Today in God's Word—December 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
December 5, Genesis 49
Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come."
- Genesis 49:1
There are noisy days in a young family's life when Mom and Dad would consider it a blessing if one or more of the children could go visit the grandparents or spend the night with a friend. But as we grow older and our children have homes and families of their own, we older parents cherish the times when all the children are home again. As a father, I know the blessing of having all my kids and their kids gathered around the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table. In those family moments we are almost overwhelmed with gratitude to God for the blessing of having all our children with us.
It's a different kind of blessing, a quieter, more solemn one when a family comes together around a dying parent's bed. It's a time to express love, extend forgiveness if needed and say goodbye. That's the kind of gathering we find in Genesis 49. In addition to the usual goodbyes, this gathering of the family was also the formal blessing ceremony. Each of the sons were addressed. Some of the blessings are easier to understand than others because we know the context of the remarks. It's more than bequeathing possessions or wishing them well. Jacob spoke in a prophetic voice, revealing their future. His words were about days to come in their own lives, and in the lives of their descendants. They were far-reaching, all the way out to the times of Messiah.
A few years before, Jacob could not imagine this scene ever taking place. He thought Joseph was dead and Simeon was gone. He feared Benjamin would be taken from him next. The circle was broken and so was his father's heart. But after Joseph rescued them and the family was transplanted in Goshen, they were together again, and gathered around Jacob's deathbed.
Jacob's words about Judah are of particular interest to us. We know that the history of Israel would come to focus on this tribe. We know that David and his dynasty were of the tribe of Judah. We know the meaning of Jacob's mysterious prophecy: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of all the peoples" (verse 10). That's about Shiloh (as some versions have it), the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
It was appropriate for Jacob to honor Joseph with longer, more glowing remarks. It's not just another sign of Jacob's favoritism. Everybody in the circle knew they were alive and together because of what God had done for them through Joseph's actions.
Jacob spoke another cascade of different names for God in Joseph’s blessing. He is the Mighty One of Jacob, the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, the God of your fathers and the Almighty who will bless you. It was far more than flowery words. The names had special, distinctive meaning to Jacob and his family. They reflected some aspect of God's character, nature or deeds that they needed to know and remember as his covenant people.
Then Jacob bound his whole family to do what he had already made Joseph swear to do. His body would not be buried in Egypt. They would take him back to Canaan, to Machpelah, to that cave in that field that Abraham had bought for a burial ground a couple of centuries before. Abraham and Sarah were there. Isaac and Rebekah were there. Leah was already there, and Jacob would soon join them.
So 147 years after Rebekah gave birth to him and he took his first breath, Jacob breathed his last and was gathered to his people. In his last meeting with his family, he blessed them and shared their family's heritage of faith. Don't you hope to be able to die that way, in your own bed, with your family around you, with words of blessings on your lips and in their ears? We cannot control all the variables of life and death. But don't you think we'd be more likely to die like that if we lived like that? Let's not wait for a deathbed circle to say we love each other. Let's ask for and forgive what needs to be forgiven. Let's bless instead of curse one another. Let's not be ashamed to talk about our faith. Those things will make our dying sweeter. They will also do a lot to improve our living.
Copyright © 2021 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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