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27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil." 28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing. ~ Genesis 49:27-28
Today, we continue our study of Genesis 49 where Jacob is blessing his twelve sons before his death. Jacob was blessed of God in order to bless his sons. This is why God blesses us, He rarely only blesses us with only us in mind. Having already blessed all but one, today we will consider the blessing that Joseph gave to his last son Benjamin. While Jacob addressed Benjamin, he utilized the metaphor of a wolf which was the fifth animal he used to characterize the future course of his sons’ descendants. He also utilized a lion to describe Judah in v. 9, a donkey to describe lssachar in v.14, a serpent to describe Dan in v. 17, and a deer to describe Naphtali in v. 21.
In v.27 of today's passage we read, "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil."
Benjamin’s blessing seems at first contrary to what one might expect of a son of Rachel, but it exactly reflects the future of his people and even the work of Christ Himself on the cross. The word translated "ravenous" indicates "to tear apart." Wolves typically kill more than they can eat, and so this metaphor tells us the tribe of Benjamin will satisfy himself and then divvy up the leftovers. The idea of him devouring in the morning and dividing the spoil at night indicates a ceaseless effort.
Ultimately, as with all of the others, Benjamin’s blessing points to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 53:12 we read, "Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."
What God has given us in these things is for the purpose of seeing His plan of redemption centered on Christ. This is not a plan for our prosperity because it is all about the Lord Jesus Himself. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He paid the penalty for our sin. From Him and for Him and to Him are all things. He has earned the victory over all foes on our behalf. We are merely the fortunate recipients of His love and His grace.
In v.28 of today's passage we read, "All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing."
This is the first time in the Bible that we hear of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob blessed his twelve sons in a way that was particularly suited to each of them. He disciplined and blessed them appropriately. In Hebrews 11:21 we read, "By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff." The key here was the fact that Jacob was acting "by faith" in the God of the Bible. By faith Jacob was being defined by God as evidenced by his obedience to God's definition of things. And that which defines us is that which we worship. And that which we worship is that which we love. And that which we love is that which defines us.
Even though Jacob had his struggles in his walk with the God of the Bible, he never completely stopped trusting Him. Jacob had to walk by faith in the God of the Bible because he encountered many struggles and challenges, and the victories came very hard for him. Most often, the light was quite dim in Jacob's life, sin was often heavy, but his faith never waned. The story of Jacob alternates between calling him "Israel" which means "prince with God" and "Jacob" which means "deceiver." Like you and me, he had his good days and he had his bad days. Yet, fundamentally, he remained faithful because his God was faithful.
Jacob's staff had become necessary to him, because his hip had been dislocated in the wrestling match he had with God in Genesis 32 when God changed his name from Jacob to Israel. Leaning upon that staff, Jacob would always remember the miracle that God had wrought in his life that night when He broke his stubborn self-will. When Jacob leaned upon his staff he was reminded of his helplessness, moment-by-moment dependency upon his God. He was also reminded of the grace of God which is what motivated him to obedience in the end. Jacob worshipped God as the result of becoming a broken man.
Jacob's staff was a rod with a short crossbeam. Strategically, his staff points us to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only through that cross that any of us have an operative faith in the God of the Bible. It is only through the cross of Jesus Christ that our faith could be acceptably placed in Him. The message of the cross comes to us best on the heels of our brokenness or those moments that we are reminded that we need the Lord most.
The greatest blessing we can pass along to those who follow us is the assurance that God is faithful and at work in our lives. In v.28 of today's passage Jacob closes with three usages of the word "bless" illustrating the fact that God eagerly seeks to bless His people. It is His blessing, in all of its varieties, that creates the context for the greatest adventure for all willing enough to believe. That adventure is a personal relationship with Him whereby we look for Him daily for His leadership in our lives. As we encounter what He has planned for us, we marvel at His genius.
