Genesis 49:16-18

“Dan will judge his people,
as one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan will be a serpent on the trail,
an adder in the path,
That bites the horse’s heels,
so that his rider falls backward.
I have waited for your salvation, Yahweh.

Jacob’s prophesy about Dan is another one that has application for Israel today. The name Dan means judge. Many years after these words, Israel was to have respected leaders, but those leaders would not end up taking Israel to greatness. As this prophesy says, those same leaders will be like a serpent on the trail that causes the nation to go backwards.

Unfortunately, the land of Dan did end up becoming an evil influence on the nation. Later in the Bible it discusses how one of Israel’s leaders set up two golden calf’s like the one that got them in such trouble with Moses. One of the calves was set up in the land of Dan. They ended up worshiping it instead of God. Instead of moving forward as God’s chosen people, the rider was thrown off and Israel went through many punishments.

Even to this day, many of the modern leaders have forgotten God and His promises to Israel. No leader has risen up that has been able to lead them to greatness other than the one that was rejected: Jesus the son of Joseph. The truth is, there is no king that can lead Israel properly except God Himself. In this way we are all like Israel here. We all are waiting for our salvation here on earth. As Christians, we have tasted the first part of our salvation already in our hearts, but on earth, we all wait for Jesus to take His kingdom.