Today we concluded the story of Joseph, focusing primarily on the blessings that Jacob pronounces over Joseph’s sons, and then over Jacob’s twelve sons. Before that, though, we briefly summarized the portion of the story that describes Joseph’s family coming to Egypt for food, being tested by Joseph, and then learning that he is alive and the Lord fulfilled his dreams. Through Jacob’s tests, we also see that at least some, perhaps all, of his brothers have grown and repented of their sin of selling Joseph and lying to their father.
After moving his whole family to Egypt, Jacob meets his grandsons—Joseph’s two sons Ephraim and Manasseh—and wants to bless them. The story makes a point of stating that Jacob’s “eyes were dim with age, so that he could not see” (Genesis 48:10). This should call our minds back to Isaac, when Jacob deceived him into giving the blessing to him rather than to Esau. Just as Jacob’s sons seem to have grown, Jacob himself has clearly grown in his faith in God and what it looks like to walk with him. We see that Joseph brings his sons to Jacob, assuming that Jacob will put his right hand on the oldest, Manasseh, giving him the greater blessing than Ephraim. Jacob, however, knows this is the case and crosses his arms so that his right hand is on Ephraim rather than Manasseh (Genesis 48:14). It seems that the promise made to Rebekah that the older (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob) is in his mind and he wants to continue this theme with his grandsons.
Jacob’s blessing of these boys passes the promise made to Abraham down to them, calling on God to bless them and turn them into a great nation. Joseph is upset that Jacob gives the right-hand blessing to Ephraim, but Jacob assures him that this is how it must be and that they will both be great, but Ephraim will be greater. In fact, later in Scripture, Ephraim is often used as shorthand for the people of Israel.
After this, Jacob calls all of his sons together to issue blessings to each of them before he dies. They each receive blessing (or curse), but some sons receive more detail than others. For our lesson this week, we focused primarily on the blessing to Judah. Before Judah, though, we see that the older sons, Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, are passed over for blessings because of their sins that have been highlighted earlier in the family’s narrative. Reuben had committed adultery with one of his father’s other wives (Gen 35:22), which is humiliating and offensive. As such, he does not get to inherit the birthright and blessing as the oldest son. Simeon and Levi, after their sister was assaulted and humiliated, murdered an entire town (Genesis 34), thus bringing a curse and loss of blessing upon themselves as well.
Judah, while having his own share of guilt (Genesis 38), receives a blessing from his father that also serves as a great prophecy of the Messiah to come. Jacob declares that he will be powerful and feared, and that “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples” (Genesis 49:10). Most immediately, this states that Judah’s tribe will be the one through whom the kings will come. But these promises of the scepter and the obedience of the peoples speak more fully to the King who will expand God’s Kingdom to include all nations in a kingdom of peace—we know this today to be Jesus, who will complete this prophecy when he returns at the Second Coming. Other elements of the blessing to Judah, such as mention of a foal and colt of a donkey, and clothes dipped in blood/wine (vv. 11–12), point to Jesus’ Triumphal Entry and Second Coming as well. Judah will be the line through which the promised Messiah comes, who is the greatest fulfillment of the promise of blessing made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
After the rest of their sons receive their blessings, we see that Jacob eventually dies, leaving the brothers in fear that Joseph will now retaliate against them for what they did to him as a teenager. The come to him bowed upon their faces (again fulfilling Joseph’s dream they hated him so deeply for), and beg for their lives. Joseph responds with great forgiveness, reminding them that while they meant evil and harm toward Joseph, God had intended it all along to be good and to work for the salvation of their family, and really the whole world (Genesis 50:15–21). It was not Joseph’s place to respond with vengeance, but rather forgiveness. This is an incredible example to us today as well. Few, if any, of us will experience harm as great as Joseph did. If he can forgive his brothers for this, trusting that the Lord was sovereign through it all, then we can forgive any harm done to us by family, classmates, coworkers, or random strangers. It is tempting to respond with anger, resentment, and vengeance. But like Joseph, and like Jesus, we must respond with forgiveness and love. The Lord will not let that go to waste.
