Genesis 49:1
Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what shall befall you in the days to come.”
This is a very unique circumstance. He gathers all of his sons together and foretells the future of their children for hundreds of years. For example, Judah’s tribe is the most successful. Their leadership and power is compared to a lions. What makes this amazing is that this is how it played out. When the kingdom split after Solomon’s reign, the eleven tribes stayed north and were ruled by a king. While the tribe of Judah had it’s own king in the south. The eleven seceded. Through the remaining history, God rarely spoke well of the northern kingdom. They were eventually taken over by foreign powers.
As Jacob spoke, he often referred to an example of or a trait of each particular son. For example, Rueben slept with his father’s concubine. Jacob referred to this and described him as uncontrollable as water. Now this wasn’t vindictive, but predictive. He had limited self control. This trait was passed on to his descendants. This is concerning. I would not be pleased if my weaknesses were passed on to future generations. The Bible does refer to the sins of the father being passed on to our descendants (Exodus 34:7). I’m not sure if Jacob prophesied much in his life, but he is here. He is foretelling the future of his kid’s kids. He speaks of Zebulun and his line living by the sea. This is where they settled in Israel. He couldn’t have known these things, if God didn’t tell him. This is amazing. It’s also scary, as many didn’t receive flattering news. Our behavior does affect the future. Ps 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” If we truly understood how short our lives will be, we would live differently.” Now, I understand that we aren’t the first. We may be acting upon habits passed on to us by previous generations. However, I can’t undo what they’ve done. Lord, help us to live better. Give us the strength and the will to live according to Your ways.