Verses 1-2 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. 2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
In Bible times, as it still is in some cultures today, the eldest son inherited the family status and fortune. The remaining children might receive gifts, but the eldest son was the one to carry on the genetic line and the family business, etc. That being said, Manasseh was the eldest son of Joseph and should have received the greatest blessing from Israel.
Verses 3-4 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 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.
The promises of God were repeated often in the lives of the patriarchs and their children were reminded of these promises as well.
Application: The Scripture is full of the promises of God to his people. Often believers forget these promises and fail to teach them to their children. This is not to say that the Bible is neglected. Often the focus is on the history presented in the Bible and on specific doctrines taught in the different books. Focusing on the promises of God and reminding Him of them allows Him to perform miracles and demonstrate His power and love for His people every day. Find these promises and teach them to the next generation. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did. Think about it.
Verses 5-7 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. 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. 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.
Here Israel is claiming the first two children of Joseph as his sons, just as all the other boys born to him were his sons. Why did he do this? Because God was preparing a future nation in which one tribe, the Levites, would be separated from the other tribes to become His servants in the ministry of the Temple and the religious system that was to be set up under the prophet Moses. There would still be 12 tribes that would inherit the land of Canaan because Joseph’s sons would replace both Joseph and Levi in the dividing up of the land.
Verses 8-11 And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these? 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. 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. 11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
Why was it difficult for Israel to see? Possibly he was suffering from cataracts. Not really sure. Regardless, he had seen Joseph’s sons before his vision began to fail and he gave God the credit for allowing him to live long enough to see them grow up.
Application: It is so very easy to allow the tasks of modern living to fill our attention so that we forget to realize that we are not promised another day on this Earth, and that every day is a blessing and a gift from God. Not everyone lives long enough to see their children and/or grandchildren reach adulthood. Believers need to enjoy each day and thank God for it as Israel did when he was facing his own death and departure from this world.
Verses 12-14 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 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. 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.
The right hand was the hand representing power, authority, friendship, and goodwill. By Joseph positioning his sons as he did, he assumed that his father would bless Manasseh first as he was on his right hand. Remember that Israel had failing eyesight. However, Israel reversed the birth-order and crossed his arms and placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head deliberately? Why? Because Ephraim was to become the northern state of Israel way down the passage of time and his descendants were to surpass those of his brother.
Application: God is not bound by man’s traditions. Birth-order means nothing to the LORD. God judges the heart and elevates a person or a nation based on His divine will and purpose. Matthew 19:30 states, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” In the Christian Church, this principle is in place. God is no respecter of persons and He judges each believer on their fruits, and not on their sex, education, wealth, or status in the Church.
Verses 15-16 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, 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.
Israel gave God the credit for his successful life. The angel he was referring to was Jesus manifesting before coming to Earth as a little baby. And the blessing was prophetic in that Joseph’s sons did become a multitude of people and a great nation.
Verses 17-19 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. 18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. 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.
Israel acted prophetically as directed by God.
Verse 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.
Remember that God allowed Jacob, the second born son of Isaac, to have the birthright of his brother Esau, who was the firstborn son. The first became the last. Jacob became the father of the descendants that became the nation Israel. Whereas, Esau became the father of the Edomites, a nation that was never as grand and powerful as the nation Israel.
Verses 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. 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.
Joseph was never allowed by God to return to Canaan and live on the land that had been promised, but his body was removed from Egypt and he, in essence, was returned to the land of his fathers.
Application: How does the promise of a special land apply to the Church today? Well, the land that believers are to possess is a spiritual land, not a physical one as in the days of the patriarchs. The believer lives in the physical world, but also lives in the spiritual Kingdom of God. The believer has dual citizenship, and upon death, the believer, if he/she has remained true to the LORD, will have his/her spirit taken from the physical body to the land of Heaven to always live and be with the LORD. Paul described this arrival to the promised land best in 2 Corinthians 5:8 where he said, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Just as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph never possessed the physical land promised to them by God, the believer will not possess the spiritual land until absent from the physical body and standing in the presence of God.