— by Victor Fawole
Welcome to Genesis 48. It’s been an exciting ride all week. From the New Testament lenses, the events of this chapter present a solid example for us to illustrate Jacob’s faith in God. Today’s chapter is an interesting and significant one that the writer of the book of Hebrews points to:
Heb. 11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
It appears that the writer of Hebrews thinks that this is the important thing in the life of Jacob. That was the only particular thing he wrote in reference to Jacob’s faith. Jacob blessed and adopted Joseph’s two sons as his own (Manasseh and Ephraim). So, instead of having Joseph as one tribe in Israel, we have Manasseh and Ephraim as two tribes. Joseph got a double inheritance.
This was the fourth consecutive generation of Abraham in which the normal pattern of the elder son having prominence over the younger son was reversed:
- Isaac over Ishmael
- Jacob over Esau
- Joseph over his brothers
- Ephraim over Manasseh
In this review, I will be drawing our attention to some noteworthy verses:
Gen. 48:3-4 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
Luz is another name for Bethel (Gen. 28:19, Gen. 35:6), and that was where Jacob first encountered God – an outstanding encounter that he’d never forget. There is no thanksgiving as strong before God as the thanksgiving for your salvation… that Jesus loved us and called us while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:6,8). Hallelujah!
Jacob reminisced the exact promises God made to him (same with Abraham in Genesis 17). He remembered three foundational promises of God:
- Prosperity and Fruitfulness
I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee - Posterity and Power
I will make of thee a multitude of people - Possession of the Promised Land
and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession
Our faith is strengthened when we repeatedly hear God’s Covenant promises (Rom. 10:17). That is why we commit ourselves to the hearing of the word of grace, the gospel of Christ, in GOG. When we are reminded of the promises and the faithfulness of our Abba, our faith grows and we enjoy all-round stability.
Moving on…
Gen. 48:5-6 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
Although Reuben and Simeon were the first and second sons, Jacob adopted the two sons of Joseph and placed them at the highest level. These boys became the firstborn sons of Jacob and displaced Reuben (1Chro. 5:1-2). One son would receive the inheritance of Reuben, while the other would receive that of Levi, who would become God’s priests and have no right to inheritance (Deut. 18:1-2; Num. 18:20). Manasseh’s and Ephraim’s double inheritance was an act of grace. Their mother was the daughter of an Egyptian priest (Gen. 46:20). They were not fully Jewish tribes. Yet, God blessed them out of grace, not that they deserved it.
Like Joseph’s sons, we became adopted children of God through faith in Christ (Rom. 8:14-17, 1John 3:2, John 1:12, Gal. 3:26). Thank You, Jesus! Like Joseph’s sons, we have also become eligible to receive an inheritance in Christ (Col. 3:24, 1Pet. 1:3-4). Hallelujah!
Moving on…
Gen. 48:15-16 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
Oh, wow! Jacob said three beautiful Shepherd-like attributes of God…
- The God Who Sees Me: God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk
- The God Who Sustains Me: the God which fed me all my life
- The God Who Shields Me: the Angel which redeemed me from all evil
What a confession from a man who has received Grace! Jacob is the first man who would refer to God as a Shepherd. Glory to Jesus, Who has also revealed Himself as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 1Pet. 2:25).
Another line to note here is: “let my name be named on them… Talk of full adoption! This is what happened to us at salvation. God put His name on us! This signifies a lot of things to us:
- Identity with God (Isa. 43:7, 2Chro. 7:14)
- Prosperity from God (Num. 6:27)
- Security against enemies (Deut. 28:10)
- Authority in battles (Jer. 14:9)
- Affinity with God (Exo. 33:19)
- Sincerity with God (Acts 15:17)
- Credibility with God (2Tim. 2:19)
- Stability from God (Psa. 23:3)
- Audacity from God (Isa. 43:1)
Thank You, Abba!
Moving on…
Gen. 48:21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
God shall be with you…! A quick overview of Jacob’s life reveals that he recognized God’s presence in his life. Let’s quickly check them out and appropriate them for ourselves:
- I am with you: (Gen. 28:15)
Every believer, even the newly converted, has the assurance of His presence and grace. - I will be with you: (Gen. 31:3)
As we grow in our spiritual walk with God, we trust God to be with us, even if all what we have is the promise of His presence. - God has been with me: (Gen. 31:5)
The growing believer gives glorious testimonies of how God has been with him, even in moments he doesn’t feel His presence in the way he wished. - God will be with you: (Gen. 48:21)
The mature believer takes every opportunity to encourage others with the promise of God’s presence.
Dear Gogolights, I appreciate you all for taking this Bible reading seriously, for the nourishment of your souls. You display virtues of growing believers, especially with the way you engage and discuss the readings of each day. God’s grace abounds much more unto you in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Till next time when we resume our Bible reading, I say…
Grace to you, Church!
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