Jacob finishes pronouncing prophecies regarding the future of his sons and their tribes.
"Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels." (Genesis 49:19) Gad's tribe was mighty in battle in the Old Testament when they were oppressed by foreign armies. They fought not only for their own people and lands, but for the other tribes of Israel as well.
"Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king." (Genesis 49:20) Asher's territory in the promised land lay along the Mediterranean coast. It was a luxurious land of plenty, supplying kings and wealthy men with expensive goods.
"Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns." (Genesis 49:21) The land given to the tribe of Naphtali was near the Sea of Galilee where the Lord Jesus so often walked and taught the truth of God's word. The prophet Isaiah foresaw a blessed time in the future for Naphtali and the region of Galilee, stating that in the past this region had been humbled but that the Lord would bestow honor upon it, "In the past He humbled Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor Galilee of the nations." (Isaiah 9:1) This "honor" is having the Lord Himself in Galilee. The freedom mentioned in verse 21 may refer to the freedom of travel that was possible while the Roman Empire held control of Judea during the time of Jesus. There was no other time in history, previous to Roman rule, when Jesus would have been able to travel so freely, for Rome ruled with an iron fist and enforced the peace in their territories. They had the best roads of the ancient world and at no other time prior to their rule could a person travel so extensively with such little fear of attack by robbers.
"Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall." (Genesis 49:22) Joseph was once a slave and later a prisoner in a dungeon, but he could not be held by either of these circumstances because it was the Lord's will for him to be free---to "climb over a wall". I'm reminded of Psalm 1:3 where the author speaks of the fruitfulness of the one who loves and trusts the Lord: "That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither---whatever they do prospers."
"With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you, with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb. Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers." (Genesis 49:23-26) The bitter archers with their bows and arrows represent the ten older brothers of Joseph who hated and betrayed him. But in spite of all that happened to him, Joseph remained steady: steady in faith, steady in love, steady in the service of the Lord. And the Lord remained faithful to him, a thing for which we see Jacob giving Him praise in these verses. As David will later say in Psalm 18:25 regarding the Lord's faithfulness, "To the faithful You show Yourself faithful." Joseph was faithful to the Lord; the Lord was faithful to him.
"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder." (Genesis 49:27) Jacob's son Benjamin has been treated like the spoiled and helpless baby of the family. His father and brothers behave toward him as if he is small and frail and must be protected at all times. It's surprising to see his tribe symbolized by a "ravenous wolf". But his tribe will be very warlike and will have the reputation of being skilled swordsmen. They will sometimes fight for the wrong causes, but they will do so with all their hearts. They don't hold back and they don't pull any punches even when they should. But in the end they will "divide the plunder" like the one who has won victory in battle. Scholars are not certain what this means but I think we have to look at it in the context of victory in the Lord. In Old Testament times the dividing of the plunder was a celebratory event that took place back in the camp in the evening after a battle had been won. A conquering army took all the goods of the defeated army and divided these goods among themselves in a party-like atmosphere back in their own camp. I think the victory described in verse 27 refers to the victory the Lord won---the victory in which we share---and the plunder that is ours through Him. Everything that really matters is ours through Him and we will own all these blessings eternally.
"All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him." (Genesis 49:28) Jacob pronounced these blessings upon inspiration of the Lord. Based on the condition of each man's heart, based on each man's abilities and actions, and based on the behavior of each man's descendants, the Lord chose for them what was best. He does the same for you and me. He sends opportunities our way based on His will for our lives. He puts us in the right places where our circumstances suit who we are. Are our circumstances always pleasant? No, and the circumstances of the people of the Bible weren't always pleasant either. But even our hardships are carefully selected for us by the Lord to train us and develop our strength of character. We are enduring difficult circumstances right now in this world, but do you know what would be even worse than enduring these troubling and uncertain times? Coming out of them exactly the way we went into them. If we learn nothing about the Lord during these times, and if our character isn't improved by our circumstances, and if our faith isn't stronger, then what has been accomplished? The Lord, for whatever reason, has chosen our generation to experience what we're currently experiencing. And although we may not understand His ways of thinking, we mustn't let that keep us from being changed for the better in these times.
Our troubles can either break us or make us into stronger and more faithful servants of God. The choice is ours.
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