Genesis Bible Study: 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?

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