Genesis 48:1-16

I.                Jacob Blesses  

The last three chapters of Genesis set the stage and launch us into the rest of the Bible.  Here the background has been fully established as to the origination of Israel, the next three chapters provide the blessings given to the sons of Israel as patriarchs of the 12 Tribes of Israel and the central characters as God’s chosen people throughout the remainder of the Old Testament.  We see Jacob and Israel used almost interchangeably in this chapter to refer to the son of Isaac, almost cryptic as to the purpose of the alternating application of the names. The twelve tribes wrestle with their purpose in a constant struggle with the temptations of worshipping false gods.  Eventually, the 12 tribes form 2 kingdoms, the Northern House of Israel and the Southern House of Judah and reject YHVH as their God King opting instead for a man king.  The action, suspense and drama is riveting throughout culminating with the birth of Messiah. 

a.      Genesis 48:1 – And it came to pass after these things, that [one] told Joseph, Behold, thy father [is] sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

§        Joseph was 56 years old when Jacob died, this appears to be just before Jacob’s death.  Joseph was 30 years old when he became governor of Egypt and had both Ephraim and Manasseh before he was 37 years old.

o       Genesis 41:50 – And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of the famine came…

§        If Jacob is in his last year (age 147) then Manasseh and Ephraim are between 19 and 25 years old.

b.      Genesis 48:2 - And [one] told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

§        One told Jacob

§        Israel strengthened himself

o       Prepared himself to be worthy of the name Israel

c.      Genesis 48:3 - And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

§        Jacob said…relaying the story of how God blessed him, He is still Jacob in at this point in the story

d.      Genesis 48:4 - And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee [for] an everlasting possession.

§        The birthright of fruitfulness and the scepter of dominion is passed down from Adam to Noah to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob, Isaac had previously given it to Jacob, but here God honors it and officially declares it.

o       Genesis 1:28 - And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

o       Genesis 9:1 - And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

o       Genesis 17:5-6 - Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

o       Genesis 26:24 - And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I [am] the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I [am] with thee (Isaac), and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

o       Genesis 28:1-3 - And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.  Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.  And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;

o       Genesis 35:10-11 - And God said unto him, Thy name [is] Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.  And God said unto him, I [am] God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

§        Up until this point the birthright and the scepter have always transitioned to one person (not necessarily at the same time though).

e.      Genesis 48:5 - And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, [are] mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

§        Jacob adopts Manasseh and Ephraim as his own sons

o       Reuben and Simeon the 1^st and 2^nd sons of Jacob who lost favor with Jacob, that definitely cost Reuben and likely cost Simeon the birthright

§        This is how Joseph was given the double portion of the birthright

o       1 Chronicles 5:1-2 - Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he [was] the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.  For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him [came] the chief ruler; but the birthright [was] Joseph's:)

f.       Genesis 48:6 - And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, [and] shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

§        Any future children of Joseph will be Joseph’s and will be reckoned to these two sons of Joseph for their inheritance

§        Unknown if Joseph had any other children besides these two, no others mentioned

g.      Genesis 48:7 - And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet [there was] but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same [is] Bethlehem.

§        Rachel buried in Bethlehem

§        Matthew 2:18 - In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping [for] her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

o       Rama - "a hill"

o       Because Rachel was buried near Bethlehem?

h.      Genesis 48:8 - And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who [are] these?

§        Israel beheld…, readies himself as an agent of the Almighty passing his blessing to his grandsons/sons

i.       Genesis 48:9 - And Joseph said unto his father, They [are] my sons, whom God hath given me in this [place]. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.

j.       Genesis 48:10 - Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, [so that] he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.

§        Proverbs 17:6 - Children's children [are] the crown of old men; and the glory of children [are] their fathers.

§        Israel’s eyes were dim, just like Isaac’s, blind servants

o       Isaiah 42:19 - Who [is] blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger [that] I sent? who [is] blind as [he that is] perfect, and blind as the LORD'S servant?

o       1 Corinthians 13:12 - For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

o       2 Corinthians 5:7 - (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

·        When the eyes of the body are compromised, the eyes of faith may be very clear

k.      Genesis 48:11 - And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.

§        How often God, in his merciful providences, outdoes our expectations, and thus greatly magnifies his favours. He not only prevents our fears, but exceeds our hopes.  ~Matthew Henry Commentary on Genesis

l.       Genesis 48:12 - And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

§        Seems odd that Joseph would have 19-25 year old sons that are “between his knees”

§        Moffet Translation: “…then, removing them from his father’s knees, Joseph bowed to the ground.”

§        Could they have perhaps in v. 10 that the boys had been kneeling with their hands and heads upon Jacob’s knees?

m.    Genesis 48:13 - 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 unto him.

n.      Genesis 48:14 - And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid [it] upon Ephraim's head, who [was] the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh [was] the firstborn.

§        Israel knowingly blessed the younger ahead of the elder

§        Isaiah 55:9 - For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

§        Continuing the pattern of elevating a younger sibling above the firstborn, we see this also in:

o       Abel above Cain

o       Shem above Japheth

o       Abraham above Nahor

o       Isaac above Ishmael

o       Jacob above Esau

o       David above all his older brothers

o       Solomon above his older brothers

§        1 Samual 16:7 - the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

o.      Genesis 48:15 - And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,

§        2 Timothy 4:18 - And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve [me] unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.

§        Jacob acknowledges that it was God who provided for him all his life, passing on this legacy of faith to his children

p.      Genesis 48:16 - The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

§        Hebrews 11:21 - By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, [leaning] upon the top of his staff.

o       Why is the blessing that Jacob passed to Joseph’s sons mentioned here in Hebrews and not the blessings given to the other sons of Jacob? 

o       Because this is the fruitfulness birthright, the promise of the Kingdom.  Jacob believed this promise and in faith passed it to Joseph’s sons.

§        Referring to the “angel” that he had wrestled and had given him the name Israel

§        Let my name be named on them…the name of Israel officially passed to Ephraim and Manasseh the birthright of the kingdom, the right to the name Israel is given specifically to them

o       “Grow into a multitude”…fruitfulness mandate

o       The calling to bring forth the manifested sons of God

·        Romans 8:19 – For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

·         1 Chronicles 5:1-2 - Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he [was] the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.  For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him [came] the chief ruler; but the birthright [was] Joseph’s :)

o       The other brothers were not given this entitlement; other tribes can only use the name Israel when associated with Ephraim or Manasseh.  If those tribes would break off on their own their tribal name would be used.

§        This birthright gave to Joseph and his descendents through Manasseh and Ephraim primary importance, and leaders of the nation of Israel.

§        These are the final two tribes of Israel; Joseph was not a tribe and Levi was not included among the 12 tribes that inherited land for their inheritance was God

o       Joshua 13:33 - But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not [any] inheritance: the LORD God of Israel [was] their inheritance, as he said unto them.