Seventeen years after he moved to Egypt Jacob was near the end of his life. Seventeen was the same number of years Joseph spent growing up in Jacob’s home before he was sold as a slave. In the years between boyhood and reuniting with his father in Egypt, Joseph became the man Jacob always thought he would be. Jacob had dressed Joseph like a prince years before he became the ruler in Egypt.

Jacob had some final business to attend to as death drew near. First he talked with Joseph about funeral arrangements. He wanted to be buried in the family tomb at Mamre and Joseph promised to make that happen.

Next Jacob blessed his twelve sons and reminded them that their real home was in Canaan, the land God promised to Abraham’s descendants.

Finally, God enabled Jacob to bestow blessings appropriate to each of his sons, and though the blessings seemed obscure when they were given, they accurately prophesied what would become of each tribe hundreds of years later.

Manasseh and Ephraim

Jacob began by adopting Joseph’s two half-Egyptian sons Manasseh and Ephraim as his heirs.

R.C. Sproul says, “This act is best seen as Jacob’s ultimate expression of his deep affection for Joseph. The Law later tells us that the firstborn son normally received a double portion of his father’s blessing to illustrate his privileged status. Jacob’s eldest son, Reuben, should have inherited this favor, yet he proved his unworthiness when he slept with his father’s concubine. For the most part, Jacob’s other boys are shady characters, and so he chooses his favorite son, absent from him for more than twenty years, to gain the double blessing.”

Joseph presented his sons to Jacob according to their birth order, but Jacob switched the order by crossing his right hand over to the younger son, Ephraim’s, head. Joseph tried to correct his father, but Jacob knew what he was doing. In the distant future the younger son was going to be greater than the older. Besides that, Jacob foresaw that Ephraim would become a group of nations.

The tribe of Ephraim did become great when Israel first returned to Canaan. The first center of Israelite worship in Canaan was in Ephraim. The tabernacle was placed there, and inside the tabernacle God’s glory hovered over the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. All of Israel came to Ephraim to meet with God during that time.

Sadly, idolatry took root in Ephraim hundreds of years later and eventually God allowed the Assyrians to overrun that tribe and scatter its people to many different nations. The Assyrians imported Gentiles from all over their empire to occupy Ephraim and its territory was filled with people from many different nations, just as Jacob predicted.

Manasseh’s descendants were going to occupy the largest area of land in Canaan. Their territory would stretch from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the far eastern border of Israel. While Manasseh was less important in Israel than Ephraim, the ridge of land Jacob gave to Joseph at Shechem was on Manasseh’s tribal land.

There were eleven other sons awaiting Jacob’s blessings and his words were prophetic with each of them.

Reuben

Jacob described Reuben as “turbulent as waters”. He often played the role of responsible older brother, but his character was flawed and he betrayed his father. Reuben lost his excellent reputation in the family and hundreds of years later, when Israel crossed the Jordan River to enter Canaan, the tribe of Reuben remained outside. They settled on the eastern side of the Jordan, away from the center of life in Israel.

Simeon and Levi

Jacob remembered the violence Simeon and Levi perpetrated upon the town of Shechem and he cursed their uncontrolled anger and cruelty. He said that they were going to be scattered throughout Israel someday and that prophecy came true. The Levites never had territory of their own, but as the priestly tribe  they were assigned land inside each of the other tribes. Simeon had its own territory, but over time it dwindled away until finally it was absorbed by the tribe of Judah.

Judah

Jacob acknowledged Judah as the tribe of kings. He foresaw that a great king would rise in Judah and reign forever. This king would fight a battle to the death, his robes would be stained with blood like wine, but later he would return completely restored. Jacob described his eyes and teeth as a picture of youth and health.  This was a prophetic description of the life, death, resurrection and eternal reign of Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah.

Zebulun, Issachar, Asher and Naphtali

The descendants of these four brother eventually formed the four northernmost tribes of Israel in the Promised Land. They were going to have the richest land, blessed with abundant water and with access to seaports. Jacob’s blessings to them included sea trade, healthy livestock, rich crops and beautiful wildlife. Even today that part of Israel and Palestine is verdant and blessed with natural resources.

Dan

Dan was going to provide justice to Israel. Jacob’s blessing looked ahead to the time after Israel was settled in Canaan, but before it had kings. The nation’s leadership would come through people God appointed as judges. The most famous judge from the tribe of Dan would be Samson.

Dan was going to face battles with Philistine invaders, but Jacob prophesied that Dan would bring down their horses and riders.

Gad

The tribe that descended from Gad was going to settle on the northeastern side of Canaan. In the future they would be threatened over and over by raiders from the east and would have to fight to protect their land, crops and livestock.

Benjamin

Benjamin’s descendants were going to be a small but fierce tribe. During the time of the judges they would start a civil war in Israel that nearly wiped them out. The other eleven tribes pledged never to give their daughters to a Benjamite in marriage which meant the tribe of Benjamin was doomed to die out unless they could get wives another way.  The eleven tribes were going to solve this dilemma by attacking two unsuspecting cities in Israel and taking their young women as plunder to give to Benjamin. Benjamin was a wolf in the morning who would divide his plunder in the evening.

Joseph

Jacob blessed Joseph again, after the blessing he had already given to his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. This blessing became a hymn of praise to God. Joseph was a fruitful vine that grew over the wall and became fruitful in Egypt. His brothers attacked him, but they could not defeat him. He remained steady and strong because the hand of the Lord was with him – the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob – the Shepherd – the Rock of Israel – the God of his fathers – the Almighty – who blessed him.

Jacob saw that God had blessed Joseph from the skies, the earth and in the children born to him. What God had already given to Joseph was greater than the ancient mountains and hills of Canaan. God’s blessing sat like a crown on Joseph’s head; he was the prince among his brothers.

Jacob rejoiced over this son God had given him, who excelled his brothers in every way.

Jacob is Gathered to His People

Jacob finished blessing his sons and after he made sure they understood the plan for his burial, he drew his feet back into bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people. His spirit went to the place where Abraham and Isaac had already gone and his body was prepared for burial in the family tomb.

Pharaoh allowed Joseph to take his father’s body back to Mamre in Canaan and Joseph promised to return to Egypt afterward. All of the dignitaries of Egypt went with the family in a great entourage that included horses and chariots. The Israelites left their livestock and children behind in Goshen, a further guarantee that they also would return. The sons of Israel visited Canaan to bury their father, but it was not yet time for them to remain there.

Joseph Reassures His Brothers

Joseph’s brothers were gripped by an old fear after Jacob was gone. What if Joseph bore a grudge against them and was only restrained from punishing them while Jacob was alive? They made up a story about Jacob making one last request of Joseph, to forgive his brothers for treating him so badly.

Joseph wept when he got their message.

They apparently didn’t believe the forgiveness and grace he had already given them. When they threw themselves down before him and offered themselves as his slaves, he told them not to be afraid. God had already settled the issue. What the brothers intended for harm, God used to accomplish his great purposes. Joseph spoke kindly to them and promised to provide for them and their children.

Joseph’s Sojourn in Egypt Ends

The family of Jacob lived together in Egypt for another 43 years before Joseph died. Joseph’s dying wish was that when the children of Israel went back to Canaan they would carry his bones with them, for God was surely going to come to their aid and bring them back to the land he promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Joseph died believing the promises of God even though their fulfillment was about 350 years in the future.

We have now read all of Genesis.

On to Job

The story of Israel, Egypt, and Canaan picks up again in Exodus, but before we go there, we are going to read the book of Job. He was most likely a contemporary of the patriarchs we have just read about, but he lived East of Canaan, perhaps near the place Abraham left when God called him to Canaan. Job is unique in all of the Bible.  He has an encounter with God quite unlike anything we have read so far!

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/two-more-sons-israel/