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In this message we shall consider another manifestation of Jacob's maturity in life: his prophesying with blessing (Gen. 49:1-28). Although we are familiar with what it means to prophesy, we may not be familiar with prophesying with blessing. Genesis 49 is the only chapter that reveals this matter. Although Moses' blessing in Deuteronomy 33 is close to what is found in Genesis 49, the blessing there is not as rich as the blessing here. Both portions of the Word are prophecies concerning Israel, but in Genesis 49 there is a richer blessing than in Deuteronomy 33.
The prophesying in chapter forty-nine is a manifestation of maturity, for our speaking always reveals where we are and how mature we are. A baby cannot speak at all, but a child over a year old may begin to say a few words. His speaking reveals that he is a small child. It is the same with other age groups: a young man speaks like a young man, a middle-aged person like a middle-aged person, and a grandfather like a grandfather. Hence, our speaking not only represents our age, but also the kind of person we are. If you are quick, you will not speak slowly. If you are slow, you will not speak quickly. If you are a high person, you will not speak in a low way, and if you are a low person, you will not speak on a high level. Thus, our speaking reveals what we are and where we are.
It has been said that the wisest thing to do is not to speak at all. If I stood before a group of people without saying anything, they would not know whether I was deep or shallow, quick or slow. I would be a mystery. However, during the past fourteen years, every fiber of my being has been revealed to you all through my speaking. Even children seven or eight years old know me rather well because they have listened to my speaking. Because I speak so much, I am not able to conceal myself. The best way to conceal yourself is not to speak. During my early years in the ministry, I was quite wise, for I never said anything in the conferences of the co-workers. Because that was my policy, I was a mystery to the other co-workers, and no one could understand me. Although it is difficult to speak, it is more difficult not to speak. When the opportunity presents itself, you simply will not be able to refrain from speaking. I doubt if you could stay with me for sixty minutes and not say a word. I am certain that after a few minutes you would be speaking.
Now let us briefly trace the matter of Jacob's speaking as it is revealed in Genesis. The first record of his speaking is in 25:31, where Jacob said to Esau, "Sell me this day thy birthright." Gaining the birthright was the desire of Jacob's heart; it was his dream and aspiration. For a long time he had been waiting for the opportunity to get it away from Esau. When the opportunity finally came, the first word out of Jacob's mouth recorded in Scripture was the word about selling the birthright.
In chapter twenty-seven Jacob spoke in a deceitful way to Isaac, his father (vv. 19-20, 23). In 27:19 Jacob lied to his father, saying, "I am Esau thy firstborn." When Isaac asked how he had found the venison so quickly, Jacob said, "Because the Lord thy God brought it to me." Then Isaac said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau" (v. 22), and he asked, "Art thou my very son Esau?" (v. 24). To this, Jacob replied, "I am." Thus, Jacob's speaking in chapter twenty-seven was absolute falsehood.
Jacob's speaking in chapters twenty-nine through thirty-two is full of self-interest, self-ambition, and self-gain. Through his speaking recorded in these chapters many aspects of the self are exposed. Jacob's speaking was so selfish that it almost seemed that he did not have a spirit. If we had a brother like that among us, we would doubt that he had been truly regenerated.
Jacob's speaking to his brother Esau in chapter thirty-three was a performance. In this chapter Jacob several times addressed Esau as, "My lord" (33:13-14). Deep within, Jacob never recognized Esau as his lord. The reason he addressed his brother in this way was that he was afraid Esau would kill him. Jacob was an actor, a politician, and his display of humility before Esau was a performance.
By the time of chapter thirty-five, however, Jacob's speaking had undergone a change. His speaking in this chapter begins to resemble that of a regenerated person, a child of God.
In the chapters that follow Jacob's loss of Joseph, Jacob spoke very little. This indicates that, as we grow in life, our speaking will firstly change in nature. The characteristic of our speaking will change. Eventually, the amount of our speaking will be greatly reduced. The more we grow, the less we shall speak. At present you may not be able to withstand the temptation to speak. But after some years have gone by and you have had much more growth in life, you will not speak no matter how great the temptation is.
We can trace Jacob's progress in life by following his progress in speaking. The change in his speaking reveals his growth. Eventually, Jacob grew to the point that, even when he lost Joseph, he had very little to say. However, many of us have a great deal to say over such insignificant matters as losing a pair of socks. If a young brother in the brothers' house loses a pair of socks, he may shout, "Where are my socks? What has happened to them?" But when Jacob lost Joseph, the treasure of his heart, he did not say very much. This was a healthy sign. But talking a great deal over a pair of socks is a sign of immaturity, a sign of childishness. Too much talking reveals that you are childish. In this we see that our speaking is a sign of how much we have grown. There are some among us who used to be quite talkative several years ago. But now they talk very little. I hope that after another period of time, they will hardly talk at all. The reason for their not talking will not be that they are unhappy; it will be the fact that they have grown in life. The more we grow, the less we talk.
Consider Jacob's reaction at hearing the news that Joseph was alive and in Egypt. He said very little; in fact, he said hardly anything at all. If we had been Jacob, we would either have been furious with the other sons, ready to beat them, or we would have been extremely excited, running from one son to another and saying, "Joseph is still living!" In either case, there would have been a great deal of talk. But Jacob said very little. Furthermore, he had little to say after he had gone down to Egypt. When Jacob was ushered into the presence of Pharaoh, he did not say anything. Rather, he simply blessed Pharaoh. There was nearly no talk, but there were strong blessings (47:7, 10).
Because of his maturity, Jacob's word in chapter forty-nine was very weighty. Every word he uttered here became a prophecy. Because this chapter is so deep, it is closed to many Christians. They have neither probed the depths of this chapter, nor do they know what it is talking about. In Genesis 49 we see a person who has fully matured. This man does not speak in a shallow, light, idle manner; he speaks in a way that is full of life and maturity. This indicates that our growth in life will be manifested in our speaking.
This message on prophesying with blessing is quite deep. It is not deep in doctrine; it is deep in experience. Although few among us have come to the level of this experience of life, this message is still needed as part of our life-study of Genesis. It will help us both in the growth of life and in the matter of speaking. Be impressed with the fact that your speaking reveals where you are. Whenever you are about to speak, you should say to yourself, "My speaking reveals me." Realizing this will help us a great deal.
Jacob's word in chapter forty-nine is the kind of word that cannot be found elsewhere. It is not a word of instruction, encouragement, or exhortation. Neither is it merely a weighty word nor just a word of prediction. Rather, it is a word of prophesying with blessing. Although it is a prophecy, it is a prophecy saturated with blessing. It is not easy to speak this kind of word. Isaiah was the highest among the prophets. However, among the many prophecies in his book, it is difficult to find one prophecy with blessing. Isaiah prophesied, but he did not prophesy with blessing. But in Genesis 49 Jacob not only prophesied; he prophesied with blessing. His blessing flowed out of his prophetic word.
In order to prophesy with blessing, we must fulfill four requirements. The first requirement is to know God, the desire of God's heart, and the purpose of God. God, God's desire, and God's purpose are all revealed through Jacob's word in this chapter. The remainder of the Old Testament and all of the New Testament are the development of Genesis 49. In other words, nearly the whole Bible is the development of Jacob's word spoken in this chapter. How high, deep, and profound is this word! This chapter is a very rich seed, a seed that undergoes a marvelous development in the rest of the Scriptures. In order to speak such a word, we must know God, we must know God's heart, and we must know God's purpose.
The second requirement is to know people, to know the actual situation of every person involved. You may think that, because it should be easy for a father to know his son, it was easy for Jacob to know his twelve sons. However, it is often very difficult for parents to truly know their children. Many times we know our children in a blind way like Isaac knew Jacob. Seemingly, we parents know our children; actually, we know neither what they are nor where they are. But Jacob had a thorough understanding of his sons. Every situation, condition, and hidden problem was clear in his sight. Likewise, if we would speak such a word in the church, we must know the church, the elders, and all the brothers and sisters. This is not easy. Although we meet together day after day, probably I do not know you too well. Although I have been meeting with the elders for a number of years, I still may not know them very well. We should not know people according to our mental understanding; rather, we must know them according to the spirit. Genesis 49 indicates that Jacob had a proper understanding of his sons. He knew their deeds, their situations, and their condition. Jacob was an expert in knowing people. He had a spiritual x-ray. As he was prophesying with blessing, this heavenly x-ray made the situation of each son crystal clear in his sight. His knowledge of his sons is expressed in his brief word about each one.
Although we may know God, God's heart, and God's purpose and although we may know the situation of others, we shall still not be able to bless them if we are poor. A certain dear one may be pure, absolute for God, and worthy of a rich blessing. However, if I am poor, what blessing can I grant to him? Spiritually speaking, I may just have a dime and I may need to keep two cents for myself. Thus, I could only give an eight-cent blessing. Jacob, however, was full of riches. Because he had no lack of riches, he could bless others. In fact, the capacity of those receiving his blessing fell far short of his riches.
In addition to the three requirements already covered, we need a strong, active spirit. Jacob's word in this chapter was spoken as he was dying. When many Christians are about to die, not only their body, but their whole being is weak. Thus, they do not have a strong spirit to exercise in prophesying by blessing others. Although Jacob was dying physically, he was vigorous spiritually. In his body he was dying, but in his spirit he was strong and active. Therefore, in order to prophesy with blessing, we must have the knowledge of God, the knowledge of people and their situations, the riches of God, and a strong spirit.
Due to the influence of today's Christianity, many think that only prophets can prophesy. But where is the verse saying that Jacob was a prophet? Jacob was not a gifted prophet predicting the things to come, but he still prophesied. In 49:1 Jacob said, "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days." This was the opening word of his prophecy.
Today many Christians are talking about the gifts. But what gift did Jacob have? I would say that the only gift he had was the gift of supplanting. In chapter forty-nine Jacob did not say "Reuben,..thus saith the Lord." Nevertheless, the most profound prophecy in the Bible is the one uttered by Jacob in this chapter. This is the only prophecy that requires the whole Bible for its development. Although it is such a deep prophecy, it was not spoken by a prophet or by a gifted person.
Jacob was not a gifted prophet; he was a God-constituted person. He was not constituted with gifts, with utterance, or even with function; he was constituted with God. Because he had been infused, saturated, and thoroughly permeated with God, his speaking was God's speaking. His word was God's word. Whether we consider his word a prophecy or a blessing, it is the kind of speaking that is lacking in the churches today. What the churches need today is the speaking of God-constituted persons.
At this point we need to consider some verses in 1 Cor. 7. In 1940 I received great help from Brother Nee regarding these verses. In one of his talks he said that 1 Corinthians chapter seven reveals the peak of Paul's Christian experience. When I first heard this, I could not understand it, because it was very different from my concept. I was familiar with chapter seven of 1 Corinthians. I knew that it talked about marriage and virginity. Thus, I said to myself, "How can this chapter be the peak of the Apostle Paul's Christian experience?"
Brother Nee referred us to verses 1 Cor. 7:10, 12, 25, and 40. In verse 10 Paul says, "But to the married I charge, not I but the Lord, A wife should not be separated from her husband." Here Paul was assured that the Lord's commandment was that Christian wives should not leave their husbands. Because Paul was convinced that this was the Lord's commandment, he was bold.
But in verse 12 he said, "But to the rest I say, not the Lord." Regarding the matter of a brother having an unbelieving wife, Paul said, "I say, not the Lord." If I had been there, I would have said, "Brother Paul, if it is not the Lord, then you should not speak. Since you know that it is not the Lord, why do you speak? We don't want to hear you. You are just a saved sinner; you should not say anything by yourself." When I heard Brother Nee speak about this verse, I said to myself, "If it was not the Lord speaking, why did Paul keep on talking?" Nevertheless, the word Paul spoke was recorded in the New Testament and became the word of God. According to verse 12, Paul's word became an inspired word in the Holy Bible.
Moreover, in verse 25 Paul said, "Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord, but I give my opinion as having received mercy of the Lord to be faithful." If I had been there, I would have stopped him and said, "Brother Paul, since you don't have the commandment of God, please don't speak." Not only did Paul not have a commandment from the Lord; he even gave his opinion. We probably would have said, "Paul, we don't want to hear your opinion. We want to hear the word of the Lord." Although I had read 1 Corinthians 7 many times prior to hearing that word from Brother Nee, I had never seen these verses, and I was shocked when he pointed them out to us. Although Paul simply gave his opinion, for more than nineteen hundred years, his opinion has been regarded as the word of God. Thus, Paul's opinion became God's word.
Finally, in verse 40 Paul said, "But she is more blessed if she so remains, according to my opinion; but I think that I also have the Spirit of God." Here we see that Paul taught according to his opinion. According to Paul's opinion, a widow would be happier if she remained in her widowed condition. The reason Paul was bold to speak this way is given in verse 25: he had "received mercy of the Lord to be faithful." We need the mercy of the Lord to make us faithful to Him. If we have this mercy, we may be bold.
At the end of verse 40 Paul said, "But I think that I also have the Spirit of God." The little word "also" here means a great deal. Paul seemed to be saying, "I not only have my opinion; I also have the Spirit of God." Notice that Paul did not say, "I have the assurance," or "I believe"; rather, he said, "I think." This indicates that he was not certain. Although he did not have the assurance that he had the Spirit of God, we all recognize chapter seven of 1 Corinthians as the word of God. Eventually, as I was listening to Brother Nee that day in 1940, I agreed with his word that 1 Corinthians 7 records the peak of Paul's Christian experience. Paul's opinion was God's word.
In principle, it is the same with Jacob in Genesis 49. Whatever Jacob uttered in this chapter was God's word. Although it was his opinion, it was also the word of God. In 49:3 and 4 Jacob seemed to be saying, "Reuben, you are my firstborn; however, because you have been defiled, you cannot enjoy the preeminence of having the birthright." Jacob's word to Reuben was somewhat of a prediction, for it concerned the loss of the birthright; it was also somewhat of a curse, for it pointed out that Reuben was to be bereft of the birthright. This was not the speaking of a young man nor even of an ordinary human being. It was the utterance of a man who was filled with God, a man who had been constituted with God in his entire being. At the time of chapter forty-nine, Jacob was a God-man, a man filled, constituted, permeated, and even reorganized with God. Thus, whatever he spoke was God's word; whatever he thought was God's thought; and whatever opinion he expressed was God's opinion. Neither a young person nor a middle-aged person can speak this kind of word. It can only be uttered by one who has come to full maturity. Jacob's speaking in this chapter reveals that he had fully matured.
My burden in this message is to impress you all, especially the young people, with this fact that your speaking exposes where you are. If you have a lot to say when you lose your socks, that should remind you of your immaturity. This kind of reaction makes evident your need for the growth in life. Forget that pair of socks and seek to gain more life. If you have to say something, you should say, "I need more life." Do not say, "Where are my socks?" Rather, say, "Brothers, do you know where my growth in life is?" Whenever a brother asks about his socks, the others should say, "Here is your growth in life."
Many of us are talkative. We were born this way. It is our nature, disposition, and characteristic to be talkative. Whenever you are talkative you should be reminded that your talkativeness is a sign that you need to grow in life.
Genesis 49:2 says, "Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father." This verse is in the form of Hebrew poetry, which is always written in pairs. The first part of the pair in verse 2 is, "Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob," and the second part is, "And hearken unto Israel your father." The begetting father was Jacob, and the speaking father was Israel. All twelve sons were born of Jacob, the father in the flesh, a supplanter, a heel-holder, and a liar. But the blessing and prophesying father was no longer a Jacob; he was Israel. In his natural being, Jacob could never have uttered such a word. It was only because of his maturity that he was able to speak this kind of word. Jacob did not say to his sons, "Hearken unto Jacob your father"; he said, "Hearken unto Israel your father." Israel was not only a transformed person, but also one matured in the divine life. We all would enjoy hearing testimonies from those who were Jacobs many years ago but who are now Israels. We need more Israels, those who speak not only for God, but also with God. Whatever they say is God's utterance. In Genesis 49 Israel was fully permeated, saturated, constituted, and reorganized with God. Because he was one with God, whatever he spoke was the word of God. Therefore, in this chapter we have a prophecy that is permeated with blessing.
Verse 28 says, "All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them." Is this a prophecy or a blessing? Although it is a prophecy, it is prophecy filled with blessing.
The Jacob in chapter forty-nine is spiritually and divinely knowledgeable. He knows God, and he knows the situations of his sons. Furthermore, he has the necessary riches with which to prophesy and bless. Therefore, he can speak a prophecy permeated with all manner of blessing. In his speaking there is no error, opaqueness, darkness, emptiness, or vanity. Rather, his speaking is a rich, deep, profound prophecy permeated with blessing. This is absolutely different from the "Thus saith the Lord" common among Christians today. In just a few minutes you may receive the gift to speak that kind of prophecy. But it takes many years to grow to the stature where you can utter the kind of word spoken by Jacob in this chapter. This is not a matter of gift or function; it is a matter of growth and maturity.
To be mature is to be constituted with God. All that God is must be constituted into our being. Every fiber of our being must be reorganized and permeated with the element of God. When this has taken place, like Jacob, we shall be the kind of person who can prophesy with blessing. In this maturity we are divinely knowledgeable, knowing thoroughly the things of God and the situations of other people. In this maturity we also have the riches to speak a blessing prophecy.
