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Genesis 49:17 – Small Things
Small Things
Both success and failure begin the same way – small.
Two bookends of Genesis include both a prophecy of Jesus and of a son of Jacob, the latter ends with a cry for salvation (3:15; 49:17). Two components of each are:
1. Serpent
2. Heel
Now before your eyes glaze over, there will be spiritual applications essential to our wellbeing!
Genesis 3:15 is considered the first messianic prophecy. Immediately after the description of Dan as a serpent, Jacob/Israel makes a break from that to an announcement of waiting for God’s salvation.
• Genesis 3:14-15 – The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life; and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”
• Genesis 49:17 – “Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path, that bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward.
“For Your salvation I wait, O Lord.”
I don’t know how Dan as a serpent fits into the following Messianic prophecy, but it is interesting that close to the beginning and end of Genesis we have similar symbols. So let’s investigate!
According to NETS Notes,
“The comparison of the tribe of Dan to a venomous serpent is meant to say that Dan, though small, would be potent, gaining victory through its skill and shrewdness. Jewish commentators have linked the image in part with Samson. That link at least illustrates the point: Though a minority tribe, Dan would gain the upper hand over others.”
If this is a positive prophecy of Dan, then it shows the power of small things. God Himself warned,
Zechariah 4:10 (CSB) For who despises the day of small things? These seven eyes of the LORD, which scan throughout the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the ceremonial stone in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
With God, small beginnings, small steps, one decision, one day, can lead to God’s big blessings!
What if Jacob’s blessing was negative? Dan originally was a son, then a tribe, and later a city. The city of Dan became a center of “the sin of Jeroboam”, golden calf worship.
So, instead of something positive concerning Dan, if Jacob, also known as Israel, is foretelling of Dan’s sinister future, we can learn a certain valuable lesson: As a serpent is small but deadly, so often is our beginning descent into failure and sin. Ever hear someone say, “It’s not a big deal!”. Neither are snakes big comparative to horses…or men and women. “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” is a tremendous, memorable, valiant time within American history. Sadly, one small step into sin or just unwise decisions, can lead to one giant leap into falling away.
Be careful of small things that lead away from God. And yet, don’t despise small things that are God’s beginning of great blessings.
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