Jacob's Blessings
Notes
Transcript
Text: Genesis 48:1-49:28
Jacob’s Blessings for Joseph’s Sons (48:1-22)
Jacob’s Blessings for Joseph’s Sons (48:1-22)
Joseph comes with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to visit his father Jacob because Jacob is sick and possibly near death. In this chapter, Jacob pronounces blessings on Joseph’s children, and in the next, on his own twelve sons.
As Jacob nears the end of his life, he is still keeping in mind God’s promises and rejoicing in the ways that God is already bringing about the fulfillment of His promises. We saw at the end of chapter 47 that Israel as a nation is being fruitful and multiplying, and so God’s promises to them are being fulfilled.
Now Jacob adopts Joseph’s two sons as his own, and in this way Jacob effectively gives Joseph a double portion among the tribes of Israel. Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons and asks God to make them fruitful. And by this point in Genesis it shouldn’t surprise us, but the greater blessing is given to the younger son. (Just like Isaac was blessed over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau)
In Jacob’s words of blessing, he also reveals more about his relationship to God. If it wasn’t clear before, it’s very clear here: the LORD is Jacob’s God. We see him refer to God as his shepherd, and in chapter 49 we also see Jacob call God “the mighty one of Jacob”, his Shepherd, and His Rock. So here at the end of his life, Jacob leaves us with no doubt that he truly trusts God and His promises, and he has come to know the LORD as his own God. At the end of chapter 48 he also expresses confidence in God’s promise of the land to his descendants.
Hebrews 11:21 records Jacob’s blessings on Joseph’s sons near his death:
21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.
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1 After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
After this — that is, after Israel moved to Egypt, after they began to be fruitful and multiply there in the land of Goshen, and after Joseph had sworn an oath to his father that he would bury him in the promised land.
Now we are in Jacob’s very final days — perhaps even his very last day. The wording of the end of chapter 49 indicates that Jacob died right after finishing his words of blessing to his sons, and there doesn’t seem to be a break between chapters 48 and 49.
So this is the very end of Jacob’s life, but before he dies he wants to speak prophetic words of blessing over his sons.
2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.
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.’
Here at the end of his life, Jacob continues to remember God’s promises and cling to them in faith. He recalls God’s appearance to him at Luz (also known as Bethel), recorded in Genesis 35. These words also reflect the blessing that Jacob’s father Isaac had spoken over him at the beginning of Genesis 28.
“Be fruitful and multiply” theme
Throughout Genesis, we’ve seen this theme of being fruitful and multiplying.
We first saw it in Gen 1:28 where God spoke to Adam and Eve in the beginning and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. So from the beginning, God’s purpose has been to fill the earth with His glory through His image bearers who rule the earth under His authority.
With the entrance of sin into the world in Genesis 3, we might fear that this purpose has been thwarted, but we quickly learn that despite the very real consequence of death, God has promised ongoing life, ongoing offspring, one of whom will someday crush the serpent’s head and restore humanity to God. So even though the world has been corrupted by sin, God still intends to fill it with worshipers.
After the flood wipes out everyone but Noah and his family, God says to Noah and his sons in Genesis 9:1, 7: Be fruitful and multiply. The commission given to Adam and Eve is passed on to Noah’s family.
Then God begins making promises to Abraham and his family that He will accomplish this purpose through them. God promises Abraham in Genesis 17:6 and Genesis 22:17 that He will make Abraham fruitful and multiply his offspring like the stars of the sky and the sand of the seashore.
God passes on this promise to Abraham’s son Isaac in Genesis 26:24, and Isaac in turn passes it on to Jacob in Genesis 28:3-4 and God confirms it to Jacob in Genesis 35:11.
So God’s purpose of filling the earth with His glory through His image bearers who rule the earth under His authority was not thwarted by man’s sin; it depends on the seed of the woman (Gen 3:15). So God’s purpose of redemption will be achieved in Genesis through marriage and childbirth.
This priority of marriage and children in Scripture stands in stark contrast with our own culture’s view of families, marriage, and children.
Our culture rejects the nuclear family
They reject the distinct roles of men and women
And they place such a low value on children, viewing children as a nuisance or a hindrance to enjoying the good life.
Our culture believes that true fulfillment is found in freedom from these things — that to be truly free we need to get rid of the nuclear family, throw off distinctions between men and women, and avoid having children by abortion and other means.
We must reject our culture’s unbiblical views of family, marriage, gender distinctions, and children, and embrace the Bible’s view:
We must honor marriage as a sacred institution from God
We must see children as a blessing from God
This theme of being fruitful and multiplying has new covenant implications for us today:
part of the fulfillment of the Great Commission happens through Christian families — parents discipling their children (certainly it also happens through missions, evangelism, discipleship of others, etc.)
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).”
Jacob begins reversing the order of the names of Joseph’s sons starting in v. 5, which anticipates the reversal later in this chapter.
So Jacob adopts Joseph’s two sons as his own, and in this way gives Joseph a double portion among the tribes of Israel.
Any other children of Joseph will be included in the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.
Jacob also remembers the death and burial of his beloved wife Rachel.
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.”
Like Jacob’s own father, Isaac, now at the end of his life, his eyesight is also gone.
It seems that he can see something — perhaps just general shapes or shadows, even though he is nearly blind.
Once again we see Joseph remembering God’s sovereignty and goodness in describing his sons “whom God has given me here.”
Jacob also recognizes God’s goodness in allowing him not only to see Joseph alive again, but also to see God blessing Joseph with children.
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).
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 and his family had been shepherds for many years, and Jacob recognized that God’s care and protection of him and his family was like a shepherd.
I wonder if this phrase in v. 15 was the inspiration for one of David’s most famous Psalms, Psalm 23 which begins, “the LORD is my shepherd.” (These are the only 2 times in the Bible when God is referred to as “my shepherd.”)
For so much of Jacob’s life, he was like the lost sheep in the parable of Jesus. He was lost, on the run, but the LORD, the good shepherd, went looking for him and found him and brought him safely home.
Now he calls on his good shepherd to care for his descendants Ephraim and Manasseh in the same way.
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.”
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.
Joseph assumes this reversal of the order of his sons is a mistake (because Jacob is almost blind?)
The historical and cultural assumption was that the older son should have the primary place.
God doesn’t do things the way we do, and Jacob rightly perceived God’s design to exalt the younger son Ephraim.
After all, Jacob himself was a younger brother whom God chose to bless above his brother.
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 expresses confidence in God’s promise of land
Even death cannot ultimately stand in the way of God’s faithfulness to His promises
Jacob’s Blessings for All His Sons (49:1-28)
Jacob’s Blessings for All His Sons (49:1-28)
Chapter 49 records the final words of Jacob. He speaks these words of blessing over each one of his sons. Jacob says what needs to be said before he dies. Where necessary, he is calling his sons to repentance.
We need to understand also that these words are not only words of blessing from a father to his children, but they are also a prophecy of what is to come for each of these tribes of Israel. We see some fulfillment of each of these prophetic words throughout the rest of the Old Testament.
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.
What we’re going to see is that Jacob doesn’t completely follow the birth order of his sons as he gives out these words of blessing; some of them are out of order.
Another important thing to see in this chapter is that two sons are prominent — Judah and Joseph. They each get 5 long verses, while the other brothers just get 1 or 2 shorter verses in most cases. So clearly we see here that going forward, the tribes of Judah and Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) will be most important.
So we’ll look at the shorter blessings first in the order they appear, then Joseph and then we’ll finish with Judah (just so you can follow — the order will be Reuben, Simeon and Levi, then skip down to Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, skip down to Benjamin, then Joseph, and finally Judah. So we’ll end with the two that are most prominent.
Reuben
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!
Jacob’s words to Reuben in v. 3-4 indicate Reuben has probably not repented of his sin and reconciled with his father. Jacob is calling his son to repentance and at the same time measuring out consequences — Reuben will no longer be counted as the firstborn; instead Joseph will, as expressed in 1 Chronicles 5:1-2
1 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son;
2 though Judah became strong among his brothers and a chief came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph),
Simeon and Levi
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.
Jacob’s words to Simeon and Levi also indicate a need for repentance. Apparently they have still not repented of their sin in Genesis 34 when they slaughtered the town of Shechem.
As a consequence, Levi is scattered throughout the tribes like Jacob says (they’re the priests and don’t get their own section of the land), and Simeon is basically absorbed by Judah (their territory is completely within Judah’s and eventually they seem to get swallowed up by Judah).
Skip down to v. 13
Zebulun
13 “Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.
Issachar
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.
Dan
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.
v. 17 — fulfilled in Samson?
18 I wait for your salvation, O Lord.
v. 18 — a response to Samson’s failure to deliver Israel
Gad
19 “Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels.
Asher
20 “Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.
Naphtali
21 “Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns.
Skip down to v. 27
Benjamin
27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.”
Now back to v. 22
Joseph
22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.
connection of v. 22 with Psalm 1:2-3
Joseph’s fruitfulness came from his close relationship with the LORD; he knew and trusted God’s promises, and he meditated on the revelation that he had
23 The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely,
the imagery here figuratively represents the mistreatment Joseph endured from his brothers and from the Midianites, Potiphar and his wife, and others.
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),
it was God who strengthened Joseph and carried him through his times of adversity
notice how Jacob’s own relationship with God is revealed in this blessing on Joseph
The Mighty One of Jacob — Jacob says God is my mighty one
The Shepherd — just as he had said back in Genesis 48. God has been his shepherd.
The Stone (Rock) of Israel — God is his strength and fortress
The God of your father (v. 25) — no longer is God the God of Jacob’s father, now he is the God of Joseph’s father, that is, He is Jacob’s God. Unlike the beginning of Jacob’s story in Genesis 27 when he referred to the LORD as “your God” while he was deceiving his father and stealing the blessing, now the LORD is his own God. It’s an amazing transformation in Jacob’s life.
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.
So Jacob prophesies great prosperity and blessing on Joseph and his descendants.
But probably the most important blessing spoken in this chapter is Jacob’s blessing on Judah, starting in v. 8:
Judah
One important thing to note as we go through Jacob’s prophetic blessing to Judah is that, unlike with Reuben, Simeon and Levi, Jacob doesn’t bring up Judah’s sin — because Judah has repented
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.
Judah’s name means praise and it foreshadows the praise his brothers will give him.
Judah will conquer his enemies — a literal translation of Psalm 18:40 (David speaking) says You gave me my enemies’ necks — David is saying that this prophecy is being fulfilled through him as the king from Judah’s line.
Your father’s sons will bow down to you (see Gen 27:29 and Gen 37:4-11 and Gen 17:6)
God had promised that kings would come from Abraham (Gen 17:6)
Isaac’s blessing to Jacob indicated that he would rule over his brother (Gen 27:29)
Joseph dreamed that his brothers and his whole family would bow down to him, which they did (Gen 37:5-11)
But ultimately, the promise of kingship will be fulfilled through Judah’s line. This becomes especially clear later on in Scripture with God’s covenant with David in 2 Sam 7.
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?
Lion imagery pertains to kings throughout Bible
In Revelation 5:5 — Jesus is referred to as the Lion of the tribe of Judah who has conquered His enemies.
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.
Judah will be the ruling tribe in Israel — the line of true kings will come from his tribe
Until tribute comes to him — this is a hard phrase to interpret
if this is the right translation, we certainly see tribute being brought to David and Solomon and other kings from Judah’s line, foreshadowing the tribute that the nations bring to Jesus as the true eternal king from Judah’s line.
Another possible translation is, “until he comes to whom it belongs” — that is, one particular king from Judah’s line, to whom belongs the rightful authority to rule forever, to hold the scepter — this also clearly would apply to Jesus as the rightful eternal king from Judah.
To him shall be the obedience of the peoples — not only will his brothers bow down before him, but all peoples will submit to him as king and obey him. Again, this is clearly fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
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.
v. 11 the fruitfulness will be so plentiful that people will let donkeys eat good fruit and lavishly use resources
12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
v. 12 - health and prosperity
Together, v. 11-12 portray the future reign of the king from Judah’s line; the curse will be removed, the land renewed (millennium or new heavens and new earth)
Conclusion:
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.
Although for 3 of his sons Jacob had a rebuke and a call to repentance, it says that this was a blessing. As hard as it must have been for Reuben, Simeon, and Levi to hear their sins called out publicly, perhaps these words turned their hearts in repentance back to God.
Throughout the rest of Scripture, we see these prophecies come to fruition in the lives of each of these tribes.
Most importantly, it was God’s blessing that brought about their fruitfulness and multiplication and the fulfillment of these promises.
The rest of the Old Testament shows us how through these 12 tribes of Israel, God is at work to restore humanity to Himself.
One final reflection as we close: keep God’s promises in view.
Here at the end of his life, Jacob is focused on God and His promises, and he is directing his sons to do so as well. Let’s be people who
Know God’s promises
Believe His promises
Live our lives based on His promises
By His grace, for His glory, all our days.
PRAY
