In the Beginning: A Study in Genesis 37-50Намуна

How can you be a blessing to others?

At some point, every person realizes that most of their life is in the rear-view mirror and the end of their journey on earth is on the horizon. In these seasons, we tend to stop and thank God for all of His faithfulness, make amends with people we have wronged, and seek to set up those we love for success after we are gone. This is exactly where we find ourselves in this scene of the testimony of the life of Joseph.

As we come to Genesis 48, Joseph’s father Jacob is nearing the end of his life. Like the famous country song talks about, he starts to live like he’s dying, realizing he wants to pass on blessings to the future generations of his family before he passes away.

As we have learned throughout the previous chapters, Jacob is not a guy who has done it all the right way. In fact, he’s not even a guy who has done it mostly the right way. He raised a dumpster fire of a family, with the exception of Joseph, and it was alone the grace and providence of God that reunited Jacob with all of his sons in one big happy family. Again, this is a lesson to us that it’s never too late to start pursuing a relationship with the Lord. As long as there is breath in your lungs, there is hope for your legacy.

The old man mustered up the strength to sit up in bed to remind his son and grandson of how El Shaddai (the name for God appearing here and five times previously in Genesis) appeared to him in Luz (the older name for Bethel) and blessed him with the promises of the covenant first spoken to his grandfather Abraham.

Jacob likely did this to compel his son and grandsons to continue in faith so that the covenant family would continue on in faithful obedience to God after his death. During this visit Jacob elevated Joseph’s two sons to the position as tribes of Israel along with Joseph and his brothers.

Additionally, Jacob basically adopted the grandsons Manasseh and Ephraim as if they were his own sons, out of love for them. He did this to replace his first two sons who had fallen out of favor with him because of their great sins (Reuben in Genesis 35:22 and Simeon in Genesis 34:25, 49:5-6). Because of the great sins of the oldest two sons, the rights of the firstborn were passed onto Judah and Joseph (Genesis 49:8-12, 49:22-26), and Joseph’s two sons Manasseh and Ephraim replaced them as the heads in the 12 tribes of Israel.

Jacob then blessed his grandsons, intentionally reversing his hands in order to bless the younger Ephraim over the older Manasseh as had happened repeatedly throughout Genesis, including when Jacob himself was blessed over his brother Esau by his father Isaac.

Right at the start of the chapter, Joseph learns his father is ill and is called to his bedside. Many of us have gotten that phone call. Grace and I got that call when Grandpa Gib, her dad who pastored a church for over 40 years, was nearing his finish line. We were out of state and jumped on the first flight, and then jumped in our car for a several hour drive through the snow with the kids to say our final goodbyes. That’s exactly where we find ourselves in this text. Joseph grabs the kids and heads over to say goodbye to Grandpa Jacob. This is a very important moment. Jacob is handing off the keys to much of his legacy to his son. It’s very important that we transition responsibilities in our families well to leave a good legacy. Think of it like a relay race: we may run a record-breaking lap, but when we hand the baton to the next runner, are they going to take it in stride, or drop the baton without taking a step? Your life is one lap around the track. Your legacy is each consecutive runner taking the baton and moving it further.

Jacob’s conversation with Joseph gives us six things that our family needs from us in order for us to finish our lap well. First, our family needs our testimony. Like Jacob, we need to share with our children and our grandchildren of how God was faithful to us, and all the ways in which God showed up in our lives.

The next thing Jacob does is include Joseph’s sons in his estate. He’s giving Joseph the plans for his will. We need to do the same with our families; we need to give them a plan. Mom, dad, do you have a plan? Grandma, grandpa, do you have a plan? Is the plan written down? Is the plan articulated? Does the family know the plan? We’ve all seen or maybe even experienced what happens when the funeral is over and, without a plan, the kids go to war over the assets. Giving your family clear instructions allows them to avoid conflict after you’re gone, as well as assures that your legacy will be stewarded in a way that honors you and God.

After this, Jacob talks about his wife, Joseph’s mom Rachel. He’s 147 years old and on his deathbed, and he’s still thinking about his girl. Our families need to see how much we love our spouse. We never know when the last day is going to be, but one day, one spouse is going to bury the other. Until that day, your kids are going to feel safer, more secure, and more loved knowing that their parents are totally in love with each other and that nothing will break them apart. In addition, it gives them a healthy example of what a loving relationship looks like so that they don’t end up in an unloving relationship when you’re not around anymore.

The next thing we learn is that Jacob prays over his family. Moms and especially dads - your family needs to hear you pray. Praying together is the closest way to build trust and intimacy because it's inviting the presence of God. There are some things you need to stop talking about and just start praying about and it'll change the temperature and the tone of the relationship.

Finally, Jacob teaches us that your family needs a leader. Some of you grew up in households where the parents wouldn’t make a decision, and it led to a bunch of fighting and arguing. That certainly was Joseph’s childhood. As Jacob is praying a blessing over his grandsons, he chooses Ephraim over Manasseh as the future of Joseph’s family. Jacob knows God’s will. He’s giving that prophecy to Joseph and his grandsons so that they may avoid the conflict and infighting Jacob’s sons experienced when he was being a passive father.

The last thing Jacob does in this chapter is remind Joseph of their promise from God. He is saying “I’m about to die in Egypt, but that doesn’t mean God’s promised land for us is a lost cause. He is faithful and He’ll bring you back to that place.” This promise is fulfilled 400 years later when Joshua leads the Israelites back into the land that God had promised to Abraham. God will remain faithful to future generations of this believing family as He had been faithful to past generations.

Question:

How is this showing of legacy different from others you’ve seen in Genesis? How is it similar?