“He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him.” (Genesis 49:28)
On his deathbed, Jacob blessed his twelve sons, signifying the character of the future tribes which would descend from each boy, and each blessing matched the character of the man.
There is a lesson here. God blesses His people, but He blesses us in a way that is appropriate to our character. Reuben’s blessing was that his tribe would never have pre-eminence because Reuben had shown he struggled with power and self-control. It might seem like a curse to be told you will never be the leader, but in Reuben’s case, it was a blessing.
As for Gad, his tribe would face raids from nearby nations, but God blessed him with the strength to raid them in return. They would be a tribe always at the edge of battle but prepared to fight back.
Some blessings look like curses in the moment, but in the context of what we need and what we can handle, God provides.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites
This Week’s Reading: Genesis 47-50; Exodus 1-6; Psalm 6; Proverbs 6 This year, #Biblebites are looking at lessons from the history of the Old Testament. Each week reads a section of history with a Psalm to meditate on and a dash of Proverbs to dwell upon. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2024-vision