Genesis 49:2-7

So this is what would happen to the people of Israel, of the various tribes, thousands of years in the future. At least about 3,500 years into the future. By this time obviously they were not just individual sons of Jacob with their small families, but they were whole nations. And so he lists here what the characteristics of these particular nations, having grown from these tribes, would be like in the last days.

But God shows here in this prophecy that these particular tribes as they grow into nations will have certain characteristics. By that we have been able to perhaps identify these nations on the world scene today. We think Reuben is France and they have something about them, about this honor and excellency of dignity, the excellency of power. But they have been unstable and they have never been able to make that first rung of nations. And when they have it slipped back very quickly.

Simeon and Levi, we are not exactly sure where they are. Levi was scattered in Israel, but who knows where they are specifically. I have some guesses, I will not say them now, but they are known for being very cruel and warlike. Jacob says, I do not want to be part of their councils because that is just how they are there. You know, God made the Levites the butchers of Israel. How many sacrifices did they slaughter? It was a way to turn their cruelty and their harshness into a good channel.

Genesis 49:5-7

In Genesis 49, however, he is very closely connected with Levi. They seem to have been partners in crime, literally. Jacob, back in Genesis 49, reminds them of their attack on the people of Shechem after the rape of Dinah, their sister, and he calls them cruel, self-willed, and angry. And he implies that they were dishonorable and reckless. Because of these very negative and warlike and almost uncontrollable traits that they seem to have had, God said that His judgment was that He would have to scatter them among the other tribes of Israel so that there would not be fights and wars and all kinds of terrible things breaking out all the time starting in the tribe of Levi or in the tribe of Simeon. When too many of them get together, there is likely to be war and destruction and a whole lot of stupidity going on because they are going after things that they should not.

Genesis 49:5-7

We have a little bit of an insight in the prophecies regarding Jacob's sons:

Because of what they did, they did not have a land of their own (a state of their own, a province of their own) within Israel. They were denied that blessing. And I want you to remember this too: Jacob may have forgiven them; but he never forgot it. Remember that, because it has something to do with Jacob's character. Jacob never forgot what Reuben did either. All three of these men were cursed by what they did. And what Jacob did—in remembering—gives us some insight into his character, which we will get into just a little bit later.