Shadowland: Beginnings

Shadowland: Beginnings: Week 58

Genesis 49

Jacob's Prophecy - the Sons of Rachel

49:22 "run over the wall" - Joshua!
49:24 "from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel" - first mention of Christ as "the stone". This implies that the Bethel Stone had been brought to Egypt, was what Jacob leaned upon in 47:31, was in view of the brothers in this final blessing, and was given to Joseph as an inheritance.
49:27 "ravin as a wolf" - those that look only at this include anti-paulite sects such as "Jesus words only", believing that Jesus' warning of ravening wolves (pl) refers to the Benjamite Paul (sg). But then Moses prophecies this: "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders."
"divide the spoil" - those focusing on this emphasize the extroardinary team spirit exhibited by Benjamin throughout its history - for both good and evil ends. Beyond that, Benjamin is still opaque to me.
Saul was of Benjamin, and began the judgement on the Amalekites. Mordecai was of Benjamin, and completed the judgement.

The History of the Shepherd Stone

As Paul confirms in 1 Corinthians 10, Israel brought the Bethel Stone with them from Egypt and on their wanderings, until it was restored to Bethel.

Genesis 28:11-19 - the Bethel Stone.
Genesis 47:31, Hebrews 11:12
Joshua 16 - the Bethel Stone is Joseph's inheritance.
Exodus 17:6 "strike the rock"
Numbers 20:8 "speak to the rock"
2 Kings 11:14 "the king (Joash) stood by the pillar". The KJV says "a pillar", but the Hebrew is הָעַמּ֜וּד - the pillar.
2 Kings 23:2-4 "the king (Josiah) stood by the pillar".

The Shepherd Stone as a type of Christ

Genesis 28:18 "and poured oil on the top of it" - Jacob anoints the stone making it the Anointed One among stones.
Zechariah 13:7 "Smite the Shepherd and the sheep will scatter."
Psalm 95:1 "Let us sing unto the Rock of our salvation"
1 Corinthians 10:4 "They drank from that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ."

A Detour into Arthurian Legend

Like the Ark of the Covenant, the Shepherd Stone is lost to Biblical history until its fulfillment in Christ. Like the Ark, there are many speculative continuations of its history. The most famous is the British Israelites, who say that the Bethel stone was brought to Ireland by the tribe of Joseph (see Deuteronomy 33:17), and is the coronation stone of Britain. In describing it the London Sun on June 28th, 1837 said,

...Between the seat and this board is enclosed a stone, commonly called Jacob's, or the fatal Marble, Stone, which is an oblong of about twenty-two inches in length, thirteen inches broad and eleven inches deep; of a steel color, mixed with some veins of red. History relates that it is the stone whereon the patriarch Jacob laid his head in the plains of Luz.
...
this stone was conveyed into Ireland by way of Spain about 700 years before Christ. From there it was taken into Scotland by King Fergus, about 370 years later; and n the year 350 B. C., it was placed in the abbey of Scone, by King Kenneth, who caused a prophetical verse to be engraved upon it, of which the following is a translation: "'Should fate not fail, where'er this stone is found, The Scots shall monarch of that realm be crowned.

The inscription is an excerpt of this verse recorded by Sir Walter Scott:

Unless the fates are faithless grown,
And prophet's voice be vain,
Where'er is found this sacred stone
The Wanderers' Race shall reign.