Jacob Prophetically Blesses His Twelve Sons

Jacob had, over a lifetime, become a man of faith. At the end of his life Jacob pronounced a blessing on his twelve sons. Although in some cases these blessings were negative in nature, they all revealed the future for Jacob’s descendants based largely on the character traits of these twelve sons and their fitness for leadership. The prophetic nature of these blessings stands out. God knows the end from the beginning. Jacob presents these blessings not strictly according to the birth order of his sons but by family ties—Leah’s sons, the sons of his wives’ handmaids, and then the sons of Rachel. While some of the details of the fulfillment of these prophetic blessings are lost to history, enough have been recorded to give us confidence in the accuracy of Jacob’s statements. A comparison with Moses’ predictive blessing in Deuteronomy 33 can be instructive. From this passage we’re reminded that because God knows the end from the beginning, we can trust Him with our lives today.