#12~Joseph ~ SS Heb.11:21-22 8-31-14
Gen.48: -- Gen.49: ~~ Gen.29: ~~ Gen.50:
Today we'll continue with our study of Hebrews 11: "the hall of the faithful" chapter. -- We left off last time talking about Jacob being on his death bed with his 12 sons gathered around, but before we leave Jacob I want to point out a few more things to do with him.
Hebrews 11:21
21By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
~This is to do with Jacob blessing Joseph's two son's Ephraim and Manasseh.
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¡¡I mentioned last time that although Joseph was a son of Jacob, there was not a tribe headed by Joseph or named for Joseph, and the reason was that God had replaced Rueben the legitimate 1st born of Jacob and Leah with Joseph, Reuben had sinned a grievous sin and lost his birth right.
Listen as I read from;
@@@ Genesis 49: 1And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
(The last days of the nation Israel will be different from the last days of the church.) -- Tribulation
2Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. --Jacob and Israel one and the same.
3Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
4Unstable 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.
~Notice, Jacob said loud and clear for the rest to hear, - he went up to my couch.
¡¡¡¡~Jacob spoke directly to Reuben, his eldest son, an old sin he'd committed finally caught up with Reuben.
¡¡¡¡> Num. 32: 23 --- and be sure your sin will find you out.
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¡¡¡¡Reuben was in fact the first-born of "Israel ~ Jacob" ~~ the double portion blessing of the birthright went to Joseph; and his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, they were recognized as distinct tribes.
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Reuben defiled his father¡¯s bed (Jacob) in his incest with Bilhah.
¡¡¡¡Genesis 29: 24 And Laban (Leah & Rachel's brother) gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid.
¡¡¡¡ 29And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
According to these two verses both "Bilah and Zilpah" may have been Lebans concubines. -- But we don't read that any place, we are told they were both his maids.
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¡¡¡¡>Genesis 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.
Num.32:23 -- be sure your sin will find you out.
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So Ruben lost his privileges as the first born son. Jacob gave the 1st born son's blessing to Joseph.
> 1 Chron. 5:1-2 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father¡¯s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: (Jacob) and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
2For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; (King David and ultimately the Lord Jesus) but the birthright was Joseph¡¯s:)
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~ As Jacob's firstborn son, Reuben should have been a strong man with dignity, who brought honor to his father and family, but he turned out to be a weak man, who disgraced his family by defiling his father's bed.
"Unstable as water" speaks of both turbu lence and weakness. Reuben's arrogant attitude and reckless way of life weren't fitting for a firstborn son.
¡¡Water is certain ly weak in itself, but turbulent water can be very destructive.
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¡¡ As far as I can tell not any member of the tribe of Reuben ever revealed himself to be a leader. --- The tribe declined in numbers between the Exodus and the entrance into the Promised Land.
¡¡It was the Reubenites who gave leadership in the rebellion of Korah (Num. 16:1) which led to the deaths of thousands of people.
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¡¡@@@ Gen. 48:21- 22 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
¡¡~ Remember, the "you-ye-and your" are always plural, here he says "YOU" meaning all of Israel.
¡¡ 22Moreover 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.
¡¡~ This was a personal gift made by Jacob to Joseph; it was a ridge near Sychar where Joseph would be buried. --
¡¡ It was a parcel of land which Jacob apparently had taken by force, because we read here "22-b which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow."
¡¡~This was the place that Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at Jacobs well in-
¡¡>John 4:5 Then cometh HE to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6Now Jacob¡¯s well was there.
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@@@ Gen. 49:
1And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. 2Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. 3Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 4Unstable 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.
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5Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. 6O 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. 7Cursed 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.
Genesis 34:1-2 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
2And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.
~Simeon and Levi (vs. 5) are dealt with together in light of their treachery against the young man Shechem in chapter 34; he wanted her for his wife. -- so Simeon and Levi had told the Hivite men if they'd be circumcised that their people would take each others women to wife, so they were circumcised, Simeon and Levi waited 3 days in order for them to be sore and slow to maneuver, then killed them all because of what they did to their sister Dinah.
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8Judah, 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.
9Judah is a lion¡¯s whelp: (young lion) 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? 10The sceptre (a symbol of royal power) shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh (is a reference to the Messiah) come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11Binding 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:
Revelation 19: 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: --
--- 15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
¡¡¡¡12His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
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13Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.
Zebulun was the tribe which lived along the coast up in the northern part of the land.
Zebulon's, descendants would have their lot upon the seacoast, and would be merchants, and mariners, and traders at sea.
This was fulfilled when the land of Canaan was divided by lot, and the border of Zebulun went up towards the sea, Jos. 19:11.
The tribe was divided into three great families headed by Zebulon's three sons (Num. 26:26¨C27).
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¡¡14Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: 15And 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.
¡¡ Concerning Issachar, -- the men of that tribe should be strong and industrious, fit for labor and inclined to labor, particularly the toil of farming, like the ass, that patiently carries his burden, and, by applying himself to it, makes it the easier.
¡¡ Issachar submitted to two burdens, tillage and tribute.
tillage - the cultivation of soil for raising crops
¡¡ -- It was a tribe that worked hard and thriving thereby, was called upon for rents and taxes.
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16Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. 17Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. 18I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
~ Dan was one of the sons of the concubines yet he would be a tribe governed by judges of his own as well as other tribes, and would by art and policy, and surprise, gain advantages against his enemies, like a serpent suddenly biting the heel of the traveler.
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19Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
Gad, -- He alludes to his name, which signifies a troop, foresees the character of that tribe, that it should be a warlike tribe, and so we find (1 Chr. 12:8); the Gadites were men of war fit for the battle.
~~ the troops of their enemies would in many skirmishes overcome them; yet they might not be discouraged by their defeats, he assures them that they should overcome at the last, which was fulfilled when, in Saul¡¯s time and David¡¯s, the Moabites and Ammonites were wholly subdued: see 1 Chr. 5:18,
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20Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.
Asher ~ that it should be a very rich tribe, replenished not only with bread for necessity, but with fatness, with dainties, royal dainties, and these dainties would be exported out of Asher to other tribes, perhaps to other lands.
Dainties -- That which is delicious or delicate; a delicacy.
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21Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.
~This tribe would be a free, mountain people; they would breed true and keep their character. ~ they would be easyhttp://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/Easy to be spoken to or addressed; receiving others kindly and conversing with them in a free and friendly manner; courteous; sociable.
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22Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
25Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors (forefathers) unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
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27Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
Benjamin was compared to the wolf because of its warlike character as a tribe. Not only would they be successful in war, but they would be cruel (Jud 20¨C21) as they stood against the other tribes in defense of their wickedness in Gibeah.
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28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
29And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.
31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
32The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.
33And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. ====================================
Israel's body was mummified - he was mourned over 117 days, not counting the days for their journey back to Canaan Land.
¡¡@@ Genesis 50:1-11 And Joseph fell upon his father¡¯s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.
¡¡ 2And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.
¡¡ 3And forty days (40) were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days. (70)
¡¡4And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
¡¡5My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.
¡¡6And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear. --
¡¡7And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
¡¡8And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father¡¯s house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. 9And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.
¡¡10And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days. (7)
¡¡11And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, (mourning of the Egyptians) which is beyond Jordan.
¡¡ ========== Joseph was mummified also when he died.
Genesis 50:22-26 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father¡¯s house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.
23And Joseph saw Ephraim¡¯s children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph¡¯s knees.
24And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
25And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
26So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
~ Lets be sure and notice that they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. -- Not buried in the ground in Egypt.
When Joseph died, he was not buried. --- His coffin lay above ground for the 400 or so years until it was taken back to the Promised Land, when the children of Israel departed Egypt. Remember he was mummified. -- They embalmed him. ~ God saw to it that Joseph's body was protected; it was a silent witness all those years that Gods people Israel was going back to the Promised Land, just as God had said. -- Apart from Joseph¡¯s dying oath in 50:25, this is the last of the great sayings of destiny, the blessings, the curses, the judgments, and the promises that fill the book of Genesis. --The book of Genesis recounts the entrance of sin into the human family but also relates the faithfulness of God in providing a way of life for man. -- Genesis opens with God and man in the Garden of Eden and ends in a coffin in Egypt.
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