Sunday, June 18, 2006

Genesis 49

Jacob Blesses His Sons and Prophesies about Each One's Future


(1) Then Jacob called together all his sons and said, "Gather around me, and I will tell you what is going to happen to you in the days to come*.


   All of Jacob's sons were alive - including Joseph, who he had thought dead for years, and Benjamin, who, he feared, would die in Egypt.


*days to come: We don't normally think of Jacob as a prophet, but the Holy Spirit showed him the future of his descendants. His discourse is organized according to the birth order of his sons with the respective mother. Leah's six sons come first in the order of their births, except that Zebulun precedes Issachar. Next are the children of the two concubines, the children of Bilhah and Zippah: Dan, Gad, Asher and Naphtali. Finally, are the children of Rachel - Joseph and Benjamin. Jacob curses the oldest three sons, Reuben, Simeon and Levi. The dying words of a man were considered to have powerful effect on the future.


(2) "Come and listen, O sons of Jacob; listen to Israel, your father.


(3) "Reuben*, you are my oldest son, the child of my vigorous youth. You are first on the list in rank and honor.


*Reuben, son of Leah (Genesis 29:32), was the first-born but he forfeited the birthright. Reuben would have, as the eldest, taken his place closest to his father, on one side of the bed.


(4) But you are as unruly as the waves of the sea*, and you will be first no longer**. For you slept with one of my wives***; you dishonored me in my own bed.


*unruly as the waves of the sea means ‘unstable, uncontrolled, frothing over’.


**first no longer: The birthright double portion of the eldest was taken from him and given to Joseph.


***slept with one of my wives (Bilhah): Genesis 35:22. Bilhah was the mother of Dan and Naphtali. Jacob never mentioned it until now. The tribe of Reuben never furnished a leader of any kind for Israel as a whole. The Reubenites were the first tribe to ask for a place to settle, not waiting to cross the Jordan with the others (Numbers 32).


   Reuben had his good points. He had tried to save Joseph and at least saved him from death, although he was not strong enough, even as the oldest, to stand up to his brothers. He was the one who was concerned about Simeon and wanted to go back for him, but he failed to persuade Jacob to let him take Benjamin. It was Judah who was firm and later succeeded.


   God has by-passed the firstborn several times: Seth over Cain, Shem over Japheth, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Judah and Joseph over Reuben, Moses over Aaron, David over all of his brothers.


(5) "Simeon* and Levi** are two of a kind-- men of violence.


   Simeon and Levi demonstrated their violence when they led their men against Shechem having disabled the inhabitants by convincing them to be circumcised (Genesis 34). They were two of four full brothers to Dinah, but Reuben and Judah did not join with them in their blood vengeance, although later joining in the general destruction of the city. They were merciless.


*Simeon: The tribe of Simeon later combines with Judah as the weaker of the two tribes (Joshua 19.9) is never mentioned after the Exile (except in the list in Revelation 7). The tribe of Simeon started out from Egypt being the third largest tribe (Numbers 1:23), but some 35 years later, at the second wilderness census of Israel, 63% of the tribe perished and they became the smallest tribe (Numbers 26:14).



**Levi: The tribe of Levi, as priests, received no specific allotment of land, only selected cities dispersed throughout Canaan.


(6) O my soul, stay away from them. May I never be a party to their wicked plans. For in their anger they murdered men*, and they crippled oxen just for sport**.


*murdered men: Killed the Shechemites in chapter 34. Jacob has nothing good to say about Simeon and Levi. It seems that they were violent and cruel all their lives. We saw some of this in the episode concerning Dinah, when they took revenge upon the whole town of Shechem, by killing every man in the town, because their sister Dinah had been seduced (Genesis 34). Also, many commentators think that Simeon was the ringleader in the persecution of Joseph, since Joseph chose Simeon to remain in prison while his brothers returned to Canaan to bring Benjamin to Egypt (see Genesis 42:24).


**just for sport: They tortured the animals before killing them by cutting the tendons in their legs. This may have been another of the "bad reports" that Joseph delivered to Jacob about his brothers.


(7) Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; cursed be their wrath, for it is cruel. Therefore, I will scatter* their descendants throughout the nation of Israel.


*scatter: What is predicted here is a division of their tribes. Most commentators see here an anticipation of Levi being in every area but not their own. That may be part of it, but not entirely what the curse intended. These tribes for their ruthless cruelty would be eliminated from the power and prestige of leadership.


   The punishment for their cruelty is that they will be "scattered in Jacob" and "dispersed in Israel". This prophecy was fulfilled for both tribes, but in a different way for each. The tribe of Simeon was allotted land within the territory of the tribe of Judah (Joshua 19), so they were "scattered in Jacob" in this way. The tribe of Levi was not given its own territory. Instead, the Levites became the priests for the Israelites, and so they were given towns within the territories of each of the other tribes (Joshua 21).


(8) "Judah*, your brothers will praise** you. You will defeat your enemies. All your relatives will bow before you.


*Judah wasn't a completely exemplary character. He suggested a profit motive in getting rid of Joseph (Genesis 37:26). He did not deal faithfully with his daughter-in-law Tamar (Genesis 38:26), and he had sex with her as a prostitute (Genesis 38:18). But he did shine when he interceded and offered himself as a substitute for Joseph (Genesis 44:18-34). Overall, this blessing is an example of the riches of God’s grace. Jewish tradition says after Judah heard what Jacob had to say to Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, he was afraid because of the evil he did.


**praise: The prophecy, "your brothers will praise you", was partially fulfilled by David and Solomon. However, the kings of Judah were not, by and large, worthy of praise. This prophecy primarily points to Messiah.


(9) Judah* is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion** he crouches and lies down; like a lioness--who will dare to rouse him?


*Judah: There is a word play here; the name Judah (yÿhudah) sounds in Hebrew like the verb translated praise (yodukha). The wordplay serves to draw attention to the statement as having special significance. Judah should be the royal tribe, the tribe from which Messiah the Prince should come. Jacob at a great distance saw Christ's day.


**lion: Jesus is called the "Lion of the tribe of Judah" in Revelation 5:5.


(10) The scepter* will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs**, the one whom all nations will obey.


*scepter: Hebrew - chaqaq - the symbol of rulership. The rulers of Israel, including the King of Kings, were to come through Judah. Judah did not actually receive the "scepter" of leadership for over 640 years after Jacob's prophecy. Once David became king, however, Judah was the dominant tribe from then on.


**the one to whom it belongs: Or until tribute is brought to him and the peoples obey; traditionally rendered "until Shiloh comes". Refers to Messiah. Shiloh means "sent" or "the one who brings peace". The promised seed (Genesis 3:15) would come through Judah. Isaiah 9:6.


   In 7 A.D., a Roman procurator named Caponius was set up to oversee Israel. He restricted the rights of the Sanhedrin to administer justice. In other words, in 7 A.D., "the scepter" departed from Judah. The reaction to this by the Jews was recorded in the Talmud: "When the members of the Sanhedrin found themselves deprived of their right over life and death, a general consternation took possession of them: they covered their heads with ashes, and their bodies with sackcloth, exclaiming, 'Woe unto us for the scepter has departed from Judah and the Messiah has not come.'" What they did not realize was that the Messiah had indeed come. Jesus was at that very moment living in Nazareth as a young man.


   King David was the first descendent of Judah to attain the scepter of leadership among the tribes of Israel, and the divine promises were clear that Messiah would be in David’s lineage. That Jesus’ legal father, Joseph, and human mother, Mary, were both in that lineage was shown in the genealogies of Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38, respectively, both of which were written when the genealogical records in the Temple were still intact. No one at that time ever questioned their validity, in spite of intense opposition by the Jews to the claims of Jesus and His disciples. In 70 A.D., the records and the Temple were destroyed, so that no later claimant to the title could ever prove his right to the throne. Messiah had come, and was slain, so the scepter departed from Judah until He comes again.


   “The scepter” was then held by Judah for a thousand years, until Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. Jesus’ parents were both of Judah, both of the line of David, with both the legal and spiritual right to David’s throne. But then, just 70 years after His birth, “the scepter” (that is leadership over the twelve tribes) departed from Judah, with the worldwide dispersion of Israel, and no man since has ever held that right. It is still retained by Jesus, and will be reclaimed and exercised when He returns. In the meantime, the prophecy stands as an unchallengeable identification of Jesus as the promised Messiah. Ancient Jewish commentators all recognized “Shiloh” as a name for Messiah. Since the scepter has already departed, Shiloh has already come. When He returns, His people will, indeed, finally be gathered together “unto Him.” - Bible.org: http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=1024


(11) He ties his foal to a grapevine, the colt of his donkey to a choice vine. He washes his clothes in wine because his harvest is so plentiful.


(12) His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.


   The rest of the prophecy seems to be referring to the second coming of Chris t.. This is similar to others prophecies in the Bible describing the wrath of God that will come in the end times: Who is this who comes from Edom, from the city of Bozrah, with his clothing stained red? Who is this in royal robes, marching in the greatness of his strength? "It is I, the LORD, announcing your salvation! It is I, the LORD, who is mighty to save!" Why are your clothes so red, as if you have been treading out grapes? "I have trodden the winepress alone; no one was there to help me. In my anger I have trampled my enemies as if they were grapes. In my fury I have trampled my foes. It is their blood that has stained my clothes. (Isaiah 63:1-3); and also He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. (Revelation 19:13).


(13) "Zebulun* will settle on the shores of the sea and will be a harbor for ships; his borders will extend to Sidon.


   Jacob now skipped the birth order, moving to the tenth-born and ninth-born sons, but staying with the sons born of Leah.


*Zebulun: This was fulfilled when, in the allotment of land that the tribe of Zebulun received, which bordered the sea of Galilee. The ports of Zebulun were a "harbor" or "haven" for the boats from the sometimes fierce storms that would blow on the sea of Galilee.


Matthew 4:12-16: When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. But instead of going to Nazareth, he went to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy:
"In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River--
in Galilee where so many Gentiles live--
the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined."


   The tribe of Zebulun was noted for its faithfulness to David, supplying the largest number of soldiers to David’s army of any single tribe.


(14) "Issachar is a strong beast of burden, resting among the sheepfolds.


(15) When he sees how good the countryside is, how pleasant the land, he will bend his shoulder to the task and submit to forced labor.


   Issachar was a large tribe - third in size according to the Numbers 26 census. The land allotted to Issachar was a "pleasant" land. The prophecy seems to indicate that Issachar, seeing how pleasant the land is, and not wanting to be removed from it, would be willing to "submit to forced labor", rather than fight for the land. We may find a subtle indication of the fulfillment of this prophecy in Judges 1, where the battles of some of the tribes are described, as the tribes tried to supplant the Canaanites and take possession of the land God had given them. In Judges 1:27-36, the battles of (among others) Zebulun, Manasseh and Asher are mentioned. However, there is nothing mentioned here about Issachar, even though the territory of Zebulun, Manasseh and Asher surround the territory of Issachar. It is quite possible that the tribe of Issachar "submitted to forced labor" instead of battle for the land.


(16) "Dan* will govern his people like any other tribe in Israel.


*Dan was a troublesome tribe. They introduced idolatry into Israel (Judges 18:30). Jeroboam set up one of his idolatrous golden calves in Dan (1 Kings 12:26-30) and later Dan became a center of idol worship in Israel (Amos 8:14). The Beta Israel, a group of Jews living in Ethiopia which was isolated from Israel until the 19th century, claim to be descendants of the Tribe of Dan, though it is not clear how they got there.


(17) He will be a snake beside the road, a poisonous viper* along the path, that bites the horse's heels so the rider is thrown off.


*poisonous viper: Some think this refers to the idea that the Antichrist comes from the tribe of Dan (based on Daniel 11:37 and Jeremiah 8:16). Dan is left out of the listing of tribes regarding the 144,000 in Revelation 7:5-8, but was replaced by the tribe of Manasseh. Bu, Dan is the first tribe listed in Ezekiel’s millennial roll call of the tribes (Ezekiel 48). This is a remarkable sign of God’s redemption.


(18) I trust in you for salvation, O LORD!


   The salvation he waited for was Christ, the promised seed, whom he had spoken of in verse 10. The salvation he waited for was also heaven, the better country, which he declared plainly that he sought (Hebrews 11:13-14), and continued seeking, now that he was in Egypt. Now that he is going to enjoy the salvation he comforts himself that he had waited for the salvation. The Hebrew word for salvation is “yeshuwah.” At this point in the prophecy, when Jacob is so near death, he called out for God’s salvation. He called out for Jesus.


(19) "Gad* will be plundered by marauding bands, but he will turn and plunder them.


*Gad: In Hebrew, the name "Gad" sounds like the words translated “raided” and “marauding bands”. Jacob foresees the character of that tribe, that it should be a warlike tribe, and so we find (1 Chronicles 12: 8) that the Gadites were men of war fit for the battle. Gad was Jacob's 7th son, by Zilpah, and was Asher's brother. Elijah was a Gadite (1 Kings 17:1).


(20) "Asher will produce rich foods, food fit for kings.


   Asher settled in the Northern part of Israel - Mt. Lebanon to the Mediterranean. The tribe of Asher, in contrast to the other tribes, kept the Passover (2 Chronicles 30:1,10,11). Deuteronomy 33:24: Moses said this about the tribe of Asher: "May Asher be blessed above other sons; may he be esteemed by his brothers; may he bathe his feet in olive oil."


(21) "Naphtali is a deer let loose, producing magnificent fawns.


   Naphtali was Jacob's 5th son, the 2nd born to him by Rachel's handmaid, Bilhah. He was Dan's full brother. Naphtali has clearly been the surprise among the brothers. He is like a trapped hind which has been let loose, in that he has moved from being merely the quiet one to becoming a teacher of wisdom (see Proverbs 15.26; 16.24). Wisdom teaching was well established in Egypt.


(22) "Joseph* is a fruitful tree a fruitful tree beside a fountain. His branches reach over the wall.


*Joseph: His name means "may he add sons". He was Rachel's first child. As we've reviewed before, he was in over 100 ways a type of Christ. Jacob reminds him of the difficulties and fiery darts of temptations he had formerly struggled through. His faith did not fail, but through his trials he bore all his burdens with firmness, and did not do anything unbecoming. All our strength for resisting temptations, and bearing afflictions, comes from God; his grace is sufficient. Joseph became the shepherd of Israel, to take care of his father and family. Jacob blessed all his sons, but especially Joseph. Joshua, Deborah, Gideon and Jephthah were descendants of Joseph.


(23) He has been attacked by archers, who shot at him and harassed him.


(24) But his bow remained strong, and his arms were strengthened by the Mighty One* of Jacob, the Shepherd**, the Rock*** of Israel.


*Mighty One: El Shaddai


**Shepherd: 1st time God is actually called the Shepherd. Psalm 23:1 -The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need.


***Rock: 1st time God is actually called the Stone or the Rock. Deuteronomy 32:4 - He is the Rock; his work is perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is! John 10:11 - I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.


   In his words about Joseph, Jacob listed five great titles for God. These titles show that Jacob did come to an understanding of who God is:



  • The Mighty God of Jacob

  • The Shepherd

  • The Rock of Israel

  • The God of your father

  • The Almighty


   This is much better than when Jacob referred to God as the God of Abraham or the Fear of his father Isaac (Genesis 31:53). Now he knows who God is for himself.


(25) May the God of your ancestors help you; may the Almighty bless you with the blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the earth beneath, and blessings of the breasts and womb.


(26) May the blessings of your ancestors be greater than the blessings of the eternal mountains, reaching to the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills. These blessings will fall on the head of Joseph, who is a prince among his brothers.


(27) "Benjamin* is a wolf** that prowls. He devours his enemies in the morning, and in the evening he divides the plunder."


*Benjamin: King Saul, the first king of Israel, was a Benjamite. Paul was of this tribe, Romans 11:1; Philippians 3:5. All of the apostles were Benjamites except Judas Iscariot. Ehud the second judge, Saul the first king, Esther and Mordecai were Benjamites. Benjamin was Jacob's youngest son and his name meant "son of the right hand".


**wolf: To a shepherd, the wolf was a dreaded but awesome sight. He ate in the morning and was himself satisfied and then in the evening he provided extra for his young. Benjamin will be successful in all his efforts, providing for himself and for his children. The picture is not necessarily derogatory. Men liked to be thought of in terms of fierce beasts. This was the tribe with a reputation for fierceness. To see the great extent of this, look at Ehud (Judges 3:15-23), Saul (1 Samuel 9:1, 14:47-52), and Paul (Acts 8:1-3). The cruelty of the tribe in general is seen in Judges 19 and 20.


   The tribe of Benjamin at the Exodus was the next to the smallest (Numbers 1:36-1:37; Psalms 68:27). During the march its place was along with Manasseh and Ephraim on the west of the tabernacle. At the entrance into Canaan it counted 45,600 warriors. It has been inferred by some from the words of Jacob that the figure of a wolf was on the tribal standard. This tribe is mentioned in Epistle to the Romans 11:1 and Philippians 3:5. The inheritance of this tribe lay immediately to the south of that of Ephraim, and was about 26 miles in length and 12 in breadth. Its eastern boundary was the Jordan. Dan intervened between it and the Philistines. Its chief towns are named in Josh. 18:21-28. The history of the tribe contains a sad record of a desolating civil war in which they were engaged with the other eleven tribes; they were almost exterminated (Judges 20:20, 21; 21:10). A close alliance was formed between this tribe and that of Judah in the time of David (2 Samuel 19:16, 17), which continued after his death (1 Kings 11:13; 12:20). After the Exile, these two tribes formed the great body of the Jewish nation (Ezra 1:5; 10:9), and to this day the other ten are referred to as the lost tribes of Israel. The gate of Benjamin, on the north side of Jerusalem, was so called because it led in the direction of the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.


(28) These are the twelve tribes* of Israel, and these are the blessings** with which Jacob*** blessed his twelve sons. Each received a blessing that was appropriate to him.


*twelve tribes of Israel: This is the first use of this full phrase (only used elsewhere in Exodus 24:4; Ezekiel 47:13).


**blessings: Though Reuben, Simeon, and Levi were put under the marks of their father's displeasure, yet he is said to bless them every one according to his blessing; for none of them were rejected as Esau was.


***Jacob: Hebrew Israel.




Image from http://www.ebibleteacher.com


(29) Then Jacob told them, "Soon I will die*. Bury me with my father and grandfather in the cave in Ephron's field.


*die: Literally, will be gathered unto my people. Though Jacob is now in Egypt, he knew he was not an Egyptian. He was a son of the promise, an heir of God’s covenant with Abraham, and he will be buried in the land promised to Abraham by covenant.


(30) This is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a permanent burial place.


Genesis 47:27-31; 48:21-22.


   Egypt was filled with magnificent tombs, and because of the respect Jacob had he could have been buried like a Pharaoh. But he wanted to be buried in an obscure cave in Canaan, because Canaan was the land of promise.


(31) There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried. There Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, are buried. And there I buried Leah.


(32) It is the cave that my grandfather Abraham bought from the Hittites."


   He was afraid that his sons, after 17 years in Egypt, had forgotten Canaan, and even the burying-place of their ancestors there. Notice that Jacob gave very specific instructions to his sons for his burial. He didn't just say, "Bury me in the promised land." He told them exactly where. Jacob did not want just an empty promise from his sons. It was very important to Jacob to be buried with his forefathers Abraham and Isaac. God is called, many times, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And so, it is fitting that these three patriarchs be buried together. After Jacob's death, these three belonged to the past, and yet, their burial together in the promised land pointed very much to the future. God had directly promised each of them--Abraham (see Genesis 15:18), Isaac (see Genesis 26:3), and Jacob (see Genesis 28:13)--that their descendants would be given the promised land. And so, Jacob's desire to be buried in the promised land can be seen as Jacob staking a continued claim to the promised land.


(33) Then when Jacob had finished this charge to his sons, he lay back in the bed, breathed his last, and died*.


*died: Literally, was gathered unto his people - at the age of 147. Jacob is aware now that death is close. He will now join those who have gone before, and he longs to be buried with them. The phrase will be gathered unto my people did not refer to the burial of Jacob's body, but the afterlife of his soul. At this point, Jacob had not been buried. However, as soon as he died, he was gathered to his people. And so, even those in Old Testament times knew that there is an afterlife.


   When he had finished both his blessing and his charge, and so had finished his testimony, he addressed himself to his dying work. He freely gave up his spirit into the hand of God, the Father of spirits. Jacob dies calmly and at peace. There is no thought of his gray hairs going with sorrow to the grave for in the end all has worked out happily, and he is content.


   Hebrews 11:13-16: All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God. They agreed that they were no more than foreigners and nomads here on earth. And obviously people who talk like that are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had meant the country they came from, they would have found a way to go back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them.


Ephesians 1:3-8 (Our blessings): How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.


   One of the questions that should arise for us at this point is, when we are confronted by thoughts of our own death, are we more inclined to believe the things that Jacob believed, or are we inclined to face death in the way the Egyptians did? Are we seeking ways to attach ourselves to this world, leaving behind monuments, with the hope that one day mankind will have evolved to something greater? Are we seeking to answer the fact of our own death by relying upon what this world has to offer, or do we long for God's presence as citizens of heaven? Are we acting in a way that betrays our confidence in God?



On-Line Sources:



Off-Line Sources:



  • American Heritage® Dictionary fourth Edition - 2003

  • "New International Biblical Commentary - Genesis" – John E. Hartley – Hendrickson Publishers

  • "New Living Translation" – Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

  • "The Genesis Record" – Henry M. Morris – Baker Book House

posted by Oakview Bible Fellowship at 6:20 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Genesis 48

Deathbed Reflections of a Saint


(1) One day not long after this*, word came to Joseph that his father was failing rapidly. So Joseph went to visit him, and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim**.


*this: After Jacob's charge concerning his burial.


**Manasseh and Ephraim: Manasseh and Ephraim were born before the first year of the famine. Jacob went down to Egypt somewhere around the end of the second year of the famine and lived 17 years after he arrived. Since Jacob is near death, the sons of Joseph must be about 20 years old - not little kids as is so often portrayed.


   We don't find Joseph's brothers at Jacob's death bed until later. I suspect that Joseph had a servant to care for Jacob and also to keep Joseph informed about Jacob's health and needs.


(2) When Jacob heard that Joseph had arrived, he gathered his strength and sat up in bed to greet him.


(3) Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty* appeared** to me at Luz*** in the land of Canaan and blessed me.


*God Almighty (El Shaddai): The Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) translates it as ‘the Almighty’. It can also mean "the all-sufficient or all-bountiful God". God had revealed Himself by this name to Abram (Genesis 17:1) and to Isaac (Genesis 28:3) and now to Jacob. The name is related to the Hebrew word for "breast" (shad), and conveys the idea of God as the One who nourishes and provides, who is strong enough to meet every need. To receive a covenant from El Shaddai means a whole new direction in life. Before giving the blessing, Jacob wants to encourage Joseph to follow in his footsteps and to worship God.


   From Net Bible: http://www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm: El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis, He blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exodus 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain, its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Genesis 17:1-8, He appeared to Abram, introduced himself as El Shaddai, and announced His intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai, God repeated these words to Jacob (35:11). Earlier, Isaac had pronounced a blessing on Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prayed that his sons would be treated with mercy when they returned to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3, Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, told him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (see Genesis 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed, Jacob referred to El Shaddai as the one who provides abundant blessings. Naomi employs the name when accusing the Lord of treating her bitterly by taking the lives of her husband and sons (Ruth 1:20-21). In Psalm 68:14; Isaiah 13:6; and Joel 1:15, Shaddai judges his enemies through warfare, while Psalm 91:1 depicts him as the protector of his people. Finally, the name occurs 31 times in the Book of Job. Job and his “friends” assume that Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world (11:7; 37:23a) who is the source of life (33:4b) and is responsible for maintaining justice (8:3; 34:10-12; 37:23b). He provides abundant blessings, including children (22:17-18; 29:4-6), but he can also discipline, punish, and destroy (5:17; 6:4; 21:20; 23:16). It is not surprising to see the name so often in this book, where the theme of God’s justice is primary and even called into question (24:1; 27:2). The most likely proposal is that the name means “God, the one of the mountain” (an Akkadian cognate means “mountain,” to which the Hebrew shad, “breast”] is probably related).


**appeared: Genesis 28:10-19 and 35:6-13


***Luz - Bethel.


(4) He said to me, 'I will make you a multitude of nations, and I will give this land of Canaan to you and your descendants as an everlasting possession.'


   He's relaying to Joseph what El Shaddai had promised to him - many descendants and the land for them to live in. He's saying, "Joseph, you are part of that promise. Egypt is not your home - Canaan is." Hebrews 11:13-16: All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God. They agreed that they were no more than foreigners and nomads here on earth. And obviously people who talk like that are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had meant the country they came from, they would have found a way to go back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them.


(5) Now I am adopting* as my own sons these two boys of yours, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born here in the land of Egypt before I arrived. They will inherit** from me just as Reuben and Simeon will.


*adopting: As Jacob adopted his two grandsons and placed them under all the blessings of God's covenant with Abraham, we too are adopted into God's family: per Romans 8:14-17: For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted into his family--calling him "Father, dear Father." (Abba Father) For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures--for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.


**inherit: Jacob is making Joseph's sons equal to Jacob's older sons. In other words, he's doubling Joseph's inheritance. If you recall, the double inheritance was supposed to go to the eldest son, but Jacob is instead directing that it go to Joseph and is elevating the status of Ephraim and Manasseh from grandsons to sons - this is true grace - unmerited favor! They didn't do anything to deserve this elevation - it was being done because of Jacob's love for Joseph because he was the first born of his wife Rachel. Had Rachel been his first and only wife, as Jacob had wanted, Joseph would indeed have been the eldest. They will be in the place of Joseph and Levi (who will become a priestly tribe) in the settlement of the land .Therefore as the tribes are listed through the Old Testament, they can be juggled and still remain 12 tribes. There are more than 20 different ways of listing the tribes in the Old Testament - but always adding up to 12.


   Reuben, due to his sin of incest, would be stripped of his birthright. This privilege was conveyed to Joseph. Normally, the birthright would've been given to the next son, Simeon, or to the next after him, Levi, but both of these sons were guilty of the mass murder of the Shechemites. It was Joseph instead who was to receive the rights of the firstborn.


I Chronicles 5:1-2: The oldest son of Israel was Reuben. But since he dishonored his father by sleeping with one of his father's concubines, his birthright was given to the sons of his brother Joseph. For this reason, Reuben is not listed in the genealogy as the firstborn son. It was the descendants of Judah that became the most powerful tribe and provided a ruler for the nation, but the birthright belonged to Joseph.


(6) But the children born to you in the future will be your own. The land they inherit will be within the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.


(7) As I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died* in the land of Canaan. We were still on the way, just a short distance from Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). So with great sorrow I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath."


*Rachel died: Genesis 35:19: So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Rachel's tomb in Canaan symbolized the heart of Jacob and his belief that God would keep his promises to give the land as an "eternal possession" to the seed of Abraham. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah were already buried in Hebron not far from Bethlehem (see Genesis 49:31), serving as a reminder of the faithfulness of God to his covenant promise. Joseph was the first-born of Rachel, his bride by choice. (Leah was his wife “by chance,” Bilhah and Zilpah “by competition.”)


   Had Rachel not died so early in life, she would have presented Jacob with many other sons. The adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh provided Jacob with two more sons, technically “through Rachel.”


   The death of Rachel was the absolute lowest point in Jacob's life - the point where he could have given up on life and on God, but he didn't. Yet, we know from his own lips earlier that he grieved over his life the rest of his life. May we too be like Joseph when we get kicked in the stomach yet keep on going.


(8) Then Jacob* looked over at the two boys. "Are these your sons?" he asked.


*Jacob: Hebrew Israel; in 48:8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 21.


   Evidently, because of his poor eyesight, Jacob could not make out who was there with Joseph.


(9) "Yes," Joseph told him, "these are the sons God* has given me here in Egypt." And Jacob said, "Bring them over to me, and I will bless them."


*God: Elohim. In the Bible the word for God in the Hebrew that is most often used is Elohim. It is a plural noun. The word for God in the singular sense is El which is used most often in describing Gods characteristics or attributes.


(10) Now Jacob* was half blind** because of his age and could hardly see. So Joseph brought the boys close to him, and Jacob kissed and embraced them.


*Jacob: Hebrew Israel; in 48:8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 21.


**blind: Jacob was nearly blind at this time of blessing, just as his father Isaac had been many years earlier when he gave blessings to his brother Esau and him. But at that time Jacob had deceived his nearly-blind father and had gotten the choice blessing from him (see Genesis 27).


(11) Then Jacob* said to Joseph, "I never thought I would see you again, but now God has let me see your children, too."


*Jacob: Hebrew Israel; in 48:8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 21.


  Jacob was deeply moved that not only was he allowed to be with his son whom he had once thought dead, but he was allowed to live long enough to see Joseph's sons. Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, were born in the land of Egypt. As sons of Joseph, their future in Egypt may have seemed very bright. Perhaps they might fill the shoes of their father, taking places of power and influence in Pharaoh’s administration. But their greatest hope lay in a land they had not yet seen, for they were destined to be a part of the "multitude of nations" that God had promised Jacob. This looks forward to another man who turned it all down for God's inheritance - Moses.


   It would have been enough for Jacob just to see his favorite son one more time. But, God gave him above all he could ever have hoped for. Isn't that just like God! Jacob may have felt like a failure thinking God had taken his favorite son away from him. Now, looking at his favorite son with children of his own, he realizes God has been graciously at work all along and that God was better to him than he had ever dared hope.


(12) Joseph took the boys from their grandfather's knees, and he bowed low to him.


   Joseph then removed his sons from the knees of their grandfather and bowed down before him with his face to the ground as a symbol of greatly honoring him. At the same time he placed Ephraim the second-born on his right side facing Jacob's left hand, and Manasseh his first-born, who would get the greatest blessing, on his left side facing Jacob's right hand. But it didn't go according to plan or custom. For moved by God, Jacob put his right hand of blessing not on the first-born but on the second-born Ephraim, and his left hand on the first-born Manasseh. The right hand of blessing, the birthright of the first-born, meant that Ephraim would get a double portion of the family inheritance along with the honor of one day becoming the family's leader (see also Deuteronomy 21:15-17). Jacob took the blessing that belonged to his first-born son Reuben and moved it to Joseph's second born son Ephraim, as it would later be stated in 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 because of Reuben's incest.


(13) Then he positioned the boys so Ephraim was at Jacob's* left hand and Manasseh was at his right hand.


*Jacob: Hebrew Israel; in 48:8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 21.


   Joseph, knowing that his father was about to bless them, arranged Manasseh, the eldest, at his left hand (Jacob’s right) and Ephraim at Joseph’s right hand (Jacob’s left). This was intended so that Jacob’s right hand would rest upon Manasseh, the oldest. Israel surprised Joseph by crossing his hands and pronouncing the blessing.



(14) But Jacob* crossed his arms as he reached out to lay his hands on the boys' heads. So his right hand was on the head of Ephraim, the younger boy, and his left hand was on the head of Manasseh, the older.


*Jacob: Hebrew Israel; in 48:8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 21.


(15) Then he blessed Joseph and said, "May God*, the God* before whom my grandfather Abraham and my father, Isaac, walked**, the God who has been my shepherd*** all my life,


*God - Elohim


**walked: Jacob connected his faith to the past, to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac, mentioning that both were men who "walked with God". To walk before God is to live one's life in the presence of God. Four hundred years later Moses would tell the second generation of Israelites after the Exodus, who were just about to enter the land of promise, "Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between prosperity and disaster, between life and death. I have commanded you today to love the LORD your God and to keep his commands, laws, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and become a great nation, and the LORD your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.
(Deuteronomy 30:15-16). The prophet Micah would later write in the seventh century BC to the people of God (Micah 6:8), No, O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Enoch and Noah were also said to have walked with God (see Genesis 5:22; 6:9), as have all men and women of faith. Genesis 24:40: ...for the LORD, in whose presence I have walked, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. Yes, you must get a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father's family.


***shepherd: From the notes on this verse in the New Living Translation Bible: "Jacob spoke of God as his shepherd throughout his life. In his old age, he could clearly see his dependence upon God. This marks a total attitude change from that of his scheming and dishonest youth. To develop an attitude like Jacob's, let God shepherd you as you trust in His provision and care. When you realize that all good things come from God, you can quit trying to grab them for yourself." At 147 years of age Jacob could look back himself and see clearly that he had been a wandering and at times lost sheep, but God had been as near to him as a beloved spiritual Shepherd, so that at the end of his life he knew that he was still being cared for by Him. This is the first mention in the Bible of God as a shepherd to His people.


   How could there be such a contrast between this testimony to Joseph and that given to Pharaoh where he talked about his hard years full of difficulty and problems and sorrow? Jacob’s life had been one long sequence of sorrows. He had antagonized his brother and deceived his father. He had to leave home, never again to see his mother alive. He was forced to live with an uncle who was nearly as deceptive as he and to take four wives rather than just Rachel, the one of his choice. His wives fought with each other over him, and his children hated one another. His daughter was raped; his oldest son had slept with his concubine, and Judah had slept with what appeared to be a prostitute. He was deprived of his wife and her first son; and Benjamin, the only remaining descendant of Rachel, was in serious jeopardy. Finally, a famine forced him to leave the land of promise. His life had been full of sorrow.


   When Jacob testified that the Lord had been his shepherd all along, he did not deny his sufferings. But now at the end of his life, he has come to see them in a different light. Just as Joseph had known in the midst of his sufferings that God had been with him, Jacob was assured of God’s presence in all of his sorrows. While our Shepherd “makes us lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:2), He also is with us as we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4). Jacob has come to see that every event in his life was a part of the will of God for him and that God was guiding him and shaping him through adversity.


   The immature Christian prays that God will withhold pain and suffering, seeing these things as evil. The mark of a mature Christian is that he can look back on his life and see that God can take the pains and pressures of life and cause them to work together for good in his life and ultimately draw one near to Himself through them - will this be true in our lives? The immature shun suffering. While the mature do not seek it, they come to see how God uses it to bring us into intimacy with himself. When knowing God is the ultimate good, suffering is not too high a price to pay to obtain it:


   … I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death… (Philippines 3:10).


(16) and the angel* who has kept me from all harm**--may he bless these boys. May they preserve my name and the names of my grandfather Abraham and my father, Isaac. And may they become a mighty nation."


*angel: Who was this angel? It is Jesus Christ! He alone can be called Goel, the redeeming Kinsman. Angels don't bless - only GOD does. What Jacob is asking God to do is to not just "bless" the boys - but, let them be accounted as Jacob's (and Rachel's) own sons, that they be true Israelites who prevail with God as he had done, that they too walk with God. The Angel (the pre-incarnate Christ) had redeemed him from all evil. Jacob has not claimed that the Angel kept him from all trouble, for that was not the case. No saint has ever been promised the absence of trouble. Evil is not facing painful circumstances, but falling short from God’s purposes. God used trials and tribulation to bring Jacob to Egypt and to bring about the salvation which Joseph was sent ahead to provide. All of Jacob’s troubles were a “God-send” in order to bring about God’s purposes, even when Jacob was unaware of them and inclined to resist if he did know.


**kept me from all harm - Hebrew gaal - "deliver" - identifies one who acts as next of kin in rescuing a close relative from trouble. Jacob is saying that God Himself acted as his next of kin blood relative (kinsman redeemer as we covered before) whenever he was in trouble, such as in Paddan Aram - this is the role of Jesus Christ, out kinsman redeemer / goel. This is the only reference to God's acting as next of kin in Genesis. See Job 19:25 and Psalm 19:14, Exodus 6:6, Exodus 15:13, Isaiah 43:14; 48:17; 49:26. The verb ga’al (noun is goel) has the basic idea of “protect” as a near relative might do. It is used for buying someone out of bondage, marrying a deceased brother’s widow, paying off debts, avenging the family, and the like.


(17) But Joseph was upset when he saw that his father had laid his right hand on Ephraim's head. So he lifted it to place it on Manasseh's head instead.


(18) "No, Father," he said, "this one over here is older. Put your right hand on his head."


(19) But his father refused*. "I know what I'm doing, my son," he said. "Manasseh, too, will become a great people, but his younger brother will become even greater**. His descendants will become a multitude of nations!"


*refused: What Joseph could not see with his natural eyes, Jacob could see with his spiritual eyes. The Holy Spirit guided Jacob to cross his hands in an act of prophecy concerning the two tribes that would descend from Ephraim and Manasseh.


**greater - Numbers 1:32-35: Ephraim son of Joseph . . . . . . . . 40,500; Manasseh son of Joseph . . . . . . . . 32,200. Ephraim's name came to be a synonym for northern Israel and was the dominant tribe in the northern kingdom after the division of the country of Israel (I Kings 12:19,25). Ephraim became the chief tribe of the ten tribes in northern Israel. In fact, when the ten tribes in the north split from the two tribes in the south, the northern tribes were sometimes collectively called Ephraim.


   God has often chosen the younger over the elder: Jacob was not the eldest son in his family - Seth over Cain, Shem over Japheth, Abraham over Haran, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Jacob over Esau, Judah and Joseph over Reuben, Ephraim over Manasseh, Moses over Aaron, and David over his brothers.


(20) So Jacob blessed the boys that day with this blessing: "The people of Israel will use your names to bless each other. They will say, `May God make you as prosperous as Ephraim and Manasseh.' " In this way, Jacob put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.


Hebrews 11:21 - It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.


   Why don't we do this today when we're nearing the end?


(21) Then Jacob* said to Joseph, "I am about to die**, but God will be with you and will bring you again to Canaan***, the land of your ancestors.


*Jacob: Hebrew Israel; in 48:8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 21.


**die - Paul's "death bed" statement: 2 Timothy 4:7: I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.


***bring you again to Canaan: God indeed did when Jacob's descendants brought Joseph's bones to Shechem - Acts 7:15-16: So Jacob went to Egypt. He died there, as did all his sons. All of them were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.


(22) And I give you an extra portion* beyond what I have given your brothers--the portion that I took from the Amorites** with my sword and bow."


*portion: The term “portion” is literally "Shechem". Does Jacob give Shechem to Joseph? Joseph’s bones were brought up from Egypt and buried at Shechem - Joshua 24:32: The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought along with them when they left Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the parcel of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor for one hundred pieces of silver. This land was located in the territory allotted to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph.


**Amorites: From a note in the New Living Translation Bible: "Jacob was giving these young boys land occupied by the Philistines and Canaanites. His gift became reality when the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh occupied the east and west sides of the Jordan River (Joshua 16). This battle is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible." This may refer to a battle connected with the murders of the men of Shechem by his two sons Reuben and Simeon. What he was really saying was, "You must go back to Canaan; I have given you a piece of property you must claim." For Jacob had bought a piece of property from the Canaanites near the city of Shechem (see 33:18-19).



From "THE BLESSING" by Ron Ritchie http://www.pbc.org/library/files/html/4422.html of the Peninsula Bible Church: "Jacob would shortly die in Egypt and was buried in Hebron, Canaan. Four hundred years later the Jews under Joshua would bury Joseph on Jacob's land in Shechem, Canaan (see Joshua 24:32; Acts 7:16). Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph are all still waiting by faith for the fulfillment of the promises of the Abrahamic covenant, with all its material and spiritual blessings for the Jewish people. Look at the blessings that are coming for God's beloved people: Genesis 17:1-8 - When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to make you into a mighty nation." At this, Abram fell face down in the dust. Then God said to him, "This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of not just one nation, but a multitude of nations! What's more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram; now you will be known as Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will give you millions of descendants who will represent many nations. Kings will be among them! "I will continue this everlasting covenant between us, generation after generation. It will continue between me and your offspring forever. And I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. Yes, I will give all this land of Canaan to you and to your offspring forever. And I will be their God. The stories of Jacob and Joseph and their sons shows us how important a blessing from God was for the patriarchs, for it tied them in with the creative purpose and plans of God and pulled them together as a nation with his blessings of acceptance and protection. The need for the blessings of God is just as important for us and our families within the body of Christ. Many of us hunger for a spiritual blessing from God, our parents, and each other. The good news is that God has already spoken to this spiritual hunger in the words of Paul to the Ephesians. These are our current blessings from God himself: How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God's secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ--everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. God's purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God. (Ephesians 1:3-14). Our blessings: Chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, sealed by the Holy Spirit! Once we understand that we have been spiritually blessed by God---tied into his creative purpose, fully accepted, and protected by him---that truth eliminates our isolation, fear, anger, and emptiness and fills our hearts with a sense of wholeness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. To be blessed by God is life-changing. So let's live under his blessings as a holy people, a spiritual community; and then pass those spiritual blessings on to our children, our neighbors, and even youngsters like Joshua who ride by our homes on their bikes."



Conclusion from http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=126:

   "Life for Jacob looked considerably different from the perspective of the graveyard. Now, having been able to trace the hand of God in his life, he can see that life was not one long sequence of sorrows, but a chain of events in the sovereign plan of God to accomplish His purposes.

   "Sorrow and suffering were seen to be friends, not foes, as Jacob had once concluded. Previously, Jacob sought peace and prosperity as his highest goal. With such goals, acquiescence is preferable to adversity. Jacob had preferred to do nothing when his daughter was forcibly taken rather than run the risk of losing his comfort and security. Holiness was not nearly so dear to Jacob as happiness. Men will never be noted for their character when pleasure is of higher priority than purity.

   "But now, from the graveside, Jacob has come to realize that it was his suffering and trials which were the instruments of God to draw him to the point of submission to the will of God, to Egypt, to worship, and to spiritual intimacy.

   "Jacob, too, has come to appreciate the doctrine of election. He discerned at last that God had not chosen him because of what he would accomplish for Him. God did not select him because he had more potential than Esau. Jacob’s accomplishments had all been for naught. He never enjoyed the fruits of his manipulations in getting the birthright from Esau or the blessing from Isaac. He never owned the sheep of his father (so far as I can tell). He left the land of Canaan penniless and had to labor in order to pay the dowry for a wife (cf. 32:10). His prosperity came from his sojourn in Paddan-aram, and not from the peeling of poles, but from the promise of God (cf. 31:11-13). Only when Jacob was powerless and forced to leave the land of promise did he cast himself fully upon the goodness of God and not rest in his own devices. The doctrine of election, now comprehended, brought Jacob to humility and worship.

   "I would like to suggest that our lives will be much happier if we will come to the conclusions Jacob did, but sooner than he. If we can, like Joseph, see the hand of God in our suffering, then we can rejoice in our tribulations, knowing that God is at work maturing us and teaching us endurance (James 1:2-4). And if we can see that God has not chosen us because of our potential but to demonstrate His power, we will not engage in the fruitless efforts of Jacob:

   For Christ didn't send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News--and not with clever speeches and high-sounding ideas, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power ... Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God. (I Corinthians 1:17,26-29).

   "Isn’t it interesting that God chose Jacob to be Israel, the patriarch. Joseph, who by far, is the most pious of the group is passed over in that no tribe is named after him. He is not the forefather of Messiah, but Judah, who had failed with his sons and who was intending to have an illicit relationship with a Canaanite prostitute, is. Neither was Joseph to be the one through whom the priesthood would be named, but Levi, the brother who had deceived the men of Shechem and slaughtered the men of that city. That, my friend, is election. And that is precisely why we should be encouraged. For God may take material as unlikely and unpromising as you and I and do great and wonderful things through us.

   "May our view of life, be that of Jacob in his dying moments, the view from the grave:

   "Teach us to make the most of our time,
so that we may grow in wisdom. (Psalm 90:12).

   But this precious treasure--this light and power that now shine within us--is held in perishable containers (Greek - But we have this treasure in earthen vessels), that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be obvious in our dying bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:7-11)."



   What's going to be the view from our death bed? Will we be able to look back on souls won? Marriages salvaged? Lives salvaged? Heartaches softened? A walk with God? A strong marriage? Children and grandchildren who love the Lord? A witness to Jesus Christ, our Savior? Or will people be surprised to learn at our funeral that we were Christians? Will we be able to say on our deathbed that we had followed the path that God had laid out before us or have to admit that we'd ignored His guidance and gone our own way? Will we have absolute confidence of our salvation and eternal future? When we're on our death bed, what will we be able to say to our children and grandchildren? Will they just inherit some money and belongings - or the promises of God?




On-Line Sources:



Off-Line Sources:



  • American Heritage® Dictionary fourth Edition - 2003

  • "New International Biblical Commentary - Genesis" – John E. Hartley – Hendrickson Publishers

  • "New Living Translation" – Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

  • "The Genesis Record" – Henry M. Morris – Baker Book House

posted by Oakview Bible Fellowship at 8:20 AM | 0 comments

Friday, June 09, 2006

Genesis 47

Jacob Blesses Pharaoh


(1) So Joseph went to see Pharaoh and said, "My father and my brothers are here from Canaan. They came with all their flocks and herds and possessions, and they are now in the land of Goshen*."



*Goshen: Region of Egypt which the Israelites inhabited during their sojourn in that country. It is described as situated on the eastern frontier of Lower Egypt (Genesis 46:28, 29; Exodus 13:17; I Chronicles 7: 21), forming an outpost of it (Genesis 46: 34); apparently not at all (or scantily) inhabited by Egyptians, but, in the estimation of shepherds, evidently "the best of the land" (Genesis 47: 6,11), since Pharaoh's cattle grazed there ( verse 6). Source: Jewish Encyclopedia http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=376&letter=G


Land of Goshen From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Land of Goshen is the region around the city with the modern name Fakus in the eastern Nile delta in Egypt. It was there that Joseph had his house, and where he was laid to rest. Goshen was probably the province of Egypt nearest Canaan. The Israelites lived there in peace for 400 years, until a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph (Exodus 1:8) and reduced them to slavery. Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_Goshen


(2) Joseph took* five of his brothers with him and presented them to Pharaoh.


*took - literally, "from the outskirts of (or least of) his brothers".


   Pharaoh lived an isolated life in his palaces as befitted a god. Apart from his high officials entry to him was difficult and all who entered his presence must be suitably clothed, washed and shaved. Joseph would make the usual preparations before entering in his regalia as Vizier. He enters alone. Court etiquette demands that he speak to Pharaoh himself before bringing in his brothers. Pharaoh might decide not to see them.


(3) Pharaoh asked them, "What is your occupation?" And they replied, "We are shepherds like our ancestors.


(4) We have come to live* here in Egypt, for there is no pasture for our flocks in Canaan. The famine is very severe there. We request permission to live in the land of Goshen."


*live: Hebrew guwr - sojourn (as a guest); i.e., not staying there permanently.


(5) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Now that your family has joined you here,


(6) choose any place you like for them to live. Give them the best land of Egypt--the land of Goshen will be fine. And if any of them have special skills, put them in charge of my livestock, too."


(7) Then Joseph brought his father, Jacob*, and presented him to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh**.


*Jacob - Now he's listed as "Jacob", not "Israel".


**Jacob blessed Pharaoh - the greater always blesses the lesser! From a worldly standpoint, Pharaoh was the greater, but from God's standpoint, Jacob was the greater. It was Melchizedek that had blessed Abraham in Genesis 14:19, thus showing his superiority to Abraham, for the person who has the power to bless is always greater than the person who is blessed (Hebrews 7:7).


(8) "How old are you?" Pharaoh asked him.


(9) Jacob replied, "I have lived* for 130 hard years**, but I am still not nearly as old as many of my ancestors."


*lived - Hebrew yrwgm megura - The days of the years of my pilgrimage, of my sojourning or wandering. Joseph was 39; Reuben 46; Simeon 45; Levi 44; Judah 43.


**hard years - Jacob isn't complaining, just stating a fact. Look at all he'd been through!But, the worst two things were losing his beloved Rachel (Genesis 35:18-20) and, he thought, losing Joseph (Genesis 37:33).


(10) Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again before he left.


(11) So Joseph assigned the best land of Egypt--the land of Rameses*--to his father and brothers, just as Pharaoh had commanded**.


*Rameses - The name given to Goshen in Moses' time.


**Pharaoh had commanded - This is done for Joseph's sake, not theirs - just as God forgives us and accepts us, not on our own merit (which is but filthy rags), but based on Christ's finished work on the cross and our acceptance of Him as our Saviour.


(12) And Joseph furnished food to his father and brothers in amounts appropriate to the number of their dependents.


(13) Meanwhile, the famine became worse and worse, and the crops continued to fail throughout Egypt and Canaan.


(14) Joseph collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan in exchange for grain, and he brought the money to Pharaoh's treasure-house.


(15) When the people of Egypt and Canaan ran out of money, they came to Joseph crying again for food. "Our money is gone," they said, "but give us bread. Why should we die?"


(16) "Well, then," Joseph replied, "since your money is gone, give me your livestock. I will give you food in exchange."


(17) So they gave their livestock to Joseph in exchange for food. Soon all the horses, flocks, herds, and donkeys of Egypt were in Pharaoh's possession. But at least they were able to purchase food for that year.


(18) The next year they came again and said, "Our money is gone, and our livestock are yours. We have nothing left but our bodies and land.


(19) Why should we die before your very eyes? Buy us and our land in exchange for food; we will then become servants to Pharaoh. Just give us grain so that our lives may be saved and so the land will not become empty and desolate."


(20) So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. All the Egyptians sold him their fields because the famine was so severe, and their land then belonged to Pharaoh.


(21) Thus, all the people of Egypt became servants* to Pharaoh.


*servants - slaves.


(22) The only land he didn't buy was that belonging to the priests, for they were assigned food from Pharaoh and didn't need to sell their land.


(23) Then Joseph said to the people, "See, I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. I will provide you with seed, so you can plant the fields.


(24) Then when you harvest it, a fifth of your crop will belong to Pharaoh. Keep four-fifths for yourselves, and use it to plant the next year's crop and to feed yourselves, your households, and your little ones."


(25) "You have saved our lives!" they exclaimed. "May it please you, sir, to let us be Pharaoh's servants."


(26) Joseph then made it a law throughout the land of Egypt--and it is still the law--that Pharaoh should receive one-fifth* of all the crops grown on his land. But since Pharaoh had not taken over the priests' land, they were exempt from this payment.


*fifth - a permanent 20% tax! Pharaoh now owns all the animals and all the land, except the priests' property and the people of Egypt become his slaves. It also appears that Jacob and his family were also exempt from all these burdens.


(27) So the people of Israel* settled in the land of Goshen in Egypt. And before long, they began to prosper there, and their population grew rapidly**.


*Israel - The 1st time "Israel" is used to refer to the nation rather than the person Jacob.


**population grew rapidly: This was certainly true. In some 400 years, this became a nation of some two million or more people. Henry Morris calculates the initial group of five (Jacob and his four wives) grew into a clan of about 100 in 50 years (the 100 includes the 70 of Genesis 46:27 plus a few wives of the sons not mentioned and grandchildren). That is a growth rate of just over 6% per year. At that rate, there would be several million descendants by the time of the Exodus 430 years later.


(28) Jacob lived* for seventeen years after his arrival in Egypt, so he was 147 years old when he died.


(29) As the time of his death drew near, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, "If you are pleased with me, swear most solemnly that you will honor this, my last request: Do not bury me in Egypt.


(30) When I am dead, take me out of Egypt and bury me beside my ancestors*." So Joseph promised that he would.


*beside my ancestors - That is, in the Cave of Machpelah near Hebron where Sarah, Abraham, and Isaac were buried. Rachel isn't buried there - she's buried along the road near Bethlehem. But Leah is buried in the cave. Jacob knew that he was a guest in Egypt, that God had promised him a home in Canaan. Exodus 13:19: Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear that they would take his bones with them when God led them out of Egypt--as he was sure God would.
Despite the riches and comforts of Egypt, Jacob longed for God's land, though Canaan was always full of trouble for him. Why would Jacob desire so much that he be buried in Canaan? This desire did not come "from a mere romantic attachment to his native soil, nor, like his modern descendants, from a superstitious feeling for the soil of the Holy Land, but from faith in the promises." Jacob knew, through belief in the promise of God, that the future of his people would lie in the promised land, in the land of Canaan. In fact, this land would bear his name, and even now bears his name, the name of Israel.


(31) "Swear that you will do it," Jacob insisted. So Joseph gave his oath, and Jacob* bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.**


*Jacob: Hebrew Israel.


**bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff: As in Greek (Septuagint) version; Hebrew reads bowed in worship at the head of his bed.



On-Line Sources:



Off-Line Sources:



  • American Heritage® Dictionary fourth Edition - 2003

  • "New International Biblical Commentary - Genesis" – John E. Hartley – Hendrickson Publishers

  • "New Living Translation" – Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

  • "The Genesis Record" – Henry M. Morris – Baker Book House

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