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For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel….
Romans 9:6 NASB
Was Yosef’s oath to bury his father in Canaan evil?
“Now the days for Israel to die drew near, and he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor before you, put your hand under my thigh, and you shall bring about mercy and truth for me so as not to bury me in Egypt, but I will lie down with my fathers, and you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I will do according to your word.” Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. And Israel did obeisance upon the top of his staff.”
Genesis 47:29–31 New English Translation of the Septuagint
Why did Ya’akov (Jacob) make Yosef (Joseph) swear an oath to bury him in Caanan when Yeshua has taught us that our “yes” should be “yes” and our “no” should be “no” (Matt. 5:33–37; James 5:12)? Ya’akov understood after 17 years living in Egypt that the Egyptians considered themselves racially superior to all other people and their land superior to all other lands. They could not fathom why someone would want to be buried in Canaan, which they considered a loathsome land and the people who lived there as loathsome people.
When the days of mourning for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak to Pharaoh, saying, ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me. Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.” ’ ” Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
Genesis 50:4–6 NASB
By Ya’akov’s making Yosef swear an oath to him to bury him in Canaan, he knew that Yosef would be able to appeal to Pharaoh to accept Ya’akov’s last request.
Ya’akov’s final blessings for the 12 sons/tribes of Israel (Genesis 49)
After Yosef swore to bury him in Canaan, Ya’akov gave his final prophesies and bequests to his sons. He speaks of them in the order of their birth.
Reuben’s blessing
“Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might and the beginning of my strength, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it — he went up to my couch.”
Genesis 49:3–4 NASB
The first son was Reuben. We learned in the Torah, and it’s reiterated in Ya’akov’s last prophesy, that Reuben was a very selfish, impetuous, power-hungry person.
He didn’t sleep with Bilhah because he lusted after her sexually. He slept with her because he wanted power and dominance over his brothers. He wanted to usurp Ya’akov’s position as patriarch of the family while Ya’akov was still alive. He wanted to steal it, rather than earn it. Ya’akov warns that no matter how impetus, power-hungry Reuben was, he would not obtain what he desired.
We see Reuben and his progeny will not inherit the blessings of the eldest son. Even though Reuben was the first-born, because of his pride, selfishness and lust for power, he and his descendants will never get that right. The birthright was given to Yosef.
“Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph)….”
1Chronicles 5:1–2 NASB
Shimon’s and Levi’s blessing
Then Ya’akov/Israel speaks of Shimon (Simeon) and Levi. Ya’akov warns that both Shimon and Levi were quick in their wrath and quick to act as judge, jury and executioner, specifically in how they treated the people of Shechem after the prince of Shechem had defiled their sister Dinah and used cunning and subterfuge to do it. What the prince of Shechem did to Dinah was reprehensible but it was not a death penalty offense, yet Shimon and Levi not only killed the prince of Shechem, they wiped out all the men in the entire town.
We see later in history that the tribe of Levi inherits the priesthood, which seems like a good position for the descendants of a man who was a very judgmental man, but God channeled their judgmental personality though the Torah. The tribe of Levi does not write the laws, they interpret and make sure they are followed through. The Levites are the judicial branch of Israel but they never were called to be leaders of all of Israel.
“Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel. I will disperse them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.”
Genesis 49:7 NASB
We see this even with Moses, who was descended from the tribe of Levi. Even though he had great charisma, Moses often had to fight off people who attempted to usurp his authority. Yet his spiritual heir, Yehoshua ben-Nun (Joshua, the son of Nun), from Eprahim, never had to deal with usurpers. He was more successful in uniting the tribes around his leadership than Moses was.
The tribe of Shimon, on the other hand, was given an inheritance in the land, but they were later absorbed among the other tribes and did not stand long as an independent tribe. There’s a certain strength in numbers and as Shimon’s descendants were scattered through out the nation of Israel, they were divided and then absorbed into the other tribes.
Yehudah’s blessing
“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
“Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up?
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”
Genesis 49:8–10 NASB
We see here that the tribe of Yehudah (Judah), through the family of David, becomes a royal dynasty over the people of Israel. Yehudah’s brothers did bow to him, but we see in history that not all of them bowed to him for very long. In particular, the brother who does not bow to Yehudah is Yosef. Ephraim did not bow down to Yehudah.
Zebulun’s blessing
“Zebulun will dwell at the seashore; And he shall be a haven for ships, And his flank shall be toward Sidon.”
Genesis 49:13 NASB
Most English translators of Ya’akov’s prophesy for Zebulon have been very kind, and assumed that his “flank reaching Sidon” is simply a reference to the territorial borders of the tribe when they inhabit the Promised Land, but the Jewish phrase there is actually a reference to his sexual parts. So it implies that Zebulon has some sexual deviancy that he has issues with. This could be somehow related to the fact that the future queen of Israel, Jezebel, comes from Sidon.
Keep in mind that Ya’akov’s prophesy is about who these tribes are and how they will be at the end of days. This is how they will act and conduct themselves in that era.
Issachar’s blessing
“Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between the sheepfolds.
“When he saw that a resting place was good And that the land was pleasant, He bowed his shoulder to bear burdens, And became a slave at forced labor.”
Genesis 49:14–15 NASB
The tribe of Issachar will be stuck between a rock and a hard place. He will be a slave to both sides so he can live in peace. Because he is not as strong as his enemies, he is willing to compromise to their power.
Dan’s blessing
““Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.
“Dan shall be a serpent in the way, A horned snake in the path, That bites the horse’s heels, So that his rider falls backward.
“For Your salvation I wait, O LORD.”
Genesis 49:16–18 NASB
Dan’s situation is to look for an offense in order to attack and take down somebody who is stronger, bigger than you are. A horse is larger, more muscular, stronger than a serpent. The man riding the horse is also larger and stronger than the serpent. Venom from a snake bite can kill a horse or a man.
Dan, as a tribe, is not as strong as some of the other tribes, but he will still attack them. Dan will look for whatever offense he can to take down someone who is bigger and more power than himself.
Gad’s blessing
“As for Gad, raiders shall raid him, But he will raid at their heels.”
Genesis 49:19 NASB
This means that Gad goes out to attack, he’s successful, and then returns home in peace. He’s not running, fleeing back, he just returned to his own territory. He attacks and then goes home. Gad is not a conqueror nor does he desire empire, even though he can hold his own in war. He attacks his enemy and once the enemy is subdued, he returns home in peace.
Asher’s blessing
“As for Asher, his food shall be rich, And he will yield royal dainties.”
Genesis 49:20 NASB
Asher makes things that royalty and the wealthy want to buy and are willing to pay a lot of money to obtain. The “rich foods” in the Hebrew is a reference to fats and oils, like olive oil.
Naphtali’s blessing
““Naphtali is a doe let loose, He gives beautiful words.”
Genesis 49:21 NASB
In modern days, these beautiful worlds would include a propensity or talent for writing poetry, journalism, books, scientific articles, etc.
Yosef’s blessing
“Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a spring; Its branches run over a wall.
“The archers bitterly attacked him, And shot at him and harassed him;
But his bow remained firm, And his arms were agile, From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
“The blessings of your father Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; May they be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.”
Genesis 49:22–26 NASB
This prophesy applies to the two greatest nations that will be in power in the end days. Some day that this prophesy applies to the United Kingdom and her daughter countries, including the United States of America, but that would depend on whether we are truly living in the final days of earth’s history before the Messianic age comes in or not.
Benyamin’s blessing
“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoil.””
Genesis 49:27 NASB
Some people believe that this prophesy was fulfilled in Judges 19 and the story of the Levite concubine, but this prophesy, as in all these prophesies, will have their ultimate fulfillment and revelation at the end of days, in the Messianic age. These prophesies show us what kind of reputation these tribes will carry no only shortly after Ya’akov’s death but also how they will be known at the Messianic age.
After Ya’akov’s death, we read about the ending of Yosef’s live as well. We see that Yosef lives to see his own grandchildren.
“Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father’s household, and Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s sons; also the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph’s knees.”
Genesis 50:22–23 NASB
The importance of these genealogies is not the “who begat who” but how the blessings of God passed on from one generation to the next.
Ya’akov’s blessings of his sons were narrowing focused. He did not only mention the positive but also the negative. That makes these blessings even more meaningful than if they had only been positive.
What was Ya’akov’s legacy to his sons? One legacy Ya’akov gave his sons is the promise that his descendants would be on earth at the end of days.
King David’s parting words for Solomon (1Kings 2:1–12)
David was not the same kind of person as Ya’akov or Yosef. He did not view his end the same way as they did. Today’s haftarah gives us David’s final blessing to his son and heir Solomon.
“As David’s time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, “I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. “Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, so that the LORD may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’”
1Kings 2:1–4 NASB
David’s blessings were not limited to words, he also gave Solomon advise as to how to make these blessings a reality in 1Kings 2:5–9. This “hit list” that David gives to Solomon to kill several people. The first one on that list was David’s own nephew Joab, who had committed murder. That makes sense because that is a very heinous crime.
However, the next person on the list was “Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim.” This occurred while David was fleeing his rebellious son Absolom.
Shimei cursed David, rather than offering help against Absolom’s treason. David didn’t do anything at the time, because when he met with Shimei again, it was right after Absolom’s death and David was weary of the shedding of blood. David didn’t really forgive Shimei, did he? Instead of simply using his words as a spiritual discipline or as a humbling act, he held a grudge that he expected Solomon to resolve.
Ya’akov’s blessings did not include advise about what to do to receive the blessings, because they didn’t apply directly to the sons themselves, but their descendants.
Let’s look at David’s blessing in a different way, as David is a Messianic figure. What can we learn from it when we read Yeshua’s parting words, his final blessings to his disciples before He is turned over the authorities for execution.
Messiah’s parting words to His closest students (John 13–17)
Yeshua’s parting words in John 13:1-20 emphasized that He wants His disciples to serve each other the way He was serving them. He wanted them to love each other as He loved them. Yeshua then stated bluntly that not all of His disciples were “clean” and that the “unclean” disciple will be separated from them.
Yehudah ish-Kariot (Judas Iscariot) was part of Yeshua’s inner circle, and he had to be removed from that inner circle because his heart and his actions were “unclean.“
Just as Shimei had evil in his heart towards his king, David, this Yehudah also had evil in his heart towards Yeshua. Shimei did not kill David physically but he emotionally killed David with his curses and he had to be cast out, otherwise Shimei would continue to corrupt the people around them against David and his heirs.
We all have to choose physically and spiritually to follow what is right to receive the blessings that God has for us.
Summary: Tammy