DREAMS FROM THE DEATHBED
Genesis 48-49
Certain truths are more clearly seen with a
A DEATHBED PERSPECTIVE CHANGES…
How you
the past.
1Some time after this, Joseph was told, “Your father is weaker.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.
3Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.
4He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful and numerous; I will make many nations come from you, and I will give this land as a permanent possession to your future descendants.’
5Your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are now mine. Ephraim and Manasseh belong to me just as Reuben and Simeon do.
6Children born to you after them will be yours and will be recorded under the names of their brothers with regard to their inheritance.
7When I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way, some distance from Ephrath in the land of Canaan. I buried her there along the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
8When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?”
9And Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons God has given me here.” So Israel said, “Bring them to me and I will bless them.”
10Now his eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought them to him, and he kissed and embraced them.
11Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, but now God has even let me see your offspring.”
12Then Joseph took them from his father’s knees and bowed with his face to the ground. —Genesis 48:1–12 (CSB)
“Despite all of my…
“…sin, the LORD still
“…sorrow, the LORD still
“…suffering the LORD still
How you
to the present.
Then Joseph took them both—with his right hand Ephraim toward Israel’s left, and with his left hand Manasseh toward Israel’s right—and brought them to Israel.
14But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and crossing his hands, put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.
15Then he blessed Joseph and said: The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
16the angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may he bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow to be numerous within the land.
17When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it was a mistake and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.
18Joseph said to his father, “Not that way, my father! This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”
19But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know! He too will become a tribe, and he too will be great; nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a populous nation.”
20So he blessed them that day, putting Ephraim before Manasseh when he said, “The nation Israel will invoke blessings by you, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”
21Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.
22Over and above what I am giving your brothers, I am giving you the one mountain slope that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.” —Genesis 48:13–22 (CSB)
“I’ll prioritize…
God’s purpose over cultural
God’s promise over personal
What God
about the future.
Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.
2Come together and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel: —Genesis 49:1–2 (CSB)
“One day the…
Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength and the firstfruits of my virility, excelling in prominence, excelling in power.
4Turbulent as water, you will not excel, because you got into your father’s bed and you defiled it—he got into my bed.
5Simeon and Levi are brothers; their knives are vicious weapons.
6May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly. For in their anger they kill men, and on a whim they hamstring oxen.
7Their anger is cursed, for it is strong, and their fury, for it is cruel! I will disperse them throughout Jacob and scatter them throughout Israel. —Genesis 49:3–7 (CSB)
wicked will be
Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9Judah is a young lion— my son, you return from the kill. He crouches; he lies down like a lion or a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until he whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him.
11He ties his donkey to a vine, and the colt of his donkey to the choice vine. He washes his clothes in wine and his robes in the blood of grapes.
12His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk. —Genesis 49:8–12 (CSB)
righteous will forever
Zebulun will live by the seashore and will be a harbor for ships, and his territory will be next to Sidon.
14Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between the saddlebags.
15He saw that his resting place was good and that the land was pleasant, so he leaned his shoulder to bear a load and became a forced laborer. —Genesis 49:13–15 (CSB)
strong will be
Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17Dan will be a snake by the road, a viper beside the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider falls backward.
…
19Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels. —Genesis 49:16–19 (CSB)
enemies will be
Asher’s food will be rich, and he will produce royal delicacies.
21Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. —Genesis 49:20–21 (CSB)
outcasts will be
Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine beside a spring; its branches climb over the wall.
23The archers attacked him, shot at him, and were hostile toward him.
24Yet his bow remained steady, and his strong arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, and blessings of the breasts and the womb.
26The blessings of your father excel the blessings of my ancestors and the bounty of the ancient hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers. —Genesis 49:22–26 (CSB)
afflicted will be
Benjamin is a wolf; he tears his prey. In the morning he devours the prey, and in the evening he divides the plunder.”
28These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this is what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing. —Genesis 49:27–28 (CSB)
warrior will finally
I wait for your salvation, LORD. —Genesis 49:18 (CSB)
The LORD will be my
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
How does reflecting on death shape our priorities of what matters most today? Do you ever do this? If not, why not?
Can you identify areas of your life where God was faithful even though you were struggling or weak? Why does God choose people who are unlikely candidates?
What does it mean to be “chosen” by God. What makes our relationship with God a “grace-based” relationship? Do you ever struggle to live as if that’s true?
Share a time where God comforted you during a season of sorrow. What stands out to you now? What about a season suffering? Could you see then what you’re able to see today?
Are there any human “precedents” that are undermining God and his purpose today? In your life? In the church? Elsewhere?
Do you sense God urging you to place his promise over your preferences and personal privileges? How so? Why/why not?
Thinking about Jacob’s prophetic statements, which stand out the most to you? Why? What is it about the deathbed that helps us see the future more clearly?
The fact that Jacob arranges the names thematically is purposeful. The same is true of Genesis 48:18. What is Moses trying to establish by arranging the text in that order?
Which of the seven statements is most convicting to you? Which is most inspiring/comforting? Why? Would you add?
Are you there any other truths from this passage you think are worthy of discussion and application to your life?