Chapter 49 continues Jacob's last message and
his dying blessing. He assembled his twelve sons
together to prophesy of their tribal future. The
prophecy, covered in verses 3-27, covers the entire
sweep of Israelite history--past, present, and future.
The prophecy concerning Reuben (verses 3 and 4) and
Simeon and Levi (verses 5 and 7) characterized the
nation of Israel until the Messiah's advent. Judah
(verses 8-12) pointed to the period when our Lord was on
the earth. Zebulun (verse 13) and Issachar) verses 14
and 15) portrayed Israel, a trading people scattered
among the nations. Verses 16-18 suggest apostate Israel
during the reign of the Antichrist. Gad (verse 10),
Asher (verse 20) and Naphtali (verse 21) portray the
godly Jewish remnant of the Great Tribulation, and then
Joseph (verses 22-26) speaks of the second advent of
Messiah, and Benjamin of the rod-of-iron righteous rule
of the King in the Kingdom Age.
The deaths of Jacob and Joseph are recorded in
chapter 50. Jacob was buried in Canaan, the land God had
given him. He did not belong to the world or to Egypt.
Joseph was buried in Egypt, but as we read the Book of
Exodus we will see that Moses took Joseph's remains from
Egypt when the children of Israel left there.
