January 17 A READ GENESIS 48–50
The Last Days of Jacob and Joseph
OVERVIEW
As Jacob’s life in Egypt draws to a close, he summons Joseph’s two sons and blesses them, exalting the younger, Ephraim, over the older, Manasseh. As his final act, Jacob prophetically outlines the future of his twelve sons. His desire for burial in Canaan testifies that the destiny of the nation still lies in the Promised Land. Joseph also dies after a faithful and prosperous life and adds his prophecy that God will one day liberate his people.
MY DAILY WALK
On a scale of one to ten, rate yourself on the following two statements:
1. I am a forgiving person.
2. I am quick to forget offenses against me.
Joseph exhibited the quality of full forgiveness with his brothers. After Jacob’s death, the brothers feared revenge (50:15) even though Joseph had already forgiven them. Their pleas for mercy moved him to tears as he reassured his brothers that he had totally forgiven them.
If you have experienced God’s forgiveness, you have a great motivation to forgive others. In what relationships have you not forgiven an offense? Talk to God about it. Thank him for the peace that only total forgiveness can bring.
FOR MOST OF US, FORGIVENESS COMES EASILY . . . AFTER WE’VE GOTTEN EVEN.
INSIGHT
The Ruler’s Rod | Gen. 49:10
The scepter referred to in Genesis 49:10 represents a monarch’s authority and is a symbol for kingship. In the case of the coming Messiah, the rod represents Jesus’ authority over all nations, as in Psalm 2:9 and Revelation 19:15. But as the Good Shepherd, Jesus uses a different rod—one to comfort and protect his flock (see Psalm 23:4).
INSIGHT
Jacob’s Prophetic Blessing | Gen. 49:2-27
The blessing of Jacob on his sons in Genesis 49:2-27 was intended not only for the twelve living sons but also for the tribes that would come from them. The longest blessings, given to Judah and to Joseph, are filled with many possible references to the Messiah. Judah’s greatest descendant is Jesus Christ, who is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne” (Revelation 5:5).
Jacob Blesses Manasseh and Ephraim
1One day not long after this, word came to Joseph, “Your father is failing rapidly.” So Joseph went to visit his father, and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2When Joseph arrived, Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to see you.” So Jacob* gathered his strength and sat up in his bed.
3Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty* appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. 4He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful, and I will multiply your descendants. I will make you a multitude of nations. And I will give this land of Canaan to your descendants* after you as an everlasting possession.’
5“Now I am claiming 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 be my sons, just as Reuben and Simeon are. 6But any children born to you in the future will be your own, and they will inherit land within the territories of their brothers Ephraim and Manasseh.
7“Long ago, as I was returning from Paddan-aram,* Rachel died in the land of Canaan. We were still on the way, some distance from Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). So with great sorrow I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath.”
8Then Jacob looked over at the two boys. “Are these your sons?” he asked.
9“Yes,” Joseph told him, “these are the sons God has given me here in Egypt.”
And Jacob said, “Bring them closer to me, so I can bless them.”
10Jacob 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. 11Then Jacob said to Joseph, “I never thought I would see your face again, but now God has let me see your children, too!”
12Joseph moved the boys, who were at their grandfather’s knees, and he bowed with his face to the ground. 13Then he positioned the boys in front of Jacob. With his right hand he directed Ephraim toward Jacob’s left hand, and with his left hand he put Manasseh at Jacob’s right hand. 14But Jacob crossed his arms as he reached out to lay his hands on the boys’ heads. He put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, though he was the younger boy, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, though he was the firstborn. 15Then he blessed Joseph and said,
“May the God before whom my grandfather Abraham
and my father, Isaac, walked—
the God who has been my shepherd
all my life, to this very day,
16the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm—
may he bless these boys.
May they preserve my name
and the names of Abraham and Isaac.
And may their descendants multiply greatly
throughout the earth.”
17But Joseph was upset when he saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head. So Joseph lifted it to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18“No, my father,” he said. “This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”
19But his father refused. “I know, my son; I know,” he replied. “Manasseh will also become a great people, but his younger brother will become even greater. And his descendants will become a multitude of nations.”
20So Jacob blessed the boys that day with this blessing: “The people of Israel will use your names when they give a blessing. They will say, ‘May God make you as prosperous as Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In this way, Jacob put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
21Then Jacob said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will take you back to Canaan, the land of your ancestors. 22And beyond what I have given your brothers, I am giving you an extra portion of the land* that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”