Chapter 49 is not a father’s blessing on his sons. Rather, it is a prophecy of what the sons could expect in the future because of their individual characters and the decisions they had made. Reuben was the lustful prodigal son, but Levi and Simeon were angry elder brothers. Judah would be the royal tribe, for the Messiah (Shiloh, “the peace-bringer”) would come from Judah. Joseph was the vine that went over the wall separating Jews and Gentiles. He was shot at by his brethren, which often happens to those who are especially blessed of God. But the Lord was with him, strengthened him, and extended his boundaries of blessing (Genesis 49:26). Joseph suffered, and his sons were blessed by God. Reuben sinned, and his sons lost the blessing of God.
Three burials are mentioned in the final chapter of Genesis, and each is significant. Burying a beloved father.
It would not be easy for Jacob, now 130 years old, to leave the land God gave him and go to Egypt. Moving to a new home is usually a difficult experience, and the older we are, the more difficult it is. Furthermore, Abraham got into trouble in Egypt (Genesis 12:10), and God had stopped Isaac from going there (Genesis 26:2).
But Jacob was able to go with confidence and peace because he was sure of God’s promise and presence (Genesis 46:1–4). In the crisis hours of life, God speaks to us and assures us when we take time to worship. Furthermore, Jacob knew that God had gone before him and that Joseph was there making everything ready for him. The future is your friend when Jesus is your Lord and you follow Him.
Egypt was a haven for Jacob and his family, and there God protected them and built of them a great people. But Jacob knew that Egypt was not his home, Canaan was; and he wanted to be buried there with the others who had made the same pilgrimage of faith. He was a testimony in life, and he wanted to be a testimony in death. Despite his mistakes and failures in life, Jacob ended well.
What should believers do for their family before God takes them in death? Just what Jacob did. He praised God for the past. He told his family what God had done for him and how God had blessed him. God had redeemed him and shepherded him all his life (Genesis 48:15–16).
God is with us as we wait. Joseph spent two difficult years working in the prison, but he held to his faith and did what he could to serve others. The experience helped to “put iron into his soul” (Psalm 105:17–22). If the Lord controls us, it makes little difference who commands us. The fact that Joseph could interpret the dreams of the baker and butler indicates that he understood the meaning of his own dreams. He knew that one day his eleven brothers would have to bow before him. What an encouragement that was to his faith!
Explanation. For two years, Joseph was forgotten by the chief butler, but he was not forgotten by the Lord. It is disappointing to depend on people, for often their help never comes (Psalm 60:11; Psalm 146:3). Speaking to the world’s greatest ruler, Joseph was careful to give all the glory to God (Genesis 41:16, 25, 28, 32).
Exaltation. God always exalts the humble “in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). Joseph started as a servant, but then God made him a ruler ( Matt. 25:21 ). He experienced suffering before God gave him glory (1 Peter 5:10). God invested thirteen years in making a man out of Joseph; when it comes to building character, God is never in a hurry.
Expectation. Joseph’s new name probably means “the one who furnishes nourishment to the land.” He married an Egyptian wife, and she bore him two sons who were given significant names: Manasseh (“one who forgets”) and Ephraim (“double fruit”). Joseph determined to forget the past and live for the future. In the Bible, forgetting means “not holding it against another.” Joseph certainly did not forget what his brothers did, but he did not hold it against them. Instead, he concentrated on living a fruitful life to the glory of God.
The rest of Genesis will focus on the story of Joseph. As you read the life of Joseph, you see in him a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph was greatly loved by his father (Genesis 37:3; Matthew 3:17), hated and envied by his brothers (John 15:25; Mark 15:10), plotted against, sold as a slave, arrested unjustly, and made to suffer. But he went from suffering to glory and became the savior of the people who had rejected him.
Tamar’s purpose was good, but her plan was wicked. Leaving the signet and staff was like leaving fingerprints, because each man’s was distinctive. Judah was quick to condemn Tamar for sinning, but what about his own sins toward Joseph and Tamar? Why is this sordid chapter in the Bible? For one thing, we see the contrast between Judah’s sin and Joseph’s victory (Genesis 39), and we realize the importance of purity. But the main reason is to add another link in the Redeemer’s family tree (Genesis 38:29; Ruth 4:18–22; Matthew 1:3). How gracious God is to mention a prostitute like Tamar in the genealogy of the Savior!
The key to Joseph’s conduct was his godly character, and the basis for that character was his recognition that he belonged to God and served Him (Genesis 39:9). “The LORD was with Joseph” is often repeated (Genesis 39:2, 3, 21, 23). The Lord is with us as we work, and we should do our work as unto Him (Ephesians 6:5–8). He is with us when we are tempted and will show us the way to escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). We must keep away from temptation (Romans 13:14); and if it gets too close, we must run away (2 Timothy 2:22). It is better to flee and lose your garment than fall and lose your character.
Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom and lost his daughters, and Jacob moved too close to Shechem and lost Dinah. Why did Dinah go out? Ignorance? Defiance? Whatever the cause, the result was tragedy. Note the twofold attempt at deception in the aftermath: Simeon and Levi deceived Hamor, and Hamor thought he deceived them. Jacob’s sons had learned much from watching their father! When the men of the city were unable to fight, Simeon and Levi killed all the men and took everything for spoils. Sadly, in the end, Jacob was more concerned about his safety and his reputation than he was the character and conduct of his ruthless sons.
“And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.” At this call, Jacob decided it was time to clean up his act. The household is ordered to remove all their gods and cleanse themselves to worship the Lord. Three deaths are recorded in chapter 35, for death is one of the facts of life. Jacob’s obedience to God did not prevent him from experiencing trials. He lost a friend, Deborah; a favorite wife, Rachel; and then his beloved father. (In spite of what he said in Genesis 27:2, Isaac lived for forty-three years after that!) Perhaps the greatest sorrow of all was the sin of his firstborn son Reuben. Sin is expensive, and this one cost Reuben the birthright (Genesis 49:3–4; 1 Chronicles 5:1).
