HCF OT Survey - Genesis pt 5

The Genealogy of Jacob - Gen 37:1-50:26

General Overview

In Genesis 17, God promised Abraham that kings and princes would come from his offspring, indicating that the line of Abraham would be a royal line. The narrative now shifts focus on Abraham’s great-grandsons, the 12 sons of Jacob. The question that this section answers is: which of Abraham’s 12 sons will be the heir of the royal lineage of the Seed?

In answering this question, God will also demonstrate to the nation of Israel another aspect of their core values as a nation. Previously God has shown that His people must be a people of faith in light of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Through Isaac and Jacob, who was renamed Israel, He has demonstrated that He is a God who is present with His people and that He is a God who fights for His people. But how does God fight?

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The main point of this section is to demonstrate how God fights to turn evil to good for His chosen nation. And Israel is to be a nation that has faith in this God.

Jacob’s Favorite Son (Gen 37:1-36)

We pick up the story with a focus on Jacob’s son from his favored wife, Rachel. Remember that Rachel, like Sarah and Rebekah before her, was barren until God opened her womb so that she bore Joseph. Look at verse 2,

Genesis 37:2–4 “These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back an evil report about them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic. And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and so they hated him and could not speak to him in peace.”

Now contrary to popular thought, Joseph is not some cute, little, innocent child. He is seventeen years old. And at this young age, he was not only his father’s favorite, but he was given this varicolored tunic, a long-sleeve shirt made of fine material used to designate royalty. Jacob intends for everyone to see Joseph as his royal heir.

Jacob also gives Joseph authority over the sons of Abraham’s least favorite wives, Bilhah and Zilpah, and one day he gives a bad report about them. This all inspires great dysfunction, animosity, and hate between Joseph and his brothers.

Soon after this bad report, Joseph decides to tell his brothers about two separate dreams in which his family bowed down before him. After hearing of this dream, Joseph’s brothers are stirred up in anger,

Genesis 37:8: “Then his brothers said to him, “Are you really going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.”

The Brothers’ Evil Plot (Gen 37:12-36)

Moses then moves us forward to a day when the mood in Israel’s family goes from tense irritation to murderous hatred. Joseph, who for some reason didn’t have to go out and care for the livestock with his brothers, is sent out to supervise them once more. And when he begins to approach them,

Genesis 37:19–20 “Then they said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer! “So now, come and let us kill him and cast him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!”

They, like Esau and Cain before them, are filled with a desire to murder their brother.

However, Reuben, the oldest brother, overrides this plan with a scheme of his own. He compelled his brothers to spare Joseph’s life but instead threw him into a pit so that he could come back later and save Joseph and earn his father’s good favor. Reuben was desperate to regain the blessing of the firstborn son, for in chapter 35, Reuben asserted his dominance as the oldest brother by engaging in the ancient practice of sleeping with his father’s concubines, demonstrating that he was the new head of the household.

But his scheme fails when he leaves his brothers alone with their Joseph. And Reuben’s younger brother, Judah, comes up with a plan of his own. Look with me at 37:26

Genesis 37:26–28 “And Judah said to his brothers, “What gain is it that we kill our brother and cover up his blood? “Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened. Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up, lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus, they brought Joseph into Egypt.”

It is here that we start to see who the real leader is in the group. After Judah and his brothers sell Joseph, they take his robe and soak in blood so that they might deceive their father into thinking that Joseph was killed by a fierce animal. In this we see providential justice being served. Jacob experiences the punishment that he deserved for deceiving his father Isaac with Esau’s garments. For Jacob is here deceived by his sons with the garnet of their brother, Joseph.

Christ Connection Point

In this instance, we see that Joseph is set up as a type of Christ.

He, like Joseph, was sent by His Father to His kinsmen, who then devised a plot to murder Him. When they saw Joseph approaching, they said to themselves, come let us kill him. This phrase occurs once else in the Bible, in Jesus’ parable of the Vineyard Owner’s Son. Here the owner of the vineyard sends his son to deal with the wicked vine growers. Matthew records Jesus' words,

Matthew 21:38 “But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’”

Moreover, Joseph’s brother Judah sells him for a few silver coins. The prophet Zechariah alludes back to this moment when he foretells Israel’s rejection of their Messiah in Zechariah 11 and fulfilled by one of the 12 disciples, Judas, who betrayed the Lord for 30 pieces of silver.

Jacob’s Sinful Son (Gen 38:1-30)

After this final note on Joseph’s whereabouts in Egypt, the text shifts to focus on the leader of Jacob's sons, Judah. His wickedness comes into focus immediately. The text of verse 1 states that at that same time, Joseph is being sold in Egypt, Judah leaves his family and goes down to the Canaanites. This going down is more than moving from a high place to a valley, it is a mirror of his spiritual condition.

While amongst the Canaanites, Judah saw a woman and took her, verse 2

Genesis 38:2 “And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her.”

Notice how the language of marital intimacy is missing here, Judah did not know his wife, he simply satisfied the lust of his eyes by taking the Canaanite woman. This language was used to describe the action of Eve in the garden, seeing that the fruit was good and taking it. It was also used for the wicked son of Cain, Lamech, who took his two wives.

Beyond this example of wicked, uncontrolled lust, Judah was forsaking the pattern set forth for him by his father and grandfather. He wasn’t supposed to marry a Canaanite. Judah is wicked and evil. He has no love for his brother. He has no regard for his family, his father’s wishes, or for the covenant of God. He is a man who lives only to satisfy his desires.

After some time has passed, Judah bore three sons, and in verse 6, we see him find a wife for his first son, Er.

Genesis 38:6–7 “Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so Yahweh put him to death.”

We don’t know what he did, but it must have been so despicable because this is the first time in the bible that God explicitly kills someone for their sin.

In that culture, if a man dies and leaves behind a widow, his wife is then to marry the dead man’s brother. Now, if the dead man’s brother and wife have a son, that son will become the new first-born heir in the family. We see this responsibility fall to Judah’s second son, Onan. Onan failed to fulfill his duty and was put to death by God as well. Now with two out of three sons dead, Judah doesn’t want this to happen again.

So he put into action a scheme by telling Tamar to return to her father’s house and wait for Judah’s third son to come of age. But Judah had no intention of marrying his third son to this apparently cursed woman. Instead of taking personal responsibility, instead of caring for his daughter, he exiled her to widowhood for the rest of her life.

The story then moves forward to the time of the sheep shearers. With the death of his wife, he was free to enjoy this celebratory festival where there was much drunkenness and debauchery. And it is in this situation that Tamar enters the scene with a scheme of her own, verse 13,

Genesis 38:14 “So she removed her widow’s garments from herself and covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself. And she sat at the entrance of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife.”

She devises a scandalous plan to trick the one who cast her into perpetual widowhood. She put on the costume of a cult prostitute, and she solicited Judah to lie with her. Judah lacked sufficient funds to pay her at that moment, so she expertly leveraged his lack of self-control and lust for immediate gratification against him by demanding a high price as a down payment,

Genesis 38:18 “Then he said, “What pledge shall I give you?” And she said, “Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him.”

The signet ring was a stamp seal that was like an ID and a credit card wrapped into one, and it was worn around his neck with a cord. She also requested his staff which was a symbol of authority in the city, a very prized possession meant only to be passed down as an inheritance to his sons.

Realize how utterly stupid this is. Judah gave such valuable objects for such a fleeting pleasure. He is incredibly careless with his possessions and honor when it comes to paying a prostitute, but when it comes to caring for his widowed daughter-in-law, he is nowhere to be found. But when it comes time for him to pay up and get his staff and ring, she is the one who is nowhere to be found, and Judah doesn’t pursue her further to protect his honor.

But when word comes to Judah that Tamar is pregnant, he sees a chance to finally be rid of her verse 24,

Genesis 38:24 “Now it happened about three months later that it was told to Judah saying, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the harlot, and behold, she is also with child by harlotry.” Then Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”

He had no guilt about hiring a cult prostitute for himself, but he was eager to burn this woman for acting in the same way he did. But on her way to be executed, with what could be her last words, she provides a shocking revelation in verse 25,

Genesis 38:25–26 “It was while she was being brought out that she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man to whom these things belong.” And she said, “Please recognize this and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff are these?” And Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.”

Neither is righteous, but he is more responsible for the injustice, and he publicly acknowledges his guilt. For the first time in this story, Judah takes responsibility, and what we shall see is that this confession on the part of Judah is the first indication of an inward transformation.

But this dark tale ends with a glimmer of light. She bears twins for Judah. And the account of their birth strikingly parallels the birth of Isaac and Rebekah’s twins. The younger brother wrestled with the older. The marking out of the sons with the color red. And the younger brother receives the honor.

The Refinement and Redemption of Joseph (Gen 39:1-41:57)

In Chapter 39, Moses transports us back to Egypt, to the house of Potiphar, who bought Joseph.

Genesis 39:1–3 “Now Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian official of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there. And Yahweh was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that Yahweh was with him and how Yahweh caused all that he did to succeed in his hand.”

See how, in a foreign land filled with foreign gods and foreign people who did not know the God of Abraham, the Lord was with Joseph. God was not only with Joseph, but He also blessed Him. In Joseph, God was being faithful to the covenant He made with Abraham. He blessed Joseph, and He blessed the Egyptian Potiphar through Joseph. Now Potiphar is a very powerful man, he’s the captain of the bodyguard, which can also be translated as Chief Executioner.

However, just when things seemed to be going well, we meet Mrs. Potiphar, verse 7,

Genesis 39:7–9 “And it happened after these events that his master’s wife set her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has given all that he owns into my hand. “There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?”

Before, Joseph was full of arrogance and had a twisted sense of authority. Now see how he resists the temptress by appealing to the fact that it would wrong his master Potiphar. He has become submissive and loyal to the authority over him. And ultimately, he is resolved to remain faithful and holy unto God.

As we see in verse 11, one day, her commands become a lot more forceful. She assaulted him by physically seizing his clothing and demanding that he satisfy her lusts. But Jacob resisted, fleeing her presence, leaving his tunic behind. In return for his faithfulness to God and to Potiphar, he is framed for attempted rape. This is about the worst situation Joseph could be in, for Potiphar is the royal executioner and chief bodyguard. Potiphar responds to his wife’s false accusation in verse 19,

Genesis 39:19–20 “Now it happened that when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” his anger burned. So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.”

Now the text is ambiguous as to whom Potiphar was angry at, and most commentators believe his anger was directed towards his adulterous wife. And the biggest support for this theory is the punishment of Joseph. Rape was a crime punished by immediate execution. Who better to execute him than Potiphar?

However, he places Joseph in the king’s prison. What is interesting is that in chapter 40:3, we see that this prison is in Potiphar’s basement. Instead of being killed, Potiphar just demotes Joseph from the manager of his household upstairs to the manager of his household downstairs, which happens to be a basement prison. And it is even there, in the pit of Egypt, that we see, vs 21,

Genesis 39:21–22 “Yahweh was with Joseph and extended lovingkindness to him and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. So the chief jailer gave into the hand of Joseph all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was the one who did it.”

God was with Joseph there in prison, showing Him steadfast love based on their covenantal relationship.

Remember that earlier in this story, Joseph received two prophetic dreams from God, and he was quite arrogant about them. Now, in prison, he again encounters two prophetic dreams, the dream of the cupbearer and the dream of the baker.

Genesis 40:8 “Then they said to him, “We have had a dream, and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Recount it to me, please.”

In the place of the arrogant dream master, we see Joseph act quite humbly, pointing to God as the source of his interpretation.

Now his two interpretations are slightly comical in nature. For the cupbearer, Pharoah will lift his head, a figure of speech for promotion. For the baker, Pharoah will lift his head...off of him, a figure of speech for execution.

Joseph tells the man who was promoted to be the chief cupbearer to remember him, but sadly he forgets Joseph.

Once again, in chapter 41, we are presented with two dreams. This time it is Pharoah who is dreaming, and if you remember, he dreams about seven skinny cows and seven fat cows, and then a dream again with stalks of grain, and he has no idea what this all means. All his magicians and wise men attempt to interpret his dream but fail. And this whole situation causes the cupbearer to suddenly remember Joseph. To anyone on the outside looking in, these seem like almost random occurrences, but if you have been following closely, you know that this is the act of God orchestrating Joseph’s release from prison. In verse 14, we see Pharaoh called for Joseph,

Genesis 41:14–16 “Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they rushed him out of the pit; and he shaved himself and changed his clothes, and he came to Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; yet I have heard it said about you, that you hear a dream and that you can interpret it.” Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will answer concerning the welfare of Pharaoh.”

Notice again that Joseph is no longer the arrogant dream master. He humbly declares to Pharoah that God will answer Pharaoh through Joseph. Joseph has learned who is sovereign and who is supreme. He knows who deserves all the glory, and he is teaching these truths to the ruler of the world’s first great empire.

He then gives the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams of cows and corn. He tells Pharoah of the coming of seven years of good harvest for Egypt, followed by seven years of famine. Joseph then provides counsel to Pharaoh to prepare by taxing 20% of all produce in the seven years of good harvest and storing them up for the years of famine. Pharaoh sees the wisdom in Joseph's plan and appoints him second in command over everything in the land. In an instant, Joseph was raised up from the bowels of Egypt and seated on a throne as its chief prince, a Hebrew ruler over the largest superpower in all the world. God blesses His seed. And He blesses the nations through His seed.

Joseph recognizes God’s blessing by naming his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim out of worship to God - verse 51,

Genesis 41:51–52 “And Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” And he named the second Ephraim, “For,” he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

In this transformation of Joseph’s character and Joseph’s circumstance, it is so evidently clear that it is God who is orchestrating it all. God has done it. He alone has the power to transform both the events of history and the hearts of men to bring about His plan and promises - vs 57,

Genesis 41:57 “Now all the earth also came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe in all the earth.”

God promised Abraham that in him, all the nations of the earth would be blessed, and this is exactly what happened through Joseph.

4. The Testing of the Brothers (Gen 42:1-45:28)

As we just read, the famine that Joseph prophesied impacted the whole world, which included Israel and his family. Joseph’s brothers were forced to travel to Egypt to trade for grain to survive. The comedy in this scene is great, read with me verse 1,

Genesis 42:1–2 “Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?” Then he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from there so that we may live and not die.”

First, notice that Israel, their father, is unwilling to move to Egypt as Abraham did. He does not want to leave the promised land. Secondly, he keeps Joseph’s brother, Benjamin, behind because he has become the new favored son and can’t be lost.

And when the ten sons of Israel arrive in Egypt, they come and bow before who else but Joseph. No one recognizes their brother, but Joseph recognizes them. And he is very suspicious of them, vs 9

Genesis 42:9 “And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them and said to them, “You are spies; you have come to look at the nakedness of the land.

He wanted to know if they had changed. He’s probing their character by putting them on the spot with the accusation of espionage and then placing them in prison. He wants to see if they will turn on each other, to see if they will try and scheme and lie their way out of his test.

He sets them free and then demands that they bring Benjamin before they can come and get any more food. Why? He knows Benjamin has become the new favorite, and he wants to see if they have turned their target on Benjamin just like they did with him.

But before he sends them back, he keeps Simeon prisoner. Why Simeon? Remember that Reuben, the oldest had a plan to save Joseph from his brothers and regain his father’s favor. So Reuben is off the hook. Simeon was the second oldest son, so he should have been responsible for keeping his brothers from selling Joseph into slavery.

Lastly, he fills their sacks with the money they used to purchase the grain, which was done as a test to see if they were still just as greedy as when they sold him for silver.

Upon returning to their father, they give their report of Joseph’s demands and the imprisonment of Simeon. And Israel is not happy,

Genesis 42:36 “And their father Jacob said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me.”

At this, we see Reuben, the want-to-be leader, step forward with an amazing solution,

Genesis 42:37 “Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hand, and I will return him to you.”

What a noble offer! If Benjamin is lost, don’t kill me, instead, kill your grandkids. Reuben hasn’t changed, he doesn’t know how to be a leader, and Israel quickly rejects this stupid suggestion.

But as the famine persists, they run out of grain, and Israel’s hand is forced. In that moment, we see another one of Leah’s sons step forward: Judah. Now remember the Judah of Genesis 38. He was a man who never took personal responsibility. He was selfish, and he avoided harm to himself at all costs. But now, in Chapter 43:8, we find a very different man,

Genesis 43:8–9 “Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones. “I myself will be the guarantee for him; from my hand you may require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then I shall bear the sin before you all my days.”

Judah makes himself the pledge of Benjamin’s safety. He isn’t volunteering his grandsons, like Reuben. He is volunteering himself. He declares that if he does not return, he will bear the guilt of his brother’s life forever. Essentially, he is saying let me be to you as sin for as long as I live. If you are as sin to someone, you are shameful, you are cut off, it as if you are a walking dead man in the eyes of your family and tribe. Surely, this is not the same Judah! What has caused this transformation? What we see here is God fighting to transform an evil, wicked heart into a good and righteous one.

Israel relents and sends his sons, with Benjamin, to go down again to Egypt. They come to Joseph, and the first thing they do is attempt to return the money Joseph put in their sacks. They have become men who do not seek dishonest wealth. Joseph then invites them to his house, where they sit down to eat together, and Joseph can barely hold himself together. He sees his full brother, Benjamin, and is so moved he must leave the room to cry.

Then he sets one final test before his brothers. Verse 1 of chapter 44,

Genesis 44:1–2 “Then he commanded his house steward, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. “Now put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph had told him.”

Joseph was sold into slavery to die for silver, and here he tests if the same precious metal will cause his brothers to turn on Benjamin. He sends his officers after Israel’s sons, brings them in, condemns the man who has the silver cup, and then pulls it out of Benjamin’s bag. But then Judah, the same brother who came up with the plan to sell Joseph, comes forward to substitute himself for Benjamin.

Judah pleads for Joseph’s mercy saying, verse 32

Genesis 44:32–34 “For your servant became a guarantee for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the sin before my father all my days.’ “So now, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a slave to my lord, and let the boy go up with his brothers. “For how shall I go up to my father if the boy is not with me, lest I see the evil that would overtake my father?”

The man who went down from his father’s house to marry a Canaanite now pleads for Joseph to spare Benjamin out of compassion and concern for his father. The man who would not take responsibility for anything and who only sought to protect himself at all costs goes out of his way to recount the pledge he made to his father and seeks to redeem Benjamin with his own life.

Judah behaves as a true leader, as a true king. He acts as the corporate head over his brothers. He is essentially saying, “I am his representative substitute, and I will bear his punishment. “Put all of his guilt on me so that when you see Benjamin, you see an innocent man, and when you see me, you see a guilty man.”

This is a powerful transformation! And surely Judah was not responsible for such a change. It was God who transformed wicked Judah into the righteous leader of Israel’s sons.

Upon witnessing the amazing change in the heart of the brother who sold him into slavery, Joseph is overcome with grief and can no longer keep testing his brothers he reveals to them that he is Joseph their brother, and compels them not to be filled with fear at his revelation with one powerful message,

Genesis 45:5–8 “So now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. “For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. “So God sent me before you to establish for you a remnant in the earth and to keep you alive for a great remnant of survivors. “So now, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has set me as a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”

Joseph recognizes the hand of God orchestrating good out of their evil actions. God sent him, and God made him lord of all of Egypt. God worked through their evil acts to save his people.

Israel’s sons return to him with this good news, as well as wagons from Egypt to reunite him with his lost son,

Genesis 45:25–28 “Then they went up from Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” But his heart was stunned, for he did not believe them. Yet they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him. Then the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “It is enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Christ Connection Point

Do you see the parallel between Judah and His Messianic Offspring, Jesus Christ? The same thing has happened for us who are in Christ. When God the Judge of the universe looks on us, He sees: Innocent: ransom price fully paid. Why? He sees the blood of the Lamb, the Lion of the tribe of Judah! We have been declared righteous, why? Because He redeemed us, He paid the price for us with His blood.

The typology of Christ is also seen in Joseph, who was sent by God to preserve life, to establish a remnant, and to rule as a Servant King so that His chosen people might be saved, both Jew and Gentile. And when His people finally see Him whom they betrayed, He forgives them, dispels their fears, and brings them to Himself to live with Him in His kingdom.

5. God’s Power to Preserve and Prosper Israel (Gen 46:1-47:31)

If you remember, God came to Israel when he first left Canaan as a young man and promised that he would prosper his offspring and that He would be with him. Now, as an old man leaving Canaan, God comes to Jacob once more,

Genesis 46:2–4 “And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. “I Myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I Myself will also bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes with his hand.”

God reassures Israel that He will cause them to multiply and that He will bring them back to the land. And then, with great emphasis, He promises to be with Israel. Think of the life of Israel. Think of when he first heard those words at Bethel. He’s a young schemer fleeing the promised land for his life, and he hears, “I will be with you.” And now here he is, with a family numbering 70, riding in a caravan sent by the ruler of the largest superpower in the world to bring him to Egypt like a king, and he hears that wonderful promise once more.

After finally reuniting with his father, Joseph instructs his family to tell Pharaoh that they are shepherds and keepers of livestock so that they might be given the fruitful land of Goshen. In Egyptian culture, shepherds were considered one of the lowest people groups in society and were usually kept outside of the royal cities. So, when they come before Pharaoh and request the land of Goshen, Pharaoh is happy to oblige,

Genesis 47:6 “The land of Egypt is at your disposal; have your father and your brothers settle in the best of the land, let them settle in the land of Goshen; and if you know any excellent men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.””

The meeting ends with Israel blessing Pharaoh, pointing to the promise of worldwide blessing made to Abraham, and to the king-like status that Israel held.

When the years of famine continue, the people of Egypt begin to sell what they own to Pharoah. In one year, they sell all their livestock to Pharaoh. And remember who’s in charge of the royal livestock? Israel and his family.

See here God’s fulfillment of the promise to bless those who bless His people. Pharaoh blessed Joseph, and then God blessed Pharaoh by giving complete ownership of all the land of Egypt. Furthermore, God blesses all of Egypt by prospering Israel in the land of Goshen and multiplying all their endeavors. You see, since Israel’s family cared for the livestock of all of Egypt, which belonged to Pharoah, the livestock in Egypt prospered amid the famine. Therefore, the food supply was kept in abundance through the blessing of God. After experiencing this prosperity for 17 years, the same time span he was able to enjoy Joseph’s life before he was sold, Israel comes to the end of his life and makes Joseph promise to return him to the land to be buried with his fathers.

6. Jacob’s Prophetic Pronouncement (Gen 48:1-49:33)

Before Israel’s death, Joseph brings his sons to receive his father’s blessing. Because Joseph was the favored son, he received the double blessing that was normally reserved for the oldest son, and this double blessing was passed to each of his sons, whom Israel essentially adopted as his own. But when Manasseh and his younger brother Ephraim are brought before Israel, Israel gives Ephraim the greater blessing.

Genesis 48:14–16 “But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, crossing his hands, although Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd throughout my life to this day, The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless these boys; And may my name live on in them, And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

In doing this, Israel attempts to pass the covenant blessing of Abraham down to the younger brother, just as he received it instead of Esau. Ephraim is Israel’s choice to carry on the royal line of the seed. Even in his last moments, Israel has a scheme. In a way, Israel’s desires for Ephraim are honored by God, for the man who was to lead the entire nation of Israel back to the promised land was an Ephraimite named Joshua.

But after blessing the sons of Joseph, Israel receives a prophetic word as he blesses the rest of his sons. Here he tells each of his sons of the destiny of each of their descendants. What is clear from this is that God’s nation will not arise out of one of Israel’s sons but that it will be comprised of the descendants of all of Israel’s sons. This moment sets the destiny for the future of the Nation of Israel and, by extension, all the world. The most important of these prophecies starts in verse 8,

Genesis 49:8–12 “Judah, as for you, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you. “Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lioness, who dares rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the nations. “He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes. “His eyes are dark from wine, And his teeth white from milk.”

He starts by likening Judah to a lion and declares to him that his father’s sons shall bow down to him, signifying that Judah’s descendants will rule in the promised land. It will not be Ephraim who rules, nor will his brothers bow down to him. Instead, they will bow to Judah, whose rule will never end. Israel says in verse 10 that the scepter and the ruling staff shall not depart from Shiloh, a descendant of Judah. Furthermore, the nations shall obey Him, for not only will this Shiloh rule over Israel, but He will also rule all the earth. Lastly, His kingdom will be one of Eden-like prosperity. Grapevines will be so strong that He will be able to tie his donkey to them. Wine and milk will be so abundant that you could wash your clothes with wine and drink so much milk it might just make your teeth white. This prophecy indicates that God has chosen Judah’s descendants to be the kingly line. There will be a descendent of Judah, Shiloh (a Messianic term whose Hebrew rout means Peace), who will come and rule over all the people, not just of Israel but all the world and His Kingdom will be Eden-like. This Shiloh is the Seed that was promised in Genesis 3:15, the Prince of Peace foretold by the prophet Isaiah. This is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who will sacrifice Himself for His brethren just as Judah did for Benjamin.

7. Finale (Gen 50:1-26)

The final chapter of this book ends with the death of Israel. What is amazing here is that Israel was mourned for and embalmed. He acted like a king in life when he blessed Pharoah himself, and he was treated like a king in death by the Egyptians. Moreover, not only did his sons weep for him, but the Egyptians wept as well and went with Israel’s sons to bury him in Canaan. The sight of this large burial party was so vast that the neighboring nations noticed and were amazed.

However, after their father’s death, Joseph’s brothers were once more filled with fear of Joseph and his just retribution. So, they come to Joseph and pledge their servitude. But Joseph responds in verse 19,

Genesis 50:19–20 “But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to do what has happened on this day, to keep many people alive.”

God fights for His people by transforming evil into God. He preserves them by transforming tragedy into triumph, and he refines them by transforming wickedness into righteousness. And as we move forward from Genesis, God’s work of transforming evil into good will be on display, century after century. Evil began with the fall, but in the end, God will transform evil into good through the work of His Son, Shiloh, the Prince of Peace, the Seed who was promised.

As Joseph’s life draws to a close, we are left with a problem. God has promised Abraham that his descendants will inherit the Promised Land of Canaan. God has promised Israel that His family will become a great nation. But as we come to the final verses of this book, we are left with a large family in a foreign land. This is the end of Genesis, but it is not the end of the story. As Joseph reminds his brothers before his death,

Genesis 50:24 “And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”