-->
Genesis 49-Genesis 50
"Jacob's and Joseph's Last Words" • 8.26.10 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Thursday Night Service
Intro.
- Jacob, the final patriarch of the nation of Israel, is close to death. He has blessed his adopted sons Ephraim and Manasseh. He speaks now leaning on his staff, full of faith.
Text
• Genesis 49:1,2 : "And Jacob called his sons and said, 'Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father.'" : When Jacob says "the last days," it might be better understood as the days that were on their particular horizon. He will be speaking to them about what God had spoken to him about their lives.
- There is certainly an aspect of supernatural, divine intervention involved in what we are about to observe. Some of the things that he says can only be accounted to divine help.
- At the same time, there are also natural observations that Jacob has carried regarding the lives of his sons. What is about to be said to them can be traced back to what they have been.
• Genesis 49:3,4 : "Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it— He went up to my couch." : Reuben, as the firstborn would have been the lasting testimony to Jacob's fortune. Jacob says in essence "You had it all."
- Position, grace and strength to do anything. Nothing prohibited Reuben, except for his inability to keep his eyes on the prize.
- Jacob calls him "unstable as water." The idea is translated various ways, but a few words give us the sense. He was impetuous, uncontrolled and turbulent, a man lacking discipline.
- He was completely unpredictable and as a result, completely untrustworthy. Reuben would not excel and history would bear this out, as none from that tribe would emerge to lead.
- Reuben's tribe decided to stop before entering the land. Numbers 32 describes this being a day that disqualified an entire generation from entrance into Canaan.
- Jacob cites Reuben's action with his concubine Bilhah that we read about in Genesis 35. He dishonored Jacob at that time, but not only Jacob.
- He despised his own birthright for the pleasure of the moment. Much like Esau before him, Reuben did not calculate the cost of his actions correctly. Unfortunately, his tribe followed suit.
• Genesis 49:5-7 : "Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. 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." : Of course Simeon and Levi were brothers. That's not what this means. One commentator says, "These two are a pair."
- These guys were partners in crime, united in cruel anger. Their weapons were not for self-defense. They were instruments of cruelty, ready to strike for any reason.
- Jacob does not even want to be named among them or to be party to their ways.
- Jacob brings to mind the events of Genesis 34. Dinah had been raped by Shechem. In a fit of rage, Simeon and Levi sacked the town.
- Their anger and wrath displeased the Lord and He would separate them in the land.
- It's important to hear these words: Jacob curses them for their anger. That is expressed a few different ways here. First, it's in their self-will. It just pleased them to be cruel.
- They hamstrung an ox, not for food, not out of necessity, but simply to be cruel.
- Second, their anger was fierce. It was always out of proportion to what was done against them. Finally, he calls it their wrath.
- God is not pleased with anger that boils over and acts this way. May the Lord minister that to us. Man's anger like this does not represent Him at all.
- God takes measures to deal with their alliance, first by separating them. Simeon became a relatively small tribe. The second comes from Levi's service as priests, as they embraced a call.
• Genesis 49:8-12 : "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk." : Judah offered his life in exchange for Benjamin's.
- His brothers will praise his line, which will eventually lead to the Messiah Jesus Christ.
- In his line, there is a promise of victory and submission from among the brothers, acknowledging what God has done.
- Judah is a lion's whelp or the young lion who has just finished the hunt. Who will disturb him during his time of contentment?
- Judah's line would be one of victory, ultimately through the victory of Jesus. Until Jesus, the line of the Kings would run through Judah's line, but then Shiloh would come.
- Shiloh is another term for the Messiah. It means "Peacemaker." Jesus would be the one to usher in peace between God and Mankind by fulfilling every demand of the law.
- Jacob prophecies that the Messiah will bind his donkey to the vine. This whole section speaks of Jesus working in the harvest field, reaping bountifully.
- The NLT really helps us to see the meaning of this verse: "He ties his foal to a grapevine, the colt of his donkey to a choice vine. He washes his clothes in wine because his harvest is so plentiful."
- This is Jesus standing in the harvest field, working and receiving a great harvest.
• Genesis 49:13-18 : " Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon. Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two burdens; He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves. Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels So that its rider shall fall backward. I have waited for your salvation, O Lord! " : Zebulun would have property along the sea of Galilee, while Issachar would serve the people that they were around. The picture is that they were lazy. Dan would serve as the judge over the tribes.
- Dan is like a well hidden snake. The horse comes and considers the land free and then the snake bite. The snake would bite, as Dan later became a center of idolatrous worship in Israel.
- Interestingly, the most famous Danite was a man named Judas Iscariot!
- It's possible that this is a picture of Christ's betrayer and a call back to Genesis 3:15.
- The serpent would bruise the heel, but his head would be crushed. Lending credence to that is what comes next. Jacob says, I have waited for your salvation, O Lord.
- Literally, Jacob said, "I have waited for Yeshua" which was the very name of our transliterated word "Jesus!" Jacob, not knowing exactly what he was saying, prophecied Christ's eventual victory!
• Genesis 49:19-21 : "Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last. Bread from Asher shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties. Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words." : Gad provided troops for King David, but would be in a consistent place of struggle.
- He would look as if he was on the losing end, but God promised that He would win in the end.
- Asher would provide rich food, literally, his bread will be fat!
- Naphtali would be like a deer, who had been captive, but now loosed. Interesting, Naphtali is also tied into the region of the Galilee, where beautiful words of Christ's coming would originate!
• Genesis 49:22-26 : "Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall. The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him. But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), by the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers." : Jacob speaks next of Joseph and the circumstances that faced him. The language is very telling.
- He is a fruitful bough or a tree. Not just a tree anywhere, but one that is near a water source. It's pictured as being fruitful and hanging over a wall. Overflowing fruitfulness.
- He grows to such an extent, even in the presence of his brothers, who treated him so poorly.
- His brothers are the archers, filled with bitterness and hate. In the midst of it, Joseph did not falter. He remained strong. How did he remain strong?
- By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob? Our negative circumstances do not need to cripple us. God can give us the power to stand and the power to be fruitful.
- All the blessings of God would reside upon Joseph.
• Genesis 49:27,28 : "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.' All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing." : Finally, Jacob comes to Benjamin and tells him that he will be a ravenous wolf who gathers and then shares of what he has.
- This might sound to the male mind like a compliment, but it was a prediction of the violence that would come from this tribe.
- One final note though on the ferocious nature of the Benjamites. When directed toward the Lord, any impulse can be used mightily for God.
- Who was the most famous Benjamite? A little guy by the name of Saul of Tarsus!
- Israel blessed them all individually, according to their own blessing.
- I want to offer one last look back here, as Pastor Bob Probert pointed out something very interesting about this passage. In all of the sons of Jacob, there is a picture of Jesus Christ.
˚ "Reuben reminds us of the excellency and dignity of Christ, the Firstborn. Simeon and Levi reminds us of Christ on the Cross, as instruments of cruelty were used on Him. God cursed their anger, Jesus was made a curse for us! Levi's line would one day be priestly. Jesus is our High Priest! Judah's lion is Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Zebulun was a haven of rest; Jesus is our rest! Isaachar was a lowly servant; Jesus was God's servant. Dan was to be the judge of Israel; Jesus is the Judge of the World. Gad looks beaten, but ends up triumphant. Jesus was killed, buried, but then resurrected from the dead! Asher made some fat bread; Jesus is the bread of life that satisfies! Naphtali had beautiful words; Jesus brought the news of Gospel! Joseph was a picture of endless blessing; Jesus is the fountain of God's blessings. Benjamin was a fierce warrior; Jesus will come back at the end of the tribulation as the one leading His people into battle!" Pastor Bob Probert[1]
• Genesis 49:29-33 : "Then he charged them and said to them: 'I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.' And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people." : Jacob's final words reflect his faith in the promise that God made. He was to be buried in the land.
- That cave was a burial place, but also a fixed point of reference for the people of Israel.
• Genesis 50:1-3 : "Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days." : Joseph, as predicted by the Lord, closed the eyes of his Father. In all, Joseph had 34 years with Jacob, split evenly by his 20 years of separation.
- Joseph had Israel embalmed, a process that is quite involved. According to one website, the process began with a bath in the Nile river, symbolizing rebirth.
- Then, the brain was removed through the nose, as well as the other internal organs, except the heart, which remained in the chest.
- The organs are placed inside of jars that will accompany the mummy. In the meantime, the body is left to dry out, being stuffed with sand and grass. This process takes a full 40 days![2]
- The Egyptians mourned him for 70 days, likely a tribute to the greatness of Joseph.
• Genesis 50:4-11 : "Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, 'If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, ‘My father made me swear, saying, 'Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.' Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’ And Pharaoh said, 'Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.' So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering. Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father. And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, 'This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.' Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan." : Notice a few things here. Joseph for all of his fame and position, was still a man under authority and was still "property" of the Pharaoh.
- He had to request some time off to do this and then promise to return. You have to admire this about Joseph, as the temptation to chart his own course for the first time might have been great.
- Notice also what a procession that this was. We're talking a huge horde of people coming out of Egypt, to mourn a man of God!
- Coming to Canaan, the mourning began fresh again for 7 days, causing the Canaanites to comment upon it: "This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians."
• Genesis 50:12-14 : "So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them. For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place. And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father." : The funeral and the experience of grieving together in the land of Canaan, going back to the field of Machpelah, must have been an emotionally draining experience.
- It must have been very surreal for all of them, but especially Joseph, who has traveled for the first time, out of Egypt!
• Genesis 50:15-18 : "When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, 'Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.' So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, 'Before your father died he commanded, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: 'I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.' Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.' And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, 'Behold, we are your servants.'" : All this time, with all the good fortune that had been bestowed upon them, the brothers had never felt the peace of forgiveness. They had not come to understand Joseph's position.
- They knew what they deserved. They were sure that Joseph would take retribution for what had happened. Their only saving grace in their minds was the life of Jacob, which was now gone.
- It seems that they come to Joseph telling a lie or perhaps just something that was not recorded for us. Perhaps this was Jacob at his "Jacobiest," telling the brothers how to do it!
- Whatever the case, Joseph wept when they said this. The combination of old wounds, fresh insults to his character and the possible collusion between Father and brothers, was too much.
- How could they think these things? Truthfully, that is what happens to people who have sinned in certain ways. They project their guiltiness out in some form or fashion.
- They came before Joseph and said, "We're your servants." Don't even count us as your brothers. Being your servants will be enough for us.
• Genesis 50:19-21 : "Joseph said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.' And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them." : Joseph's first words are "Do not be afraid." I John 4:18 tells us that "perfect love casts out fear."
- Joseph loved his brothers and did not want to make them fear. How can we come to this place ourselves? It begins with trusting God for righteousness.
- Joseph was not in the place of God. Who was he to deal with them?
- This is a profound word to each of us who have suffered any level of injustice. Are we in the place of God? Can I execute judgment upon somebody else?
- Joseph would likely have been justified by the world for his actions. He could have gotten away with it and I am sure that had at least considered some creative ways to mete out justice.
- But knowing that God would bring justice to pass was enough for Joseph and it should be enough for you and I!
- Second, Joseph trusted God through his circumstances. Listen to what he says: "You meant evil against me." There's an understatement! These men had murder in their hearts!
- They wanted to snuff out Joseph's life. Their intentions were evil. There is no question about it and Joseph calls it as it was.
- But as much as that is true, God took their intentions and twisted them to suit His intentions. God turned it around and made a horrific, evil circumstance, a tremendous blessing!
- That is what God does. We can choose to dwell on negative circumstances or we can begin to thank God for the positive that He brings about!
- The difference is between looking back and looking around. Where are you looking?
- The final point in Joseph's attitude was that he trusted God for His current purpose. He brought all this about as it is this day! Today, God had a purpose in Joseph's life.
- What was it? To save lives. Not only had he saved the lives of Egypt, but the very lives of his family and the very life of Christ, which was to come through it!
- He was where he was to save lives and to provide for them and their children!
• Genesis 50:22-26 : "So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation. The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph’s knees. And Joseph said to his brethren, 'I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.' Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, 'God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.' So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt." : Joseph in the end, was old enough to see his great, great grandchildren. Both Ephraim and Manasseh had children in Egypt.
- Some of Joseph's brothers, presumably the youngest of them, still lived when Joseph died.
- As he was dying, his words echo the words of Jacob. Take me home!
- At 110, Joseph died, having lived a very full life!
Conclusion
- In these chapters, there is one verse that brings it all together. Romans 8:28 tells us that "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
- Joseph is not just our illustration. He is to be part of our instruction!
No comments:
Post a Comment