Genesis / 49

  • The Twelve Tribes of Israel

    Genesis 49:1-28

    Because we are grafted into the tree of Israel by faith when we trust in Christ alone, we can be assured that we will enjoy the future glory promised to Israel. Even when things look darkest for the church, we ...Read More

  • Jacob’s Last Words

    Genesis 49:28–50:3

    Matthew Henry comments: “It is proper to show our respect to the poor body, of which we look for a glorious and joyful resurrection.” Scripture does not forbid cremation, but most Christians have buried their dead for the same reasons ...Read More

  • Benjamin the Wolf

    Genesis 49:27

    For good or for ill, mothers and fathers have the greatest influence on their children. If parents imitate the example of the righteous and trust in the Lord and His promises, their children will be far more likely to follow ...Read More

  • Joseph, a Fruitful Bough

    Genesis 49:22–26

    Our Savior said that “the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt. 24:13). Confessing Christ once is not enough, our profession of faith is useless if we do not possess a living faith in God and ...Read More

  • Gad, Asher, and Naphtali

    Genesis 49:18-21

    Matthew Henry reflects on the different skills and personalities of Jacob’s sons in Genesis 49. “Among God’s Israel then,” he writes, “is to be found a great variety of dispositions, contrary to each other, yet all contributing to ...Read More

  • Dan the Serpent

    Genesis 49:16–17

    Hebrews 12:1–2 says the Christian life is a marathon. Even though all with true faith are justified in God’s sight and are secure in their salvation from the moment they first trust Jesus, believers are not those ...Read More

  • Issachar’s Servitude

    Genesis 49:14–15

    What do you desire for yourself and your family? Are you looking to maintain a comfortable existence? Are you unwilling to take a risk by sharing Christ with friends and neighbors? If you have children, will you be disappointed if ...Read More

  • The Messiah’s Kingdom

    Genesis 49:13

    Ambrose of Milan comments on today’s passage, saying Jesus “is the Lord by nature but a brother by grace” (The Patriarchs, 4.17). God is not a person with whom contact is impossible; He is not “wholly other.” Without ...Read More

  • Judah’s Scepter

    Genesis 49:8–12

    The King and His kingdom will be the subject of tomorrow’s study. For now, consider that Judah’s repentance and exaltation illustrates the biblical principal that “whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt. 23:12). Judah’s greatest son ...Read More

  • Simeon and Levi Divided

    Genesis 49:5–7

    The different destinies of Levi and Simeon show that Jacob’s words could be tempered by grace. Though cursed and scattered, Levi was later exalted not of his own merits but because of the Lord’s mercy. Our God is ...Read More

  • Rueben Gets His Due

    Genesis 49:1–4

    As John Chrysostom preached, Reuben shows us that “no advantage comes to us from natural advantage unless accompanied by good deeds of free will” (Homilies on Genesis, 67.5). We cannot expect to escape God’s discipline when we transgress ...Read More