Genesis 49:1-12

¹ At that time Jacob called his sons and told them, “Collect yourselves together, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

² “Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.

³ “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, greatest in dignity and greatest in power.

⁴ Unstable as water, you shall not have supremacy, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it- he went up to my couch!

⁵ “Simeon and Levi are brothers; vessels of violence are their swords.

⁶ My soul, do not come into their council; O my glory, do not be joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and for their amusement they hamstrung oxen.

⁷ Cursed be their anger, for it is violent, and their wrath, for it is brutal! I will divide them up among Jacob and scatter them throughout Israel.

⁸ “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down before you.

⁹ Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares provoke him?

¹⁰ The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the compliance of the peoples.

¹¹ While binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his robes in the blood of grapes.

¹² His eyes are dark from wine, and his teeth white from milk.

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building up a spiritual legacy

Jacob’s blessing to the four oldest sons reads somewhat like a curse. He reveals that the character traits that were so common among these men would be passed on to their tribes. The destiny of their children would be wrapped up in their own. As a consequence, Reuben not only loses his birthright, his family will lose its greatness as well. The reason: sexual sin. It matters to God, and it matters to Jacob.

Simeon and Levi were guilty of brutal violence. Jacob does not slap them on the back and say, “those are my boys, you can’t mess with them.” No, their violent actions show that they cannot be trusted to congregate together. As a result, the tribes will be separated and dispersed in Canaan.

Judah comes out as the leader among the elder brothers. He inherits the blessing and his tribe will have the supremacy. His tribe will have both power and wealth. Why? Judah had his own problems, he was not sinless. But he interceded for his brother. His taking responsibility was the character trait that would be remembered and passed on as a legacy to his descendants. One of those descendants would intercede for all humanity.

LORD, thank you for reminding us of the spiritual legacy we are passing on to our descendants. Build in us lives that our children will not be ashamed of, and that will be a blessing long after we are gone.