God shows Moses Miracles

Moses spoke to God. But like many of us, especially before we came to know Christ, we wanted signs. In Moses' case, he asked God how he can show others and convince others that God actually send him. So in his infinite patience, and anticipating the people need convincing, God showed Moses many miracles that he can do. Moses said he was not eloquent to speak to the people, so God convinced him that He is the God who made man's mouth. But Moses still asked God to send another one, God started to get angry and decided to get Moses' brother Aaron to be his mouth-piece.

How we would love to make God to all these things to satisfy us. The reality is though God can do all these things, he surely does not do it for everyone. It was God thought that Moses deserved to see miracles more, or Moses was better or more faithful than us. In fact, Moses spiritual life may not be up to standard at all. It is God's perogative to show or do whatever he pleases and He usually has a divine purpose. In the case of Moses, he needed to use Moses and also to free the people of Egypt and to glorify himself to the Egyptians as well as the Hebrews. So if God has a special mission for us, he might do as he did with Moses; but there is no obligation for God to show us the things that he showed Moses.

Exodus 4

Miraculous Signs for Pharaoh

 1 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’”
2 So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.”
3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 5 “that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
6 Furthermore the LORD said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. 7 And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. 8 “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. 9 And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river[a] and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”
10 Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
11 So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
13 But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”
14 So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: "Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. 16 So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. 17 And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”


Moses Goes to Egypt
  
18 So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.”
And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
19 Now the LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.” 20 Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
21 And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.”’”
24 And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses’[b] feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!” 26 So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.
27 And the LORD said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him. 28 So Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

Moses at the Burning Bush

This is one of the famous scenes from the Bible - where Moses encounters God in the form of a burning bush and God appointed Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. God explained that He had heard the affliction and cries of his oppressed people in Egypt and He will:
"bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites."

It is only recently that I realized there is a bigger picture than just freeing God's people and leading them to the promised land. Notice from the above quote that God is specific and deliberate in His will to displace the specific tribes of people with the children of Israel. If we looked back, before Jacob went to Israel, they were living among neighbours who were idol worshippers. Abraham's family, including Jacob, were very careful not to marry among their neighbours. And then God brought them into Egypt and kept them for 400 years to protect them from mixing among the neighbouring land which became ever increasing sinful societies. Notice Israel got no chance of mixing with the Egyptians because the Egyptians regarded shepherds like the Israelites an abomindation, Gen 46:34. When the right time came, God chose his people to do his will of removing the people in those lands which are beyond redemption. Some more controversial opinions suggested, as the spies later reported that there are giants in those lands, these were the same giants of the Nephilim which are hybrids of fallen angels and men. These were the same giants that corrupted the world before the Great Flood. This makes sense considering a loving and merciful God would order the total wipeout of those lands by the Israelites he brought out of Egypt.

Back to the current passage. God reveals himself, without giving his proper name, that he is the I AM who created the universe. He is also the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is also the LORD God of the Hebrews. He instructed Moses on what to say to Pharoah and even revealed that Pharoah would not let go willingly. Then God will show wonders by various signs to compel Pharoah to free His people. In addition, Israel will not leave empty handed - "So you shall plunder the Egyptians."



Exodus 3

Moses at the Burning Bush

 1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
7 And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’ 19 But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

Moses - The Early Years

At the end of the last chapter, the Egyptians were so threatened by the good fortune of the Hebrews living in Egypt that Pharoah ordered that every Hebrew son born shall be thrown into the river, in an attempt to stop the Hebrew from multiplying. This chapter starts with Moses mother, letting the baby Moses into the river which was later found by Pharoah's daughter.

It is interesting to see that as Moses' mother unwillingly let her baby go, as when we would let go of things dearest to us, God steps in and fulfills His good purpose and stirs the baby into the hands of Pharoah's daughter, hence into the intended destiny for Moses. The Word of God says (matthew 16:25)
"For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."

In a further positive twist, Pharoah's daughter listened to the girl nearby, not knowing it was the baby's sister, and employed Moses' mother to raise Moses. So Moses' mother truly regained her son.

Moses grew in Egypt but it is not clear whether he knew his origin as a Hebrew. In any case, he committed murder and had to flee Egypt because Pharoah "sought to kill him". Perhaps this may suggest that his status was not a powerful Prince of Egypt as Hollywood movies often depicted. So Moses went to live among the Midianites. Throughout this it is not clear of Moses' relationship with God. In the mean time, God heard the cries of the His people under the bondage of the Egyptians.


Exodus 2

Moses Is Born

 1 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. 2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. 6 And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”
8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. 9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses,[a] saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”


Moses Flees to Midian
  
11 Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”
14 Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
18 When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”
19 And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”
20 So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”
21 Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. 22 And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom,[b] for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”
23 Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

Egypt enslaves Israel

The book of Exodus starts where Genesis left off. We a quick reminder that Jacob and his family migrated into Egypt through Joseph and lived there for over 400 hundred years. Previous notes have mentioned that one of the reasons that God brought them into Egypt is to prevent the corruption of the nation of Israel as their surrounding lands became more corrupted.

The children of Israel grew in numbers and prosperity when they lived in Egypt. Just like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God had his hand on the children of Israel and they prospered. Joseph was highly respected and in command in Egypt when he invited his family in. Several generations later, the Egyptians have forgotten Joseph and all they had left was jealousy and fear of Israel as it grew within Egypt. The result was the enslavement of Israel within Egypt.

Israel’s Suffering in Egypt

 1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: 2 Reuben, Simemon, Levi, and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 All those who were descendants[a] of Jacob were seventy[b] persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). 6 And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. 7 But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; 10 come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. 13 So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.
15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; 16 and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”
19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”
20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. 21 And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.
22 So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born[c] you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

Death of Jacob and Joseph

This last chapter may at first seem like a epilogue of a long story of the beginning of the nation of Israel. However, it also contain various noteworthy things. For example, the funeral of Jacob is described to be quite extravagant. Jacob was embalmed for 40 days and the Egyptians mourned this foreigner for 70 days. In addition, when Jacob was transported back to be buried in Abraham's cave, there was a great procession consisting of not only Jacob's family but also important Egyptian elders. To the people of the surrounding lands, the funeral procession would have been quite a sight to behold.

Secondly, we see Joseph's genuine forgiveness of his brothers. Naturally when their father died, the brothers, possibly with some guilt left, were afraid Joseph make take revenge on them. Joseph's response clearly showed he held nothing against them. In fact Joseph revealed his view as "you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive"

Thirdly, before Joseph died, in a prophetic manner Joseph made his people promise to take his bones to bury them at Abraham's cave when God lead his people out of Egypt in the future.


Genesis 50

 1 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him, and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
4 Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, 5 ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’”
6 And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering.
10 Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father. 11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim,[a] which is beyond the Jordan.
12 So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them. 13 For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place. 14 And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.


Joseph Reassures His Brothers
  
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” 16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.”’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Death of Joseph
 
22 So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. 23 Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation. The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph’s knees.
24 And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Jacob's Last Blessings and Prophecies

The last words of Jacob to his sons, apart from blessings, is also filled with prophecies. Some of the prophecies may even be recognizable in our time.

Reuben - although physically the first born, he was not allocated the inheritance of the first born, which went to Joseph. His sin of adultery with his father's concubine is remembered.

Simeon and Levi - their cruelty was shown in the incident at Shechem.

Judah - though not a perfect man by any measure, was granted the honour to be the line of royalty of Israel. The Messiah - king and priest - will come from him.

Joseph - like Judah, the blessings on Joseph was also quite elaborate compared to the other brothers. This translated into reality for the people from these two tribes.

Finally, before his death, Jacob reminded his sons of his wish to be buried at the land that Abraham bought.


Genesis 49

Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons

 1 And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:


 2 “ Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob,
      And listen to Israel your father.

 3 “ Reuben, you are my firstborn,
      My might and the beginning of my strength,
      The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.

 4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel,
      Because you went up to your father’s bed;
      Then you defiled it—
      He went up to my couch.

 5 “ Simeon and Levi are brothers;
      Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.

 6 Let not my soul enter their council;
      Let not my honor be united to their assembly;
      For in their anger they slew a man,
      And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.

 7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;
      And their wrath, for it is cruel!
      I will divide them in Jacob
      And scatter them in Israel.

 8 “ Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise;
      Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
      Your father’s children shall bow down before you.

 9 Judah is a lion’s whelp;
      From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
      He bows down, he lies down as a lion;
      And as a lion, who shall rouse him?

 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
      Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
      Until Shiloh comes;
      And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

 11 Binding his donkey to the vine,
      And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
      He washed his garments in wine,
      And his clothes in the blood of grapes.

 12 His eyes are darker than wine,
      And his teeth whiter than milk.

 13 “ Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea;
      He shall become a haven for ships,
      And his border shall adjoin Sidon.

 14 “ Issachar is a strong donkey,
      Lying down between two burdens;

 15 He saw that rest was good,
      And that the land was pleasant;
      He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden,
      And became a band of slaves.

 16 “Dan shall judge his people
      As one of the tribes of Israel.

 17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
      A viper by the path,
      That bites the horse’s heels
      So that its rider shall fall backward.

 18 I have waited for your salvation, O LORD!

 19 “Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him,
      But he shall triumph at last.

 20 “Bread from Asher shall be rich,
      And he shall yield royal dainties.

 21 “ Naphtali is a deer let loose;
      He uses beautiful words.

 22 “ Joseph is a fruitful bough,
      A fruitful bough by a well;
      His branches run over the wall.

 23 The archers have bitterly grieved him,
      Shot at him and hated him.

 24 But his bow remained in strength,
      And the arms of his hands were made strong
      By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob
      (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

 25 By the God of your father who will help you,
      And by the Almighty who will bless you
      With blessings of heaven above,
      Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
      Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

 26 The blessings of your father
      Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors,
      Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.
      They shall be on the head of Joseph,
      And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

 27 “ Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
      In the morning he shall devour the prey,
      And at night he shall divide the spoil.”
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

Jacob’s Death and Burial
  
29 Then he charged them and said to them: “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33 And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

Jacob blesses Joseph with double inheritance

Before Jacob/Israel blessed the sons of Joseph, he recaps the blessing of God which are:
- I will make you fruitful and multiply you
- I will make of you a multitude of people,
- give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession

Israel then when on to bless Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Several interesting things occur with this blessing as well:
1. Israel deliberately blessed the second son Ephraim first, and then the first born Manasseh. He explicitly prophesied that Ephraim will be greater than Manasseh. By now, this pattern of putting the younger ahead of the first born have become a common pattern, although it is opposite to the conventional world view of putting the first-born first. Previously, Isaac was placed ahead of Ishmael the elder son of Abraham; and Jacob / Israel himself was placed higher than his elder brother Esau. Perhaps God deliberately chooses this opposite way to confound man and show his sovereignty.
2. Instead of blessing Joseph directly, Israel blesses Joseph's two sons. In the list of the 12 tribes of Israel, Joseph was not mentioned, in fact Joseph's two sons were regarded as two of the 12 tribes. Perhaps this is the way of giving Joseph double portion of the inheritance of Israel. In effect, this places Joseph ahead of his brothers since it is usually the first son being given a double inheritance. The other tribe left out of the land inheritance later would be Levi - who is called to be the special tribe of priests.


Genesis 48

Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons

 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).”
8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”
9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.”
And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”
12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said:

      “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
      The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
 16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
      Bless the lads;
      Let my name be named upon them,
      And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
      And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”
20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”