Sons of the Maids: Genesis 49:16-21
Some people enjoy living a significant life, yet one outside the spotlight. Not everyone needs – or wants – to be the center of attention. Some people like going through life flying under the world’s radar.
Jacob moves on to the sons of Zilpah and Bilhah. The order makes sense, although there are some oddities. Leah produced the first sons, so Jacob started with them. Since Jacob started with Leah’s sons, he brought Issachar and Zebulun ahead of Gad, Asher, Dan, and Naphtali. Joseph and Benjamin came from his favorite wife – and they were born last – so it makes sense to save them for the end. We don’t know why Jacob placed Gad and Asher (Zilpah’s sons) between Dan and Naphtali (Bilhah’s sons) instead of using the birth order.
The epitaphs for the sons of the maids are remarkably short. These are Jacob’s fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth sons. They are the middle of the pack. They weren’t natural leaders because they weren’t the oldest. They wouldn’t have been memorable from being the last. They weren’t from a wife of Jacob but rather from a maid. These sons had events stacked against them from a memorability standpoint.
Jacob says Dan is like a serpent biting at the heels of a rider. He is indicating they will be known for their sneakiness and subtlety. This is true when they go to take the land of their inheritance. The people of Dan are unable to take the land given to them, and as a result they sneak into other land and claim it as their own. The people of Dan are also one of the two peoples who receive an idol to a false God when the kingdom of Israel splits away from Judah after Solomon’s reign.
Naphtali has a similar situation. When Jacob compares them a doe let loose, he is indicating their wild nature. When the people of Naphtali settle in the Promised Land, they will be more free-spirited and resist creating large cities full of population. The land of Naphtali becomes what we know as Galilee, creating the free-spirited locale Jesus uses as a stepping stone to His greater ministry.
Gad and Asher receive very short mentions, and their epitaph is very much like Issachar and Zebulun. These are tribes that will play their role, but they are very much a supporting role. Asher’s land is along the coast and will benefit from trade and receive rain coming off the Mediterranean Sea. Gad will forgo their inheritance and take land across the Jordan river, allowing them to be easily invaded.
What can be taken away from these epitaphs? Jacob’s treatment of these sons creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. They are easily overlooked and not indistinct from their brothers. They didn’t commit egregious sins to make them memorable, but neither did they perform significant acts to make them memorable. Some people enjoy living a significant life, yet one outside the spotlight.
