Genesis 48:1-22

Genesis 48 takes us to the bedside of a dying man, Jacob, and his son Joseph. If you’ve ever been at the bedside of a loved one in their final moments, perhaps a parent or another family member or friend, you know that the words spoken in those moments are often the most personal and meaningful of your life together, and ones that you will never forget. That is exactly what we find in this chapter. Jacob and Joseph exchange some profound and heartfelt words at this end-of-life moment. You should pay close attention to what is said between these two men, because their words carry great significance. Also, as we continue into chapter 49, Jacob will have many more profound thoughts for the rest of his family. One of the most powerful things about Scripture is that it allows us to listen in on this moment. The reason you should listen closely to these last words of Jacob is, because they were some of the most important thoughts that he could share with his beloved son.

The record continues, “Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, ‘Indeed your father is sick’; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And Jacob was told, ‘Look, your son Joseph is coming to you’; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. Then Jacob said to Joseph: ‘God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, “Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.” And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).’” (Gen. 48:1-7).

Jacob’s testimony.  Vs. 1-7

In these opening verses, Jacob shares his personal testimony with his son Joseph, and his grandsons. It’s a powerful moment to listen in on. Jacob begins in verse 3 and he recalls that, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz,” which was another name for Bethel. This was where the Lord revealed Himself to Jacob, and the place he returned to after coming back into the land when he left his uncle Laban (Gen. 35).

Jacob began his testimony to Joseph and his sons by declaring that, the God of heaven and earth appeared to him. Jacob is very clear that God Himself revealed Himself to him. For a believer in God, this should always be the foundation of your testimony. Now, God may not reveal Himself in such a dramatic way to you through a vision, though that does happen, but He is still the one who makes Himself known to you. I have heard people share such experiences where the Lord revealed Himself to them in a vision, a dream, or a personal visitation. But this was not how God revealed Himself to me. He simply revealed to me my sin and corruption, and brought people into my life, one after another, telling me about the Savior’s love and forgiveness that He was offering me.

The important truth to understand is that God has made Himself known to Jacob, and to every one of us who believe. Paul stated that one of the incredible mercies that God has blessed us with is that He has made known to us the mystery of His will. He wrote to the Ephesian church declaring, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself” (Eph. 1:7-9). The same grace that God gave to Jacob, He has given to you, and to all who will believe in Him.

Jesus also explained this truth to Peter in Matthew 16:17 when Peter declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then responded to Peter and said, “Blessed are you, Simon bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” If you are a Christian today, it is because God has revealed Himself to you. What an incredible privilege! This is why, when you share your testimony, especially with your children or grandchildren, it is crucial to explain how the Lord revealed Himself to you. This fact will also give your children and grandchildren the confidence and hope that He might reveal Himself to them. Make sure to always share the specifics of exactly how God made Himself known to you!

The power of revelation

God’s revelation to you as a believer does not stop after you are saved, but it should continue throughout your Christian life, that is, if you are receptive to His voice. A passage of Scripture that bears explanation at this point in our discussion on the topic of revelation, is the much-misquoted verses of 1 Corinthians 2:9-10. In this section of Scripture, Paul quotes a passage from the Old Testament that declares, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” Now most people stop quoting this passage from 1 Corinthians right here, but that is only half the message that Paul is trying to convey. If you stop quoting this passage in Corinthians, you may get the idea that there is no way for you to know the things God has prepared for you. However, Paul’s thought is actually finished in 1 Corinthians 2:10. He goes on to declare, “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” Paul’s point is this, that flesh and blood and the power of man’s intellect, cannot reveal spiritual truth to your soul. Only God’s Spirit can bring revelation to the human heart. This is why we all need to cry out to God for His Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the deep things of God. But are you praying with a willing and receptive heart, believing that He will reveal Himself and His truth to you? Jacob’s testimony was what assured Joseph and his sons that they were believing in a faithful God, who would come to them, and that He was worthy to put their faith and hope in Him!

Your testimony to your children and grandchildren.

Every mom and dad reading this right now must come to the realization that this is one of your primary responsibilities, to testify to them what God has meant to you. In both the Old and New Testaments, teaching, testifying, and instructing your children and grandchildren is commanded by God. Moses taught the people, “Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren” (Deut. 4:9). Also Asaph declared, “For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments; and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God” (Ps. 78:5-8). From these passages it is clear that we are to make known to our children the truth of God. Why? So, they might set their hope in Him and keep their hearts right before Him all their days. My question then to you is, are you doing this? This responsibility is primarily a father’s job, but a mother should also be involved. Solomon taught his son, “My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother” (Prov. 1:8).
In the New Testament we find the same teaching. Paul commanded fathers not to provoke their children to wrath, but to train up their children in the ways of the Lord. He wrote, “You fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). This was exactly what Jacob was doing with his son Joseph, and his grandchildren.

God’s protection and provision.

Another aspect of Jacob’s testimony is found in Genesis 48:15-16, where he testified that, “The God before whom my father’s Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads...” Jacob acknowledged here how God had cared for him, provided for him, and protected him, just as He had done for his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham. The Angel of the Lord, God’s messenger to him, delivered him from all evil. If you reflect on your own life, you will most likely recall moments where God protected and provided for you too. I can personally look back at my life and identify five distinct times when God spared my life from certain death. After God spared me, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God had protected and delivered me. My hope is that you would take a moment to reflect on God’s provision and protection in your life, and then make sure that you make these a part of your testimony to your children and grandchildren. It will greatly bless them!

Note also how all of us have been blessed by Paul’s testimony of God’s deliverance and protection in his life. Paul made sure that everyone knew how the Lord had protected and sustained him throughout his ministry. In 2 Corinthians he wrote of several times where God had enabled him to get through difficult persecution, and at other times protected him from certain death. He wrote that he had, “Labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness-- besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:23-28). Also, in 2 Timothy 4:16-17, Paul wrote again at the end of his life, “At my first defense, no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me so that the message might be preached fully through me... and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” Though we don’t have all the details of each of these events given to us in Scripture, we know that Paul endured numerous hardships, even beyond what he listed in these verses. But notice what assurance God worked in Paul’s heart as he closed out this epistle with these words. He continues, “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:18). Because of these past deliverances that God had worked in his life, Paul had absolute confidence that the Lord would continue to protect him, until one day He would receive him into His heavenly kingdom.

Remember God’s everlasting promise.

The last element of Jacob’s testimony was when he reminded Joseph of God’s everlasting promise to him concerning the land of promise. In Genesis 48:4, Jacob tells of God’s specific promise to him when He said, “Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.” Now, how long is an everlasting possession? That is right, forever! Yet today, some argue that the Jewish people have no right to the land of Israel. But Scripture is clear; God gave them the land as an everlasting possession. This promise is the same one given to Abram when God said to him, “Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” (Gen. 17:8). The Lord has declared concerning His Word that, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num. 23:19). In Isaiah 2:2-4 God prophesies that this land, and the city of Jerusalem specifically, will be His throne after Christ’s second coming when He will reign on earth for a thousand years. Isaiah declared, “In the latter days, the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains… all nations shall flow to it… For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations… Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” This sure Word of prophecy declares that Jesus will establish His throne in Mt. Zion, and rule in righteousness from Jerusalem which is in this very land that was promised to the Jewish people. Trust His Word that it will come to pass, and stand with the Jewish people that are back in their land today, just as God had promised.

Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons.  Vs. 8-20

“Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, ‘Who are these?’ And Joseph said to his father, ‘They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.’ And he said, ‘Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.’ Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, ‘I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!’ So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph, and said: ‘God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day, The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; let my name be named upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.’ Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said to his father, ‘Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.’ But his father refused and said, ‘I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.’ So he blessed them that day, saying, ‘By you Israel will bless, saying, “May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh” (Gen. 48:8-20).

The love of a grandfather.

What a sweet example is presented here in this text of Jacob seeing his grandchildren, and then embracing and kissing them. It declares, “Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them” (Gen. 48:10). Expressing family affection like this is so essential for your children. If you grew up in a family where this kind of affection was not expressed, you know the profound blessing you missed. If you did experience this kind of family affection, you know what confidence and assurance it gave to you that you were loved. For fathers and grandfathers, it is not unmanly to express affection like this, but it is a sign of real love and strength. Then when you add the spiritual blessing of Jacob praying for them, and asking God’s blessing upon them, it must have been an even greater joy to their hearts. This is an example we all should follow.

Reversal of the firstborn.

This passage presents another incredible reversal of the order of the firstborn, and the second-born in Joseph’s family. Jacob, though blind, knew who the firstborn was, and who he was traditionally to give the blessing of the first born to. But Jacob reversed his hands and placed his right hand on the second born child of Ephraim, instead of Manasseh, the firstborn. This blessing that Jacob would give, would then mean that Ephraim would be entitled to a double portion of Joseph’s inheritance, and to the spiritual leadership of the family. The placing of the right hand upon Ephraim to bless him was significant, because the right hand was as David Guzik explains in his commentary, “The right hand in the Bible always has the idea of the favored position, because generally speaking, the right hand is the hand of strength and skill. The right hand is associated with God’s strength (Ex. 15:6), God’s favor (Ps. 16:11), and God’s help (Ps. 20:6). This is why Jesus is described as sitting at the right hand of God the Father (Mark 14:62).”

Why did Jacob knowingly choose to put his right hand on the younger grandchild Ephraim, and give him the blessing of the firstborn? Scripture does not tell us. All Jacob said to Joseph when he tried to correct his father was, “I know, my son, I know” (Gen. 48:19). Jacob knew something that Joseph did not know, and that was Ephraim would attain to a greater position than his brother. It is important to note that this is the fifth time in Genesis that God chose the younger child over the older one. God did this by choosing Abel over Cain, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over Reuben, and now Ephraim over Manasseh. Why does this happen so often in Scripture? It reveals God’s sovereignty and foreknowledge over the lives of these children. While we might judge someone’s potential by external means, God sees their heart and their ultimate future destiny. Many parents might relate to this truth, because many parents I have talked with have assumed that one child will succeed while doubting another will, only to be surprised by how life unfolds for each of them. God knew what would happen in each of these five examples, their spiritual receptiveness, and how God would use them for His glory. For Ephraim, it is clear from Scripture that this tribe would become central to the northern tribes of Israel, and often the name of the tribe of Ephraim would represent the entire northern kingdom in the prophetic writings.

This divine principle is clear; God chooses men and women according to His plan, not according to human expectations or abilities. This divine decision is seen in many different ways throughout Scripture. Think of these examples. We are taught in Hebrews 10:9 that God has taken away the first covenant, that He might establish the second and final covenant. God gives and takes away as He sees fit. Adam, the first man, was replaced by Christ, the “Last Adam,” who is called the “Firstborn of all creation,” and the, “Firstborn from the dead” (1 Cor. 15:45; Col 1:15; Col. 1:18). Also, it is important to understand that the word firstborn does not refer to a birth order, but to having the birthright, and to being heir of the inheritance. This was the way Paul defined this term when he called Jesus “The firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18). Joseph and his son were granted the firstborn position and inheritance within their family, just as Christ holds preeminence over all, because He has redeemed us by His death and resurrection.

This principle of the firstborn even applies to you personally, as a believer in Christ. When you were born again, your natural birth was replaced by your new spiritual rebirth, which granted you access to your inheritance in Christ. You came into Christ who is the firstborn from the dead. Paul explained that when Jesus redeemed us, He, “Qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light” (Col. 1:12). Paul also taught that “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:13-14). How glorious it is to realize that the indwelling Holy Spirit is just a down payment on the inheritance that we will all experience when we see Jesus’ face to face, and enjoy our eternal inheritance forever (Heb. 9:15).

How do you see yourself today? Do you see the incredible inheritance that you have been given because you have been born-again? Do you believe that God has a blessing for you too, just as He did for Manasseh? Don’t despair as Jacob once did, believing Joseph was dead and everything was against him. God was still working to fulfill His good plan for Jacob, but he just couldn’t see it. Sometimes, we get tunnel vision and think all is lost, yet our story isn’t finished, just as Joseph might have felt when he was in prison all those years. But he trusted God, and His plan prevailed in spite of what his brothers did to him. God fulfilled His plan even when Potiphar’s wife lied about him, and he was unjustly thrown into prison. So, don’t lose hope. What seems to you like a dead end, may in reality just be the beginning of God’s greater plan. So, trust Him!

Jacob blesses Joseph.  Vs. 21-22

“Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow’” (Gen. 48:21-22).

Joseph granted the firstborn status.

As Jacob now blesses Joseph he declared, “I have given to you one portion above your brothers.” What did he mean by this statement? By giving Joseph a double portion of his possessions, Jacob was clearly granting his son the position of firstborn in the family. I have discussed several times in previous studies in Genesis, that the firstborn became the spiritual head of the family, and received a double portion of the father’s inheritance. This custom was later placed into the Law of Moses for all families (Deut. 21:17). This blessing was given to Joseph, because he was truly a spiritual man with a heart to hear and obey God. May each of us have this same heart after God, so that He may also bless us. I will also discuss in our study of Genesis 50, how Joseph will lose this position of firstborn to Judah (1 Chronicles 5:1-2).

Where did Jacob get the land, he was giving Joseph?

Note this statement that Jacob made to Joseph. He declared that he took the land from the Amorites by his sword and bow. This is a very interesting statement that Jacob made here, because nowhere in Genesis do we find any accounts of his battles with the Amorites. This suggests that there are many details of Jacob’s life in the Land of Promise that we do not possess in Scripture. But if he declared that these battles took place then they did. The Amorites inhabited the mountains of the land of Canaan, and the Canaanites lived along the coasts of the sea, and the banks of the Jordan River (Num. 13:29). They were idolaters and committed child sacrifice, bestiality, and other evil practices too heinous to mention, which is why God dispossessed this people group from the land of Canaan (Deut. 18:9).

This blessing of land given to Joseph was later given to the tribe of Joseph that included the land outside Shechem that Jacob had purchased when he first came back into the land. There is also a wordplay here on this Hebrew word “Sekem,” which is translated portion in this passage. The Hebrew word actually means a raised piece of land, which aptly describes Shechem which sits between to hills. This wordplay is significant because Shechem plays a critical role in biblical history. In John 4:5, we read that Jesus traveled to “Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.” This is also where Jacob’s well was, and where Jesus met the Samaritan woman, who led the entire city out to meet the Savior. Furthermore, in Joshua 24:32, we see that Joseph’s bones were ultimately buried at Shechem, fulfilling his dying request and solidifying the land’s importance as part of Israel’s heritage.

God will be with you, and bring you back to the land!

Jacob also reassured Joseph, using his God-given name, Israel, and affirmed that God would be with him throughout his life. This confidence of God’s presence stemmed from Jacob’s own life experiences, where he saw God’s provision, protection, and guidance. Jacob’s assurance to Joseph echoes God’s eternal promise found in Hebrews 13:5: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Or, as Jesus said to His disciples just before His ascension, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

But this promise that God would bring Joseph and the Children of Israel back into the land of promise has been an assurance that God has made to His people many times throughout their history, even after they were dispersed and exiled from their land. After the Jews were taken to Babylon God spoke through the Prophet Ezekiel and said, “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land” (Eze. 36:24). In addition, Jesus even predicted the fall of the nation Israel to the Romans, and the nations ultimate resurrection when He said, “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:20-24). Note that Jesus predicted a time of the Gentiles that would come, when the Gentiles would rule the city of Jerusalem. But He also predicted that there would be a point in time when the, “Times of the Gentiles,” would be fulfilled and would come to an end. This meant that there would be a future time when Jerusalem would again be controlled by the Jewish people. We saw this prophecy fulfilled in 1948 when the United Nations voted to give the Jews a homeland, with partial access to the city of Jerusalem. However, after the 6-day war in 1967, Jerusalem finally completely came into the hands of Israel, fully fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus!

These passages should challenge each of us to reflect on our own lives, and recognize God’s hand that has been at work all through our lives. He always fulfills His Word! As Jacob shared his testimony on his death bed, may you share your testimony of God’s faithfulness with your children and grandchildren. Share those personal stories of God’s faithfulness, provision, and protection, because they will serve as powerful faith-builders to their hearts. Sharing your own real-life testimonies are so powerful, because these are not second-hand stories, but ones that you have personally experienced. As you do, you too will remember the power of God that has been with you all your days! May you have boldness to share your story of God’s grace and goodness!