The Watery Strength of Man: The Forfeited Blessing of Reuben Text: Genesis 49:3-4
Introduction: The Weight of a Father's Words
We come now to the last days of Jacob. The old patriarch, who wrestled with God and with men and prevailed, is now on his deathbed. And as is fitting for a patriarch, he gathers his twelve sons around him, not to offer sentimental platitudes, but to speak prophetically. These are not just the fond farewells of a dying father; they are inspired declarations that will shape the destiny of nations. What Jacob says here, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is what will befall his sons "in the last days." This is covenantal history being written in advance.
We must understand the nature of a patriarchal blessing in this era. It was not a Hallmark card sentiment. It was a word of power, a shaping word, a word that effected what it declared. When Isaac blessed Jacob, he could not take it back, even when he discovered the deception. These words from Jacob's mouth are heavy with the authority of God. They are both a verdict on the past and a prophecy for the future. And as is always the case in Scripture, character is destiny.
The first to step forward is the firstborn, Reuben. By all natural rights, by every cultural expectation, Reuben should receive the preeminent blessing. The birthright, which included a double portion of the inheritance and the leadership of the family, was his. He was the beginning of Jacob's strength, the firstfruits of his manhood. Everything was lined up for him to be the head, the leader, the one through whom the great promises to Abraham would flow. But as we have seen time and again in Genesis, God's purposes are not bound by our natural expectations. God is constantly subverting the human order of primogeniture to show that His grace, not our station, is what matters. He chose Isaac, not Ishmael. He chose Jacob, not Esau. And here, we see the scepter is about to slip from the hand of the firstborn yet again.
Reuben's story is a profound warning. It is a story of great potential and great failure. It is a story of how one defining act of sin, one moment of uncontrolled passion, can have consequences that echo for centuries. It teaches us that talent, position, and strength are nothing if not submitted to the discipline of God. Reuben had it all, and he threw it all away.
The Text
"Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might and the beginning of my vigor, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in strength. Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it, he went up to my couch."
(Genesis 49:3-4 LSB)
Potential and Preeminence (v. 3)
Jacob begins by stating exactly what Reuben's position was by right of birth.
"Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might and the beginning of my vigor, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in strength." (Genesis 49:3)
This is a magnificent description of the firstborn's privilege. "My firstborn." This is the position of honor. "My might and the beginning of my vigor." The first son was seen as the purest expression of his father's strength in his prime. There is a raw power acknowledged here. Jacob is not downplaying what Reuben was. He is establishing the height from which he fell.
"Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in strength." The Hebrew speaks of an excellency, a rising up above the others. Reuben had the rank, the honor, the raw capacity for leadership. He was born to it. If the twelve tribes were to be ranked by natural human giftedness and position, Reuben would be at the top. He had the pole position. Everything was his to lose.
This is the "before" picture. This is the blueprint of what should have been. In a world without sin, or in a life of simple faithfulness, this verse would have been the foundation of Reuben's blessing. But sin does not leave things as they should be. Sin twists, mars, and ruins. And so, the very next word from Jacob's mouth is a devastating "but." The hinge upon which Reuben's entire destiny turns is a catastrophic failure of character.
Passion and Forfeiture (v. 4)
And here is the verdict. The promise is stated, and then immediately rescinded. The blessing is turned into a curse.
"Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it, he went up to my couch." (Genesis 49:4 LSB)
The very thing that should have been his strength, his vigor, was the source of his downfall. "Uncontrolled as water." The image is one of reckless, boiling, unstable passion. Water is powerful, but without banks, it is a destructive flood. It has no shape of its own. It is easily moved, turbulent, and cannot be relied upon. This is Jacob's assessment of his son's character. For all his strength, he was unstable. He lacked self-government. And a man who cannot govern himself cannot govern his family, let alone a nation.
Because of this instability, the sentence is pronounced: "you shall not have preeminence." The very thing he was born to, the excellency and dignity, is stripped from him. The birthright is forfeited. And why? Jacob is brutally specific. "Because you went up to your father's bed; Then you defiled it."
The incident is recorded almost as a footnote back in Genesis 35:22. After Rachel's death, "Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it." At the time, Jacob said nothing. He absorbed the blow, the ultimate act of disrespect, the treacherous violation of his honor and his bed. But he did not forget. For years, this sin lay dormant, but now, on his deathbed, it is brought out into the light as the reason for Reuben's dispossession. This was not just a sexual sin; it was a power play. In the ancient world, to take a man's concubine was to make a claim on his throne, on his authority. Think of Absalom with David's concubines. Reuben's act was a grasping for power and pleasure, a complete contempt for his father's authority.
He "defiled" his father's couch. The sin created a stain, a pollution that could not be ignored. Sins have consequences. We live in a sentimental age that wants to believe that if we feel bad about something, the consequences should just evaporate. But the Word of God teaches us that we reap what we sow. Reuben sowed to his flesh, and from the flesh he reaped corruption. He gratified a momentary passion and in doing so, he forfeited his entire inheritance. The tribe of Reuben never amounted to anything significant in Israel's history. No judge, no king, no prophet ever came from Reuben. They were a middling tribe that settled on the wrong side of the Jordan and faded into obscurity. They were unstable as water.
The Gospel Over the Watery Grave
The story of Reuben is a grim one. It is a picture of squandered grace, of potential poured out on the ground like water. It is a warning to every one of us, particularly to men. You may have strength, you may have gifts, you may have a position of leadership, but if you do not have self-control under the authority of God, you will become a flood that destroys everything in its path, including yourself.
Sexual sin is never a private matter. Reuben's sin was a public, tribal, and historical disaster. It defiled his father's house and disqualified him from leadership. We must see that our lusts are not little peccadilloes. They are idolatrous rebellions against the order God has established, and they carry with them the seeds of our own ruin.
But this is not the end of the story. Reuben's failure is part of a much larger narrative, the story of God's redemption. Reuben, the firstborn, failed. Simeon and Levi, the next in line, are disqualified for their murderous rage, as we will see. And so the blessing, the promise of the scepter, passes down to the fourth son, Judah. It is from Judah that the line of kings will come. It is from Judah that the Lion will come. It is from Judah that the Messiah will come.
God's purposes are not thwarted by our sin. He writes straight with crooked lines. Reuben's failure becomes the backdrop for God's sovereign grace in choosing Judah. This is a profound comfort. Our failures, as devastating as they are, do not derail God's ultimate plan. He is not wringing his hands in heaven when we sin. He incorporates our sin into His story, a story that ends with His glory and our redemption.
And what is the answer to Reuben's watery instability? It is the Rock. It is Christ. Where Reuben was a boiling flood, Christ is the Rock of Ages. Where Reuben defiled a bed, Christ presents His bride, the Church, as a pure virgin. Where Reuben grasped for power, Christ emptied Himself and took the form of a servant. The birthright that Reuben forfeited is given to the true Firstborn from the dead, Jesus Christ, who is preeminent in all things.
Reuben's story shows us the futility of human strength. Our might, our vigor, our dignity, our power, are all like churning water, ready to overflow the banks at any moment. Our only hope is to be built upon the Rock that is higher than ourselves. Our only hope is to have our defilement washed away, not by water, but by the blood of the Lamb. Reuben lost the preeminence, but in Christ, we who have no claim to preeminence at all are made co-heirs with Him, seated with Him in the heavenly places. The story of Reuben's failure is a dark thread, but it is woven into the glorious tapestry that displays the surprising and unmerited grace of God.