Story 74 Blessings on the Tribes from Bilhah and Zilpah
It is interesting that the book of Genesis started with the creation of the world. God created the entire universe out of nothing by his powerful Word. Now, at the end of Genesis, Jacob is speaking blessings on his sons. These blessings are the Word of God, too. They would become a part of God’s formation of the future for thousands of years. God was revealing his perfect plan through Jacob and speaking something into the future through Jacob’s words. One day, a King would rise from the tribe of Judah who would rule with everlasting power over all the nations of the world. Anyone who believes in God can trust in that powerful promise and know that because God said it, it will happen.
Yet some of God’s blessings on the sons of Jacob seemed like curses. The wickedness of the human heart was on full display in the lives of Jacob’s sons. Reuben and Simeon and Levi had sinned greatly against the ways of God. They showed little sign of deep, heartfelt repentance. There was a terrible danger that their wickedness would spread to their children and their descendants. They could infect the entire nation of Israel with their toxic unbelief and sin! For them, Jacob spoke could only speak blessings that came as boundaries and limitations. God had to protect his sons and their tribes from their own sin and weakness.
But the LORD had a great, sweeping, glorious plan for the human race. He still intended to bless the world through the children of Israel. He blessed the repentance, contrite spirit in Judah with lavish blessings of future royal power and greatness. Then he went on to bless the other sons of Jacob. Here is what he said to Zebulun, the sixth son of Leah;
“‘Zebulun will live by the seashore and become haven for ships;
his border will extend to Sidon’” (Gen. 49:13).
It is interesting, because Zebulun should not be the next on the list of sons. Issachar was the next son. Zebulun’s tribe is put ahead of him. In the future history of Israel, the soldiers from the tribe of Zebulun would be noted for their loyalty and skill in battle. It was their tribe that would come to the prophet Deborah’s aide in a war against a terrible enemy. They would also valiantly fight alongside King David. The tribe would be known for its diligence and hard work.
The tribe of Issachar became known for quite the opposite. When other tribes were giving as many soldiers as possible to help Israel’s army conquer their enemies, Issachar refused to stand with them. Instead, they became servile to those enemies. They did not have the courage or faith to be loyal to God or to the nation of Israel. They would rather be slaves than stand up against the wicked nations around them who worshipped idols. They were willing to have peace no matter what it cost. This is what Jacob said to Issachar:
“‘Issachar is a raw-boned donkey lying down between two saddlebags.
When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant his land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor’” (Gen. 49:14-15).
The next son Jacob blessed was Dan;
“‘Dan will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan will be a serpent by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backwards’” (Gen. 49:14-17)
Jacob blessed Dan to bring justice in the land of Israel. Dan would be a small tribe, like a snake is to a horse. But it would also be a tribe that stuck back at their enemies and had victory. Many think this came true in the stories about Samson, who was the most famous Bible character from the tribe of Dan. The tribe of Dan was in a constant battle with the Philistines over the Land of Promise. But Samson had amazing victories over them. He was like a little snake, biting his enemies on the heel and destroying them completely.
The next words Jacob said are very interesting. He said, “‘I look for your deliverance, O LORD.’” As Jacob gave blessings to his sons, his prophecies showed him the great struggles of war that ahead for his people. He was overwhelmed with the coming troubles, so he stopped and prayed for the hope of their future and for their victory.
The next three tribes are Gad, Asher, and Naphtali. Read what Jacob said and decide what you think each of their blessings mean;
“‘Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders,
but he will attack them at their heels.
“‘Asher’s food will be rich,
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.
“‘Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns’” (Gen. 49:19-21).
The land that the tribe of Gad would be given was a place where many of the enemies of Israel would come and attack first. But the soldiers of Gad would always strike back. Although the tribe of Gad had a difficult history, their people were admired for being fierce and strong.
The tribe of Asher would be given wonderful land in western Galilee. It would be fertile and provide gracious living for the people of that tribe.
Naphtali was compare to a deer, a creature that is known for its wild freedom and fleetness of foot. We are not sure how this prophecy bore out in the future, but we can be sure it did.