Genesis 48 – 50
Well, here we are, reading the last three chapters of Genesis. It’s hard to believe, but in less than one month, we have read two entire books of the Bible. Hope you have been enjoying it as much as I have.
When Joseph hears that his father is failing, he takes his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim to Jacob for his father to bless them. We don’t know if Jacob had already told Joseph about God Almighty appearing to him at Luz (remember Jacob called it Bethel after that) and telling him he would make him fruitful and multiply his descendants. It was there God promised the land of Canaan to Jacob’s descendants as an everlasting possession. After he tells Joseph this, he tells him he is claiming Joseph’s sons as his own just as Reuben and Simeon are. Any other children born will belong to Joseph and will inherit land in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.
I thought the way that Jacob blessed Joseph’s sons and the way he blessed his own was very interesting. He blessed Joseph’s younger son Ephraim before Manasseh, thus putting Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. Jacob didn’t bless his own sons in order of birth either.
Jacob’s sons were born in the following order:
| Son | Mother |
| Reuben | Leah |
| Simeon | Leah |
| Levi | Leah |
| Judah | Leah |
| Dan | Bilhah |
| Naphtali | Bilhah |
| Gad | Zilpah |
| Asher | Zilpah |
| Issachar | Leah |
| Zebulon | Leah |
| Joseph | Rachel |
| Benjamin | Rachel |
But he blessed them in the following order, mainly by who their mother was:
| Son | Mother |
| Reuben | Leah |
| Simeon | Leah |
| Levi | Leah |
| Judah | Leah |
| Zebulon | Leah |
| Issachar | Leah |
| Dan | Bilhah |
| Gad | Zilpah |
| Asher | Zilpah |
| Naphtali | Bilhah |
| Joseph | Rachel |
| Benjamin | Rachel |
He does bless Zebulon before Issachar, even though Issachar was born before Zebulon. Gad and Asher, sons of Zilpah (Leah’s maid), are blessed between the sons of Bilhah (Rachel’s maid).
Reuben forfeited his birthright because of his behavior: he slept with his father’s concubine, Bilhah. Next in line would have been Simeon and Levi, but they forfeited for their behavior: if you recall, they killed all of the men in Shechem because the local prince, son of Hamor the Hivite, raped their sister Dinah.
The birthright passes to Judah: “”all your relatives will bow before you… the scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.” Judah had made mistakes, but he also offered himself in Benjamin’s place.
Jacob not only blessed his sons, but also prophesied what would happen to them.
After this, he asks them to make sure he is buried in the cave of Machpelah where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and Leah are buried. After saying this, he breathes his last breath.
Joseph obtains permission to take his father’s body back to Canaan. His brothers with a number of Egyptians accompanying them, escort Jacob’s body back to Canaan after the forty-day embalming process is complete.
Joseph and his family continued to live in Egypt. He makes his brothers promise to take his bones back to Canaan “when God comes to help you and lead you back.” Genesis ends with the Egyptians embalming Joseph and placing his body in a coffin in Egypt.
Tomorrow, it’s Exodus 1 – 3.
The Benefits of Coconut Oil
For some info on the benefits of coconut oil, please watch the video you’ll see at:
http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/mp4/LJO190v1_WS
Until next time…
No comments:
Post a Comment