Genesis 47-50
If you have ever wondered why the name “Joseph” is not generally listed as one of the “Twelve Tribes of Israel”, your answer is here in Genesis 48, where Jacob/Israel adopts Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own (Gen. 48:5), in effect giving Joseph a double portion of the inheritance. (And given that without Joseph, they would all be dead, I guess that is only fair…) So these two grandsons of Jacob are treated as sons and become the heads of tribes for the ongoing generations (with Joseph standing in the background). Of course, that means we now have thirteen tribes of Israel. We’ll see how we get back down to twelve when we get to the book of Numbers…
Interestingly, when Jacob blesses Joseph’s two sons, he deliberately places his right hand on the head of Ephraim, the younger of the two, giving him the greater blessing. Clearly, this runs contrary to Joseph’s expectation, but it is not unprecedented in the history we’ve covered so far:
- Abel is favored over Cain
- Isaac is favored over Ishmael
- Jacob is favored over Esau
- Now Ephraim is favored over Manasseh
God’s plan just does not always fit human expectations or traditions.
In Genesis 49 Jacob prophecies over each of his sons. These are not idle words, emotional sentiments of an aged father about to die. These are pronouncements shaping the future of generations to come. I expect that whole dissertations have been written on each verse in turn. Luckily for you, I will make no such attempt, but here are a few highlights:
- Reuben
- Remember Genesis 35:22? Jacob apparently remembers well enough!
- Simeon and Levi
- Remember Genesis 34? Jacob does.
- Judah
- The scepter shall not depart from Judah. (Gen. 49:10) Indeed.
- Joseph
- He still sounds like Jacob’s favorite.
After blessing his sons, Jacob dies at the age of 147. He is embalmed, carried back to Canaan, and buried in the family tomb.
It is now 39 years since the brothers sold Joseph into slavery and 17 years since being reunited with him. They still feel the guilt, and they fear reprisal, so they finally ask forgiveness. Joseph replies very much as he had 17 years earlier:
“Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Genesis 50:19-21
Sometimes good news is hard to believe. Sometimes it takes time to sink in. In this case that slowness amounts to 17 extra years of guilt.
Just as we need to forgive and let resentments go, so must we accept forgiveness when it is given and not continue to wallow around in guilt. So what guilt might we be carrying unnecessarily? What are the things others have forgiven that we still lug around? In particular, what has God forgiven that we need to release?
Sooooo, just an observation about Jacob, uh, I mean Israel. Um, no, Jacob. No, Israel…
Once his name is changed by God, they are both used interchangeably, sometimes in the same verse! (See Genesis 46:2,5, for example.) In Gen. 46-50 “Israel” is used 22 times; “Jacob” is used 29 times.
No big revelation—just thought it was interesting. When God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, I don’t remember seeing him referred to as Abram again.
And thanks, John, for the encouragement to embrace the forgiveness we already have from God. For me, at least, it is too easy to think back again and again of things done and left undone and to wallow in the regret I find there. It is not easy to let myself off the hook. Even when God does.
From Genesis 50, Joseph speaking to his brothers, one of my all-time favorite reflections on Scripture: But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good… (Gen. 50:19-20a). I’m not tied to the thought that people can “mean evil” against us; rather, I’m thinking of situations in our lives (my life!) where things have not turned out well for us (me!). It’s easy to get down and depressed when troubles come our way, but faith beckons us to always know that God is in control. He knows where we are, and He could have prevented that troubling situation if He had so chosen. But “it happened” and we simply have to believe that God meant it for good…!