“Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together and hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel your father.” (Genesis 49:1-2)
Benjamin is Rachel’s second son, Jacob’s second son with Rachel (his first wife), and Jacob’s twelfth son in birth order.
“Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf; in the morning he shall devour his prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.” (Genesis 49:27)
Benjamin is the youngest son in birth order within Jacob’s family. He grew up among some very selfish half-brothers; half-brothers that we know were more than willing to kill to get what they wanted. As a result, he took things. Most likely the things that he took were actually his, but were claimed by Jacob’s second family because these men were born first and not last. Joseph was not there to confide in or to protect him. His mother died and most likely it was Leah that took care of him. We know that she too was very selfish and wanted Jacob for herself. As a result, this young man grew up in very confusing circumstances.
In looking at Jacob’s family and even Abraham’s family, the most important lesson to learn here is that it is best for a man to have one wife and one wife only. Simple families are much less stressful than complex families. But the only way for a man to keep his generations perfect and to keep his family together even after his death is to keep his first family first. Jacob was not able to do this. He was not the one that eliminated his first family from his life. It was Joseph’s half brothers that eliminated Joseph, the cornerstone of their father’s family. For this reason, Jacob was able to come back to his father. It is an unfortunate situation when a man eliminates the children of his first wife in order to move in with and marry another woman. In this situation, the father is the one that has divided his own family. This decision is very damaging to the man’s family and to the children of his first family. In this scenario, the man is purposely putting his second family first and his first family last! This is backward in God’s family plan. Save the first family!
The Step-Father's Step-Son 