Crystallization-Study of GENESIS(3)
Message Eleven
Jacob's Prophesying with Blessing (2)
Scripture Reading: Gen. 49:16-28
I. The prophecy concerning the apostasy with Dan indicatesJacob's concern about the setting up of a divisive centerof worship—Gen. 49:16-18; Judg. 17:9-10; 18:27-31; 1 Kings12:26-31:
A. Dan fought as a young lion to gain more land (signifyingChrist), but after being successful and victorious, he became aserpent—proud, individualistic, and independent; he acted inhis pride to set up an idol and a divisive center of worship andto ordain a hired priest in the city of Dan during the time thatthe house of God was in Shiloh—Deut. 33:22; Josh. 19:47;Judg. 18:27-31; cf. Deut. 12:5.
B. As a serpent, Dan bit the horse's heels so that its rider fellbackward (Gen. 49:17), signifying that the apostasy broughtin by Dan became a great stumbling block to the nation ofIsrael; throughout the history of the church many spiritualpeople have followed Dan's example, thereby frustrating God'speople from going on in His ordained way; a further fulfillmentof Jacob's prophecy concerning Dan is seen in 1 Kings12:26-31.
C. The source of Dan's apostasy was in not caring for his brothers;not caring for the other parts of the Body is the source ofapostasy, resulting in competition—v. 31.
D. Division is not only denominationalism but can also involvelocalism and regionalism; even in our personal experience wecan be distracted from the right way in following God andactually be working for our self-interest:
1. The best way to be safeguarded from falling into apostasy isby taking care of others to care for the entire Body and theLord's unique testimony in the Lord's one work; if Dan hadconsulted the other tribes, he would have been kept fromapostasy—cf. 1 Cor. 12:20; 15:58; 16:10; Acts 15:1-2.
2. We can be healed from our apostasy and enjoy the Lord'sboundless love by returning to the Lord, acknowledging ouroffense to Him to be forgiven of all our iniquity, seekingHis face, and pursuing to know Him so that we may livein His presence, in resurrection—Hosea 5:13—6:3; 14:1-8.
II. The prophecy concerning the recovery with Gad indicatesnot only his victory but also that he would not enjoy hisvictory by himself—Gen. 49:19; Deut. 33:20-21:
A. Gad's victory, corresponding to his victory in Deuteronomy33:20, signifies the recovery of the victory of Christ lost by Danbecause of his apostasy.
B. Gad provided the first part of the good land (the land east ofthe Jordan) for himself, but before enjoying his portion, hefought with his brothers to gain their portion of the land westof the Jordan, thus executing Jehovah's righteousness and Hisjudgments in Israel—vv. 20-21; Num. 32:1-32.
C. Dan's failure was because he was individualistic and caredonly for himself, whereas Gad's success was because he wascorporate and took care of the need of his brothers.
D. In New Testament terms, to follow Gad's example we need totake care of the Body corporately; today this is to be filledwith the corporate sense of the Body and to care for the membersof the Body for the accomplishing of God's will, which isto have the Body life—Rom. 12.
III. The prophecy concerning the sufficiency of Asher typifiesthe enjoyment of Christ as the rich provision of life forfighting and building—Gen. 49:20:
A. Jacob's prophecy in Genesis 49:20 and Moses' blessing inDeuteronomy 33:24-25 show the sufficiency of Asher, comingafter the recovery with Gad; Asher was blessed with rich food,with the rich provision of life.
B. Just as Asher was the one "dipping his foot in oil," we can"walk in oil" by enjoying the bountiful supply of the Spirit ofJesus Christ for our daily walk—v. 24; Phil. 1:19; Gal. 3:5; 5:25.
C. When we enjoy the Lord daily as our rich provision of life ("asyour days are, so shall your strength be"—Deut. 33:25b), Hebecomes our secret of sufficiency for us to be content in anysituation (Phil. 4:11-13; Psa. 23:1).
D. The issue of such a rich provision is the enjoyment of absoluterest with peace, strength, security, and sufficiency.
IV. The prophecy concerning the consummation with Naphtalitypifies that when we experience Christ in resurrection,we become those who will take the earth by preachingChrist as the gospel of the kingdom to the whole inhabitedearth—Gen. 49:21; Deut. 33:23; Psa. 22:27; Matt. 28:19; Acts1:8; Rom. 15:19; Matt. 24:14:
A. "Naphtali is a hind let loose; / He gives beautiful words"—Gen.49:21:
1. The hind typifies the resurrected Christ; "the hind of thedawn" (Psa. 22, title) signifies Christ in His resurrection,which took place at early dawn (Luke 24:1).
2. A hind is a deer known for its leaping and jumping; Christin resurrection is the leaping One—S. S. 2:8-9.
3. Beautiful words, rich and pleasant words, words of joy andlife, come out of the experience of the resurrected Christ—Gen. 49:21; Matt. 28:16, 18-20; John 7:37-39a; Acts 2:32-36;5:20.
B. "O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, / And full of the blessing ofJehovah: / Possess the sea and the south"—Deut. 33:23:
1. Naphtali is satisfied with favor (the Old Testament equivalentof New Testament grace) and is full of the blessing ofJehovah; the blessing does not refer to material blessingbut to the blessing in the spirit, the blessing in life, theblessing in the heavenlies—Eph. 1:3.
2. Naphtali will possess the sea (the Gentile world—Matt. 13:1;Dan. 7:3; Rev. 17:15) and the south (the land of Israel), signifyingthat those who experience the resurrected Christwill possess the whole earth through their proclaiming ofChrist (Matt. 28:19; Acts 1:8; Rom. 15:19).
V. The prophecy concerning the universal blessing of theTriune God being with Joseph was due to his being separatefrom his brothers in the principle of a Nazarite—Gen.49:22-26; Num. 6:1-9:
A. Joseph as a fruitful bough by a fountain with branches runningover the wall typifies Christ as the branch (Isa. 11:1) for thebranching out of God through His believers as His branches(John 15:1, 5), with God as the source of their fruitfulness, tospread Christ over every restriction and limitation, magnifyingHim in all circumstances (Gen. 49:22; Phil. 1:20; Acts 4:31).
B. As the one universally blessed by his father, Joseph typifiesChrist, the appointed Heir of all things, and Christ's believers,His partners, who participate in His inheritance and whoare blessed by the Father with every spiritual blessing—1 Cor.3:21-22; Rom. 8:17; Heb. 1:2, 9, 14; 3:14; Eph. 1:3:
1. The blessings bestowed on Joseph encompass all time, fromancient times to eternity (Gen. 49:25-26; Deut. 33:13-16),and all space, from heaven to earth, including the deepunder the earth (Gen. 49:25b; Deut. 33:13-14, 16a); timeplus space equals the universe.
2. The universal blessing on Joseph will consummate in thenew heaven and new earth, in which everything will be newas a blessing to Christ and His believers—Rev. 21:1, 4-5;22:3, 5:
a. Only God is new; anything that is kept away from Godis old, but anything that comes back to God is new—2 Cor. 5:17.
b. To be renewed means to come back to God and havesomething of God put into us so that we aremingled withGod and one with God; the secret of receiving God as ourblessing of newness is to bring everything to God and letHim get into everything—4:16.
c. The universal blessing on Joseph means that blessingis everywhere; our praises turn everything of the curseof the fall into a blessing—cf. Eph. 5:20.
C. Joseph overcame in his sufferings because he was strengthenedby God, the Mighty One of Jacob and the All-sufficientOne, and because he saw that everything was arranged byGod to be a blessing to him—Gen. 49:24-25; 45:5; 50:20; 1 Cor.3:21-22; Rom. 8:28; Eph. 5:20; 1 Thes. 5:18.
D. Joseph was blessed with "the favor of Him who dwelt in thethornbush" (Deut. 33:16a; Exo. 3:2-6, 14-15; Mark 12:26-27);the highest blessing is to enter into God's dwelling place andstay in His presence (Psa. 27:4, 8; 84:10-12).
VI. The prophecy concerning the dwelling place of the TriuneGod being with Benjamin will ultimately consummate inthe New Jerusalem as the mutual dwelling of God and Hisredeemed for eternity; this is the greatest blessing to God'speople—Gen. 49:27; Deut. 33:12; Rev. 21:3, 22:
A. As a tearing wolf, Benjamin is a type of Christ, who destroys theenemy by tearing him to pieces—Gen. 49:27; Eph. 4:8; 2 Cor.10:5.
B. Moses' blessing of Benjamin says that he will dwell securely besideJehovah and that Jehovah will dwell between Benjamin'sshoulders; Jerusalem with God's temple, God's dwelling place,was located in the territory of Benjamin—Deut. 33:12; Judg.1:21.
C. All the blessings issue in God's dwelling place; this is God'sgood pleasure, the desire of His heart—cf. Heb. 11:21; Prov. 4:18;Psa. 90:1; John 15:4; 14:23; Isa. 66:1-2.
VII. Genesis 49:1-28 is an abstract of the entire Bible and a summaryof the history of God's people, as seen in the twelvesons of Jacob, the nation of Israel, and the church; it is alsoa portrait of the personal history of every believer:
A. Jacob's first four sons—Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah—were sinners, indicating that the history of God's people beginswith sinners; however, two of these sinners, Levi and Judah,were transformed to become priests and kings.
B. Out of the kingship with Judah a kingly salvation was produced,which was preached as the gospel in the Gentile worldby Zebulun and which issued in the church life with Issachar;but the apostasy came in through Dan, followed by the recoverywith Gad, which issued in the sufficiency of the riches ofChrist with Asher and in the resurrection with Naphtali.
C. Finally, the history of God's people concludes with Joseph andBenjamin, who typify Christ as the One who is altogether victoriousand perfect, without defect; according to Jacob's prophecyand Moses' word, Joseph brought in God's boundless, universalblessing (vv. 22-26; Deut. 33:13-16), and Benjamin, God's eternaldwelling place (v. 12).
D. Thus, the conclusion of Genesis 49 corresponds with the conclusionof the entire Bible—the universal blessing in the newheaven and the new earth, in which is God's eternal dwelling,the New Jerusalem, as the issue and goal of God's universalblessing—cf. Eph. 1:3; 2:22.