Genesis chapter 48. Remember, we started the story of Jacob in Genesis chapter 37. Genesis 37, one says, Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger in the land of Canaan. This is the history of Jacob.

And much of that history concerned Joseph and the various forms of ill treatment that he received, but then his exaltation to second in command in the nation of Egypt. We've covered the material where the brothers went to fetch corn from Egypt. We went through the various details. The family has come together.

Jacob is now living in Egypt. According to chapter 47, he has been in the land of Egypt for 17 years. And so these last few chapters, 48, 49, and 50, deals with the last days specifically of Jacob and Joseph. The blessing of Joseph's sons is what we find here in chapter 48, the blessing of Jacob's sons in chapter 49, Jacob, then, is dead and embalmed and mourned in the beginning of chapter 50.

He's buried, and then Joseph reassures his brothers, and then Joseph dies, or it's his last words and deeds that the book ends on. So that's kind of the final section that we'll be covering in these next few weeks, and then on to the book of Exodus. Tonight, as I said, we're looking at Genesis 48, the blessing of Joseph's sons, and I'll pick up reading in 48, verse 1. 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 Paddan, 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. Then Israel saw Joseph's sons and said, Who are these? 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 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 said Ephraim before Manasseh. 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.

Amen. Well, as I said,

Introduction to Genesis 48

this is the final chapters, the final days of Jacob and Joseph. These two sons of Joseph are given a blessing. by their grandfather Jacob. And

Adoption of Joseph's Sons

I want to look first at the adoption of Joseph's sons, for that's essentially what Jacob is doing. He says, they shall be mine, just like Reuben and Simeon. So the grandfather is adopting these sons, not so that he can take them to the park and engage in ball and sports and those sorts of things, but rather so that they could be tribal heads. They are those who inherit allotments of land.

We see that on the map with reference to Israel, Ephraim, and Manasseh, the two sons of Joseph, which shows a double portion for Joseph. and indicates that the promise of God concerning his exaltation, even above his brothers, does come to pass in the narrative. So the adoption of Joseph's sons in verses 1 to 7, and then the blessing of Joseph's sons in verses 8 to 22. But let's look first at

The Visit with Jacob

verses 1 to 7, the visit with Jacob. So essentially, Jacob is sick, and Joseph knows this, so Joseph wants to go and visit him. And remember that Joseph is the second in charge in Egypt, but he wants to go and be with his father. He wants to essentially be with his people.

All the kingdoms of the earth do not ultimately matter to Joseph. What matters are his people. What matters is his father. What matters is his church, ultimately.

So we have the impending death of his father, it's already been announced in chapter 47 at verses 27 to 31. Joseph, or Jacob rather, knows that he's going to die and he makes Joseph swear to him that Joseph will not bury him in the land of Egypt. Now, in terms of the importance of the visit, Robert Alter says Joseph, even before he receives any word from his father in this regard, anticipates that Jacob will confer some sort of special eminence on his own two sons in a deathbed blessing, and so he brings them with him. So that's a very common sort of practice, a deathbed blessing, and that's essentially what chapter 49 is, except instead of his grandsons, Jacob will be blessing his sons specifically.

Calvin says, certainly the reason why Joseph was so desirous of seeing his father and so prompt to discharge all the other duties of filial piety was that he regarded it as a greater privilege to be a son to Jacob than to preside over a hundred kingdoms. It's a blessed reality that Joseph has not forgotten about his family. and the family that treated him very poorly as a matter of fact, but nevertheless he wants to be with the people of God, he wants to be with his father Jacob, and he wants to receive the blessing that Jacob has for his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Now Ephraim and Manasseh are about 20 at this particular time. Again, Jacob has been in Egypt for about 17 years.

The boys were born in the time of the famine, so probably about 20 years of age.

Jacob Rehearses God's Promises

Now with reference to the adoption of the sons, we see that in verses 3 to 7. Again, one of the commentators says this was pretty common in the ancient Near East where a grandfather would do this again with reference to heir, with reference to inheritance, with reference to passing on specific tangible blessings. So he's not adopting them, so he can grow his own family. He's adopting them to multiply within the nation of Israel, descendants seed and land.

So when he speaks to Joseph and he speaks to the sons, he rehearses God's blessings. He rehearses God's faithfulness. He speaks of the promises of God and how God did in fact fulfill those things. If you look at verse three, it says, 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.

Now, God appeared to Jacob twice at Bethel. That's what was formerly called Luz. He appears to him in Genesis chapter 28, and then again in Genesis chapter 35. In Genesis chapter 28, he has that vision of the ladder and the angels ascending and descending.

And back then, we noted that it represents both the providence of God and the Messiah of God. But that promise concerning land and concerning seed is there in chapter 28. The same thing obtains in chapter 35. He reiterates the promise to Jacob concerning land and concerning seed, specifically in chapter 35 verses 13 and 14.

So what Jacob does is highlight God's faithfulness and God's promise keeping to encourage Joseph and to encourage the boys that he's going to bless that their God is in fact faithful and the things that he's promised in terms of the land of Canaan and in terms of a great seed will in fact come to pass. Remember initially that promise of land and seed is given to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12. It is then through Isaac and now here to Jacob and it's being passed on to the nation of Israel as a whole. So God's past faithfulness is a great encouragement for our present faithfulness.

When God keeps promises, It encourages the people of God to walk by faith and understand and know that what He has said in terms of good gifts, He will in fact accomplish in the lives of His people. Now notice in terms of the adoption of the sons. And Jacob rather specifically addresses them as Ephraim and Manasseh. Now there's a lot riding on this whole situation in this particular chapter.

Manasseh is the firstborn and Ephraim is the secondborn. As a result, Manasseh is entitled to the firstborn privileges and firstborn rights and the better blessing. But Jacob specifically reverses that as we move through the particular narrative, and already the way he addresses the sons sort of foreshadows that in verse 5. They've already been introduced in the chapter at verse 1. as Manasseh and Ephraim in terms of their birth order, but here in verse five, 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. So again, it's an adoption ceremony, and I think that helps us understand when we drop down to verse eight, when Israel saw Joseph's sons and said, who are these? There's a reason why he asks who are these. First, verse 10, he can't see that well, but as well it could be the initiation of a formal adoption ceremony and those sorts of things would have needed to be properly identified and there was a protocol and a process to follow.

But with reference to Ephraim and Manasseh, notice the text, he says, they will be mine. In the same manner, Reuben and Simeon were his. Remember, Reuben and Simeon were the first two of his 12 sons. They were his natural-born sons, and yet he wants these two grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to be like his own sons.

Wenham explains it this way, this act of adoption does not simply make Ephraim and Manasseh Jacob's heirs, but makes them the ancestors of tribes on a par with those tracing their origin back to Jacob's own sons, such as Judah and Benjamin. And then Klein highlights how this does show the superior blessing ultimately upon Joseph. When the blessing comes in verse 15, it says, and he blessed Joseph. The sons receive it, but in the sons, it's ultimately Joseph that is receiving this double portion.

It's Joseph that is being elevated in the midst of this. When you look at tribal allotments in Israel later at the conquest in Joshua, you will not see a particular tribe. Or if you look on the map, you won't see the tribe of Joseph. Rather, you will see the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.

That's a double portion for Joseph, and it is consistent with the promise of God through the dreams to Joseph in Genesis 37 of his supremacy and of his exaltation. So Klein says, This was a declaration of intent to adopt the two grandsons, thus elevating them both to the status of tribal heads and thereby giving Joseph, according to his dreams, the position of firstborn with a double representation among the tribes of Israel. Now this just isn't Bible commentators, this is 1 Chronicles 5.1 that says, "...Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel. So that's the significance of this adoption ceremony.

Yes, it is to convey great blessing upon Ephraim and Manasseh, but ultimately upon Joseph, the way that God revealed that it would come to pass. The other sons of Joseph would be called by the name of their brothers in terms of inheritance. That's what he says in verse 6. Your offspring, meaning other sons besides Ephraim, and Manasseh were not told if they are, who they are, or if they will be, but simply stated by Jacob, your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours, they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.

In other words, they will not be tribal heads, only Ephraim and Manasseh will receive that particular privilege. So that's the significance of the adoption in this particular instance. And this recalls Genesis chapter 35. He's already rehearsed this.

The promises of God revealed to him at Bethel in chapters 28 and 35. Well, 35 is also the chapter in which Rachel died. So as he is thinking through this, as he is contemplating this, certainly his love for Rachel shines forth. in his reminiscence here in verse 7. But as for me, when I came from Paddan, 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.

Remember that he loved her supreme. He had a great affection for her. She really was his soulmate, and certainly Joseph was her son. And so there is that intimate connection and that closeness and that love.

So that's the adoption of the sons.

Blessing of Joseph's Sons

Let's move on to the blessing of Joseph's sons in verses 8 to 22. Again, he asks the question, verse 8, the formal introduction is made in verse 9, they are my sons whom God has given me. in this place, meaning in Egypt. So these two sons hadn't been to the land of Canaan. They're ultimately going to inherit tribal allotments in the land of Canaan.

They're going to be true red-blooded Israelites living in the land of Canaan. But in this instance, he says, please bring them to me and I will bless them. Now, with reference to the blessing, this isn't just sort of a wish. It's not just sort of a, boy, this is what patriarchs do when they pass from this life.

It's more prophetic in nature. Very often when the patriarchs bless, it's a prophecy concerning things that will affect or things that will happen within the nation of the covenant people of Israel. So, it's not in a common way, but in a prophetical way, as John Gill points out. And then, of course, there is that affection expressed by him to them.

But with reference to verse 10, 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.

God's Goodness Beyond Expectation

Verse 11 really underscores the goodness and the kindness of God. It's kind of one of those Ephesians 3.20 moments, but in an Old Testament context. Genesis 48.11, he says to Joseph, I had not thought to see your face, but in fact God has also shown me your offspring. So God, in His goodness and in His kindness, not only lets me see you, but He also lets me see your offspring.

Remember, they reported to Jacob that wild beasts had destroyed Joseph. They brought that multicolored tunic covered with blood to Jacob to sort of prove it. And then later on in the narrative, we see on a couple of occasions that Jacob thinks that Joseph is dead. Now, not only is he seeing Joseph, but he's also seeing his grandsons, and he gets the great blessing of being able to pass on a blessing to these two boys.

Remember Ephesians 3.20, he's able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. So this is an Ephesians 3.20 moment in the life and experience of Jacob. Now the sons are brought to Jacob, verse 12 indicates the reverence of Joseph. He brought them from beside his knees and he bowed down with his face to the earth.

Now 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. That makes perfectly good sense. If it sounds a bit confusing, it makes perfectly good sense if you just think about it for a moment. So he's got Joseph.

I'm going to botch it up as I try to explain it now. Joseph wants to present Ephraim so that Jacob lays his left hand on him. He wants to present Manasseh so Jacob lays his right hand on him. Because as I said, Manasseh, as the elder brother, receives a double portion of the blessing.

He receives the firstborn entitlement. And so the right hand is the position of honor. It's the position of prestige. Christ is seated at the right hand of God Most High.

So it's always had that significance of being a place of preeminence, a place of honor. So Joseph wants to make sure that Manasseh's at the right hand of Jacob when it comes time to bless. But essentially what Jacob does is he crosses his hands. And so he puts his left hand on Manasseh and he puts his right hand on Ephraim.

And that's the significance here in verse 14. Then Israel stretched out his right hand, that's of course Jacob, 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. Gil explains it, that he was under a divine impulse and spirit of prophecy. So it is the case that though he was dim in terms of his eyes, he wasn't able to see, when these two young men are presented before him, he knows enough to put the right hand on the one to whom it is due, specifically Ephraim, and then he puts his left hand on the one to whom it is specifically due, Manasseh.

Now, if you have been paying attention to the book of Genesis, you will know that

The Younger Son and Sovereign Election

this is one of the overarching themes in the book. I mean, not a theological theme, but it's certainly a literary pattern. It's certainly symptomatic of the way that God blesses. It's typically the younger son that gets more blessing than does the older son.

Again, Wenham describes it this way. He was deliberately giving precedence to the younger son, something that has happened a number of times already in Genesis. Cain and Abel, Perez and Zerah, and most obviously, Jacob and Esau. But whereas in the last case the blind Isaac was tricked into blessing his younger son, this time the blind Jacob deliberately chooses to bless the younger Ephraim.

So there's a lot of connection between what is in the later chapters of Genesis to what is in the previous chapters of Genesis. For those who are interested in those links, I would really encourage you to get Gordon Wenham's commentary on the book of Genesis. I mean, he makes those links, he shows you the connections, and they are riddled, littered throughout the entire book. We don't have the time, I don't have the competence to bring all of that in the space of a Bible study, but it's certainly encouraging to see the literary masterpiece that is the book of Genesis and the way that it connects to itself.

But then also with reference to this pattern of the younger son receiving greater blessing, Klein again says repeatedly, the last became first. Both Jacob and Joseph were examples, attesting that the covenant blessings are not secured by the course of nature, but as sovereign gifts of God. So it's not just formulaic that the older is always going to get the blessed. What we find in the book of Genesis with reference to the younger son, more often than not, being blessed more so, it shows, as Klein points out, it's according to the sovereign purposes of God.

It's His plan, it's His mind, it's His decree, and He is able to dispense with His good graces to whomever He chooses. It's not based on age, it's not based on position, it's not based on what men think. Remember with King David of Israel, David wasn't in line to be the king. He was the youngest of all the brothers.

What's the lesson in 1 Samuel chapter 16? God looks upon the heart. He doesn't look at men externally or outwardly in terms of this one's larger and this one's more fit and this one's more savvy. No, God looks at the heart.

He knows that David is a man after his own heart, so it's the youngest of the sons of Jesse that goes on to be Israel's greatest king, save our Lord Jesus Christ. And then with reference to the actual blessing, again, verse 15, he blessed Joseph. The specifics are with reference to Ephraim and Manasseh. but the acknowledgment of God's faithfulness in the first part of verse 15. God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked.

The Lord God most high manifested himself to Abraham and started that relationship. And ever since Abraham, there was never a time when God abandoned his people. There was never a time when God left them nor forsook them. There was never a time that God made promises and didn't follow through.

So as sort of a preamble to the blessing, he underscores or highlights something concerning the blesser. In other words, the one who is giving these good gifts is one that you can count on, is one that is in fact most faithful. He says, God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, and then he says, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day. I'm not certain that you and I on our deathbeds will make that sort of a testimony to the goodness of God, probably because food is so readily available to us.

Remember, he's been in the land of Egypt for 17 years, but what brought him to the land of Egypt initially? It was a severe famine in the entirety of the land. Remember, it was a seven-year period where there was destitution and decimation for all those regions outside of Egypt. It created a situation where persons had to flee to Egypt in order to secure food so that they could live.

So when it comes time for Jacob to die, this is a chief blessing that he ascribes to the God of heaven and earth, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day. And I think one of the temptations for us, as a people that have Costco's and super stores and Wal-Mart's and whatever other store is out there, and aisles full of one product but 50 different types of it, It's to forget that God is responsible for our daily bread. It is to forget that God is the one who provides the food ultimately on those shelves at Costco. And so we need to remember that and understand that that is a good thing to thank God for.

It made it into our Lord's prayer. that he teaches to us that we are to ask God to give us this day our daily bread. After reading Naftali's letter there concerning Kenya, I think we can understand not everybody in this world has it quite as good as we do. We're not looking at a locust infestation, we're not looking at the sorts of turmoil and difficulty and trouble that they're facing in their particular region. Nevertheless, God does feed us each and every day, whether it comes through an intermediary or through whether we go out and grow it in our own garden.

But this is an acknowledgment of God's faithfulness. But then notice in verse 16, at the very beginning, He acknowledges God's redeeming activity. It's a beautiful statement. Not only does God take care of the outer man, but God takes care of the inner man.

And initially with Jacob, Jacob is an interesting study in scripture, and up until chapter 28, he's not the most sympathetic character. Chapter 28, he meets God at Bethel for the first time, and it's there it seems as if a change has come over him, likely he was converted for real, but he is a faithful man, he is a godly man, And he has walked with his Lord. He's got a bit of the downer in him, a bit of a melodramatic sort of overreaction at times along the way in the narrative. But he's a faithful and a godly man.

But notice he moves from God's act of creation and sustenance in terms of creation to redemption. The angel who has redeemed me from all evil. Again, this is a good way to rehearse the blessings of our God. He not only takes care of us outwardly, He not only makes sure that we can have food, He not only makes sure that we have rain or sun or whatever we need to grow that food, but He also takes care of redeeming us from all evil.

Now the angel there, most of the older commentators, even the new ones, will say that this is the Christ, the Lord Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, sort of a pre-incarnate theophany or Christophany, a manifestation of God to man. There's those times where you see an angel of the Lord. Typically, this is an easy way to sort of at least get in the ballpark in terms of these angel of the Lord passages. If there's what's called an indefinite article, an or a, with reference to the angel, then that means it's probably just a disembodied spirit that God created to do His bidding and serve Him.

If there is what's called a definite article or the article The, then it highlights the angel of the Lord. Typically the New King James will capitalize that so that we are understanding that it is a Theophany or Christophany. prior to the incarnation manifestation, most likely of the second person of the triune God. So that's why it is capitalized in this particular instance. There are other times where it may be capitalized, or it may not be capitalized, and it should be or should not be.

It's sort of an interpretative call. When translators do that, they're helping you interpret. Now, if their interpretation is right, which it most likely is here, that's good. When their interpretation is wrong, that's not good.

So be mindful of that. Red letters in your Bible, words that are supplied in your Bible, those are interpretative calls that translators make, and for the most part, we have good confidence that they're usually on the right track, but not always so. So don't just assume, and don't just automatically accept that. There may be contexts, for instance, where deity is capitalized, the New King James does that as well, capitalizes personal pronouns with reference to deity.

And again, that can be helpful, but it can also be misleading. I think there's a couple places where we have capitalization or not, where it should be the other way around. So it's a good, helpful tool, but do not think that it is infallible. Translators can be wrong, and interpreters can be wrong as well.

But in this instance, it seems to be good. He praises God for sustenance in terms of his food, but

The Angel Who Redeems

he praises God who has redeemed me from all evil. certainly the various afflictions that would face a Jacob living in Canaan and then Egypt in terms of external threat, but we ought not to minimize the evil of sin. Jacob understands what it is to walk with a holy God. Jacob understands what it is to be commanded by a holy God. He knows the existence of evil.

He knows what wickedness is. He knows what vileness is. And he says that the Lord has redeemed me from all evil. And just by way of a practical observation, brethren, when you and I come to die, if we have some time to rehearse God's blessings, we can't do a whole lot better than this.

He has sustained us externally, He has fed us, He has clothed us, He has given us water, He has protected us, and He has redeemed us from all evil. What a great testimony that is for persons when they come to die, that the Lord Most High has, in fact, redeemed us from all evil. A great thing for us to be able to pass on to those who may attend us at our death and at our passing. What a great thing we're able to point our children and our grandchildren, if God willing, great-great-grandchildren, point them to a faithful God who not only looks after the outer man, but He looks after the inner man, and He redeems His people from all evil.

Great preamble with reference to the blessing that is to come. And then the simplicity of it. And it rehearses, or rather reflects, the previous promises of God touching on multitude, touching on seed. We know that Christ is the seed, singular, according to Galatians 3.16.

But in Him, all the elect of God is the seed. So when God says to Abraham, look at the stars, you can't count that. They're more numerous than you can count. Look at the sand on the seashore.

It's too numerous for you to count. Your descendants will be even more so. That looks beyond the physical descendants of Abraham in their earthly tenure in the land of Canaan. It looks to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It looks to the elect of Christ. It looks to those of us who, by grace, are saved. Those who believe the gospel and those who are heaven-bound. That's what the seed, that's what the multitude is pointing forward to in terms of the book of Genesis.

That's why the book is so important. Land, to be sure, but we see that even universalized or extended in its new covenant setting. In Romans chapter 4, we learn that when Abraham was told in Genesis 13, to look to the north, look to the south, look to the east, look to the west. God says, all this I am giving you.

Abraham looked far beyond Canaan. According to Romans 4.13, he would inherit the world. That's why the second Psalm, Jesus says, talking about his father's words to him, ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. This is why Christ in the Great Commission says, go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.

So you have that Matthew 28, 18 promise, go make disciples of all the nations, that connects us back to the Abrahamic promise, God telling Abraham, that in him all the families, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Genesis makes sense for us of the cosmic implications of God's redemptive plan that we meet with in the New Testament documents. It's glorious. So bless the lads.

And then he says, let my name be named upon them. Calvin says, for he puts his name upon them that they may obtain a place among the patriarchs. Remember, he's adopted them now. They will receive tribal allotments.

There will be the tribe of Ephraim. There will be the tribe of Manasseh. In fact, half of Manasseh is on one side of the Jordan. The other half of Manasseh is on the other side of the Jordan.

You had three Transjordan tribes. You had East Manasseh, you had Gad, and you had Reuben, that those all were on the other side of the Jordan. But in terms of this particular promise, he says, let my name be named upon them. They will join the ranks of the other patriarchs in the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac.

And here it is. And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. So again, It's a promise, to be sure, it's a blessing, but it's a prophecy. And this prophecy comes home with great power over and over again in the book of Genesis.

We're going to see more, specifically connected to Judah, the Shiloh prophecy in Genesis chapter 49, that kingly tribe from whence Messiah will come. So those who say, well, you know, I don't really need Genesis to help me with the rest of the Bible, you absolutely positively do. Genesis is a great and foundational book, not only for the whole Bible, but in terms of the redemptive plan of God in terms of Christ being the Israel of God and fulfilling all that Old Covenant Israel failed to execute and failed to carry out. You need to appreciate that with reference to the gospel records.

Matthew connects Jesus to Israel. Jesus does what Israel failed to do. You've heard that theology of the first Adam and a second Adam. It's better to consider a first Adam and a last Adam, because Israel was an Adam-like figure as well.

They were put into a particular situation, they were given probationary covenants, they were told to toe a line in a particular way, and of course they come up short. When we get to the book of Matthew, it's Jesus looking just like Israel. He passes through the waters of baptism, the Holy Spirit comes upon him, and then he is driven out into the wilderness. That is precisely the pattern of Israel, coming through the waters of the Red Sea and then going out into the wilderness, and there being tempted by God, or tested rather, by God, and failing.

But Christ passes through the waters, goes into the wilderness, and fulfills completely and perfectly all that was laid upon not only Israel, but also Adam. And I think that Luke connects Jesus to Adam even more conspicuously in his genealogy. So that's some theology that connects what we find here, what seems to be a bit obscure, an old time promise to two sons made by an old patriarch, but it's programmatic for the nation of Israel and for the nation of Israel in its new covenant setting in terms of the redemptive benefits of Jesus Christ. So there is a spiritual thrust here in the promise to Ephraim and to Manasseh, but ultimately to Joseph.

And then notice,

Ephraim's Preeminence Confirmed

the sons are distinguished in verses 17 to 22 by Jacob. Joseph is displeased with what he sees, okay? He had it all set up, he prepared the sons so that all they had to do was take a step forward and then Jacob would have put his right hand on Manasseh and his left hand on Ephraim. But then Jacob crosses his hands and does it just the opposite.

So, of course, Joseph is a bit irritated by this. He is displeased by this, and he expresses as much in verse 17. 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 it's not the case that Manasseh is cut off. It's not the case that Manasseh is sent off to work at a shoe factory. Manasseh receives a tribal allotment as well, but Ephraim will be more preeminent. That's where the focus lays.

It's on the preeminence of Ephraim among the tribes of Israel. And if you read your Bibles in the Old Testament, at times the entirety of Israel is oftentimes referred to as Ephraim. Matthew Poole highlights the preeminence of Ephraim. He says, so the tribe of Ephraim was both in number in terms of more people and in terms of greater and even more preeminent.

So not only in number, but in power and privileges. For that tribe was the seat first of the tabernacle and afterwards of the kingdom. Whence the name Ephraim is sometimes put for all the ten tribes, and sometimes for Joseph himself, which Manasseh never was. So it's not a matter of Manasseh cut off and Ephraim alone.

No, both the sons of Joseph receive a blessing and a tribal allotment. It's just the case that Ephraim the younger is going to be more blessed. He is more preeminent. There is more eminence that he will possess in terms of a tribal portion in the nation of Israel.

And then again he blesses him in verse 20, 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. Now the chapter ends or concludes with Jacob once again highlighting the reality that he's going to die. Then Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your father.

So that is a blessed encouragement with reference to the nation. So 17 years now, Jacob and his family. have been in the land of Egypt. That's a long time to be out of the land of promise. That's a long time to be away from home.

And here, Jacob affirms or assures Joseph that in fact, Joseph and Israel, if not Joseph physically, or in terms of his life, at least his descendants will be back in the land of promise. Now, verse 22 is a difficult verse. The best I can do is that it refers to the place called Shechem. Shechem means shoulder, and that's what the marginal reading is with reference to Portia.

And most commentators believe that's what he is highlighting, though it's a difficult interpretation because he did not secure or did not gain Shechem by his sword and his bow with reference to taking it from the hand of the Amorite. So it's a notoriously difficult verse. I can't do justice to it in this particular context, but just suffice to say that the bulk of interpretation sees it as being Shechem, being the portion given to Joseph to the descendants. We see that confirmed in Joshua chapter 24 at verse 32, and then again you'll see it in John chapter 4 at verse 5.

So Shechem was given by Jacob to Joseph, and that's the gist there of verse 22. Well,

Lessons from Genesis 48

in conclusion, in terms of some lessons that I hope we can learn from this section, one of the lessons we have visited often as we move through this book is the providence of God. It's the providence of God that, under the wickedness of Joseph's brothers, brought Joseph to Egypt. It was the providence of God that saw Joseph exalted in that land. It was the providence of God that brought Jacob to that land.

It was the providence of God that would ultimately bring the descendants of Israel back to the land of Canaan. His appearance to Jacob at Bethel, where he prescribes to him or tells him the various promises that he's making, the promises of God to Jacob at Bethel in terms of seed and land, Those things are carried along by His providence, by His eternal decree. And then the fulfillment of these promises herein the sons of Jacob, that He's able to confer this upon these men that subsequent history reveals become tribal heads and have their own lands. And when you look at the map in the back of your Bible, you will see Manasseh and you will see Ephraim.

This is God's providence that brought that to pass. Secondly, I think conspicuously in this chapter is, I think Isaac's probably smiling at this particular moment, the goodness of God. The goodness of God. That verse 11 is glorious.

I mean, I don't know that we can really enter in, but he says, I never thought I would see you again. let alone you and your fine young lads that I'm about to convey a blessing upon. God is good to his people. The fathers enjoyed communion with them. Look at verse 15 in that sort of preamble to the blessing.

God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, That's a term of intimacy, a term of communion, a term that underscores the presence of God. It's our relationship with God. We walk by faith to be sure. But that faith isn't nebulous.

That faith isn't undefined. That faith is rooted in Genesis 2 Revelation. And God promises His presence with His people. God the Lord is with us when we walk before Him.

As well, the patriarchs were sustained by Him. 15b, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day. Jesus teaching to us, give us this day, our daily bread, is most consistent with the people of God. They understand that the Lord is sovereign over all things and that it is Him that gives good gifts to His children. And then, of course, the redemption of the patriarch by the angel of the Lord.

And if that does highlight or point to the second person of the Trinity, it is certainly glorious in terms of foreshadowing the blessed redemption that is to come. And then one final observation that's kind of a New Testament observation, and

Colossians 1:15 and Arian Error

one that you might meet with if you ever talk to Jehovah's Witnesses. In Colossians 1.15, Paul tells us that Jesus is the firstborn over creation. And of course, the witnesses want to say, well, that means that Jesus is a creature. We'd all affirm Jesus is creature, according to his humanity, but that's not what they're affirming.

They are Arians, and Arius taught that there was a time when Christ was not. Arius taught that Jesus was a creature. And so the witnesses seize upon that term, firstborn, and they say, that settles it. He's the firstborn.

Well, it's very intriguing that in this particular passage, and it's conspicuously highlighted, that Manasseh was the firstborn. Verse 14. Can't miss it. You look at the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 31, verse 9, he tells us Ephraim is the firstborn.

Now, which is it? Moses or Jeremiah? Is it Manasseh who's the firstborn? Or is it Ephraim that's the firstborn?

Both.

Meaning of "Firstborn"

The word firstborn means the first one to come out of the womb. But the word also means the one who receives the benefits and blessings that the firstborn would have. In other words, it underscores preeminence. When you look at this particular chapter, Ephraim is preeminent above the other.

And it's the same with reference to Christ. The text in Colossians 1 is not telling us that Jesus is a creature. The text in Colossians is telling us that Jesus is preeminent. It's telling us the exact opposite of what the witnesses affirm in their theology.

They say Jesus is a creature. They say Jesus may be preeminent, but among creatures, but that's not Paul's point. Likely, creation there means new creation, the glorious new covenant era that Christ is mediator and king over. So when the Bible says something concerning firstborn, it doesn't necessarily mean the first one that passed through the womb.

You take Israel, Exodus 4, verse 22. God calls Israel, my firstborn. They weren't the first people on the face of the earth. In Ezekiel 16, God says you basically came from these other peoples.

And then as well in Psalm 89, God calls David my firstborn. Well, David wasn't the first king of Israel, but he was the preeminent one with reference to Israel. That's Paul's point in Colossians 1.15. And when the witnesses take that particular passage, they completely turn the whole thing on its head.

Paul's point is that this Christ is glorious. He's wondrous. He is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000, and they hate him so much that they're going to attack him. It is a vicious and a vile misrepresentation.

As well in their perversion of a Bible, they add in brackets, other. All other things were created by Him. What's the point in their interpretation? He was created first, and then all other things were created by Him.

Brethren, the Jehovah's Witnesses are a foolish version, a dumber version, a less smart version of Arius. Now Arius was obviously a heretic, but Arius was a bit of a better thinker than Charles Taze Russell and the witnesses that have followed. They're rehashing old arguments and they're making it even worse for themselves. That's Paul's point in Colossians 1, 15 to 20 is the preeminence and the superlative excellence of our Lord Jesus Christ.

His design is not to somehow teach us that Jesus was the first creature and then he created all other things. So I think that Ephraim and Manasseh show us something about the word firstborn and how it means, yes, the first to pass from the womb into the world, but also it means the preeminent one. And in this instance, that was Ephraim and it wasn't Manasseh. Well, let's close in a word of prayer.

Closing Prayer

Our Father, we thank You for Your Word, we thank You for the book of Genesis, and for the wonderful promises that You make here, and for the way we see them fleshed out in the rest of the Bible. We see the full discovery of the promises of God, the realization and the new covenant of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. such that the Apostle Paul can say that in him all the promises of God are yea and amen, even these promises that we find in the book of Genesis. Thank you for including us in this great number. Thank you for including us among the elect, for giving us that blessed status of being the seed, that blessed spiritual seed of Israel.

We pray now that you would be pleased to look with favor upon this local church, be with each of our brothers and sisters, protect each one physically, and God, help us all spiritually to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. We thank you for not only feeding us food temporally, but as well, redeeming us from all evil. And we give praise to you through our Lord Jesus Christ, and it's in His name that we pray. Amen.

Scripture References

• Genesis 12:1; 13:1; 28:1; 35:1; 35:13-14; 37:1; 47:27-31; 48:3; 48:5; 48:6; 48:7; 48:8; 48:9; 48:10; 48:11; 48:12; 48:14; 48:15; 48:16; 48:17; 48:20; 48:22
• Exodus 4:22
• Joshua 24:32
• Psalm 2:8; 89:27
• Ezekiel 16:1
• Jeremiah 31:9
• Matthew 1:1; 28:18
• Luke 3:38
• John 4:5
• Romans 4:1; 4:13
• Galatians 3:16
• Ephesians 3:20
• Colossians 1:15; 1:15-20
• 1 Chronicles 5:1