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1 Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, "Indeed your father is sick;" and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And Jacob was told, "Look, your son Joseph is coming to you;" and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph: "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.' 5 And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)." ~ Genesis 48:1-7
Today, we transition into Genesis 48 where Jacob and his twelve sons are living in a placed named Goshen. It was there that they flourished even though the whole world was still in a famine. It is clear that God had been true to His word to Joseph and to his father Jacob. In today's passage, we will learn of the great significance of the dying words of Jacob to the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, 'Indeed your father is sick;' and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim."
It was quite apparent that Jacob was about to die. Joseph was informed that his father Jacob was so sick that he was about to pass into the realm of eternity. So, Joseph brought his two adult sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to be blessed by their grandfather. Amazingly, these words of the old patriarch was nothing less than the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. These words of Jacob spoken to these two grandsons will be something that will affect humanity from this point onward.
In v.2 of today's passage we read, "And Jacob was told, 'Look, your son Joseph is coming to you;' and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed."
The sudden change in this verse from the name "Jacob" to the name "Israel" is quite instructive. When Jacob spoke, it was as Jacob the man. When Israel spoke, it was on the behalf of the God of the Bible and under His inspiration. This subtle change underscores the constant struggle that we all face from moment to moment, relying on ourselves or relying on God. When we are weak we discover that God is granting us the opportunity to be strong but only as we are being defined by Him.
In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "3 Then Jacob said to Joseph: 'God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.'"
After Joseph and his two sons arrived, Jacob gave them a history lesson from his life. Jacob told his son and grandsons that God Almighty appeared to him at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed him. Jacob referred to the place as Luz, not Bethel which is its other name. Luz was the original name of the location, but Jacob renamed it Bethel after his blessing. Luz means "to turn away from." Luz represented a people who had "turned away from God." This is why Jacob called the place Luz, not Bethel because all mankind needs the redemption that only comes through the Lord Jesus Christ.
In v.5-6 of today's passage we read, "5 And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance."
Here, the names of the two grandsons were reversed by Jacob. By doing so, Jacob moved Ephraim and Manasseh to an equal footing and position with the other grandsons as redemptive history would continue to unfold. The naming of Ephraim before his older brother reveals that at the foot of the cross of the Lord Jesus we are all viewed by God as equals in Christ.
In v.5 Jacob literally said, "Ephraim and Manasseh as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be to me." This clearly meant for Ephraim and Manasseh that they were expected to leave their luxurious lives in Egypt and be united with Israel in their inheritance. History bears out that they agreed with this and they accepted the covenant inheritance, and became united to their people Israel. The highest honor in this life is not wealth, fame, or riches as most think. Rather, the highest honor is to be united to the Lord and to be the covenant people of God.
Ephraim and Manasseh's adoption mirrors the adoption that God has granted all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 2:11-13 we read, "11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying: 'I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.' 13 And again: 'I will put My trust in Him.' And again: 'Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.'"
In v.7 of today's passage we read, "But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)."
Here, Jacob mentioned Padan which means "Ransom." This is the last of 11 times this word is used in Genesis, but it is the only time that it is used alone. The other ten times it is called Padan Aram. Rachel means "ewe lamb" which is the same word used when speaking of the Lord Jesus as the suffering lamb in Isaiah 53. Then Jacob used the word "beside." Whether he knew it or not, Jacob was painting a picture of the gospel of the Lord Jesus with his words.
Canaan which means "lowly" was next to be mentioned by Jacob. The name Ephrath means both "ash heap" and "place of fruitfulness" depending upon its context. Jacob used this name twice in the same sentence. Ephraim is the plural of Ephrath. Both, ash heap and place of fruitfulness were implied as Jacob used Ephrath twice here.
Then, at the end of the verse, Jacob mentioned Bethlehem which means "House of Bread." All of this wording in a sentence which when put together literally says, "But as for me, when I came from the place of ransom, the Lamb died for me, in my place, in the land of the humbled on the journey when there was a long distance to the place of fruitfulness and I buried the Lamb in the place of ashes, the land of affliction when sin was judged in the Lamb. The place of the house of bread."
