INTRODUCTION: Although this lesson may seem anticlimactic, God is still fulfilling His blessings on Joseph and rewarding him for his faithfulness. Our final reward comes in heaven (1Pet.1:4). Yet, we can be sure that our God will make all things work out to the good of those who love Him.
I. JACOB PREPARES FOR HIS BURIAL (47:27-31)
A. Jacob’s Family Prospers in Goshen (v.27)
B. Jacob Lives Seventeen Years in Egypt (v.28)
C. Joseph Promises to Bury Jacob in Canaan (v.29-31; cp.24:1-3,9)
D. NOTE: The Thigh
1. The portion of the leg between the knee and the hip
2. A place of strength (Ps.45:3). This is probably the reason that the oath was made with the hand under the thigh.
3. A place of nakedness (Ex.28:42; Isa.47:2)
4. A place of special importance to Jacob (Gen.32:24-25, 30-32)
II. JACOB REMEMBERS GOD’S PROMISES (48:1-4)
A. Joseph Goes to His Father (v.1)
B. Jacob Rises to Meet His Son (v.2; Heb.11:21)
C. Jacob Speaks of God’s Appearance to Him (v.3-4)
1. The promise of blessing (v.3)
2. The promise of a seed (v.4)
3. The promise of the land (v.4)
III. JACOB EXALTS JOSEPH’S SONS (48:5-7)
A. The Grandsons Elevated to Sons (v.5)
B. Their Names Equal to Joseph’s Brethren (v.6)
C. A Special Remembrance to Rachel (v.7)
IV. JACOB RECEIVES JOSEPH’S SONS (48:8-14)
A. Joseph Presents His Sons to Jacob (v.8-9)
B. Jacob Embraces Manasseh and Ephraim (v.10-11)
C. Jacob Worships God on His Staff (v.12; Heb.11:21)
D. Jacob Places His Hands on Their Heads (v.13-14)
1. Correctly guided by Joseph (v.13)
2. Wittingly voided by Jacob (v.14)
V. JACOB BLESSES JOSEPH’S SONS (48:15-22)
A. Jacob Glorifies in God (v.15-16)
1. The God of his fathers (v.15a); corresponds to the Father
2. The God who fed him (v.15b); corresponds to the Spirit
3. The Angel who redeemed him (v.16); corresponds to the Son
B. Jacob Confirms the Placement of his Hands (v.17-19)
C. Jacob Blesses the Sons of Joseph (v.20-22)
1. Placing Ephraim before Manasseh (v.20)
2. Promising a return to Canaan (v.21); notice the plural “you” in speaking to Joseph. Joseph only returned as bones but the children of Israel returned in mass to inherit the land.
3. Providing a double portion to Joseph (v.22)
CONCLUSION: We cannot give more to the Lord than He gives back to us in return (Mal.3:10; Luke 6:38). We can rest assured that if we give our lives and possessions to the Lord that He will make it worth it all in the end.
MEMORY VERSES:
1. Colossians 1:15
2. Hebrews 11:21
3. Genesis 49:10
A. The Right of a Double Portion
1. The firstborn was offered a double portion of the inheritance, meaning he received twice as much as each of his brothers (Deut.21:15-17).
2. Because of his sins and instability (Gen.3-4), Reuben (the legal firstborn to Jacob) lost all the privileges of his birthright.
3. Reuben lost the right of the double portion to Joseph (1Chr.5:1; Gen.48:5,22).
B. The Right of Earthly Power
1. The firstborn was given authority over the family when the father died. This included rule over the extended family.
2. Reuben lost the right of earthly power to Judah (Gen.49:10; 1Chr.5:2).
C. The Right of Spiritual Priesthood
1. In early days, the firstborn acted as the priest of the family. He was in charge of the spiritual leadership and made way for their approach to God.
2. Reuben lost the right of spiritual priesthood to Levi (Num.3:11-13; 8:18). Notice that the Levites replaced the duties of the firstborn who were delivered on the night of the Passover and properly belonged to God.
II. THE THREEFOLD FULFILMENT OF BIRTHRIGHT IN CHRIST
A. As the “firstborn of every creature” (Col.1:15-16), Jesus Christ will inherit all thing and thereby receives the right of the double portion.
B. As the “firstborn from the dead”, Jesus Christ will in all things “have the preeminence” (Col.1:18); His resurrection being the ultimate show of power (Rom.1:3-4). By this He receives the right of earthly power (see also Psalm 2:7-8; 89:27; Hebrews 1:6.
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