Bird's-eye view
In this brief but potent prophecy, the patriarch Jacob, speaking by the Holy Spirit from his deathbed, pronounces the destiny of his eighth son, Asher. The blessing is one of extraordinary material abundance and high quality. Asher’s inheritance in the Promised Land would be so fertile that his food would be "rich" or "fat," and the produce of his land would be of such exceptional quality as to be fit for a king. This is a straightforward prophecy of economic and agricultural prosperity. But as with all such Old Testament blessings, it is a shadow, a type, pointing to a greater spiritual reality. The material richness of Asher’s land is a picture of the spiritual richness of the inheritance we have in the gospel. The "royal dainties" he would produce prefigure the fruit of the Spirit that believers are to yield for the glory of our great King, Jesus Christ.
This verse, nestled within the broader context of Jacob’s prophecies for all twelve tribes, serves as a crucial piece of the covenant puzzle. It demonstrates that God's blessings are not abstract or ethereal; they have real-world, tangible consequences. At the same time, it reminds us not to terminate our vision on the material. The fatness of the land and the delicacies for kings are good things, but they are signposts pointing to the ultimate good, which is fellowship with God through His Son, the true Bread from Heaven.
Outline
- 1. The Prophetic Blessing of Asher (Gen 49:20)
- a. A Covenant of Richness (v. 20a)
- b. A People of Royal Quality (v. 20b)
Context In Genesis
Genesis 49 is a pivotal chapter in the entire Bible. Jacob, renamed Israel, is about to die, and he gathers his twelve sons to tell them what will befall them "in the last days" (Gen 49:1). This is not mere fatherly advice; it is inspired, patriarchal prophecy. These words set the trajectory for the twelve tribes that will constitute the nation of Israel. Each prophecy is tailored, reflecting the character of the son and foretelling the character and destiny of the tribe that would descend from him. Some blessings are mixed with rebukes (like Reuben, Simeon, and Levi), while others are overwhelmingly positive. Asher’s blessing falls into this latter category. It comes after the prophecies for Leah’s sons and before the prophecies for Rachel’s sons, a short, bright promise of prosperity that contributes to the larger portrait of God's multifaceted blessings upon His covenant people as they prepare to inherit the land He promised to Abraham.
Key Issues
- The Nature of Patriarchal Prophecy
- The Connection Between Land and Covenant Blessing
- "Rich Food" as a Type of Gospel Substance
- "Royal Dainties" as a Metaphor for Christian Fruitfulness
- The Historical Fulfillment in the Tribe of Asher
The Happy and Prosperous Tribe
It is no accident that the son named Asher receives this particular blessing. The name Asher means "happy" or "blessed." When he was born, his mother Leah declared, "Happy am I! For women have called me happy" (Gen 30:13). The prophecy Jacob delivers is therefore a confirmation and an expansion of his name. The tribe of Asher would be a happy tribe, a blessed tribe, because they would be a prosperous tribe. Their happiness was not to be a detached emotional state, but one grounded in the tangible goodness of God expressed through the fertility of their assigned portion of the Promised Land.
This is a foundational principle of biblical economics and covenant faithfulness. God's blessings are holistic. While the prosperity gospel preachers of our day have twisted this into a crass, individualistic consumerism, we must not react by swinging to a gnostic spirituality that despises material blessing. God made the world good, and when His people are faithful, He often blesses them with material abundance. The key is to see this abundance not as an end in itself, but as a tool for the kingdom and a taste of the greater spiritual realities of the gospel. Asher's rich food was a foretaste of the Bread of Life, and his royal dainties were a preview of the good works prepared for us to walk in, offered up to our King.
Verse by Verse Commentary
20 “As for Asher, his food shall be rich,
The prophecy begins by identifying the source of Asher's blessing: his food, his bread, his sustenance. The Hebrew word for "rich" is shemen, which literally means fat or oily. It is frequently translated as "oil," and for good reason. The territory later allotted to the tribe of Asher, along the Mediterranean coast in the northern part of Canaan, was renowned for its olive groves. Olive oil was a staple of the ancient world's economy; it was food, fuel, medicine, and a cosmetic. To have an abundance of it was to be truly wealthy. So Jacob is prophesying that Asher's inheritance will be exceedingly fertile, producing the highest quality staples. This is a direct covenantal blessing. The land is not inherently fat on its own; it is fat because God has decreed a blessing upon it for this particular tribe. This is a picture of the gospel. Our spiritual food in Christ is not thin or watery gruel. It is rich, it is fat, it is substantial. It is the deep, satisfying nourishment of the forgiveness of sins, justification by faith, and adoption into the family of God.
And he will yield royal dainties.
The blessing moves from quantity and substance to supreme quality. Asher will not just produce staple crops; he will produce luxuries. The phrase "royal dainties" speaks of delicacies, choice foods fit for presentation at a king's court. This implies that Asher's produce would be so exceptional that it would become a valuable export, sought after by monarchs. The tribe would not simply be self sufficient; it would be economically powerful, contributing to the wealth and influence of the entire nation of Israel. This is the outworking of the blessing. True gospel richness in a believer's life does not terminate on itself. It produces something of value for others, and ultimately, for the King. The fruit of the Spirit, the good works done in faith, the worship we offer, the families we build, the culture we create, these are the "royal dainties" that we, as a royal priesthood, are called to yield. They are not the grim products of slavish duty, but the delightful, excellent, and beautiful results of a life saturated in the richness of God's grace.
Application
The prophecy concerning Asher is a beautiful illustration of the Christian life. We, like Asher, have been given a rich inheritance. Ours is not a plot of coastal land, but "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Eph 1:3). Our name is Asher, for we are the truly happy and blessed ones, having been redeemed from sin and death.
First, we must feed on the richness of our inheritance. We must not live as though we are spiritually impoverished. The gospel is not a meager meal; it is a feast of fat things. We should be people who are deeply satisfied, whose souls are well-nourished by the Word of God and the realities of our union with Christ. A spiritually anorexic Christian is a contradiction in terms.
Second, this internal richness must produce external excellence. Our lives are to yield "royal dainties." This applies to everything. In our work, we should aim for a quality that is fit for a king. In our families, we should cultivate relationships of such love and grace that they are a delicacy to behold. In our worship, we should offer God not our leftover scraps, but the first and best of our art, our music, and our praise. The world is starving for something true, good, and beautiful. As the blessed people of God, nourished by the fatness of the gospel, we are the ones called to provide it, not for our own glory, but for the glory of the King who has blessed us so richly.