Joseph was the favored son, whose mother, Rachel, was the favored wife. Much has been said in scholarly circles about playing favorites in a family, and how this produces jealousy, hatred and turmoil among family members. Some even criticize Jacob for being a bigamist. Yet, the scriptures offer a picture of the Lord being married to both the House of Judah and the House of Israel (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:14, 18, 20). Moreover, even the Lord loved one son and hated another (cp. Romans 9:13). Yet, not one scholar dares criticize the Lord for this.
Was Jacob’s marriage perfect? Probably not! But, where is the example of the perfect marriage? In reality, there are none to be found in the scriptures. So, all such criticism of Jacob’s marriage and his office as father of twelves sons is, as far as I’m concerned, a pompous display of pretended morality. Jacob did the best he could and was never criticized by the Lord for what he did. He favored Rachel to the end,[1] and Joseph was his favorite on his deathbed. Therefore, if this was wrong or sinful, Jacob never learned his lesson, and the Lord was unable to bring him to repentance! Put in that light, who dares to judge this man?
Jacob begins his blessing/prophecy of Joseph by using a play on words, saying he is a “fruitful bough” or son (H1121; ben), then he repeats the phrase saying he was planted by a spring, then Jacob changes the gender saying “branches” or daughters (H1323; bath from H1129 the feminine of H1121) “run over the wall” (Genesis 49:22). The metaphor is an agricultural one, describing the rapid growth of a very fruitful plant (cp. Deuteronomy 33:13-16). Nevertheless, this is not a description of Joseph’s descendants who received his tribal inheritance. Jacob is describing him according to the vision of Joseph in the last days (Genesis 49:1), when Christ will come (Genesis 49:10). Therefore, I cannot help but compare this prophecy with the prophecy concerning the spiritual children of Christ (Isaiah 54:1; cp. Galatians 4:27-30).
Next Jacob recalls that Joseph suffered at the hands of his brethren and the house of Potipher (cp. Genesis 49:23). Therefore, Jacob foretells that he will be persecuted in the last days, but his strength will be strengthened by the strength of the Mighty God of Jacob (Genesis 49:24). Moreover, Jacob goes on to describe the Lord in four more ways, in which each point to the manner in which God will help (spiritual) Joseph. In other words, Joseph/believing Israel will not only be strengthened by the Mighty God of Jacob, but will be led by his Shepherd and would be protected by his Rock (verse-24). Additionally, in the last days the God of his father will help Joseph/believing Israel through those troublesome times. Finally, the Almighty God will bless him with the blessings of heaven above, the blessings of the deep below, vis-à-vis bringing all of creation to serve him, as was intended from the beginning (Eden). In other words, the blessings of the breast and the womb, point to the abundance of children brought to the Lord through the Gospel and how they would be nourished by the milk of the word of God (Genesis 49:25).
Finally, Jacob sums the blessings up, saying these blessings of their father are greater than the blessings of the eternal mountains and those of the everlasting hills, vis-à-vis the great and powerful and the smaller and weaker nations of the world (Genesis 49:26). These blessings shall be upon Joseph/faithful Israel in the last days, who had been separated from his brethren because of his faithfulness to the Lord. In terms of Israel in its latter days, this points to Jews who believed in Jesus as their Messiah, and were separated from their brethren, who then were judged for their behavior in AD 70.
Benjamin, I believe, represents the nations’ reaction to the spiritual people of God in the last days (Genesis 49:27). He represents the wolf, the false prophet in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15), who would enter the assembly of the people of God, after the departure of the Lord’s original Apostles (Acts 20:29). The Lord sets his people in a very dangerous world (Matthew 10:16), but it is also such a world that he calls very good (Genesis 1:31). In such a world, we are able to understand what is good and what is evil, what is life and what is death, and what is lovely and what is not! It is through such a world that the children of God, the images of the Lord are derived.
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[1] Bigotry is never condemned in the Bible. However, the Law presents an interesting point, saying a man should not marry his wife’s sister in her lifetime (Leviticus 18:18), because such a thing causes rivalry and oppression among the sisters, according to the various translations of the verse. Leah’s and Rachel’s rivalry was something caused by Laban’s fraudulent behavior, not Jacob’s. Jacob openly labored for seven years to marry Rachel, not Leah (Genesis 29:20-21). Then to cover Laban’s fraud, he labored another seven years for Rachel (Genesis 29:25-30). No doubt, it was due to the rivalry among the sisters that caused the Lord to be merciful to Leah and held back his mercy from Rachel (cp. Genesis 29:31).
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