Bible Commentaries
Genesis 46

Introduction

THE FAITH OF THE PATRIARCHS

(Genesis 46-50)

And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick (Gen. 48:1).

Immediately Joseph called to him his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and hastened with them to

his father’s bedside. When they entered Jacob’s room he revived and sat up in bed. He reviewed before

Joseph and his sons the wonderful way in which almighty God had appeared to him in the land of

Canaan. He told them of the way he had been blessed. Now that he was dying he wanted to pronounce

God’s blessing on Joseph and his sons. He motioned the two boys to come near to his bed and then he

kissed and embraced them. "And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God

hath shewed me also thy seed" (48:11). What a great blessing to have spent the last seventeen years of

his life near Joseph, to see him in a place of such great prominence and to see Ephraim and Manasseh

grow up into young manhood!

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, 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 (48:15-16).

As Jacob laid his hands in blessing on the heads of Joseph’s sons, Joseph noticed that his father’s right

hand (p.140) rested on the head of Ephraim his younger son, so he held up his father’s right hand to

place it on Manasseh’s head, and said, "Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn." But his father said,

"I know it, my son . . . but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he." And Israel said unto

Joseph, "Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers."

After this all the sons of Jacob came to the bedside of their dying father, and he had a special word for

each one of them, from Reuben his oldest to Benjamin his youngest. The tribes of Israel are not identical

with the sons of Jacob: there is no mention of a tribe of Joseph, but Ephraim and Manasseh are included

in the twelve tribes. This would have made thirteen but the tribe of Levi did not receive an inheritance in

the Promised Land, because the men of this tribe were chosen and ordained by God to serve as priests

and levites and porters and singers in the tabernacle. They were given cities to dwell in and received the

tithes which the children of Israel brought to the Lord, and so this tribe was not included among the

tribes who received the land of Canaan as their inheritance.

And 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 (49:33).

After many days of mourning, Joseph and his brothers and the whole household of Israel set out for

Canaan to bury the body of Jacob their father. They were accompanied by "all the servants of Pharaoh,

the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt. . . . And there went up with him both

chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company. . . . And his sons did unto him according as he

commanded them: for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan." They buried his body in the cave in

www.thebibleforyou.org 75 © Dr. Manford G. Gutzke

which Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Rebekah were buried. The deep regard in which Jacob was held

by his sons and their families was a bond of loyalty and love which united the family in their faith in

God. This is an example of how the life of faith of a godly man carries over to his children (p.141) and

grandchildren. No child develops into a believer because of the faith of his father, but a child who has the

example of a believing parent before him will be more responsive to the call of God. Whenever the Word

of God is implanted in the heart, it will produce blessing.

The Bible tells of both blessing and cursing. What does this really mean? This can be understood if we

look at a garden. When we plant beans in our garden and we harvest more beans, we could say that we

have been blessed. When weeds come up and produce more weeds, we would say that we have been

cursed. In this way the increase of beans can be likened to blessing, and the increase of weeds can be

likened to cursing. Sowing the Word of God in the heart of a child will always produce blessing, but the

Word will not increase automatically. It must be sown and cultivated and nurtured. It is true that so very

much depends upon the way in which a child is brought up. His training will be a vital factor when he

responds to accept the Gospel and thereby be blessed, or to reject it and be under condemnation. If I am

going to harvest beans, I will need to plant them. If we want our children to grow up as believers, we will

need to plant the Gospel. What is true in the physical is also true in the spiritual.

Bringing an infant to the Lord in baptism, and promising to bring it up in the nurture and the

admonition of the Lord is vital. It is important that parents supply all the physical needs of their

children, as well as to train them in proper ethics and morals and conduct. How much more important

that these children be trained in spiritual things! The Scriptures make it clear that parents are responsible

for the spiritual welfare of their children, even though parents cannot coerce them to believe in God.

Parents who read the Bible and pray in the presence of their children, and take them to Sunday school,

give their children much more than worldly riches. Genesis presents the record of the blessing which God

gave to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. That this blessing was given individually is true, yet Isaac and

Jacob had the deep abiding faith in God which had been so evident in the lives of their respective fathers.

(p.142)

Faith in God was the greatest heritage Jacob left to his sons. Many may find it hard to accept that the

truths of the Bible are eternal, and "forever settled in the heavens." But the lessons to be learned in the

Book of Genesis that speak of God’s dealings with men are as valid today as they were hundreds and

thousands of years ago. The faith of Abraham, the wisdom of Isaac, and the persistence of Jacob in

seeking God’s blessing are a never failing source of spiritual enrichment to all who read this book.

The life and career of Joseph have often been spoken of as typical of Christ, foreshadowing the

revelation that was to come. As Isaac was the son of promise, so Joseph was an answer to years of

prayer. We read that God remembered Rachel and hearkened to her prayer and granted her and Jacob a

son. Joseph was greatly beloved of his father. When Jesus of Nazareth was baptized in the river Jordan,

a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Joseph was obedient and

reliable and trustworthy. He pleased his father in all that he did. Jesus of Nazareth could say, "I do all

things to please my Father." Joseph was hated and envied by his brothers. We read that our Lord Jesus

Christ came unto His own, and His own received Him not. Joseph’s brothers had it in mind to kill him.

The Pharisees went about seeking how they might destroy our Lord. Joseph was sold by his brothers as

a slave for twenty pieces of silver. Jesus of Nazareth was sold by one of his own disciples for thirty

pieces of silver. One of the peculiar sorrows of Jesus of Nazareth was that a man who had been in His

company for so long betrayed Him. Joseph was faithful as a servant and yet he was falsely accused. Our

Lord was brought into the court of the High Priest and convicted on false evidence. Joseph was put into

prison and was released and given a place of power and honor. Jesus our Lord was buried in the grave

and raised from the dead into victory and glory and triumph. How wonderful to find that the life of one

of the patriarchs of the Old Testament foreshadowed the pattern of the earthly life of our Lord! Even as

Joseph delivered his whole family from famine and brought them into a place of plenty, so (p.143)

Christ delivers all who believe in Him from eternal death. All who will believe and receive this truth may

enter into the glories of heaven. What a wealth of information and instruction there is for us in the Book

of Genesis! Reading and studying this book enables a person to comprehend more fully the New

Testament Scripture.