August 18, 2024

Community Scripture Reading

Hebrews 11:17–22 ESV

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

Introduction

Genesis Genesis 48:1–50:26—Blessings and Burials

“Grief and tragedy and hatred are only for a time. Goodness, remembrance and love have no end.”

George W. Bush

Genesis I. Introduction: Did You Ever Wonder Why?

I. Introduction

Did You Ever Wonder Why?

Most of us wonder about the oddities of life at one time or another. Well, did you ever wonder...

• why people spend so much for those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards: NAIVE.

• why we say something is out of whack? What’s a whack?

• why the man who invests your money is called a broker?

• why croutons (stale bread) come in airtight packages?

• if lawyers are disbarred and clergymen are defrocked, doesn’t it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

• if Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?

• what hair color they put on the driver’s licenses of bald men?

• if American mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, do Chinese mothers use toothpicks?

So when we look at the Bible there are a number of different things that make us wonder why. In this passage there are a number of wise or questions that are answered and some of them are left for us to wonder about. And so in these last 3 chapters of genesis we're going to see how the 13 tribes came to be and why each of them was given different roles. So to that end we're going to kind of call this blessings and burials.

Blessings and Burials

Jacob passes on his unusual blessing

Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a world where just because you were born first that meant you received twice as many rights and privileges as your sibling? I imagine for London, Christopher, and Christy and John that would be pretty nice right? :) along that line in the Bible it was very common for the first born child to receive a bigger blessing from dad. And that meant God would bless and provide for them more. But in the story of Jacob and Joseph's sons something different happens.

Genesis 48:1–2 ESV

1 After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.

It’s usually at the end of the leader of the familie’s life that a blessing would be given. So Joseph goes to his father.

Genesis 48:3–7 ESV

3 And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

At this point Jacob does someone special for Joseph. He adopts Joseph's children. He says they would become descendants of his and recipients of the blessing. And is specific it's the two of Joseph's children that are born before Jacob enters Egypt. Jacob wants to honor Joseph for providing for the family.

Genesis 48:8–11 ESV

8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.”

To be clear, a blessing really is just asking for God’s favor to rest on someone. And that is what Israel/Jacob is doing here.

You guys have got to remember this one crucial reality circumstances are never so bad that God cannot reveal his love for us. Think about it Jacob thought that Joseph was dead and he cried and we in despair back in genesis 37. But God’s plan allowed Jacob to see his son again. Think about the story of Job. He got a new family. Think about Lazarus in the New Testament. Mary lost Lazarus and he was brought back to life again! Pay attention, we never know what good God will bring out of a seemingly hopeless situation.

Genesis 48:12–14 ESV

12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn).

Jacob arranges so that his older son would be at Jacob’s right hand and the younger would be at his left hand. The left hand is seen as the lesser hand (since most of the world is right handed.)

But Jacob literally switches things up!

Genesis 48:15–16 ESV

15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, 16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

Jacob blesses Joseph and his sons.

Genesis 48:17–18 ESV

17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.”

Joseph tries to make a correction and gets pushback from his father.

Genesis 48:19–20 ESV

19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’ ” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

Later on Ephraim would identify the whole nation of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

So basically what just happened here is Israel flipped the tradition on its head. Instead of giving the bigger and better blessing to the older son he gave it to the younger son. This is kind of another example of how God is never limited by what we think is possible. Or by who we think should get privileges or dibs in life.

God loves to switch things up and surprise us with His blessings.

Jacob also honors Joseph

Genesis 48:21–22 ESV

21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”

Jacob takes a moment to honor Joseph and gives him a piece of land in the promised land. Now earlier in jacob's life he showed favoritism to Joseph and that was actually pretty toxic but at this point what Jacob is most likely doing is giving Joseph this gift as a reminder bolt that his family is going to move back to the promised land but also to honor the fact that Joseph has provided for the family he has shown up and saved the family.

Jacob blesses the rest of his sons

Genesis 49:1–2 ESV

1 Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come. 2 “Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.

Jacob assembles his sons to bless them and tell them the future he sees for them.

Genesis 49:3–4 ESV

3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. 4 Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!

As the first born of jacob's sons Reuben should have had a special blessing but because he slept with his father's concubine bilha he lost his legal status as first born and now he lost the whole blessing. The right of leadership is given to Judah and the priesthood would ultimately go to Levi. The double portion was given to Joseph.

It's interesting the tribe of Rueben struggles with indecision later in the Old Testament. No one redeeming or significant ever come from the tribe of Reuben. Talk about a negative family history!

Genesis 49:5–7 ESV

5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. 6 Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

Simeon and Levi share violence and anger and even though they were fairly old in the line of brothers Jacob knew that them mean leaders or living close to each other would lead to destruction.

Genesis 49:8–12 ESV

8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. 11 Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

If you think about it this blessing is the most significant for the rest of the Bible it's the most significant theological blessing. The tribe of Judah has a trait of alliance cup of sovereignty and courage. Judah started down the wrong path with his family we saw that in genesis 38 he repented and then he showed leadership he was willing to sacrifice himself. And he is declared to be a royal tribe and he's the one through whom future kings like David would come. Also the Messiah would come through Judah.

These last two verses refer to a time of great wealth.

Genesis 49:13 ESV

13 “Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.

He wasn’t described by character….but by what he would do.

Genesis 49:14–15 ESV

14 “Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. 15 He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor.

This reference here is probably not a reference to a character trait but a reference to the land he received. It's a valley between hills and Galilee and the place where manassa would live. It seems to be a blessing to say that isakar would be OK with a hard agricultural way of life and not look for political success.

Genesis 49:16–18 ESV

16 “Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward. 18 I wait for your salvation, O Lord.

This name Dan means judge or justice I know that from living with this name :) the Bible records Samson as a judge from this tribe but the reality is jacob's negative words here also point to the reality that this tribe lead Israel the nation into idolatry at times.

Verse 18 is a sort of cry out to God for help in the middle of this prophecy. Jacob looks forward and sees trouble and cries to God for help.

Genesis 49:19 ESV

19 “Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels.

Militant skillful

Genesis 49:20 ESV

20 “Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.

Prosperous

Genesis 49:21 ESV

21 “Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns.

He would live in an isolated but beautiful area.

Genesis 49:22–26 ESV

22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. 23 The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, 24 yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), 25 by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26 The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.

Joseph’s tribe known as Ephraim is prosperous and fruitful….they would fight with Judah for the right to lead the nation.

Genesis 49:27 ESV

27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.”

Saul was a Benjaminite…the first king of Israel.

Genesis 49:28 ESV

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.

The significance of a name…..Name Tag illustration

Names are important

Ephraim

Manassesh

Alexander

Christopher

John

Luke

Christina

Isabelle

London

River

Jack, Collen, June

Names can be negative

The difficult one

He can’t learn

She’s not good enough

Trouble

God gives us new names and blessings regardless of our past.

Child of God

Loved

Jacob, the last of the original patriarchs, dies and is buried

Genesis 49:29–32 ESV

29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.”

He wanted to be buried with his fathers and wives.

Genesis 49:33–50:3 ESV

33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people. 1 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 Forty days were required for it, for that is how many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

At this point Jacob is prepared by the process of embalming which prepared a body to last for a while. That's the reason the Pharaohs bodies the mummies are preserved so we see them today. They did the same process to Jacob.

But don’t miss another important reality here. Joseph took time to grieve and to mourn the loss. It’s OK to take time to grieve and mourn loss.

Genesis 50:4–14 ESV

4 And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5 ‘My father made me swear, saying, “I am about to die: in my tomb that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me.” Now therefore, let me please go up and bury my father. Then I will return.’ ” 6 And Pharaoh answered, “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear.” 7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company. 10 When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and grievous lamentation, and he made a mourning for his father seven days. 11 When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan. 12 Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them, 13 for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 14 After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

It's interesting because Joseph was so much a part of the Egyptian culture they looked at this caravan and the people around them said ohh it's the Egyptians doing something. The reality was it was a Hebrew patriarch

Joseph’s brothers worry that he holds a grudge

Zig Ziglar tells as story of a woman who met with an attorney wanting to get a divorce.

“OK” the attorney responds, “let’s start with a few questions first.”

“Like what?” she asks.

“Well, do you have any grounds?”

“Yes, we have about 5 acres out in the country.”

“No, I mean do you have a grudge?”

“No, but we have a nice, wide carport and a storage shed.”

“Let me ask this a different way. Do you have any complaints about him?”

“Like what?”

“Well, does he beat you up?”

“No, I’m up at least an hour before him every day.”

“Well, what about your role here? Do you ever wake up grouchy?”

“No, when he’s in a bad mood I just let him sleep.”

Exasperated, the attorney finally asks, “Why exactly do you want to get a divorce?”

“Well,” she replies, “the guy just can’t communicate!”

Joseph’s brothers were really concerned that Joseph would take vengance now and he communicated how he saw the situation.

Genesis 50:15–18 ESV

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: 17 ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.” ’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

Genesis 50:19–21 ESV

19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Joseph had the perspective to look beyond what the brothers had done to him to what God was doing through him.

Rocks in the pocket illustration

Joseph Dies

Genesis 50:22–26 ESV

22 So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s house. Joseph lived 110 years. 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were counted as Joseph’s own. 24 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

As Joseph finishes his life he asks to be buried in the land of Canaan. He looks forward in faith as the writer of the Hebrews mentions. He has the capacity to look beyond what's happening with himself now to see how God would provide in the future. I can only imagine many of the Egyptian friends he had trying to convince him to be buried in the land where he made a name for himself but he was far more concerned about what God would do in his family.

Conclusion

Genesis Applications

Can you appreciate the depths of forgiveness, or are you like Joseph’s brothers who feared and expected revenge after many years?

• Are you prepared to interpret life theologically, based on the promises of God, or naturally, based solely on the processes of life?

• It’s always appropriate to cry out to God for help.

My prayer as we conclude this study of the book of genesis and we see how God worked over hundreds of years in the lives of his people that we can have the faith in God to see his work over the long haul. We've watched him work in the lives of men over dozens and hundreds of years. And genesis is a book that points ahead hundreds and thousands of years to what God would do through the nation of Israel through his Messiah and through to our lives today.

Genesis IV. Life Application: The Will of God

The Will of God will never take you

Where the Grace of God cannot keep you,

Where the Arms of God cannot support you,

Where the Riches of God cannot supply your needs,

Where the Power of God cannot endow you.

The Will of God will never take you

Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,

Where the Wisdom of God cannot teach you,

Where the Army of God cannot protect you,

Where the Hands of God cannot mold you,

The Will of God will never take you

Where the Love of God cannot enfold you,

Where the Mercies of God cannot sustain you,

Where the Peace of God cannot calm your fears,

Where the Authority of God cannot overrule you.

The Will of God will never take you

Where the Comfort of God cannot dry your tears,

Where the Word of God cannot feed you,

Where the Miracles of God cannot be done for you,

Where the Omnipresence of God cannot find you.

—Author Unknown