Jacob Blesses Ephraim & Manasseh

REVIEW

In the book of Genesis, we’ve gotten to the point where Joseph was reunited with his father Jacob and his brothers. Genesis 47 continues Joseph’s story. In verses 1–10, Pharaoh met Joseph’s brothers, and they were given the land that was promised. Pharaoh met Joseph’s father, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh, speaking life into him. In verses 11–25, the family settled in Goshen. They were fruitful and become numerous, even during the years of famine. God’s hand was clearly on this family. In Genesis 47:28, the final details of Jacob’s life are given: Jacob lived in Egypt for 17 years and lived to be 147 years old. As he neared his death, he released a prophetic word, asking Joseph not to bury him in Egypt.

TEACHING

Genesis 48:1–3: Joseph still had a job to do—he was still overseeing things in Egypt. Joseph was told his father had become weaker, so he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to Jacob.

Jacob walked through what God had done in his life and then blessed Joseph’s sons. He reiterated the promises that we’ve been seeing throughout Genesis.

Genesis 48:4: Jacob was sharing what God had given him. The promises he had received included: making him a great nation, being fruitful and numerous, and giving him land as an eternal possession to future descendants. Commentator Victor P. Hamilton wrote, “Jacob may be losing his health, but he is not losing his memory.”¹

Genesis 48:5: As he lay dying, Jacob wanted to bless his sons. Jacob blessed his grandsons, Manasseh and Ephraim, as well. They were technically grandsons, but Jacob counted them as sons. In Genesis 46:7–27, there is a list of 52 grandsons, but Jacob chose these two to add to the tribes.

Ephraim and Manasseh’s mother was the daughter of a priest to the sun god. Jacob pulled them from that line and into his line. They were “grafted” in. The tribe of Manasseh is listed as a part of the 144,000 in Revelation 7:6. Ephraim got a double blessing. Gideon was from Ephraim. Joshua was from Manasseh.

Genesis 48:6–12: Ephraim and Manasseh were counted among Jacob’s sons to make the 12 tribes. There were 12 because Levi is not allotted land.Jacob reflected on Rachel and losing her.Joseph honors his father by bowing to the ground.

Genesis 48:13: Joseph took Ephraim to Israel’s left and Manasseh to Israel’s right (right indicated the greater). He was attempting to set the stage for the blessing. Mier Sternberg wrote, “Joseph then firmly stage-manages the blessing scene for his doting father.”²

Genesis 48:14: Jacob took his right hand and rested it on Ephraim’s head, and the left on Manasseh, even though Manasseh was the firstborn. Jacob may have been losing his sight, but he was in the right frame of mind. He did what he intended to do.

The right hand brings strength, honor, power, and glory.

• Exodus 15:2: “The Lord is my strength and my song;He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”
• Psalm 89:13: You have a mighty arm; Your hand is powerful; Your right hand is lifted high.
• Proverbs 3:16: “Long life is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor.”
• Ecclesiastes 10:2: “A wise man’s heart goes to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left.”
• Matthew 25:33: “He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left.”
• Acts 2:33: “Therefore, since He has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, He has poured out what you both see and hear.”

Other examples of the younger receiving what the older traditionally would: Abel not Cain, Isaac not Ishmael, Jacob not Esau, and Judah not Rueben.

Genesis 48:15–16: Jacob blessed Joseph. Jacob referred to God as His shepherd (Psalm 23;Genesis 49:24; John 10:11).Jacob referred to the Angel of the Lord who redeemed him (Genesis 28:12; 31:11–12; 32:1-3; 32:22–32).

Genesis 48:17–21: Joseph thought Jacob’s hand placement was a mistake. Eventually Ephraim became the most powerful of the northern tribes. The ten tribes would take on the name of Ephraim (Jeremiah 31:9; Hosea 4:16–17; 7:1). Jacob reminded Joseph that God would be with him (Joseph) and would bring him (Joseph) back to the land of his forefathers.

Genesis 48:22: Jacob gave Joseph the mountain slope he took from the Amorites. We never saw Jacob fight the Amorites.

Possibilities . . .

Genesis 34: Jacob denounced what happened with Shechem when his sons killed, plundered, and took all the land.

Genesis 33:18–20: Jacob purchased land.

Maybe he was referring to when he bought the land, and his sons fought and took it. Now he was giving it to Joseph’s sons.

Dr. Tom Constable wrote, “Apparently Jacob gave Joseph the town of ‘Shechem,’ which he regarded as a ‘down payment’ of all that God would give his descendants as they battled the Canaanites in the future.”³

In John 4:5, Jesus came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, which is the same area of Shechem. At the end of Genesis 48, Joseph received his dying father’s land, and Jesus walked into this same land that was the property of his heritage.

CLOSING

God sets everything up for a purpose. God is very intentional! The Lord wants to give us all mountain slopes to set the stage for more people to see who the Messiah really is.