FINISHING WELL

Genesis 47:27-48:22
Bob Bonner
November 4, 2007

As a Pastor, one of the portions of the newspaper that I need to pay attention to on a daily basis is the obituary section. Over the past few years, I have become increasingly aware of the reality that many of my peers have already died. As of today, I’m approaching 58 years old...or to some of you, 58 years young! Right now, I am watching a very dear friend, who is six years younger than I, suffer through a terminal illness. All of this to say, that I have become very conscious of the temporalness of my life. One day, if Jesus’ coming doesn’t interrupt it, I will die. My life will cease this side of heaven, and so will yours. This has caused me during these past years to think more seriously and intentionally about the stewardship of my life and finishing well.

Recently, in my devotional reading, I came across this verse, Proverbs 13:22, which states, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.”  It is good and right for a parent to plan to leave an inheritance to both his children and his grandchildren. It is part of finishing well and being a proper steward of one’s life. Hence, Becky and I are presently working on a living trust to pass on to our children and grandchildren, some of what God has called us to be stewards over. But is this all that is meant by “an inheritance,” that is, material wealth? Is this all we are responsible for as to the stewardship of our lives and what we pass on to our children and grandchildren?

No. The Bible makes clear that as a parent and grandparent, I have much more to pass on to my children and grandchildren than just my possessions. And this morning, as we continue to look at the closing days of one father’s life, Jacob, we will see some things that are even more important than the passing on of material wealth to those who follow behind us. 

This morning, our study of God’s Word takes us to Genesis 47:27. The life of Jacob has stretched over half the book of Genesis. Throughout his life, we have witnessed moments of trust and betrayal, sterility and fertility, feast and famine, separation and reunion, all within the promise and providence of God. At this point in Genesis, Jacob is 147 years old, and literally, he is on his deathbed. From this point on, till the end of chapter 49, we read of Jacob’s final acts as a believer, a father, a grandfather, a patriarch and spiritual leader of his home.  During these chapters, we see Jacob’s finest hour. He has assumed total and dynamic spiritual leadership of the family. As we will witness in our passage today, even Joseph, the second-most politically powerful man in Egypt, out of respect, will bow down to his father.

Our passage for study this morning has three distinct sections, in which three distinct actions by the aged patriarch Jacob, take place. The first of these three actions covers the last five verses of chapter 47. These verses contain Jacob’s instructions to Joseph concerning what to do with Jacob’s remains once his father dies. This scene takes place during the last year of Jacob’s 147 year life span. We read, “Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in Goshen, and they acquired property in it and were fruitful and became very numerous. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years. When the time for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, ‘Please, if I have found favor in your sight, place now your hand under my thigh and deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Please do not bury me in Egypt, but when I lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.’ He said, ‘Swear to me.’ So he swore to him. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.” Or a more correct rendering of those last words, “as he leaned on the top of his staff.” This near to death, Jacob is too feeble to bow to the ground. This is a gesture of respect and gratefulness to one who was more powerful than he being willing to take on this very important responsibility.

What’s Jacob trying to do here? Jacob is looking forward to the future and is deliberately trying to point Joseph and eventually the rest of the family to look forward to Israel’s divine destiny in the land of promise...renouncing even the priority of his love for Rachel, in that he requests not to be buried with her, but with his grandfather, Abraham, his father, Isaac and their wives, and his unloved first wife, Leah. At this point, Jacob realizes that what’s most important for his family to focus upon is the land God has promised to them, and God’s covenant to them, to make them a great nation. Jacob’s family is the unique covenant family of God. It is not about being buried with your loved one at this point. If it were, he would have requested to be buried with Rachel. The priority for Jacob is to be put to rest with his fathers, Abraham and Isaac, who shared the same faith and covenantal promise of Yahweh.

To further emphasize the importance of all of this, Jacob not only humbles himself before Joseph at the end of this scene, but he first humbles himself before Joseph by the way he addresses Joseph concerning his request. He says to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your sight,...” Jacob is acknowledging that politically, Joseph has authority over Jacob’s life. Not only that, but because Joseph is such a politically powerful man, he can do things no other man in Egypt can do, except Pharaoh. In regards to this important burial request, Jacob realizes that he will need the assistance of one who possesses such authority and power. 

Jacob is also aware of the difficulty of this assignment of having his remains taken from Egypt back to Canaan. Pharaoh is no longer a young man at this point, dependent upon Joseph for counsel. Furthermore, Pharaoh has already blessed Joseph’s family so much, that this request might just push Pharaoh too far. It might be interpreted by Pharaoh as an insult that Egypt is not a good enough country to be buried in. Hence, the seriousness of this oath, and that Joseph will give it his best shot to fulfill his father’s request, should not be taken lightly.

You still might be wondering why it was so important to Jacob that he be buried back in Canaan. Jacob wanted to make sure that his family would not forget that Egypt was not their earthly home, but that Canaan was the land God had promised to them. By making such a request, Jacob is reminding his family of this spiritually important fact. Their very identity as Israel, God’s eternally chosen people, meant that they were to always live today in light of who God has called them to be. He was making sure that they kept their temporal priorities straight in light of what their eternal God had called them to be and had instructed them to do; similar to Christians today. We have been bought with a price of Christ’s blood. Our lives are not our own, but we belong to God. How we invest our lives is to be determined by what God instructs us to do, according to His written Word. He is the master and owner of our lives. We are not free to do whatever we wish thinking God doesn’t care.

Likewise, Jacob understood the serious nature of this vow. That’s why he requested Joseph to place his hand under Jacob’s thigh, when swearing an oath to God that he would do as his father had asked. According to Dr. Bruce Waltke and according to Ryrie’s notes in his study Bible, the “placing his hand under my thigh” is a euphemism for placing his hand on his father’s procreative organs. The idea behind this is that if this vow is violated in any way, then may the yet unborn children avenge the violation or failure to keep this vow. One could not make a more serious oath than this. This is literally, a life and death vow.

In addition, realizing the seriousness of this request, Jacob humbly bases his request on Joseph’s “kindness and faithfulness,” two unique terms. “Kindness” or “Hesed” is the same word later translated in the New Testament as “grace.” It is a term typically used to describe the work or efforts of a stronger party on behalf of a weaker party. Like God, the stronger party, by His grace, provides a way for each of us to be saved, forgiven, accepted and fully approved of by God, apart from our own efforts. In this case, the stronger party being recognized is Joseph, the one with political clout to get the job done. Because “kindness” cannot be compelled or demanded by any lesser being, Jacob adds the term “faithfulness” to this oath to guarantee the reliability of Joseph doing everything in his power to follow through on his promise. Furthermore, by demanding that Joseph make an oath before God, Jacob is making sure that Joseph understands that he is now directly accountable to God to follow through on this.

Obviously, Jacob remains committed to the land of Canaan. Egypt is not his home and he doesn’t want the rest of his family to forget that either. Canaan is their home. Canaan is the land promised to them by God. Canaan is where they are to eventually return. Hence, symbolically, Jacob makes Joseph swear to bury him there.

At this point, the scene shifts to another day, one that is even closer to Jacob’s death, possibly even the day of his death. Here we see the second of the patriarch Jacob’s final actions. In this passage, Joseph finds out that his father is near to death and has requested to see Joseph and his two sons. In this next scene, we will read about two formal ceremonies taking place. In the first, verses 1-20, Jacob adopts and blesses Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob does this to elevate them to the status of Jacob’s other sons who will one day make up the twelve tribes of Israel. This particular ceremony follows the legal fashion and distinct ritual gestures of the day. Let’s pick up the story with 48:1. “Now it came about after these things that Joseph was told, ‘Behold, your father is sick.’ So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. When it was told to Jacob, ‘Behold, your son Joseph has come to you,’ Israel collected his strength and sat up in the bed. Then Jacob said to Joseph, ‘God Almighty appeared to me at Luz [Bethel] in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and He said to me, Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I will make you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you for an everlasting possession. Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.’”

Jacob at the first, sets the stage as to why he is requesting to adopt Joseph’s sons. Then he makes his formal request to adopt them. Once again, he reminds Joseph of God’s prophetic blessing and covenant to Israel. This is the same covenant that God initially made with Abraham and Isaac. Basically, God has promised that Jacob would have many descendants, who would become a nation and that his sons would make up the tribes that would one day inhabit the promised land of Canaan. At this last hour, before he dies, Jacob wants to make it clear that Joseph understands that this covenant blessing is being passed on to Joseph, his brothers and their children. He wants them to be put on notice one more time that Egypt is not their home. Furthermore, now would be the typical time that the father would pass on the birthright and blessing to his sons. But because both Reuben and Simeon had sinned so gravely in the past, and because Joseph has walked so faithfully for years, Jacob wants to adopt Joseph’s two boys, Ephraim and Manasseh and give them the double portion of blessing that would have gone to Reuben or Simeon.

Out of 52 grandsons, Jacob chose Joseph’s two boys. Actually, at this point, Joseph’s sons are not boys. They are in their twenties. But he is only asking to adopt these two children of Joseph. For he goes on to say, “But your offspring that have been born after them shall be yours; they shall be called by the names of their brothers in their inheritance.”

Then he explains why these two boys: “Now as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died, to my sorrow, in the land of Canaan on the journey, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” The point of all this is that Jacob really loved Rachel, and he wants to honor her memory. He won’t be buried with her, but with Leah, his first wife, which in Jacob’s mind, leaves Rachel open to be forgotten. Hence, to honor Rachel, he has chosen to adopt her two grandsons as his own sons.

From here, the ritual of adoption actually begins. “When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, ‘Who are these?’” Although Jacob’s sight is really poor, he does not ask “Who are these?” because he doesn’t recognize his grandsons. Rather, this is the formal question asked at such a ceremony of adoption. This is similar to the question a preacher might ask on a wedding today, when he asks, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” The preacher already knows the answer to the question, but during the ceremony, it is part of the legal ritual of a wedding. Similarly, this is a question that is part of the ritual of adoption practiced during those days.

 “Joseph said to his father, ‘They are my sons, whom God has given me here.’” Again, this is the expected ritualistic response of the parent who is giving up one’s sons for adoption. Please note that Joseph is recognizing that his children are God’s gift to him. They are a stewardship from God. He does not own them, they belong to God. However, he is responsible for raising them up in such a manner that their lives bring honor to God.

“So he [Jacob] said, ‘Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.’ Now the eyes of Israel were so dim from age that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them close to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. Israel said to Joseph, ‘I never expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your children as well.’ Then Joseph took them from his knees, and bowed with his face to the ground.”

In the typical adoption ritual of the day, the two sons of Joseph formally move over to sit on their grandfather Jacob’s knees, or maybe just close to them so they don’t hurt his fragile legs. Jacob formally greets them with a kiss and an embrace, all a part of the ritual. Then their father, as part of the ritual, removes them from Jacob’s knees, steps back, and bows, face to the ground, signifying that the adoption is final, and that although he may be the second most powerful political leader in the world, his father Jacob is still God’s patriarch and thus ruler over their family.

At this point, the next procedure following the adoption takes place. Jacob, the adopted father of Ephraim and Manasseh will pass on a blessing to his newly adopted sons. We read, “Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right, and brought them close to him. But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, crossing his hands, although Manasseh was the firstborn. He blessed Joseph, and said, ‘The God before whom my father’s Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; And may my name live on in them, And the names of my father’s Abraham and Isaac; And may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.’”

In this blessing, Jacob raises up the God of his father’s three times using two metaphors to point to the unique relationship Jacob had with God, and that he hopes his sons have with God. First, he calls God “My shepherd.” Remember that for years in Haran, Jacob was a shepherd, and now for the first time in Scripture, the metaphor of God being a shepherd is used. Jacob acknowledges that God has been his Shepherd, an intimate expression describing God as the one who is responsible for having provided, restored and protected Jacob throughout his 147 years of life. Another first in Scripture is the use of the Hebrew word for “redeem.” Here, it is used to describe the work of the Angel of God...Jesus. Jacob’s humble point is that he had nothing to boast about concerning his own salvation and the blessings and outcome of his life. For of all people, after having lived most of his life ignoring God, Jacob is praising God for saving and restoring his life. If it had not been for his wonderful redeemer, his life would have been a waste! I have presided over many a funeral of older men; and I can assure you that just because you die old is no guarantee that you die wise. But Jacob, having experienced a real spiritual revival in his life for the past seventeen years of his life, had grown very wise.

This prophetic blessing of these two brothers becoming a multitude came true. In the second year after the Exodus, the number of males born to Ephraim and Manasseh’s line alone, were 85,200. By contrast, Reuben and Simeon during the same period decreased from a high 105,800 just before the Exodus to 65,930. And remember, that Reuben and Simeon had a forty year head start over Ephraim and Manasseh on having children. Hence, the tribes of Joseph become the model of spectacular increase.

While Jacob is praying this blessing, Joseph is being distracted by something that just doesn’t seem right to him. When one pronounces a blessing on one’s children, traditionally, the oldest was always honored as the future leader of the family, by the father’s right hand being placed on his head. Manasseh was the older of the two boys, but Jacob had crossed over his hands and put his right hand on the younger brother, Ephraim, and his left hand on Manasseh. The boy’s real father, Joseph, can’t stand it, and interrupts his father’s prayer to correct the mistake. We read, “When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him; and he grasped his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. Joseph said to his father, ‘Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head.’ But his father refused and said, ‘I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.’ He blessed them that day, saying, ‘By you Israel will pronounce blessing, saying, May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!’” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

When we read those words that Joseph “was displeased” the literal Hebrew there is “it was evil in his eyes.” Just like his great grandfather Abraham, and his grandfather Isaac, and like his own Dad, Jacob, Joseph was a traditionalist and found it hard to give the second son priority over the oldest when it came to blessings and birthrights. They were always supposed to be dispensed to the first born.

But in verse 19, Jacob took a very strong stand by refusing Joseph’s request. This was no mistake. Jacob deliberately did this. At this point, this patriarch, Jacob, empowered by God, is greater than his son, the ruler of Egypt. He knew what he was doing and he was not about to change it. When he predicted that Ephraim would be the leader over Manasseh, it came true. During the Exodus, Manasseh marched under Ephraim’s banner. When Jacob predicted that Ephraim would be greater in number than Manasseh, history proves that Jacob was correct. During the Exodus, Ephraim’s tribe was 20% larger than Manasseh’s. During the divided kingdom, Ephraim’s descendants out-number all the other tribes. Their numerical superiority was so great, that sometimes Ephraim’s name was used as representative name for all the 10 northern tribes of Israel. Furthermore, many great leaders, like Joshua and the last judge and first prophet, Samuel came out of the tribe of Ephraim.

Having completed the adoption and blessing of Joseph’s sons, Jacob moves on to the second formal ceremony in this scene. This is the third of the three final acts of the patriarch Jacob that we will see in our study. He confers blessing on Joseph, himself. “Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers. I give you one portion more than your brothers, [“as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land” = Shechem/shoulder] which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.’” This gift of Shechem to Joseph is referred to in John 4:5, in Jesus’ scene with the woman at the well in Samaria. This is the same well that furnished water to the city of Shechem. So, with Shechem came the well, too.

By the end of this scene, in Jacob’s life, this is what has taken place. Jacob had adopted Joseph’s two sons. He has given the nod to Ephraim as the head of Joseph’s household, and to be a leader amongst the other tribes in Israel. In blessing Joseph, Jacob gave to him what traditionally should have been Reuben’s...a double blessing. And then this blessing was passed on to his grandson, Ephraim getting a greater blessing than his brother, Manasseh.

There is a lot we can learn from Jacob’s life, especially from his last seventeen years.

When we stop to look at Jacob’s life in comparison to his father, Isaac’s, we see quite a contrast. The way Isaac spent his retirement years shamed his youthful years as a follower of Yahweh. In contrast, during Jacob’s final 17 years, his life is redeemed. And similar to his father Jacob, Judah does the same thing. With his heroic willingness to be a self-sacrifice to save his little brother Benjamin, Judah redeemed his tragic beginnings. Hence, one lesson to take away from this is: A worthwhile goal in life, is to finish well. 

To those of you who are older, like me, or even older and in your retirement years, it’s not about what boards or committees you served on twenty years ago. To you middle-aged folks, it’s not what Bible studies you were a part of in college or shortly after you were married. It’s not about the journals you used to write in concerning your personal walk with God, ten years ago. It’s about what you are doing now, recently, this past week with your life, as it concerns the Lord’s calling on your life. Now, I realize that with age, we can’t do as much as we used to. However, retirement from service or from being a spiritual influencer is not an option. There is always something or someone important you can invest your life in. Like being committed to pray for all the leaders in this fellowship. For young families that are struggling spiritually, emotionally and physically. Are you finishing well? Or are you more like Isaac? Can you look at all the youth around you, all the middle-aged adults, and all those here who will follow after you and hope that they copy your present commitment to finishing well, in your service to Jesus Christ? Or are you cruising to the grave? If they imitate your walk with Christ, your use of your skills, spiritual gifts, and how you invest your time, your commitment to resolve broken relationships, will they and the church of Jesus Christ be stronger in the future or weaker?

Here’s another question that Jacob’s last days challenge us with: What are you passing on by example, in the area of the stewardship of your life?

Whether you realize it or not, intentionally or unintentionally, you are demonstrating to those around you to what degree of importance to you is following after Jesus Christ. As my wife and I are preparing our wills and trusts, we realize that they may be the last words our kids or grand kids ever read or hear from us. Therefore, included in those papers, we make clear what is really important to us, what our spiritual priorities are. I could die before my grandchildren grow old enough to understand what is most important in life. Therefore, if they never get to really spend time with me, I want them to know what is most important in life. I want them to know what being a good steward of the gift of their life is all about.

For instance: The following are just a few questions that I ask myself as it concerns being a good steward of my life in making sure that my family that comes after me understands what is most important. First, am I challenging those who come after me to consider the importance of their final destiny? It is not enough to die a good, moral or even successful person as this world defines successful, moral and good. What is absolutely most important is; are my heirs ready to face their eternal destiny with or without God? Have I made sure that I have done all that I can to introduce them to Jesus Christ?

A second question I ask myself: Am I teaching my children the difference between being caught up in a religion and having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? When Jacob blessed his two adopted sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, he clearly articulated that God was his shepherd. This is a very intimate picture of one who daily looks to and follows after God. It was not about earning salvation or maintaining one’s approval before God. Jacob already had that. But what he had not possessed until the last seventeen years of his life was a vital relationship with his Living God. Others may have perceived Jacob as a religious, morally good man, successful in business, and maybe even in that culture, a successful family man. But before God, until the last seventeen years of his life, he was a spiritual failure. What kind of stewardship of your life are you passing on to your family members?

Finally, are you modeling a life governed by an eternal perspective? When Jacob was about to die, his whole purpose in making Joseph promise to have him buried in Canaan was to direct the family’s attention toward what was most eternally important in life. For the Jews, it is to remember that they are God’s chosen people and they are called by God to live for Him and to seek after fulfilling His will in their lives. Similarly, because those who claim that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior, the perspective through which we are to view our lives and govern our days is as Christ’s disciples. His ambassadors here on earth to point people to a saving relationship in Jesus Christ. How I invest my time, talents and treasures is to be governed by this same eternal perspective.

When Jacob came to the end of his days, he did not die at a “ripe old age.” He did not die, like Abraham, having lived a full life, in which he so walked daily with God that he was called, “the friend of God.” When Jacob died, he didn’t die satisfied in the same sense that Abraham did. However, because of how he invested his remaining years, he died content. He died knowing he finished well. He died leaving a godly perspective through which his children and grandchildren could view their lives. He left them with a spiritual inheritance. Even if you are a teenager, what are you doing now that will enable you to finish well? To hear from the Master, “Well done, my good and faithful servant!”

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