| Subject: Gen 49 vss 1-4 Post 216 |
Author:
Hillbilly
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Date Posted: 20:38:16 09/09/12 Sun
CHAPTER 49
Genesis 49:1-4 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. 2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. 3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
Jacob is getting ready to die and calls all his sons to gather around him so that he might pronounce their future. Some of the things pronounced will have a 1st and 2nd advent fulfillment.
If there is any "key" to understanding the following prophecies that Jacob pronounces on his sons it is found in verse 1; "in the last days". This then is the culmination of the centuries of the tribes of Israel. "Reuben---thou shalt not excel". Why? "And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it." (Gen. 35:22)
Solomon was so right when he wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:9 "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." We look at things today and shake our heads at the immorality and lasciviousness that is so prevalent. All we have to do is look backwards and see the future. It has been well said that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat history. I take exception to that. I say that even when we know the history we will still follow the lusts of our hearts. The proof of the statement is that we are doing it. We are following the path of Sodom and Gomorrah even knowing their doom and destruction from the wrath of God. God has warned us that we will suffer similar fate if we don't repent and turn to Him.
In the Hebrew culture the birthright and blessing belong to the first born. The strength of Jacob was in his children and Reuben was the beginning of his heirs of the promises of God. He was to be the "excellency of his dignity" yet his dignity was destroyed when he "shacked" with Bilhah. Reuben messed up through the lust of his heart and it will follow him through his life and though his offspring. According to this prophecy of the last days the progeny of Reuben will not excel. While the prophecy has it's culmination at the advent of Jesus at the end of the tribulation it also will have bearing on the tribe of Reuben throughout their existence. Of the tribe of Reuben there were no rulers, prophets, priests nor kings. Reuben was part of the rebellion against Moses along with Kora and Dathan in Numbers 16. Many of the Reubenites were destroyed when the ground opened up and swallowed the rebellion.
The tribe of Reuben took part of their inheritance east of Jordan when Joshua crossed over and as a result many were destroyed "when the Lord began to cut Israel short". (2 Kings 10:32)
"Unstable as water:" Water seeks it's own level and never can rise above unless the rest of the water is rising with it. Reuben was of the world, worldly and in that respect exemplifies what a great many of the Jews have become today. Reuben sought wealth and profit and short changed the spiritual things of God. Reuben has and will continue to reap what he has sown.
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