry from his heart.\u00a0 Without understanding who, how or when, Jacob was looking forward to the time when the gospel would come to fruition.<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:19<\/p>\n
Like Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh, Gad also received his inheritance to the east of the Jordan River.\u00a0 Because of his decision it was one of the tribes conquered by the Assyrians and exiled in 722 BC. Even though he would often face hostile people and would be defeated he had the staying power to gain victory over his enemies.\u00a0 This ability to gain victory is seen in one its greatest warriors, Jephthah. (Judges 11:1-28)\u00a0 Elijah, the greatest of all the prophets of Israel was also from the tribe of Gad.<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:20<\/p>\n
Zilpah had given birth to both Gad and Asher.\u00a0 Asher was to receive his inheritance along a fertile strip of land on the Mediterranean Sea. He would enjoy all the comforts of life because the land would be productive.\u00a0 Moses would mention in Deuteronomy a reference to the oil producing Olive trees found there. See Deut. 33:34<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:21<\/p>\n
Naphtali was also born to Zilpah the maid servant of Leah.\u00a0 Here is a picture of a man who in his youth may have been wild and untamed.\u00a0 Later he became one who had come to speak words that were beautiful.<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:22-26<\/p>\n
Although Jacob had already spoken of the future of Joseph\u2019s sons Ephraim and Manasseh, he now turns to Joseph himself.\u00a0 It is a picture of both his trials and triumphs.\u00a0 Intertwined in the words are both the blessing and birthright that was to be his from his father.\u00a0 The words are so powerful that unless one already had heard that Judah would be the leader and the ancestor of the future king, it would almost appear that the Joseph was the one through whom those men would come.\u00a0 By human standards Joseph would have been the chosen one.\u00a0 The Spirit, however, directed Jacob to prophesy that the one who Jacob cried out for to provide salvation would not come from Joseph but Judah.\u00a0 God\u2019s sovereignty overruled the desire of man.<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:27<\/p>\n
Jacob finally gets to Benjamin, the youngest son of Rachel.\u00a0 According to his father he would be a warrior. The inheritance he would be given would have to be defended often.\u00a0 His family would by nature well suited for the conflict.\u00a0 Two prominent men would come from the tribe of Benjamin.\u00a0 The first was Saul, the king, who would be the strong warrior who battled the Philistines his entire adult life.\u00a0 The second was Saul who would become Paul.\u00a0 He was the greatest of all the leaders of the early church spreading the gospel all over parts of Asia and Europe.\u00a0 From his ministry many would become followers of Christ. Both of them showed true tenacity in the tasks they were given.<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:28<\/p>\n
All twelve men heard the words of Jacob.\u00a0 They were representative of the twelve tribes that would be born of them.\u00a0 Each one heard words that were appropriate for them.\u00a0 Because of the substance of the words it is obvious that Jacob spoke under the direction of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n
These descriptions have been only a snapshot of the blessing given by Jacob.\u00a0 What I have tried to do was to present the essence of each of them.\u00a0 If there is further interest any good commentary would be a good source.<\/p>\n
Genesis 49:29-33<\/p>\n
Having taken care of the last details of his life by giving the blessings, he then turned to the matters of his death. \u00a0He gave all of them instructions of what he wanted them to do after he died.\u00a0 He commanded them to take him back to Canaan to be buried in the cave in the field of Ephron, which was the burial spot of his family beginning with Sarah and ending with Leah.\u00a0 Finally having accomplished everything and putting his house in order Jacob died in the presence of his sons.<\/p>\n
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We as the body of Christ must take every opportunity to evaluate ourselves in light of the life of Christ.\u00a0 Much time needs to be spent in discerning who we are by spending time in prayer and the study of His word.\u00a0 There is one thing for sure if we do not examine ourselves the world will do it for us.\u00a0 It is a difficult thing to honestly look within and to see how others may view us.\u00a0 Only by doing so can we remove those areas of our life that hinder the spread of God\u2019s kingdom.\u00a0 From the lesson today we have seen that Jacob was only able to look at two of his sons as having praiseworthy qualities.\u00a0 He saw in Judah a man who had changed from being self-centered to one who genuinely put others ahead of himself. This was a Christ like characteristic that would be displayed in Judah\u2019s descendant.\u00a0 Joseph was a godly man and remained steadfast in his faith through many trials and tribulation.\u00a0 This is the kind of man that would receive the blessings of God and the inheritance given to the saints.\u00a0 What kind of church do we want to be?\u00a0 How do we want the world to see us?\u00a0 More important than either of those is how do we want God to see in us?<\/p>\n
It is the choice that we can make.\u00a0 Remember what we have been does not have to be a reflection of what God wants to do with us in the future.\u00a0 In the same way that God has been changing lives since the time of Judah, He can lead us to be the church He wants us to be in the future.<\/p>\n
Additional Notes:<\/p>\n
BL- In chapter 49, Jacob\/Israel gathers his sons around him in order to bless them, a blessing that is also prophetic concerning the future of their descendants.\u00a0 Reuben, as the firstborn, should have excelled in honor and power; but by sleeping with his father’s concubine, he became a source of shame instead.\u00a0 His tribe never crossed the Jordan to permanently live in the Promised Land, nor did any leaders come from Reuben. Simeon and Levi are cursed for the savage anger they displayed in avenging their sister Dinah’s rape. Later, Simeon’s tribe inherited only a small pocket of land within the middle of Judah’s territory.\u00a0 Levi’s\u00a0descendants became\u00a0a tribe of priests due to their valor in Exodus 32, but the only land they inherited were cities scattered throughout Israel.\u00a0 Judah’s blessing points to his\u00a0royal descendants, King David and later, Christ Jesus. Zebulun’s tribe would trade with sea peoples to the north; Issachar’s would be strong and well-protected.\u00a0 From Dan would come some of Israel’s judges, like Samson; but they also led Israel’s descent into idolatry and are not mentioned among the tribes in Revelation 7.\u00a0 Gad, whose tribe settled east of the Jordan, was often under attack from the enemies of Canaan. \u00a0Asher\u00a0inherited the rich seacoast area of Israel;\u00a0and Naphtali, Asher’s neighbor to the west,\u00a0is described as a doe with beautiful fawns (?).\u00a0 Benjamin, north of Judah,\u00a0is likened to a ravenous wolf, aggressive and passionate, but with a tendency to be cruel–his descendants included King Saul of the Old Testament and Saul of Tarsus, who later became the apostle Paul.\u00a0 Joseph, whose descendants are split between Ephaim and two half-tribes of Manasseh,\u00a0\u00a0receives the largest blessing and is called “the prince among his brothers.”\u00a0 Following the blessing, Jacob gives instructions for his burial–his body is to be returned to Canaan and buried with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah in the cave near Mamre.\u00a0 With that, Jacob\/Israel breathes his last.<\/p>\n
GC-Jacob had the gift of prophecy.\u00a0 The things that Jacob proclaimed about his sons came true down through the history of Israel. (Gen. 49:2-28)<\/p>\n
GC- A Christian\u2019s life is such that he begins to see people as God sees them.\u00a0 Jacob\u2019s blessings show real sensitivity, insight, wisdom and discernment which could only come from God. (Gen. 49:1-27)<\/p>\n
WM-By looking at prophesies concerning his sons, Jacob showed that he had never totally forgiven some of them.\u00a0 He did not seem to take into account they may had matured and changed.\u00a0 To be fair we also do not know if Reuben ever repented or asked for forgiveness after committing adultery with Bilhah.\u00a0 There is also no indication that Levi and Simeon had become different men. (Gen. 49:1-7)<\/p>\n
GC-Reuben, must have self control (Gen. 49:4; Prov. 16:32: 25:28; 29:18)<\/p>\n
M-Reuben had all the potential but no control over his appetites, so he was to miss out on what he could have had. (Gen. 49:3)<\/p>\n
GC-Simeon and Levi, Not to be violent (Gen. 49:5; Prov. 6:17; 21:7; 24:2)<\/p>\n
GC-Jacob wanted to make it very plain that he would have no part in the actions of Simeon and Levi.\u00a0 David expressed Jacob\u2019s feelings when he admonished us not to walk in the council of the ungodly. (Gen. 49:6; 2 Chron. 19:2: Ps. 1:1; Prov. 1:15; 18:5)<\/p>\n
GC-Simeon and Levi also committed murder. (Gen. 49:6; Ex. 20:13; 1 Kings. 21:13: Neh. 9:26; Prov. 6:17; Lev. 24:17; Judges 19:27-30; 2 Sam. 11:15, 25; 12:9; 13:28; 20:10; 2 Kings 8:15; 11:1; 12:20; 24:4; 2 Chron. 21:4, 13; 33:24)<\/p>\n
GC-Simeon and Levi let their anger result in the killing innocent men.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Gen. 49:6; 2 Chron. 26:17)<\/p>\n
GC- Simeon and Levi, Does not let self-will but God\u2019s will dominated actions.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Gen. 49:6)<\/p>\n
TM-In response to the characteristics describing Dan given by Jacob seeing his descendents as:<\/p>\n
Jacob would say\u201d For your salvation I wait, O Lord.\u201d\u00a0 He must have seen in Dan the one who would be in total opposition to God. (Gen. 49:16-18)<\/p>\n
WM-It was said of Dan that he was like a serpent cunning and crafty.\u00a0 He was not to be trusted.\u00a0 He certainly would be one to whom you would turn your back. (Gen. 49:16-17)<\/p>\n
GC-Joseph remained firm in his faith no matter what the enemy brought into his life.\u00a0 (Gen. 49:23-24)<\/p>\n
M-Did not lose faith even when under attack. (Gen. 49:23-24)<\/p>\n
WM-There was a cruelty in Benjamin\u2019s future. (Gen. 49:27)<\/p>\n
GC-Jacob displayed an insight in his prophetic blessings of his son that was gained from a lifetime of experiencing God\u2019s love and guidance. (Gen. 49:28)<\/p>\n
C-Jacob\u2019s prophecy concerning his sons reflected some of the events that would occur in the life of each of the tribes that would be descended from them.\u00a0 They also indicated the status that each of them would hold in history.<\/p>\n
C-Jacob died at the age of 147. No longer would the nation have a central figure to whom it could turn.\u00a0 The age of the patriarchs ended with the death of Jacob.\u00a0 Israel would have to wait for over four hundred years for a leader until Moses came onto the scene.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Gen. 49:33)<\/p>\n
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Lesson 46 Israel\u2019s Performance Review Genesis 49 There was always one time of year when I was working that I did not like to see come.\u00a0 It was when annual performance reviews were to be done.\u00a0 One of the things I disliked more than anything was the personal assessment I had to do before the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=187"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":188,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187\/revisions\/188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}