Sat.’s Devo - The Future of the Tribes

Read: Genesis 48:1-49:33; Matthew 15:29-16:12; Psalm 20:1-9; Proverbs 4:20-27 Jacob was old and ill so Joseph took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim to him to bless before he died. Jacob told Joseph what the Lord had told him, that He would make him fruitful and give him and his descendants the land of Canaan. Jacob explained that Joseph’s two sons would be counted as his sons - he was adopting them. The rest of Joseph’s children would be Joseph’s. *** When Joseph brought his two sons to Jacob, he positioned them so that Jacob would put his right hand on Manasseh’s head and his left hand on Ephraim’s head since Manasseh was the first-born. But, Jacob crossed his hands and put his right hand on Ephraim’s head. When Joseph tried to correct him, Jacob said that Ephraim would be greater than Manasseh and Epraim’s offspring would become a multitude of nations. *** Jacob gave Joseph an additional piece of land - a mountain slope that he took from the Amorites in a battle. This was Shechem (Genesis 33:18) where Jacob bought it from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for 100 pieces of money. Later, the enemy tried to take it back and Jacob had to go to battle to reclaim it. *** Jacob called in all his sons and told them what would happen to their tribes in the future. He rebuked Reuben for sleeping with his concubine. He lost his position and dignity with that act. Simeon and Levi were the ones who killed the whole town of Shechem because the son, Shechem defiled their sister, Tamar. Jacob wanted nothing to do with what they did. He cursed their anger and said they would be scattered and divided in Israel. The Levites were scattered all over Israel and Simeon was given a small piece of land in the middle of Judah’s land. They were definitely separated from one another. ** Judah would be praised. He would be victorious over his enemies and everyone in Israel would bow to his off-spring. This was true because kings came from his line and Jesus was from Judah. He would be like a young lion waiting to be awakened. He would always rule. Jesus is the king forever who was covered in blood which washes us whiter than milk. *** Zebulun dwelled by the sea and bordered Sidon. They would be a seaport and spiritually a dwelling for God’s people. Zebulun means “dwelling.” *** Issachar’s allotment included the plain of Esdraelon, known as Jezreel, which was and still is the richest portion of Palestine. *** Dan means “judge” so some of the judges came from his tribe. Samson was the most notorious. He was subtle and strategic just like Jacob’s word said. *** Gad was one of the tribes who chose to live on the east side of the Jordan and was a buffer for the other tribes. The enemy had to go through them first to get to the land. They were excellent archers and saw their enemies flee from them, thus “raiding their heels.” *** Asher means “happy and blessed.” Its allotment was the seacoast between Tyre and Carmel, a district fertile in producing the finest corn and oil in all Palestine. *** Naphtali would be located in a territory so fertile and peaceable, that, feeding on the richest pasture, he would spread out, like a deer’s branching antlers. *** Joseph was attacked by his own brothers, lusted after by Potipher’s wife, unjustly imprisoned and lied about, only to prosper wherever he landed. He became the Shepherd of his family who cared for them and kept them from being annihilated. *** Benjamin was almost extinguished by his brothers because of his violent ways, only to live to divide the spoil in the end. *** After handing out his blessings on his sons, he instructed them to bury him in the burying plot Abraham had bought where all the patriarchs before him had been buried. Then Jacob died. *** In Matthew, Jesus walked the Sea of Galilee healing all manner of diseases and maladies. The mute spoke, the cripple walked and the blind saw. The people glorified God. *** Then Jesus fed over four thousand followers with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. He left and went in the boat to Magadan. The Pharisses and Sadducees came and asked him for a sign from heaven. Jesus told them they knew how look at the sky and determine the weather, but failed to read the signs all around them. They had no idea how to read God’s signs. Jesus called them evil and told them that the only sign they would be able to read was the sign of Jonah. Jonah rebelled and only saw the truth and repented when he died in the fish. They would learn the truth in death, not in life because they refused to see what was right in front of them. Jesus warned his disciples to beware of the wrong teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. *** Lord, may we discern the days we are living in and not miss what is right in front of us. May we live to bless our children, and may we and our off-spring be a blessing to God and to the earth.