Our words have an effect on our children. The words of Jacob were prophetic and determined the future circumstances of his sons and the nation of Israel.
Genesis 48: Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
1 After this, Joseph was told, "Behold, your father is ill." So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 And it was told to Jacob, "Your son Joseph has come to you." Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.
3 And Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,
4 and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.'
5 And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.
6 And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.
7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)."
8 When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, "Who are these?"
9 Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." And he said, "Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them."
10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.
11 And Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also."
12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him.
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn).
15 And he blessed Joseph and said, "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."
17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
18 And Joseph said to his father, "Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head."
19 But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations."
20 So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, 'God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.'" Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.
22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow."
Genesis 49: Jacob Blesses His Sons
1 Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.
2 "Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.
3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
4 Unstable as water, you shall not have pre-eminence, because you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it---he went up to my couch!
5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.
6 Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their wilfulness they hamstrung oxen.
7 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.
8 "Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
10 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.
11 Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
13 "Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.
14 "Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds.
15 He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor.
16 "Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that his rider falls backward.
18 I wait for your salvation, O LORD.
19 "Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels.
20 "Asher's food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.
21 "Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns.
22 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.
23 The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely,
24 yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
25 by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.
27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil."
Jacob's Death and Burial
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.
29 Then he commanded 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,
30 in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place.
31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah---
32 the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites."
33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
Things to think about…
Joseph brings his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh to Jacob to be blessed by their grandfather. Israel gives these boys the same right of inheritance as the other sons (tribes) in Israel. He says they will have an inheritance and be considered like Reuben and Simeon. They are actually blessed with more esteem than Reuben and Simeon as recorded in Gen 49:3-7. Israel makes sure that Joseph’s sons have the same rank and inheritance as his own. Jacob no doubt still keenly feels the betrayal of Reuben, Simeon and Levi. Proverbs 13:22 says, "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous”. Literally true in this case.
Israel places his right hand on Ephraim the younger son is blessed before Manasseh. Why would Jacob do this? Is it because Jacob was preferred before his older brother Esau, or that Isaac was preferred before the older Ishmael? Possibly. Ephraim is synonymous with Israel when referred to in the scriptures. As such, the prophecy did come true. Even our carnal actions have a spiritual influence – for better or for worse. We need to always check our heart motivation before we speak to someone – especially to our kids.
When Jacob prophesies blessing over his sons Reuben, Simeon and Levi, they are disregarded Gen 49:3-7. As part of their ‘blessing’ they are dispersed throughout Israel without having a tribal identity. Evil ultimately never prospers. Imagine how they felt hearing these words from their father. The words some will hear from the heavenly Father will be more fearful.
Judah is blessed with the sceptre and the ruler’s staff and his garments washed in wine the blood of grapes – symbolic of Christ, His blood and our communion with Him. From Judah’s line would come the Christ. There is a prophecy here, Gen 49:11, that refers to Jesus and the incident where He rides on the colt, the foal of a donkey, Mk 11:2-7. It seems Judah had some enlightenment with respect to his sin later in life – possibly as a result of Tamar his daughter in law. Jacob blesses him. Judah would go on to represent the two southern tribes of Israel, while Joseph escpecially through Ephraim would be representative of Israel as a nation. All the other tribes would be represented through Ephraim as reflected in Jacob’s (Israel’s) blessing upon him.
All the other sons are blessed, but not like Joseph. The Lord’s name and character are spoken five times as part of Joseph’s blessing. Joseph (through Ephraim) goes on to epitomise all Israel including what would become the ten northern tribes. Another prophecy of the Redeemer of Israel is part of Jospeh’s blessing, “Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel “, Gen 49:24. This prophecy in many ways is still to be realized. One day all Israel as it were, will accept Yeshua (Jesus) as the nation’s Saviour.
Jacob dies and is buried in the cave his grandfather Abraham bought at from the Hittites in the land of Canaan, Gen 49:29-32. This cave is in modern day Hebron in the West Bank. I missed going to Hebron in 2017, but hope to make it part of any future tours to Israel with CBC. It is interesting that Gen 49:33 says ‘when Jacob finished commanding his sons’ as if they had a choice in their future blessing. I wonder if the eldest three sons felt like following the command. They didn’t really have a choice. The commands of the Lord are imposed on us whether we follow them or not. But in the end we reap what we sow and as such even when we have fallen short in this life, Jesus Christ our Saviour gives us His robe and therefore an inheritance in Israel.
Vision Point
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Questions for Cell groups
Sunday’s sermon, “A new name - Israel” came from Gen 35 by Ps Jay.
1. Jacob was told to return to Bethel. He wrestled with an angel (pre incarnate Christ) and receives a new name “Israel”. Israel means “wrestles with God”. When you got converted Christ gave you a new heart. Jacob rather than going to Bethel, goes to Shechem. He reaps from his rebellion. Discuss what happened and how this lesson instructs us today as Christians.
2. Bethel means ‘house of God’. Jacob asks his family to put away their foreign gods and idol symbols – earrings etc. He travels to Bethel and is told his name “Israel” again by the Lord. As Christians we often need reminding of our new identity. This is why it is important to go to the house of God – church, our modern day Bethel. Discuss this and the current pandemic crises and the new challenges Christians find themselves in.
3. We have a name from the Lord we will receive from him. This name is written on a white stone, Rev 2:17. What does this name and this white stone represent do you think?
4. It is important to maintain identity in Yeshua – Jesus. There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved, Acts 4:12. Discuss the importance of sharing the gospel in a world that has lost its identity in the Creator and what it means for you to preach Jesus as a Christian.
5. Pray for your cell group and prayer/praise points. Pray for our “Blessing Beirut” appeal as we endeavour to help these ‘sons of Abraham’.
Prayer Points
1.Pray for Lebanon and the people of Beirut with this accidental blast from the storage of ammonium nitrate. 157 confirmed dead. 5000 wounded, 300, 000 left homeless. $10 - $15 billion to rebuild.
2.Pray for those who heard the gospel on Sunday. Pray for Christ to grant them salvation.
3.Continue to pray for Victoria but also Qld as these new cases have arisen and the infections that will no doubt be confirmed over the next 2 weeks.
4.Pray for our church services would reach out into our community and beyond every Sunday.
5.Continue to pray for our government for wisdom and economic management.
6.Sunday’s messages and for Kids church. The message this week – “Joseph just like Jesus” Gen 40-50 – Graham Willey.
7.Church finances to meet our expenses and to put a roof over our café.
8.Our City and Country – Pray for revival over our city and the leadership of our country even through these challenging times.
Praise Points.
1.New visitors. Please pray that they receive Christ as their Saviour. Pray they keep coming back to CBC.
2.Wonderful spirit of joy in our church. Thankyou Jesus.
3.Finances being maintained and donations to Café roof ($5,145) and Blessing Beirut ($900). Thankyou!
1.We have established a “Blessing Beirut” fund. After prayer and seeking after a support partner the Lord has led us to Ras Beirut Baptist. We have received word back from them. Pray our gift would bless Beirut with the gospel.
2.One service at 9:30am Every Sunday morning. This service will also be live streamed. No kisses, hand-shakes or hugs are allowed. Hand sanitizer is to be used, tables will be wiped and chairs arranged for appropriate distancing. Families can of course sit together. CBC is allowed up to 50 people inside, then we will have an overflow in the house and Kids church will be in the crèche in the cafe.
3.Cell groups – Ask for details as to how and what is required.
4.Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5.Kids Church will be run in the house when the message starts.
Q. 15. What do we pray for in the fifth petition? A. That God would pardon our sins for Christ's sake, and enable us to forgive those who have wronged us.
