This morning, Mark looked at Gen 49:1-28, Jacob’s last words to his twelve sons. Jacob was, like Joseph, a dreamer who spoke prophetically on more than one occasion; in this chapter, even though he is close to death, he still speaks prophetic words which had influence and impact on his sons and on the generations to follow.
Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, was the oldest son who is described as ‘my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honour, excelling in power.’ (Gen 49:3) However, despite the expected norm that the firstborn would receive all of Jacob’s wealth and blessing, God has been working in this family situation, bringing Joseph to the position of authority, rather than Reuben. Moreover, Jacob’s final words to Reuben are far from pleasant, recalling his sin (Gen 35:21-22) and effectively saying that he will no longer excel. Reuben may have looked strong, handsome and powerful, but he was as unstable as water, proving himself to be unpredictable, having overstepped the mark by sleeping with his father’s concubine at a time when Jacob was grieving the death of Rachel.
Scripture does not tell us if Jacob ever dealt with this matter at the time or if Reuben’s other brothers knew anything at all about this sin. Here, we see, however, that the long arms of sin reach into Reuben’s life, showing us that it is much better to deal with wrongdoing immediately than allow it to fester and ruin our futures. Sin has a way of coming back to bite us if we do not deal with it.
Reuben’s tribe became shepherds, a job that was viewed as quite lowly; our families and future generations can be influenced and either damaged or blessed by our choices during life. Later on in history, we discover that Reuben’s tribe was one which did not want to enter the Promised Land, choosing to remain on the other side of the Jordan. Both Reuben and Gad (see Gen 49:19) seemed content to settle for second best. The Gadites were constantly forced to defend themselves against hostile tribes, lacking the defence of the other Israelites.
This passage teaches us 3 vital lessons:
- No matter how old we are, God can still use us and speak through us. Jacob spoke prophetically with his dying breath; we too can serve God, even in our old age and infirmity.
- Sins from the past and present have to be dealt with or they could potentially spoil our future in God. We cannot afford to sweep sin under the carpet and turn a blind eye to it.
- We should not settle for second best, but need to keep pressing on with the things God calls us to do, understanding that there are crucial choices to be made which affect not only our own lives but the lives of generations to come.