Give all for bread
Isa 55:2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
Gen 47:13 And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.
Gen 47:14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
Joseph was a good steward of the Corn and a shrewd business person. Even today the Jewish people are known for keen business sense. He got all the money.
Gen 47:15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.
Gen 47:16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.
Gen 47:17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
The first of seven years of draught are over and Joseph has all the money and the cattle.
Gen 47:18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:
Gen 47:19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.
Mat 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Gen 47:20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.
Now Joseph owned all the land for Pharaoh.
Gen 47:21 And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.
Gen 47:22 Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.
This would be a pattern later followed by the tribes of Israel, with the levites.
Gen 47:23 Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
Gen 47:24 And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.
Gen 47:25 And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.
Gen 47:26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.
This was a tax of twenty percent. How much are we taxed by our government? What a powerful and skillful steward Joseph had become.
Luke 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Luke 11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Carry me out of Egypt
Gen 47:27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.
They are beyond the famine in which all was sold for bread. The nation of Isreal had been blessed with many things and were increasing with many children. Seventeen years have passed. It is 10 years after the great famine.
Gen 47:28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.
Jacob was nearing the end of his life. Apparently people lived longer then. Adam was dead in spirit but lived 936 years. (Gen 5:5) God limited the number of years of a mans life following Noahs time.
Gen 6:2 That the sons of God (from Seth) saw the daughters of men (from Cain) that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Gen 47:29 And the time drew nigh that Israel [Jacob] must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray the, in Egypt:
Jacob wanted Joseph to promise that he not be buried in Egypt. The Covenant with Abraham promised them a land in Canaan. I remember living in a place that I was not wanting to end up, a crowded city. Now I live in a better place, but I know my final dwelling is with the Lord Jesus.
Gen 47:30 But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.
Jacobs bones would be removed from Egypt when the people were to leave.
Gen 47:31 And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.
Gen 48:1 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
Gen 48:2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
Gen 48:3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
Gen 48:4 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.
Jacob repeats the promises of the Abrahamic covenant to Joseph and his sons. It is important to share Gods dealings with the children and grandchildren. It is their promises too. It seems that after World War 2 that the baby boomers largely had turned away from beliefs passed down by their parents. The result is that grandchildren have no concept of who Jesus is, and our country has become a pagan nation. Joseph repeated the promises of God passing them down. They were a nation under God through the promises given to father Abraham.
Hands Crossed
Gen 48:5 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.
Jacob claims the two sons born before Joseph was reunited with his father. These two would be counted with the brothers in the 12 tribes of Israel.
Gen 48:6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
Any other children would be Josephs and receive their brother's inheritance.
Gen 48:7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.
Gen 35:19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.
Gen 35:20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.
Jacob would be buried with his fathers and Leah in Canaan.
Gen 48:8 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?
Gen 48:9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
Gen 48:10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
Like Jacob's father Isaac before him his eyes were dim when he sought to pass on the blessing and birthright.
Gen 48:11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath showed me also thy seed.
Gen 48:12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
Joseph respected his father bowing before him. He knew the power of God rested in his blessing.
Gen 48:13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
Gen 48:14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
Jacob had crossed his hands reversing the blessing, favoring with his right hand Ephraim the younger brother. Remember his father Isaac who was tricked into blessing the younger Jacob earlier and taking Esaus birthright away. But Esau was willing to sell it for a bowl of stew.
Gen 48:15 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,
Gen 48:16 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.
Gen 48:17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.
Gen 48:18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
Gen 48:19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
The greater blessing went to the younger Ephraim. This upset Joseph who knew the customs.
Gen 48:20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
It is done. Ephraim receives the greater blessing.
Mat 20:16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
Is it not God who chooses?
Jacob Blesses his Children
This is the first conscious prophecy spoken by a human being in the Bible; there have been many prophecies announced by God (such as the promise of the triumph of the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15), and other veiled prophecies by men, but this is the first knowing prophecy of the Bible
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.
Jacob speaks of his sons tribes who will return to the promised land in Canaan.
Gen 48:22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
The spoils of warfare that Jacob had secured by his own strength, of this Joseph receives a double portion.
I think of the victories of spiritual warfare, the methods of overcoming the enemy. The studying of the Bible the sharing of Gods word with others, of witnessing to the lost, of good works, of prayers said, these I pass down to my children. These are the spoils of warfare. I give them a double blessing.
Gen 49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
Gen 49:2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
Gods elder father of his people, Israel now has been given prophetic words and blessings for his children.
It has been said that a father can bless or curse a child. The curse is broken in Gods family. Blessed are those children raised by godly parents. But every child of God is blessed, with no curses because of the blessings of Jesus Christ. We are a blessed family of God.
Gen 49:3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
It is customary for the first born to inherit the best portion of the fathers inheritance. Reuben has been honored with glowing words of strength and dignity. He was the first born of Leah, his first son.
Gen 49:4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
In the Bible God tells it like it is , faults and all. Reuben would be unstable, perhaps a divided heart. He also received a curse because of a sin against his father. So the birthright blessing was not given to Reuben alone as eldest son, but divided to each of the 12 Children of Israel.
Gen 35:22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard [it].
It is difficult for me to justify the fact that Jacob had a concubine, a woman for his lusts. This was a fault in Jacob, perhaps a custom of the times, but not the will of God. Jacob was considered one with the concubine by God, so it is as if Reuben had defiled his father.
Gen 49:5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
The second and third born sons Simeon and Levi receive the same "blessing" for the same evil deed; they were instruments of cruelty when they wiped out all the men of Shechem in retaliation of the rape of their sister Dinah (Genesis 34:25-29)
Jacob, perhaps in weakness, did nothing at the time except register a small, self centered complaint (Genesis 34:30) - yet he (and the Lord) remembered this event.
As a father it would be my desire to protect my daughter, if this happened in the natural I would seek vengeance. But in Gods grace I would seek justice and forgiveness, hopefully.
Gen 49:6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
Gen 49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
The Bible speaks of a godly anger (Be angry and do not sin, Ephesians 4:26) and an ungodly anger (Let all bitterness, wrath, anger . . . be put away from you, Ephesians 4:31
Simeon was the third largest tribe but when they made it to the promised land they would be the smallest. The prophecy of dividing and scattering was a blessing for the tribe of Levi.
Because of the faithfulness of this tribe during the rebellion of the golden calf (Exodus 32:26-28), it was scattered as a blessing throughout the whole nation of Israel. They received no large tract of land, for the Lord was their inheritance, not land (Joshua 13:33) The levites were to keep care of the Ark of God, tend to the sacrifices, and teach the people of Gods dealings with Israel.
We also receive the Lord as our inheritance. We receive the promises of God through the Messiah , Jesus. We are spiritual children of Abraham. Their final homeland is ours. Where Jesus is, there we are. Let us not let sin and anger divide us. Our portion is with God.
Blessing of Judah
Gen 49:8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
It is through Judah that Messiah Jesus would come. Judah was not without sin, he had made many sins and folly but his highpoint was when he interceded for Benjamin to Joseph. Grace is operating here. In choosing Judah. It is grace also that is the reward of those who seek Jesus.
Gen 49:9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
The Lion of Judah, Messiah Jesus would be triumphant over all his enemies.
Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
From David until the Herods, a prince of Judah was head over Israel (even Daniel in captivity!). The promise was that Israel would keep this scepter until Shiloh comes - and even under their foreign masters during this period, Israel had a limited right to self rule - until in 7 A.D., under Herod and the Romans, their right to capital punishment was taken away . Shiloh is a reference to the coming saviour, Jesus.
Gen 49:11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
Gen 49:12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
I think of garments in wine, as the blood shed on the cross.
Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Judahs inheritance would have great vineyards. The tribe of Judah would be the first to raise their banners and lead the people in following the cloud by day in the wilderness journey, and the fire by night. Judah was pre-eminent (Num 10:14) because Jesus would be called Lord of lords, King of Kings, Wonderful, Counsellor, Almighty God , Prince of Peace, saviour and my friend.
Zebulun, Issachar and Dan
My brother and I used to kid around giving each other nicknames. He would call me Zeb and I would call him Zeke. We had no clue that Zeb came from Zebulun, and Zeke from Ezekial. Lets see what Jacobs blessing was for "Zebulun" and two other brothers, Issachar and Dan.
Gen 49:13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.
The tribe of Zebulun seems to have taken the piece of land sitting between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee; literally, shall dwell by the haven of the sea can be rendered "looking towards the sea" - which they did, both to the East and West.
Jesus the light of the world would visit this sea place.
Mat 4:13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
Mat 4:14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Mat 4:15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
Mat 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
Saving grace would come here, Jesus our saviour, the Son of God
Gen 49:14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
Gen 49:15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
Issachar was a large tribe; third in size according to the Numbers 26 census; because of their size and abundance, they were often targets of oppressive foreign armies who put them into servitude; thus they became a band of slaves.
The meaning seems to be that Issachar was strong, but docile and lazy. He would enjoy the good land assigned him but would not strive for it. Therefore, eventually he would be pressed into servitude and the mere bearing of burdens for his master
In Christ we are free, but we must be strong in him. We must not be lazy in our faith allowing the enemy to gain a foothold.
Phil 1:27 Only let your conversation [way of life] be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Phil 1:28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
Gen 49:16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan did judge his people; the tribe of Dan supplied one of the most prominent of the Judges; Samson.
Gen 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
The serpent Satan and his devils
Dan was a troublesome tribe; they were the tribe to introduce idolatry into Israel (Judges 18:30); Jeroboam set up one of his idolatrous golden calves in Dan (1 Kings 12:26-30), and later Dan became a center of idol worship in Israel (Amos 8:14)
Gen 49:18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
The Hebrew word for salvation is yeshuwah; at this point in the prophecy, when Jacob is so near death, he calls out for God's salvation - he calls out for Jesus! Yes by faith Jacob looks ahead to Jesus.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
We have seen the evidence, Jesus our Saviour, his death and resurrection, the evidence of the Holy Spirit of truth inside us. Like Jacob we say with confidence I have waited for my salvation, soon it will be complete, we will be with Jesus. Thank you LORD. Jesus is my saviour.
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