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.
2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
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.
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.
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.
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.
8 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?
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.
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.
11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
12 And Joseph brought them out from between 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 unto him.
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.
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,
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.
17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.
18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
1. Joseph hears that his father is sick and takes his two sons to visit him.
2. Jacob counts Joseph’s two sons as his own and blesses them.
Verses 1–7. After seventeen years in Egypt, Jacob was approaching his final hours. One crucial matter played prominently in his mind. He refused to forget the promise God made to his fathers and to him in Luz—the promise of the land. One day, Jacob’s family would inherit the land of Canaan. Jacob believed this with all of his heart. Of all of Jacob’s sons, none were as integrated into Egyptian politics and culture as Joseph. If anyone would have immersed himself into the culture and abandoned the covenant, it would have been Joseph or his sons. Therefore, Jacob took it upon himself to claim Joseph’s two sons for his own. He wanted these young men and their posterity included in the inheritance of Canaan. It was the covenant that was of essence to this man. In his dying moments, he wanted to do everything in his power to ensure that his sons, Joseph included, would play a part in this covenant. Granted, he had little control over what would happen ten generations hence, but he took significant steps to influence the minds and hearts of his sons and grandsons. In this final encounter with his family, Jacob again certified his commitment to the covenant and handed the baton to his sons and grandsons. Since Jacob had adopted these two grandsons and included them in his inheritance, any attempt on Joseph’s part to incorporate them into the Egyptian socio-economic system would have directly violated his father’s last pronouncements. It would have been the ultimate treasonous act against his own father—something that Joseph would never do. Thus, you can see how the dying words of an old patriarch really do carry binding authority. Jacob certified his commitment to the covenant that would resonate for generations.
What may have played in Jacob’s mind was as he prepared to die—the covenant promises of God and his precious wife, Rachel, who had passed away over a century earlier. WWhen a man marries a woman, they become one flesh, and when she dies, he looses a part of himself.
Verses 8–20. Joseph was still the favorite son, the oldest son of Jacob’s primary wife. It was fitting, therefore, for Jacob to bless Joseph first and provide him with the double portion of the inheritance. Typically, the oldest son received a double portion of the inheritance in a biblical economy. Before pronouncing his blessing on the two young men, Jacob gave God the glory for reuniting his family in Egypt. As a true prophet of God, he crossed his arms in order that he might confer the blessing for the oldest son upon the younger. No reason is given for this break in normal procedure. What may have played in Jacob’s mind was God’s own sovereign working in his life. Before he was born, the Lord informed his mother that “The elder shall serve the younger.” God’s ways are not our ways. Although we may grow accustomed to “normal” practices where the rich are served first and the elder children are the privileged ones, God always reserves the right to turn this system on its head. In another place, our Lord Jesus says, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first” (Matt. 20:16). This leaves no room for presumption on the part of the privileged, but it allows room for hope and mercy for the least privileged, the humble, and the poor in spirit.
In a highly significant, prophetic statement, Jacob issued the blessing from God and the Angel “who redeemed him from all evil” (Verse 16). He could never have claimed this blessing with authority, had God not first conveyed it to him. He was speaking the words that he had already received and believed. But who was this mysterious Angel? The text provides an important clue. While acknowledging God as the source of his physical protection and provision, he also referred to the Angel as the One who redeemed him from all evil. This salvation includes physical protection, but it cannot be limited to that, for Jacob saw this Angel as the One who saved him from the evil of sin and its consequences. As God’s revelation unfolds in the New Covenant, we learn that the only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ. This Angel must be God’s Messenger, the Messiah, the Christ of God.
Verses 21–22. Jacob closed his address with a blessing for Joseph. Of all of the promises God provided His people, there was hardly one so comforting as the Bethel promise: “I will be with you.” As Jacob took this old promise and placed it in the hands of his son, we know that it was precious to him. He had carried this old promise with him and clung to it for over 100 years! What is more comforting to a man of true faith than the assurance that he has God’s special attention and presence? He was fully confident that God would bring Joseph safely back to the land promised to his family.
In his closing words, Jacob attributed the source of his material wealth, at least in part, to the battles he waged against the Amorites. Warfare is a legitimate activity on the part of God’s people, and God will often bless His people with the substance of the wicked (Ps. 37; Ex. 12:35,36).
1. The last-shall-be-first principle commends a constant humility and gratefulness for those of us who do enjoy God’s sweet blessings. Whether you happen to be an older child in your family or a member of a Christian family, a Christian church, or a Christian nation, you have every reason to remain humble and grateful for your position. Often, those who expect these blessings as if they are owed them will soon find themselves the last—who used to be the first.
2. The world offers many temptations and delights that would draw us away from our love for the Lord and His kingdom. When there is a choice between seeking God’s kingdom and receiving the rewards of power or wealth, we should always choose the former. The world’s offerings may look good to us. But in the long run, we will be ruined if we do not seek the Lord and His Kingdom. Seek His kingdom first and you will find that God always rewards the meek with a rich inheritance. The meek shall inherit the earth.
3. Do we look to the Lord for His salvation? It is our prayer that our own families be blessed even as Jacob desired that his children be blessed by the Angel Redeemer of God. We know that this Angel Redeemer is the very Son of God—the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us take a moment to pray God’s blessing of salvation on each of our children.
1. What are the themes of Chapters 1 through 48?
2. Why did Joseph bring his two sons to his father’s death bed?
3. How do we know that Jacob was a prophet in this passage?
4. Did Jacob believe in Jesus Christ?
5. What is the old promise that God gave to Jacob many times in his life?
1. What are the promises of God’s Word that we will cling to with tenacity all the way to our dying day?
2. What are the special privileges that we enjoy as a Christian family? Have we ever lost sight of “the last shall be first” principle?