When Benjamin was born, his mother named him Ben-oni (35:18), which means “son of my affliction.” But his father changed his name to Benjamin, which means “son of the right hand” and signifies the ascended and exalted Christ. Genesis 49:27 says, “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, / In the morning devouring the prey / And in the evening dividing the spoil.” In Hebrew, the word translated as “ravenous” means “tearing,” that is, to tear into pieces. Benjamin, as a tearing wolf, is also a type of Christ. The ascended and exalted Christ is not only the overcoming One but also the tearing One, the One who eats His enemy.
As Jacob was dying, he prophesied concerning his twelve sons (vv. 1-2). Jacob did not prophesy by saying, “Thus saith the Lord.” Rather, he prophesied by being one with God to speak for God. Whatever Jacob spoke became God’s word. Jacob was God’s mouthpiece. The fact that Jacob could prophesy in such a way is a strong sign and manifestation that he was matured in life. God honored and fulfilled the prophetic blessing pronounced by Jacob upon his twelve sons.
Genesis 49 contains the essence of the entire Bible, and it is a summary of the history of Jacob’s twelve sons, the history of Israel, the history of the church, and the individual spiritual history of God’s people. Although this chapter is poetic and profound, it is rather brief. This chapter is all-inclusive; it includes the essence of the entire Bible. How wonderful it is!
Jacob prophesied that Dan would judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. After the Israelites entered the good land, the tribe of Dan brought in an idol and became one with God’s enemy, becoming a serpent in the way, a viper on the path, and bringing in a stumbling block to God’s people. Thus, they should have been terminated as a tribe. However, Jacob, not wanting to see one of his sons cut off, blessed him prophetically out of a loving heart by saying that Dan would still be a tribe judging his people. Although his name was omitted in the record in 1 Chronicles and Revelation, Dan will still be a tribe in the millennium because of his father’s blessing. Concerning Gad, Jacob prophesied, saying, “Gad, raiders will raid him, / But he will raid at their heel.” Concerning Asher, Jacob prophesied, saying, “Asher’s food will be rich, / And he will yield royal dainties.” Naphtali is a hind let loose. This prophecy concerns the resurrected Christ skipping on the mountaintops; nothing can frustrate Him, and no one needs to pave the way for Him. Concerning Joseph, Jacob said that he is a fruitful bough by a fountain, whose branches ran over the wall. He was not limited to the good land, but he ran over the wall to Egypt. This typifies the children of God spreading Christ over every restriction and magnifying Him in every circumstance. Opposers and the enemy have raised up walls to restrict the fruitfulness of God’s children, but the branches run over the wall every time. The combined blessings bestowed upon Joseph were of ten aspects. First, he was blessed with the choicest things of heaven; second, he was blessed with the dew; third, he was blessed with the blessing of the deep that lies beneath; fourth, he was blessed with the choicest of the crops of the sun; fifth, he was blessed with the choicest of the yield of the moons; sixth, he was blessed with receiving the top of the ancient mountains; seventh, he was blessed with the choicest things of the eternal hills; eighth, he was blessed with the choicest things of the earth and its fullness; ninth, he was blessed with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb, which relate to life; tenth, he was blessed with the favor of Him who dwelt in the thornbush. Concerning Benjamin, Jacob prophesied that he was “a ravenous wolf, / In the morning devouring the prey / And in the evening dividing the spoil.” This means that the ascended and exalted Christ is not only the overcoming One but also the tearing One, the One who eats His enemy. Genesis 49, which contains Jacob’s prophecies, is the essence of the entire Bible. It is a summary of the history of Jacob’s twelve sons, the history of Israel, the history of the church, and the individual spiritual history of God’s people. This chapter is poetic and very profound, yet it is rather brief. It is all-inclusive; it includes the essence of the entire Bible. How wonderful it is!