Jacob’s twelve sons
eventually became the twelve tribes of Israel,
a type of the church
as God’s house, the Israel of God,
composed of all the believers:
Jacob’s maturity in life,
the zenith of his life,
issued in the overflow of life,
his prophesying with blessing
for the building up of God’s house.
Whatever was spoken prophetically by Jacob
concerning his sons
is a type, a picture, of the church
and should be applied
to the church
and to the spiritual experience of the believers,
as well as to the sons of Israel.
The prophecy concerning Reuben
is a warning
concerning the defilement of fleshly lust,
and the prophecy concerning Simeon and Levi
is a warning
concerning the destruction
of the natural disposition:
Although Reuben
had the preeminence of the birthright,
because of his defilement
he lost the birthright
and became in danger of dying
or of being greatly decreased;
this should be a solemn warning to us.
Because of their cruelty
according to their disposition,
Simeon and Levi
received no blessing from Jacob;
rather, Jacob exercised his judgment over them
to scatter them among the children of Israel
so that they would not be able to behave cruelly
according to their disposition:
Later,
Levi used his disposition
in a renewed, transformed way
to slay the worshippers of the golden calf;
our natural disposition
can be useful
if three conditions are met:
consecration,
using our natural disposition
against our natural desire,
and using it
in a renewed and transformed way.
Because of
his absoluteness,
desperation,
and faithfulness
toward God,
Levi received
the blessing of the priesthood
with the Urim and the Thummim.
The prophecy concerning Judah
portrays Christ
in the four Gospels
(the contents of the gospel),
the prophecy concerning Zebulun
portrays the shipping out of the gospel
in the Acts
(borne by the wind of the Holy Spirit),
and the prophecy concerning Issachar
portrays the practice of the church life
in the Epistles and Revelation
(for God’s building)
(Gen. 49:8-15):
The prophecy concerning Judah
portrays the good news of Christ
—the victory of Christ,
the kingdom of Christ,
and the enjoyment and rest in Christ;
these three truths
are a summary of the New Testament:
Judah, likened poetically to a young lion,
is a type of Christ
as the ultimate Overcomer:
In His victory
Christ is typified as a young lion
overcoming the enemies
and couching in satisfaction
after enjoying the prey;
this is a picture
of the victory of Christ over His enemies
in His crucifixion
and of His satisfaction and rest
in His ascension
as the issue of His victory.
Christ is
also the producing lioness,
bringing forth
many overcomers as His “lion cubs”.
That no one dares to rouse Judah up (Gen. 49:9b)
signifies that Christ’s terrifying power
in His resurrection and ascension
has subdued everything.
In His authority and kingship
Christ comes as the Peace Bringer,
the One to whom all the nations
will submit and obey:
The scepter, a symbol of the kingdom,
denotes the kingly authority of Christ;
that the scepter will never depart from Judah
means that the kingship
will never depart from Christ;
we must be under the ruling of Christ
to reign for Christ over Satan, sin, and death.
Shiloh, meaning “peace bringer,”
refers to Christ in His second coming
as the Prince of Peace,
who will bring peace to the whole earth.
Due to His victory and kingship,
Christ can be enjoyed by us
to be our rest
—our perfect peace and full satisfaction:
To bind our donkey, or our foal, to the vine
indicates that the journey is over
and that the destination has been reached;
the vine in verse 11
typifies the living Christ,
who is full of life.
To bind our donkey to the vine
signifies to cease from
our labor and our striving in our natural life
and to rest in
Christ, the living One
who is the source of life;
because Christ has won the victory
and has gained the kingdom,
He has become the rich vine to us
for our enjoyment, rest, and satisfaction.
Garments
signify our behavior in our daily living,
and wine
signifies life;
hence,
to wash our garments in wine
and our robe in the blood of grapes
signifies to soak our behavior, our daily walk,
in the enjoyment of the riches of Christ’s life.
The eyes being red with wine
and the teeth being white with milk
signifies transformation
from death to life
by the enjoyment of the rich life of Christ;
the whiteness of the teeth
indicates the sound, healthy function
to take in God’s Word as food
and to utter His word
so that others may be nourished.
The prophecy concerning Zebulun
portrays the preaching of the gospel (Gen. 49:13):
Zebulun, a seaport,
was part of Galilee,
the place where the Lord Jesus
began His ministry of the preaching
of the gospel of the kingdom.
Zebulun typifies Christ
as the “shore” of the evangelists
for the transportation and spreading
in the preaching of God’s gospel;
after Christ accomplished all the things
that are to be proclaimed as the gospel,
on the day of Pentecost
at least one hundred twenty gospel “ships,”
all of whom were Galileans (Acts 2:7; 13:31),
set out from the “shore”
to spread the gospel (Deut. 33:18a).
We can be
the Galilean preachers, the gospel “ships,”
who sail out
from Christ as the “shore”
through prayer
by the power of the Holy Spirit
as the heavenly wind
and with the riches of Christ in the Word
to reach the whole world.
The prophecy concerning Issachar
portrays the church life (Gen. 49:14):
The strong donkey
signifies the natural man;
to couch
is to rest in satisfaction;
and the sheepfolds
signify the denominations
and various religions based on the law.
The poetry in Genesis 49:14
portrays the genuine church life
as the issue of the preaching of the gospel,
in which our natural man rests in satisfaction
between (outside) the religious sheepfolds;
the land typifies Christ as the green pasture
enjoyed by the believers in the church life.
In Moses’ blessing in Deuteronomy 33:18b,
Issachar was to rejoice for his tents;
there the tents signify the local churches
as the expressions of the unique Body of Christ,
in which the believers rejoice
in the enjoyment of Christ’s riches.
This enjoyment issues in our willingness
to carry out our service,
which is assigned by Christ as the Head;
such service
becomes a tribute
offered to the Master
for His satisfaction.
The consummation
concerning Judah
(the gospel
in the four Gospels),
Zebulun
(the preaching of the gospel
in the Acts),
and Issachar
(the church life
fulfilled in the remaining books
of the New Testament)
is seen in Deuteronomy 33:19,
which says
that the peoples, the nations,
will be called to the mountain,
signifying the kingdom of God (Dan. 2:35),
where they will offer sacrifices of righteousness
and enjoy the abundance of the seas
(the church
composed mainly of Gentile believers
—footnote on Matt. 13:1)
and the hidden treasures of the sand
(the kingdom
hidden in the earth
—v. 44);
this shows
that the gospel,
the preaching of the gospel,
and the church life as the issue of the gospel
result in the enjoyment
of the church life and the kingdom life.
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7 replies on “Jacob’s Prophesying with Blessing (1)”
Prophecy note, 7 December 2014
To bind a donkey
is not a negative thing.
Any donkey
would be happy
to be bound to a vine.
Without one exception,
all Christians
are journeying, striving, and laboring donkeys.
Our destination is
the vine,
the living Christ
who is full of life.
We must bind our donkey
to this vine.
This means
that we must cease
our labor and our striving
and we must rest
in Christ, the living One.
It is
through His victory
that He
can be the vine.
In Judah,
in the gospel,
we have the young donkey
bound to Christ the vine.
In Issachar,
in the church life,
we have the strong donkey
couching between the sheepfolds.
These strong donkeys
are neither laboring nor journeying,
but couching.
In Genesis 49
couching means
resting in satisfaction.
In a sense,
we all
are sheep of the flock.
But according to our natural man,
we all
are donkeys.
As we are resting in the church life,
ceasing from our labor
and resting in Christ
among the denominational folds,
we enjoy
the good rest
and the rich pleasant land.
This land
is Christ
as our green pasture.
Day 6
It is important
that Issachar does not precede Zebulun.
What is
the spiritual significance of Issachar?
After the four Gospels and the Acts,
we have the Epistles,
which cover
the matter of the church life.
Therefore,
Issachar signifies and represents
the church life.
Issachar’s being likened to a strong donkey
couching between the sheepfolds (Gen. 49:14)
connects verse 14 with verse 11,
which speaks of
binding the young donkey to the vine.
Thus,
the donkey links Issachar to Judah.
In Judah, in the gospel,
we have the young donkey
bound to Christ the vine.
In Issachar,
in the church life,
we have the strong donkey
couching between the sheepfolds.
In Genesis 49
couching means
resting in satisfaction.
In Judah
we are young donkeys,
but here in Issachar
we are strong donkeys.
These strong donkeys
are neither laboring nor journeying,
but couching.
Notice that this couching donkey
is not resting
in the sheepfolds;
rather, he is resting
between the sheepfolds.
Every denomination and religion
is a fold.
Today,
we are not resting
in any denominational fold.
Instead,
we are resting
outside the folds.
The Lord made it clear
that Judaism was a fold
holding God’s flock
and that He came into this fold
for the purpose of leading the flock
out of it [John 10:16].
Although Issachar
is not very far from the folds,
he is not in any of them.
This is
exactly our situation today.
You may be wondering
how a donkey
could be among the sheepfolds.
In a sense,
we all are sheep of the flock.
But according to our natural man,
we all are donkeys.
According to our nature,
none of us
is a sheep.
Nevertheless,
we are also
the transformed ones.
By origin,
I was a donkey.
But by regeneration
I am now a sheep
resting among the denominations.
Thus,
we are
a flock of transformed donkeys
resting between the sheepfolds.
As we are resting in the church life,
ceasing from our labor
and resting in Christ (Matt. 11:28)
among the denominational folds,
we enjoy
the good rest
and the rich pleasant land [Gen. 49:15].
This land is
Christ as our green pasture.
As we rest in the church life,
couching between the denominations,
realizing the rest,
and enjoying the pleasant land,
we are willing to lower our shoulder
to serve and to bear some responsibility [v. 15].
We become a task-worker.
Taskwork is not our chosen work
but the work assigned by the Lord.
It is the task
assigned by the Head
to us as members of the Body.
Whatever we do
as an assigned portion of the Body service
is taskwork.
Eventually
this taskwork becomes a tribute
offered to our Master,
something to offer
for His satisfaction.
After the producing of the gospel,
the preaching of the gospel,
and the issue of the preaching of the gospel,
the church life,
we come to the consummation,
which is found in Deuteronomy 33:19.
Firstly,
in the consummation
the peoples
are invited to the mountain of God.
In the church life today
we are inviting others
to the mountain of God,
that is, to the kingdom of God.
Secondly,
on the mountain
the peoples will offer
sacrifices of righteousness
to God.
Thirdly,
the church and the kingdom
become our enjoyment
signified by
“the abundance of the seas
and hidden treasures of the sand”
[Deut. 33:19].
In Matthew 13,
the treasure
refers to the kingdom,
and the pearl
refers to the church.
I believe
the abundance of the seas
is the church.
Undoubtedly,
the seas
signify the nations.
Out of the Gentile world
the church is brought forth
as the abundance.
The kingdom
is the treasure
hid in the sand,
or hid in the earth.
Day 5
Matthew 4:15 indicates
that Zebulun was part of Galilee.
The Lord Jesus
began His ministry of the preaching
of the gospel of the kingdom
from Galilee.
After His resurrection,
the angel charged the women
to tell the disciples,
“Behold, He goes before you into Galilee.
There you will see Him” (Matt. 28:7).
There in Galilee
the resurrected Christ
met with the disciples
and charged them
to preach the gospel.
The disciples “went to Galilee,
to the mountain
where Jesus directed them,”
and it was there
He said to them,
“Go therefore
and disciple all the nations”
(Matt. 28:16, 19).
Acts 1:11 reveals
that the first preachers of the gospel
were men of Galilee.
Judah is the tribe
producing the gospel.
After the gospel is produced,
there is the need for
the preaching of the gospel.
Therefore,
Zebulun comes in
to carry out this mission,
to discharge the burden
of sending forth the gospel.
The proper way
is to export the gospel
by sailing ships
empowered by the heavenly wind.
In Acts 1:8
the Lord told the Galilean preachers
to wait
until they had received
the power from on high,
and Acts 2:2 says,
“And suddenly
there was a sound out of heaven,
as of a rushing violent wind.”
From that time onward,
the ships began to sail.
One of these living ships
was named Peter.
On the day of Pentecost,
Peter was not a donkey
journeying and laboring,
telling others
that Jesus was the Savior
and they had to believe in Him
or else they would perish.
He was a ship
sailing by the power
of a rushing mighty wind.
The gospel goes out
by sailing ships,
not by steam ships
powered by man-made engines.
Do not use any gimmicks
in the preaching of the gospel.
To preach the gospel
by means of gimmicks
is to change the sailing ship
into a steamer.
According to church history,
whenever the gospel has been carried out,
it has been carried out
by sailing boats,
by saints
who sailed like ships
under the power of the heavenly wind.
According to spiritual history,
the book of Acts
follows the four Gospels,
and the Acts
is the book of the Galilean preachers.
These Galilean preachers
were ships
sailing by the power
of the heavenly wind.
Sidon was a heathen city
outside the Holy Land.
It was located on the sea,
and from it
the sea traffic
went to the uttermost parts of the earth.
In Acts
the early preachers
sailed from the Holy Land
to Asia Minor
and then across the Aegean Sea
to Greece, Rome, and Spain.
The apostle Paul
took a ship from the Holy Land
and sailed firstly to Sidon
and eventually to Rome (Acts 27:3; 28:14).
Therefore, Genesis 49:13
was fulfilled
in the history of the gospel preaching
recorded in Acts.
In the record of Judah
the significant word
is lion,
and in the record of Zebulun
the significant word
is ships.
The lion is singular,
whereas the ships are plural.
There is just one Christ,
but many Galilean preachers.
There is one gospel,
but many ships.
The church in Anaheim
is a haven of ships.
We are ships in the haven
being prepared to sail out
with Christ as the gospel.
Young people,
are you not Galilean ships
ready to sail out?
As ships,
you must be ready to sail.
But do not sail forth
to start a movement.
The going forth
mentioned in Deuteronomy 33:18
refers to the shipping out.
Thus, the word of Moses
corresponds to the word of Jacob.
Jacob likened Zebulun to ships,
which, of course, are for going out,
and Moses told Zebulun
to rejoice in his going out.
If we go out
for the preaching of the gospel,
we shall rejoice.
The person most full of rejoicing and happiness
is the gospel preacher.
If you are a ship
sailing by the power of the heavenly wind,
you will be happy, rejoicing,
and beside yourself with joy.
Day 4
The scepter in Genesis 49:10
denotes the scepter of the kingship
or of the kingdom.
Psalm 45:6 says,
“The scepter of uprightness
is the scepter of Your kingdom.”
The scepter, a symbol of the kingdom,
refers to the kingly authority of Christ.
For the scepter never to depart from Judah
means the kingship
will never depart from Christ.
In Genesis 49:10,
the word Shiloh
means “peace bringer.”
Most good Bible teachers agree
that Shiloh refers to
Christ in His second coming.
When Christ comes the second time,
He will come
as the Prince of Peace,
as the One
who brings peace.
At that time,
the whole earth
will be filled with peace.
The peoples in verse 10
are equivalent to the nations.
At the second coming of Christ,
all nations will submit to Him
and obey Him.
Isaiah 2:1 through 3 and 11:10
indicate that from the beginning of the millennium
at the Lord’s second coming,
all nations will obey Christ.
They will come to Him
to receive God’s instructions.
Genesis 49:11 says,
“Binding his foal to the vine,
/ And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine.”
We all must bind our donkey to the vine.
I hope
that this saying
will become a proverb among us.
When the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem
shortly before His crucifixion,
He also rode upon a donkey (Matt. 21:5).
According to the Bible,
a donkey is always used for traveling toward a goal.
To tie a donkey to something
indicates that the journey is over,
that you have arrived at your destination,
and that you have reached your goal.
To bind a donkey
is not a negative thing.
Any donkey would be happy
to be bound to a vine.
A donkey’s labor
is to travel
to a certain destination with a certain goal.
Without one exception,
all Christians are also
journeying, striving, and laboring donkeys.
Our destination is the vine,
the living Christ
who is full of life.
We must bind our donkey to this vine.
This means
that we must cease
our labor and our striving
and rest in Christ, the living One.
It is through His victory
that He can be the vine.
Genesis 49:11
speaks of washing our garments in wine
and our robe in the blood of grapes.
Figuratively speaking,
garments or clothes
signify our behavior.
They represent our walk and acts.
Hence, to wash
our garments in wine
and our robe in the blood of grapes
signifies that we
soak our behavior, our daily walk,
in the enjoyment of the riches of Christ’s life.
Through resting
in the enjoyment of Christ’s riches in life,
we are transformed.
Verse 12 says,
“Dark are his eyes with wine,
/ And white are his teeth with milk.”
This signifies transformation
by the rich life of Christ.
When we are transformed in this way,
our appearance is changed.
Those who suffer from famine
have a gray color around their eyes.
Because they lack adequate nourishment,
they are short of the blood supply
to their eyes.
But we, the kingdom people
who enjoy Christ,
are never undernourished.
On the contrary,
we are so fully nourished
that our eyes become red.
This indicates
that we have been transformed
from death to life.
According to verse 12,
the eyes are dark (or, red) with wine.
This redness
does not come from outward coloring or painting
but from the inward, energizing wine.
Verse 12 also speaks of teeth
that are white with milk.
Our teeth have two functions.
The first is
to eat,
to receive food into the mouth;
the second is
to help our utterance.
The whiteness of the teeth here
indicates the sound, healthy function of the teeth.
Because I have received the proper nourishment,
I have healthy, white teeth
to take in God’s Word as food
and to utter His Word
that others may be nourished.
Day 3
According to the Old Testament,
the twelve sons of Jacob
are arranged in
four groups of three.
The first group of
Reuben, Simeon, and Levi
was utterly evil
in the eyes of God.
What a poor beginning it was!
However,
this should be an encouragement to us
because our beginning
was also very poor.
The second group
is composed of
Judah, Zebulun, and Issachar.
Because Christ comes in
with this group,
it is the group of victory.
In this group
we have the gospel
signified by Judah
and fully recorded
in the four Gospels;
the preaching of the gospel
signified by Zebulun
and fully recorded
in the book of Acts;
and the church life
signified by Issachar
and fully recorded
in the remaining books
of the New Testament
beginning with Romans.
The result
is the enjoyment of
the church life and the kingdom life.
Genesis 49:9 says
that Judah is a lion.
In Revelation 5:5
Christ is called
the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
This proves
that Genesis 49
needs Revelation 5
for its development.
In the New Testament
there are
three main truths
concerning Christ.
The first
is the truth of the victory of Christ.
He has accomplished everything
God required of Him.
He took care of sin,
solved the problem of the world,
defeated Satan,
abolished death,
and eliminated every negative thing.
He has gained the full victory
for the accomplishment of God’s purpose.
The second main truth
is the truth of
the authority of Christ, the kingdom of Christ.
Because Christ has won the victory,
He has been made
Lord of all.
All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to Him (Matt. 28:18).
Furthermore,
He has received
the universal and eternal kingdom of His Father.
Thus, He has
the authority, the kingship, and the kingdom.
The third main truth
in the New Testament
concerning Christ
is the truth of
the enjoyment and rest in Christ.
Christ has accomplished everything in His victory
and He has received the authority and the kingdom
so that we may have enjoyment
and find rest in Him.
These three truths
are a summary of the New Testament.
In his prophecy
Jacob likened Judah to a lion in three aspects:
a young lion, a couching lion, and a lioness.
The young lion
is for fighting,
for seizing the prey.
The words “you have gone up” [Gen. 49:9]
imply that the young lion
first had to come down.
He came down
from the mountain to the plain
to capture his prey.
After the young lion seized his prey,
he went up to the mountaintop again
to enjoy it.
When Christ was on earth
and was crucified on the cross,
He was a young lion
seizing the prey.
And what a prey
He captured!
It included
the whole world,
all the sinners,
and even Satan, the serpent.
From seizing His prey
Christ has gone up to the mountaintop,
that is, to the third heaven.
Ephesians 4:8 says
that when Christ ascended to the height,
He led captive
those taken captive.
Christ gained the victory;
He put His hand upon Satan’s neck.
As the young lion,
He has overcome all His enemies.
After a lion has enjoyed his prey
and has been satisfied,
he couches;
he lies down
to rest in satisfaction.
The figure of
the couching lion in Genesis 49:9
describes Christ as the One
enjoying His rest in the heavens.
After gaining the victory
and enjoying the prey,
He was satisfied.
This rest and satisfaction
are the issue of Christ’s victory.
Christ is no longer fighting;
rather, He is couching.
Christ is also likened to a lioness.
As a lioness,
He has produced many cubs.
We all are Christ’s cubs.
Toward men
we are lambs
following the Lamb;
but toward Satan
we are lion cubs.
Day 2
Jacob put Simeon and Levi together
in his prophecy
because they were the same
in character and disposition.
Their disposition
was exposed in Genesis 34,
which records
the defilement of their sister, Dinah,
and their revenge on Hamor and Shechem.
Simeon, Levi, and Dinah
were all born of the same mother.
Thus, these brothers
dearly loved their sister.
When they learned
that she had been defiled,
their disposition
was exposed by the way
they killed
all the males in the city of Shechem,
plundered the city,
and even hamstrung the cattle.
How cruel they were!
The cruelty of Simeon and Levi
terrified Jacob.
Nevertheless,
in God’s sovereignty,
the events in that chapter
were a great help
to Jacob’s maturity.
Simeon and Levi
received no blessing
because of their cruelty.
Jacob would not allow them
to dwell together.
Rather,
he exercised judgment over them
to scatter them
among the children of Israel
so that they
would not be able to behave cruelly
according to their disposition.
Although Simeon and Levi
were companions,
Levi eventually took the opportunity
to have his natural disposition changed.
At the time
the children of Israel
worshipped the golden calf,
Levi’s killing disposition
was used by God (Exo. 32:29).
When Moses came down
from the mountain with the tablets
and saw the people worshipping the golden calf,
he said,
“Whoever is for Jehovah,
come to me” (Exo. 32:26).
Out of all the tribes,
only one tribe, the tribe of Levi,
gathered together unto Moses.
This indicates
that, although we
may have a very ugly disposition,
our disposition
may still be useful in God’s purpose.
However,
there are certain conditions
that must be met.
Firstly,
we must consecrate ourselves;
secondly,
we must exercise our disposition
against our natural likes and dislikes;
and thirdly,
we must use our disposition
in a renewed, transformed way.
Because the inhabitants of the city of Shechem
were Levi’s enemies,
it was easy
for him to kill them.
But it was quite another matter
to kill parents, brothers, sons, and relatives.
In order to do this,
you must exercise your disposition
against your desire
and use it
in a new way,
a way that is both for God and with God.
Levi’s natural disposition,
his slaying disposition,
was transformed.
Through transformation work
a disposition was
not only used by God
to kill the idol worshippers
but also
to slay the sacrifices for offerings to God.
Our natural disposition
will be useful
if three conditions are met:
consecration,
using it against our natural desire,
and using it in a renewed and transformed way.
Because Levi’s disposition was changed,
he became a great blessing.
God’s Thummim and Urim
were with him (Deut. 33:8),
and he had the privilege
of coming into the presence of God
to serve Him.
Although the double portion of the land
is rich,
the privilege of entering God’s presence
is intimate.
The priesthood
can be considered as
the sweet portion of the birthright.
Levi received this portion.
Levi was scattered
among the children of Israel.
Moses, a God-man,
was very happy with Levi.
However,
he could not annul
the prophecy of Jacob;
rather,
he had to fulfill it.
Therefore,
the Lord said to Moses,
“Command the children of Israel
to give to the Levites
some of the inheritance of their possession,
cities to dwell in;
and you shall give to the Levites
pasture lands around their cities” (Num. 35:2).
The scattering of Levi according to the curse
actually became a blessing.
The Levites brought people to God
and God to the people.
Thus, in ancient times,
it was a blessing
to have some Levites
in your city or in your territory.
Day 1
In Jacob’s prophesying with blessing
(Gen. 49:1-28),
although this word of prophecy
was spoken by a man,
it was nonetheless the word of God.
Because, in his maturity,
Jacob was one with God,
whatever he said
was God’s word.
According to the record of Genesis,
the human race began with Adam
and continued with
Abel, Enosh, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Eventually,
Jacob was no longer an individual,
because he became the father of a house
that was chosen by God.
This house, the house of Jacob (46:27),
was composed mainly of Jacob’s twelve sons.
Later,
these twelve sons
became the twelve tribes
of the nation of Israel.
This indicates
that God’s intention
is to have a house, not individuals.
The house of Israel
was a type of the church,
which is God’s house today.
In the Old Testament
we have
a house, the house of Israel,
and in the New Testament
we also have
a house, the church of the living God.
Whatever is spoken regarding the house of Israel
is a type, a picture, and a shadow of the church.
Because the church is a spiritual entity,
it is difficult
for us
to understand it.
Thus, we need the picture
of the house of Israel
in the Old Testament.
When we examine
the picture in the Old Testament,
we are able to understand
many aspects of the church
revealed in the New Testament.
If we want to know ourselves,
we should look at
the photograph of ourselves
in these twelve tribes.
Do not think
that the prophecies in Genesis 49
are only concerned with the sons of Jacob.
These prophecies
probably concern us more
than they do Jacob’s twelve sons.
According to Jacob’s prophecy with blessing,
it is possible
for our natural status and disposition
to be changed.
Throughout the years,
I have been speaking to the elders
about their disposition.
When the elders ask me
how they can be more useful,
I always tell them
that their usefulness
depends upon their disposition.
I have often told them
that their natural disposition
is the main reason
they are not useful.
But in Genesis 49
there is some good news
for those who have been disappointed
about their natural disposition.
In this group,
Reuben, Simeon, and Levi,
we see
not only that our natural status
may be changed
but also that our natural disposition
can be used by God yet
only if certain conditions are met.
Reuben lost the preeminence of the birthright
because of one sin.
For the Lord’s name,
for the church’s testimony,
for your protection,
and for the honor of your physical body,
you must follow this principle
of not being alone
with a member of the opposite sex.
If you follow this principle,
you will be preserved.
Joseph received the birthright
because he fled from the very defilement
that Reuben indulged in (39:7-12).
Joseph did not go in the house purposely
to be with Potiphar’s wife.
He was a servant
working in the house,
and she tempted him.
Joseph fled from this temptation.
Whenever this temptation comes,
the only way to deal with it
is to flee.
Do not talk or reason with the other party
—run away.
Reuben lost the birthright
because of his defilement,
and Joseph obtained it
because of his purity.
God is
righteous, just, and fair.
Reuben was on the dark side,
and he lost;
Joseph was on the bright side,
and he gained.
Because Reuben was in danger of dying,
or at least of being reduced,
Moses prayed
that he would not die.
Anyone in the church life
who commits fornication
will be in a very dangerous position.
He will not only lose
the top portion of the enjoyment of Christ;
he will be in danger of dying
or of being reduced.
This is
the experience of Reuben.