The Twelve Sons of Jacob – Part 1
Introduction
As we near the end of the book of Genesis, the stories of Jacob’s sons begin to emerge. These stories tell us a great deal about the character of these men as well as how their actions held generational consequences. Joseph is the only one of Jacob’s sons who is listed in the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith”, and for sure, his faith was strong. The other sons of Jacob were, well, a lot like us. But God never gave up on them, and maybe that’s one of the lessons we should learn. In spite of their weaknesses and disappointing behavior, God was still able to use them and He did not abandon them.
Through four different women, Jacob fathered twelve sons. These twelve men would become the foundation of the nation of Israel. Listed in the order of their birth, these are the twelve sons of Jacob:
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin. Their births are recorded in Genesis 29:31 through 30:24; Benjamin’s birth is recorded in Genesis 35:16.
Think About This: In addition to his twelve sons, Genesis 37:35 tells us that Jacob also fathered daughters, although we do not know how many daughters he had. Only one daughter is mentioned in Scripture and her name was Dinah. She played a major role in the stories of Simeon and Levi. See the story in Genesis 34.
Jacob’s Death Bed Prophecies
The entirety of Genesis 49 is Jacob’s prophecy concerning the future of his sons’ descendants. These are literally the final words of Jacob. After he pronounces the prophecies, he gave his family instructions for his burial; that is, he wanted his body to be returned to Canaan for burial in the Cave at Machpelah. As those words left his lips, he drew his last breath and died.
The prophecies are presented in Scripture as poetry. We can see that the format is significantly different than the preceding verses. And while the form is poetry, the substance is prophecy. Jacob said, “Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what shall befall you in the days to come” (Genesis 49:1). Deffinbaugh says, “As a rule, the prophecy is general. It is not intended to spell out the future for Jacob’s sons as individuals, but as tribal leaders. The future which is foretold is the future of the nation as manifested in the twelve tribes.”
Jacob’s final words were also blessings. All of his sons were blessed in that they were to be a part of the nation of Israel. All would enter into the land of Canaan and have an inheritance there.
How did these prophecies benefit Jacob’s sons themselves, since they foretold of days to come? Some prophecies, like the message Jonah took to Nineveh, serve as warnings. Upon hearing Jonah’s prophecy, the people of Nineveh repented and God withdrew His judgment against them. While prophecy in general focuses on the future, it is an extension of the past. Prophecy is not detached from history but is an extension of it into the future (Deffinbaugh).The future consequences of our present conduct should affect the way we live our lives today. Godly living creates blessings for future generations, and likewise, godless living today creates negative consequences for our descendants. That was the lesson Jacob wanted to leave with his sons.
Now, let’s look briefly at each of Jacob’s sons, examine their character, the high and low points of their lives and how their behavior affected the future of their descendants just as Jacob had prophesied.
Reuben
Birth Order: First
Mother: Leah
Name: The name Reuben means “Behold, a son.”
Noteworthy Events in Reuben’s Life: It was Reuben who found the mandrakes out of which a love potion was probably made for his mother Leah to use with Jacob (Genesis 30:14-17). While the family was living near Bethlehem, Reuben had sexual relations with his father’s concubine, Bilhah (Genesis 35:22). When his brothers plotted to kill Joseph, Reuben had compassion on him and suggested an alternative (Genesis 37:21-24). During the famine, the man who held the second highest position in Egypt (it was Joseph, although the brothers were yet unaware) insisted that they bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, back to Egypt in exchange for food. When Jacob expressed concern about sending Benjamin, Reuben offered his own two sons to Jacob as “collateral” until Benjamin was safely returned (Genesis 42:3l4-37). Reuben lost the blessing of the first born due to his sexual affair with Bilhah (Genesis 49:3-4).
Personal Character: As stated by the New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, “Reuben seems to have been of an ardent, impetuous, unbalanced but not ungenerous nature; not crafty and cruel as were Simeon and Levi, but rather, to use the metaphor of the dying patriarch, “uncontrolled as water”; that is, boiling up like a vessel of water over the wood fire in the nomad tent and as quickly subsiding into apathy when the fuel was spent.”
Jacob’s Prophecy for Reuben: “Reuben, you are my first-born; my might and the beginning of my strength, preeminent in the dignity and preeminent in power. Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it; he went up to my couch.” (Genesis 49:3-4)
Reuben, by virtue of his birth order, should have had preeminence over his brothers and the double portion of the inheritance. But because he had sexual relations with Bilhah, he forfeited that blessing which ultimately went to Joseph. In those days, to possess the harem of a ruler was to usurp his authority, so Reuben took Bilhah, not because of her sexual desirability but because she was symbolic of the right to rule over the family. His lust was not for Bilhah, but for any political power he might gain over his father.
The Death of Reuben: “In that year, being the seventy-ninth year of the Israelites going down to Egypt, died Reuben the son of Jacob, in the land of Egypt; Reuben was a hundred and twenty-five years old when he died, and they put him into a coffin, and he was given into the hands of his children.” (The Book of Jasher 62:1)
The Tribe of Reuben: The Tribe of Reuben descended from Reuben and his four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. After helping the other tribes take possession of the Promised Land, the tribe of Reuben was one of two and one-half tribes that settled east of the Jordan River because they owned large herds and the land was better for grazing. As prophesied, the tribe lost its position of preeminence due to Reuben’s sexual affair with his father’s concubine. No prominent judge, prophet or ruler came from the tribe of Reuben, and the tribe disappears from history after 723 BCE and is one of the “Lost Tribes of Israel.” The only mention of the tribe in the New Testament is in Revelation 7 in regard to its role in the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish witnesses during the Tribulation.
In our next lesson, we will discuss Simeon and Levi, Reuben’s brothers.
Think About It, Talk About It
What might cause God to change His mind about sending a future judgment on a nation, city, individual, etc.? Where can we find an example of that?
How does a person’s conduct today have an impact on not only their future but on the future of their descendants? What can they do to change negative consequences on future generations?
What price did Reuben and his descendants pay for his attempt to gain political power through his relationship with Bilhah?
Sources
Deffinbaugh, Bob: The Purpose of Prophecy from the series From Paradise to Patriarchs (www.bible.org)
Eames, Christopher: When Was the Age of the Patriarchs? Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology (www.armstronginstitute.org)
Hoffman, Jason: The Book of Jasher, Side-by-Side Comparison with the Early Books of the Bible (Fifth Estate Publishing, Alabama USA)
Who was Reuben in the Bible (www.gotquestions.com)
Pierce, Danny: The 12 Tribes of Revelation 7, Boston Bible Geeks (www.bostonbiblegeeks.wordpress.com)
The Tribe of Reuben (www.wikipedia.org)
Unger, Merrill F.: The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Moody Publishers 2005)