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Scripture Reading: Gen. 37, 42—49
After Jacob was dealt with by God at Peniel, he began to recognize his own weakness and was gradually changed. He gradually saw the way he should take; he passed through Shechem to Bethel and finally dwelt in Hebron. However, this does not mean that Jacob needed no further dealings from God after Peniel. The Bible shows us that after Peniel, he seemed to encounter even more dealings from God than before. We may say that Jacob was a suffering-ridden person. From Shechem to Bethel and from Bethel to Hebron, Jacob suffered many sorrows. We can take a look at the following examples.
In Shechem Jacob met a very difficult situation. His daughter was defiled by Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the country. Jacob's sons then conspired to slay Shechem and all the males in the city. This matter greatly troubled Jacob. Let us read Genesis 34:30: "And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house." Jacob was very worried that Shechem's countrymen might rise up in revenge to destroy him and his entire house. This was the crisis that confronted Jacob in Shechem.
In chapter thirty-five Jacob went to Bethel and encountered another incident. "Deborah Rebekah's nurse died" (v. 8). He could not see his mother, but if his mother's nurse was there, he would have been somewhat comforted. He did not expect that his mother's nurse would die also. The Scripture purposely records that "she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allon-bachuth." The meaning of Allon-bachuth in the original language is "the oak of weeping." From this we have a glimpse of Jacob's sorrow and grief at that time.
He journeyed from Bethel, and when he was close to Ephrath, he was met with an even more sorrowful event. "Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor...And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died,) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day" (vv. 16-20). The wife whom Jacob loved so much died on the way. The pillar that he set upon Rachel's grave told of his sad story.
When Jacob was in Edar, he experienced another heartbreaking thing. His son Reuben went to lay with Bilhah, Jacob's concubine (v. 22). This was another matter that caused Jacob to suffer.
After he passed through all these incidents, he arrived at Hebron where his father Isaac sojourned. Here the Bible makes no mention of his mother Rebekah; perhaps his mother had already died. This was God's severe dealing with Jacob. In his youth his mother had loved him. His mother had taught him how to steal the blessing that his brother Esau should have received. But now the mother who had loved him so dearly was no longer around. He truly experienced many sorrows.
At this point we have completed our study of the third stage of Jacob's history. In the first stage of his history, we saw his disposition. In the second stage of his history, we saw the trials and disciplines that he suffered. In the third stage of his history, we saw that God not only disciplined him, but also dealt with his being and his natural life. Even after his natural life had been thoroughly dealt with, we see that the discipline of God was still upon him. God dealt with him in this way for the purpose of creating in him a character that he did not possess before.
The section from chapter thirty-seven to the end of Jacob's old age may be considered the fourth stage of Jacob's history. We may also say that this was the period of the maturing of Jacob, the brightest period in Jacob's entire life. Proverbs 4:18 says, "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Jacob shone brighter day by day until his death. During this period of almost forty years, Jacob did not do much, yet before God he was transformed fully into a man of grace and love.
We can see from the Bible that a Christian need not regress and decline in his old age. The three top apostles in the New Testament all shone brightly at the time of their death. When Peter wrote his second Epistle, it was close to the time of his departure from his tabernacle. But he still reminded and exhorted the brothers while he was yet in his tabernacle. In particular he said that he was an eyewitness of the Lord's glory and power. There was absolutely no waning of the brightness of Peter's shining. As for Paul, he said, "For I am already being poured out, and the time of my departure is at hand...Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day" (2 Tim. 4:6-8). We can see from these sentences that the hope he had toward the Lord was brightly shining. With the apostle John, who wrote his Gospel, his Epistles, and the book of Revelation during his old age, this shining is most apparent. The Gospel he wrote says, "In the beginning was the Word." The first Epistle he wrote says, "That which was from the beginning...the Word of life." Revelation also says, "The things which you have seen...and the things which are about to take place after these things." John wrote "from the beginning" all the way to "forever and ever." There was no decline at all in the life of the aged John. Therefore, our old age need not be days of deterioration. The history of Solomon's old age (1 Kings 11:1-8) should not be the history of our old age. God shows us that our old age should be days of fullness. Even though David sinned, his ending was better than his beginning; he ended by preparing for the building of the temple. Although Peter denied the Lord three times, in the end he was for the Lord. Although Mark once withdrew from the work because of difficulty (Acts 13:13; 15:37-38), he still wrote the Gospel according to Mark, and eventually he was profitable to Paul for the ministry (2 Tim. 4:11). The histories of these men show us that they all did very well in the last stretch of their journey.
Let us come back to Jacob. In the beginning he was crafty and deceitful to the uttermost, yet in the end he was transformed into a lovely person, a useful person in God's hand. If we compare Jacob with Isaac and Abraham, we may say that Jacob's ending was better than that of Abraham and much better than that of Isaac. The shining in Jacob's later years comes almost as a surprise to us. We may think that a person like Jacob is without much hope and not worthy of being perfected. Even if he improved, we may think that he would not end up being of much use in God's hand. But individually speaking, Abraham's and Isaac's endings were not as good as Jacob's. Both Abraham's and Isaac's later years seem a little rusty. However, Jacob's later years were shining and fruitful. God was able to accomplish in him in his later years all that was absent in his early years. Let us look at some of the events in Jacob's later years.
Beginning from Genesis 37 Jacob withdrew; he retired. Before this time Jacob was active from morning until evening. As soon as he was finished with one matter, he would become involved in another matter. Jacob typified the strength of the flesh. No one could stop Jacob from his activity or his speaking. At Peniel God touched him. At Bethel God perfected him. At Hebron Jacob withdrew to the background. Beginning from chapter thirty-seven, he only occasionally came forward to speak a few words or to take care of something. Most of the time he retreated to the background. He became quiet.
If we know Jacob, we will realize that his natural energy would not allow him to rest. Some Christians are like this. If you ask them to rest for a couple of days, they simply cannot do it. They do not know how to stop. However, Jacob was quiet in his later years. He was no longer active in his natural life. This was the fruit of the Spirit in Jacob. This does not mean that after our natural life has been dealt with, we will become a lazy person; nor does it mean that a person who seldom endeavors is necessarily one that dwells in Hebron. If we think that being spiritual is doing very little or even doing nothing, we are very wrong. When we say that Jacob was quiet, we mean that Jacob's natural energy stopped. After Jacob returned to his father's house to dwell in Hebron, he became quiet and retreated. The work of the Spirit prevailed in Jacob.
The most outstanding characteristic of a person whose flesh has been dealt with by God is the cessation of fleshly activities. Even an energetic person such as Jacob can become quiet and inactive. There is nothing to marvel at when a lazy person retreats to the background. The Lord may deal with such a person by pushing him to the foreground. However, Jacob was a person who was always active, always asserting himself in the forefront. His retreat to the background was truly the result of God's work on him.
We know that Jacob was a crafty, cunning, and scheming person. This kind of person does not usually have any concern for others. It is difficult to find a scheming person who truly loves others. A person who always plots against others has only one goal — to profit at the expense of others. He will do whatever profits him and not do anything that does not profit him. He can never sympathize with others or be considerate of others. He can never love others. This was Jacob. Jacob's nature was one that only cared for himself. He did not know how to love others. Even his love for Rachel was a selfish love. Yet God disciplined him. After he left his father's house, he endured much suffering and encountered many difficulties. When he returned to his father's house, his loved ones passed away one by one. His daughter, Dinah, was defiled, and his eldest son, Reuben, defiled his bed. Jacob's sufferings were really great. By the time he settled in Hebron he had lost everything. Yet through all these sufferings, he gradually became mature. He was no longer active in himself; rather, he became quiet and retreated to the background.
Jacob began to turn into a compassionate person. When his sons were feeding the flock away from home, he sent Joseph to inquire after them. Here we see that he was an elderly person who loved and cared for the young ones. He was afraid that his sons might get into mischief, and he sent Joseph to inquire after their welfare. He never expected that Joseph would be sold or that his sons would deceive him by showing him Joseph's many-colored coat dipped in blood. Genesis 37:33 says, "And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces." What a great sorrow this was for an old man to repeat, "Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces." The next verses say, "And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him" (vv. 34-35). Step by step God took everything away from Jacob; step by step Jacob was stripped. Even Joseph was taken from him. The record in the latter part of Genesis 37 is truly sad and sorrowful. Once again Jacob was disciplined and tried in God's hand. God was making Jacob a person full of compassion and sympathy for others.
Later, Joseph was made lord over Pharaoh's house and governor over all the land of Egypt. Jacob, on the other hand, was facing famine in the land of Canaan. When Jacob was faced with this calamity, he sent his sons to buy corn in Egypt. Benjamin, his youngest son, did not go. While his sons were buying food in Egypt, Joseph recognized them. Joseph purposely detained Simeon. He would release him on the condition that they bring Benjamin to him. When the sons returned home, they told Jacob all that had befallen them, and Jacob said to them, "Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me" (Gen. 42:36). Here we see a tender Jacob, not the Jacob of his former days. Here was a man who lived under God's hand, whose natural life disappeared day by day. Before God he was transformed into a tender and loving person.
When the corn that had been brought from Egypt was eaten, they could go and buy food only according to the condition laid out by the governor in Egypt: They had to bring Benjamin with them. Jacob had no other way but to let his most treasured, youngest son go. At this point the Bible records, "And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so..." (Gen. 43:11). Here the Bible calls his name Israel. The phrase "if it must be so" indicates that he was now a tender person; he was no longer a stubborn person. Formerly, he did whatever he wished, but no longer. His words, "if it must be so now, do this," indicate that Jacob was now softened and was able to listen to others. "Take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds." The aged man was now full of kindness. "And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight" (v. 12). He wanted to return the money that was taken before. This was unlike his past when he took the possessions of others as his own. "Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man" (v. 13). He agreed to let Benjamin go, saying, "And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved" (v. 14). This Jacob was entirely different from the former Jacob. God was taking away his most treasured son; his youngest son, Benjamin, had to leave him! In spite of all his life's labor, he had nothing left. This was God's stripping. He said, "If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved." He seemed to be saying, "I only have one desire: May God Almighty, the God I knew at Bethel, give you mercy before that man, and deliver your other brother and Benjamin home." Brothers and sisters, if you read Jacob's history as an outsider, you may not understand him, but if you put yourself in Jacob's situation and read his history, you will realize what kind of person Jacob was by this time. Formerly he was a capable, cunning, and supplanting person, but now he had been transformed into a soft, tender, and loving person. How much work must God have done on him!
All the above is not enough to reveal Jacob's shining brightness. From this point on, Jacob became shining. When his sons returned from Egypt the second time and told him, "Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt," Jacob's heart fainted because he did not believe them (Gen. 45:26). Later when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, his spirit revived, and "Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die" (v. 28). We need to note when the Bible calls him Jacob and when it calls him Israel. He was already a tender person. If he had been the Jacob of twenty or forty years earlier, he probably would have severely scolded his sons under such circumstances. He might have said, "Why have you cheated me for so long?" But he only said, "It is enough;...I will go and see him before I die." Here we touch gentleness, maturity, and a character refined by fire. Within Jacob there was the constitution of the Holy Spirit which could not be found in the former Jacob.
Although Jacob said, "I will go and see him," a question rose up within him. It seems as if he was asking, "Can I really go down to Egypt? Can I truly go down to Egypt for Joseph's sake? My grandfather, Abraham, sinned while going down to Egypt. He was reproached and he returned. My father Isaac wanted to go down to Egypt when he met famine, but God appeared and warned him that he should not go down to Egypt. He obeyed God's commandment, and God blessed him. Now can I, who have inherited the promises of Abraham and Isaac, go down to Egypt because of Joseph? Joseph is my beloved, and he is governor over Egypt and cannot come to me, but is this natural tie of father and son enough reason for me to go down to Egypt? If I go down to Egypt, what will happen to God's commandment? What will happen to God's promises? What will become of this land, God's inheritance? Will this lineage be frustrated if I go down to Egypt? How will the line of Abraham and Isaac be consummated?" This was a problem. Jacob was afraid to be wrong in himself. Therefore, when he came to Beer-sheba, he stopped and offered sacrifices to God (Gen. 46:1).
For the first time, Jacob shone more brightly than he ever did before. When he sent Benjamin to Joseph, he said, "God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin." This revealed a condition in him that had not been present before. Now he thought of God's promises, God's plan, God's inheritance, and God's covenant. He became fearful; therefore, he rose up unto Beer-sheba "and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac." This shows that he was entirely different from before. He offered sacrifices and seemed to say to God, "I am here to serve You; all that I have is on the altar. It is fine with me whether I go or not. This is the position that I am standing on before You." If we look at what God said to him in the following passage, we can know Jacob's feeling at the time. "And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt" (vv. 2-3). This proves that Jacob was fearful. Thank God, this fearfulness reveals what God had done in him. Jacob's concern about whether or not he could go down to Egypt for the sake of Joseph shows that he had attained what Abraham and Isaac had not attained. Abraham went down to Egypt on his own when he faced famine. Isaac also wanted to go down to Egypt when he met famine, but fortunately God stopped him. But here was a man whom God did not stop. Jacob stopped halfway by himself. He thought of God's promises and God's covenant and became fearful. What should he do? He could do only one thing: offer up sacrifices to God. The altar was the place for him. He waited until God said to him, "Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation. I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again." At that word he dared to rise up from Beer-sheba. This was the constitution of the Holy Spirit! He was another person, totally different from what he had been before. Inside this person was the constitution, establishment, and testimony of the Spirit.
He came to Egypt, saw Joseph, and settled in the land of Goshen. Then Joseph presented him unto Pharaoh. Genesis 47:7 says, "And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh." What a beautiful picture! Although Jacob was the father of the governor, humanly speaking, he was still a little lower than Pharaoh. Jacob was also a man fleeing from famine, a refugee. He came to the land of Pharaoh to look to Pharaoh for his food and his living. How much he needed to rely on Pharaoh! If this had been the former Jacob, what would he have done upon meeting Pharaoh? When he met his own brother, he humbly addressed him as "my lord" and referred to himself as "your servant." When he came to the king of Egypt, should he not have been even more flattering to Pharaoh? But he was totally different. Upon entering, he blessed Pharaoh. Hebrews 7:7 says, "But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater." Jacob did not have a sense that he was a refugee, a man fleeing from famine. He was not affected by Pharaoh's high and great position. Although Egypt was the strongest country at that time and Pharaoh was the king of this great country, as well as Jacob's benefactor, Jacob did not lose his standing in the presence of Pharaoh. Although to the world, Pharaoh's position was high, Jacob knew that there was nothing lofty about it spiritually. Therefore, Jacob could bless Pharaoh. Jacob kept his spiritual standing. "And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage" (Gen. 47:8-9). Jacob spoke with much feeling: "Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers." He knew his own condition. He did not feel that he was great and capable at all. "And Jacob blessed Pharaoh" (v. 10). Before he left he blessed Pharaoh again. When we read this we can only say that Jacob was a lovable person.
By nature, Jacob was an emulous, selfish, and covetous person. Now in Egypt, having blessed Pharaoh and having the governor as his son, he had a good opportunity to gain recognition from Pharaoh and his son. But he did not do this. Just as the aged Jacob retreated to the background in the land of Canaan, he stepped back in Egypt. During those years, Jacob receded to the background in a simple way. If he had been the former Jacob, we do not know what he would have done with such a good opportunity. Previously, he looked for ways even when he had no way. When he met the miserly Laban, he could still find ways to squeeze something out of him. However, those days were gone. Jacob was not Jacob any longer. He had become Israel.
We must read the history of Jacob in his later years in the light of his condition in his early years. In the early years he was busy and calculating. But in his later years he did not speak much, and he was not active. He was the Israel who had receded to the background. This was the work of God. Many times, God's greatest work consists of stopping us from our own activity, speaking, and proposals. God had completed His work in Jacob. Therefore, we now find Jacob saying nothing, doing nothing, and being stripped of everything.
Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years. His days on earth were coming to an end. During the time he lived in the land of Goshen, not much happened to him; he just lived a simple life. However, he did not become rusty during those seventeen years; he was progressing all the time. Day by day he shone brighter and brighter. Indeed he shone more and more unto the perfect day. His death marked the time of the zenith of his shining. We pray that God would give us an ending similar to his.
Genesis 47:28-30 says, "And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was a hundred forty and seven years. And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: but I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said."
It is interesting to note that while Jacob was in the land of Egypt, he never told his son what kind of dwelling or living he wanted. But now he said to his son, "I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace." He did not care about eating and clothing in the land of Egypt. He was not bothered by these things. He accepted whatever his son gave him. However, regarding his burial place after his death, he was very particular because this was related to God's promise, the land of God's promise, and the kingdom God would establish. Previously, Jacob was a man who only cared for his own profit. However, now he was not concerned about personal comfort, but about the covenant between God and His house, that is, the position which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob occupied in God's testimony. The former Jacob was a crafty person who upbraided his sons Simeon and Levi. The present Jacob mildly called his son Joseph to come. Previously, when Joseph told Jacob about his dream of the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down to him, Jacob rebuked him and said to him, "Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?" (Gen. 37:10). Now he called his son and gently, not disapprovingly, said, "If now I have found grace in thy sight..." This man was indeed mature. He said, "Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt." He uttered the most important things with the most tender words. He said, "But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace." These words show us that God had constituted a new character in Jacob.
The following words are very precious: "And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head" (v. 31). "Upon the bed's head" corresponds to "leaning on the top of his staff," which is quoted in the book of Hebrews (11:21). We believe that since the time he became lame he carried a staff. On the one hand, the staff spoke of his lameness. On the other hand, it indicated that he was a sojourner. Now he worshipped God while leaning on the top of his staff. By this he was saying to God, "Everything that You have done with me is the best that could be. Therefore, I worship You."
In chapter forty-eight he became sick, and Joseph brought his two sons to visit him. Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, and said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession" (vv. 3-4). He recognized God's name as "God Almighty." He did not remember how he competed with his brother, how he gained the birthright, or how he took his brother's blessing, etc. All he remembered was his relationship with God.
He continued to say, "And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem" (vv. 5-7). These were the things he remembered. Here we touch his person. We see his attitude toward God and his attitude before men. This shows us clearly that he was now a different person, one with feeling and tenderness.
"And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these? And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them" (vv. 8-9). When he blessed Joseph's two sons, he laid his right hand on Ephraim's head and his left hand on Manasseh's head. Although Ephraim was the younger and Manasseh was the firstborn, Israel laid his right hand on the head of the younger one and his left hand on the head of the firstborn, reversing the order. When Joseph saw this, he said, "Not so, my father." What did Israel say? He said, "I know it, my son, I know it." This shows us that Jacob knew what Isaac did not know; he was clearer than Isaac. When Isaac blessed his younger son, he was deceived into blessing him, but Israel was clear about what he was doing when he blessed Joseph's younger son. Both Isaac's and Israel's eyes were dim because of age, but Israel's inner eyes were not dim. Israel said, "I know it, my son, I know it." He knew that God wanted to set Ephraim before Manasseh, that God wanted the older one to serve the younger. Here was a man who had entered into God's thoughts. Here was a man who had fellowshipped with God to such an extent and who had known God to such an extent that he could overcome the weakness of his body. What his physical eyes could not see, his inner eyes could see. The shining of Israel had indeed reached the zenith!
After giving the blessing, he showed them that Egypt was not their home. "And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die; but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers" (v. 21). He was saying, "Although you are prospering in Egypt, Egypt is only a place where you sojourn. We have God's purpose and God's promise, and we are God's people. After I die, God will be with you to lead you back to Canaan. You must reach God's purpose."
At the end, Jacob gathered his sons together to tell them the things that would happen to them in the future. In prophesying concerning his twelve sons, he touched incidents of their past. It was not easy for him to speak this way because as he talked about their past, it reminded him of his own past. A son more or less bears the resemblance of his father. Therefore, when Jacob spoke of his sons' weaknesses, evil, and uncleanness, it was like speaking about himself. Jacob's words concerning his sons' past were actually descriptions of his own past. What he said about his sons' future was not all that positive. Nevertheless, his speaking was compassionate and full of kindness.
We only need to consider one thing to find out the great difference between this person and the Jacob of the past. When Simeon and Levi slew all the males in the city because of the incident with Dinah, Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house" (Gen. 34:30). This was what he said at Shechem. But now he mentioned it in another way: "Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel" (49:5-7). What he saw now was not related to his personal interests but to sin and evil. Previously, he focused on self-profit, gains, and losses. He thought, "What shall we do if the race of Shechem rises up and takes revenge on us for what you have done?" But now, he said, "Come not thou into their secret." This means that he could not take part in such slaying and killing, that such cruelty was to be cursed. Here we see a new Jacob, one who was washed, pure, and new. He possessed a new character which he did not have before.
"Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward" (vv. 16-17). His prophecy concerning Dan's future was not that good; Dan would be serpentine in every respect and much rebellion would come out of him. At this point he immediately said, "I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord" (v. 18). He meant, "I cannot do anything about this kind of rebellion; I can only wait for God's salvation." These words reveal his new character. While he was prophesying, he was waiting for God's salvation.
Genesis 49 contains Jacob's prophecies concerning his twelve sons. Eventually, all the prophecies regarding these twelve tribes came true. Jacob was a prophet. He had entered into and understood God's mind, and he told his sons what God would do. Jacob knew more than Abraham and Isaac. He was able to foretell the things that would happen to Manasseh, Ephraim, and the twelve tribes. This proves that he was a man who fellowshipped and communicated with God.
Jacob was a hopeless person in his early years, but God nevertheless made a vessel out of him. He made a vessel out of the cunning, scheming, and self-willed Jacob. The more we read about Jacob's later years, the more we sense his loveliness. Here was a man who was broken by God. Here was the constitution of the Holy Spirit. This was the result of God's work on him step by step. We can only say that our God is full of wisdom, grace, and patience. He will always finish His work.
After Jacob finished his prophecies, the Bible records, "All these are the twelve tribes of Israel" (v. 28). By the time Jacob was dying, the twelves tribes were formed; God's people was formed. Brothers and sisters, today God is also after a group of people to be His vessel to accomplish His purpose. Through such a group of people, all the nations on the earth will be blessed. What God did through Israel typifies what God wants to do through the church. The commission of the church is to accomplish the work of God's recovery. The church is God's vessel in His recovery work. To be the vessel in God's recovery work, the church needs to know the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. This does not mean that we need someone to be an Abraham, an Isaac, and a Jacob separately. It means that we must all know the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. After we have known Him, we will become His vessel to accomplish His purpose.
We must never be satisfied with a little spiritual experience. The Word of God tells us that God wants us to be experienced in three aspects: in knowing the Father as Abraham did, in enjoying God as Isaac did, and in being disciplined by God as Jacob was. All these three are definite experiences and definite knowledge; they are not doctrines or letters. God intends to give us the vision, the revelation, and the discipline of the Holy Spirit so that He can lead us on step by step until we become the vessel for the accomplishment of His purpose. May God give us the grace to have such a clear vision.
