Genesis 47:28-50:26
1 Kings 2:1-12
Introduction
Jacob summons his sons to his bedside and blesses them, foretelling to each his destiny. He dies peacefully and is gathered unto his forefathers after instructing his children to bury him in the cave in the field of Machpelah bought from Ephron the Hittite, in the land of Canaan, where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca and Leah are buried.
Genesis 49:8-10, 16-18, 22-26 8 "Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? 10 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 the peoples. 16 "Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that his rider falls backward. 18 I wait for your salvation, O LORD. 22 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. 23 The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, 24 yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), 25 by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26 The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers. (ESV)
I have brought together three of the passages from this week’s portion where Jacob is giving his blessings over his sons before he dies. I have chosen to focus on Judah, Dan and Joseph. Remember that prior to this Joseph had come to see his father when he received a message Jacob was ill. He brought his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh with him and Jacob took both of them as his own, making them eligible to receive blessings in their own rights. When the tribes finally leave their Egyptian captivity Ephraim and Manasseh are mentioned, but Joseph is not, because Ephraim temporarily replaces him. When we come to Revelation we see Joseph mentioned but not Ephraim, though Manasseh is mentioned. After they leave Egypt, Ephraim and Manasseh are mentioned as half-tribes, indicating their status would bring them one portion together. Thus, they would not disrupt the balance of the twelve tribes of Israel. We know this to be true because the New Jerusalem mentioned in the book of Revelation would have twelve gates leading into the city. The twelve tribes pay an important part in God’s plan, though they only rise to their full potential when they come together as one nation in Israel.
Judah finally reaches the full realization of the Almighty’s blessings through Jacob when it is prophesied Judah will receive the praise of his brothers, he will come against his enemies and it would be better to let Judah slumber than to rouse him. This is as pertinent for today as it was when Jacob gave the blessing, when we recognize that Judah, in the guise of the country of Israel, sits waiting for its enemies to attack them, for then all hell will break loose upon the earth. Israel’s enemies may achieve a measure of victory against Israel, but ultimately this will only lead to the opening Yeshua needs to return to rescue His people, and to subdue the nations of the earth who have turned from His Father, or have chosen to worship a false god and false messiah.
Zechariah 14:2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. 5 And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. 6 On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. 7 And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light. 8 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. 9 And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one. (ESV)
Judah is the main tribe currently holding Jerusalem and a little bit of the land which the Almighty had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet even this small bit of land is begrudged them by the descendants of Ishmael, Esau, and the other peoples who join with these two nations. As the banner of Islam rises even higher and spreads throughout the world, and the Moslem people try to establish beachheads wherever they live, it is only prophecy coming to pass. It is nothing to get worried about, because the Lord knew this would happen and He planned for it. We see this in the writings of the prophets and in the Torah. Jacob knew the destinies of his sons because the Holy One had revealed it to him.
Dan is shown to be a judge of his people, because this is what his name means. Then again, he is also shown to be a possible traitor, because he is described as being a serpent waiting to strike at the horses hoof, throwing off his rider. Many see this as a prophecy that the anti-messiah will come from Dan, but we can also see a picture in Dan coming against his brother Judah, and striking at Israel in the day of reckoning. It could be Dan will not even know who he is, since he is one of the ten northern tribes sent into the Assyrian exile, destined to lose their identity in their desire to be like the nations. It should also be pointed out Dan is not mentioned among the tribes in Revelation. Some say this is because Dan was almost wiped out and was assimilated into one of the other tribes.
Then we come to Joseph, the brother sold into slavery in Egypt. He brought his father and brothers to Egypt to protect them, but it resulted in their captivity in Egypt, when a Pharaoh came to power who did not know Joseph had to rescue Egypt from starvation. In some ways it would be a fitting punishment for Israel, because of the sin the brothers had committed against Joseph. However, Joseph never resented what his brothers had done to him, because he came to understand that what his brothers had meant for evil was part of the Holy One’s plan for Joseph to help save his family, and prepare them for what the Almighty would do in the future.
Isn’t it interesting how the Lord can use Israel’s enemies to aid and protect His people? Even now, in our day and age the Lord uses Israel’s enemies to help them, no matter how hard they try not to. Several Moslem countries have treaties with Israel and know Israel may be their only hope to stem the rising tide of more violent forms of Islam that threaten themselves, as well as the rest of the world. There are many countries in the Middle East who fear the influence of Iran, and their attempt to gain nuclear weapons capability. They are looking to Israel to help them with Iran, while still bearing Israel hatred. There, smack dab in the middle of all of these Moslem countries is Israel, this little country that has most of the world fighting over it. Isn’t it amazing how such a small country can stir up so much turmoil? Or could it just be indicative of the battle between the Adversary, Satan, and the Lord God Almighty and His Son Yeshua? There was a reason Joseph received the special prophecy from his father telling how he was set apart from his brothers. As we are told the Messiah would come through the line of Judah, so Joseph stands as a picture of the Messiah. He suffered on behalf of his brothers the suffering brought on by his brothers, but a special bond of sorts is formed between Judah and Joseph. Judah intercedes on behalf of Joseph for his brothers not to kill him, but to sell him into slavery. While we might think this is harsh, I believe it was Judah’s intention to get Joseph as far away from his brothers as possible, before they changed their minds. We know Reuben wanted to save Joseph as well, but he had left hoping to return later to retrieve Joseph from the well. Judah desired to save the life of Joseph and did not want to see his brothers killing one of their own. In turn, Joseph is taken down to Egypt by, of all people, Ishmaelite traders. Once again God uses the enemies of His people to do His work. Joseph is sold into slavery, only to rise out of that slavery to a position where he could intercede on behalf of his family to save them. Yeshua intercedes on our behalf to redeem us after He suffered for us. He did not suffer because of something He did, but because of what we had done.
Genesis 50:19 But Joseph said to them, "Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones." Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. (ESV)
Joseph came to understand the Almighty’s plan and was content with the knowledge he was where he was supposed to be, that everything he had gone through was for a reason. Yeshua knew He was where He was supposed to be, that His suffering was for a reason so His Father’s plan could be accomplished.
Matthew 26:39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." (NKJ)
When Yeshua faced the moment of decision during His greatest trial, some might say He wavered in that moment. But I say Yeshua triumphed in His humanity, because when experiencing His moment of doubt in the face of His coming suffering and death, He overcame His trial and rose above it. He paved the way for us by reconciling man and God.
If Yeshua were God only, He would have been unable to die. As a man only, He could die, but not take our sins upon Himself. In His humanity, He could not take away our sins, because only God can forgive sin. As both God and man, He could take the sins of mankind, wash them in the blood of His death, and cleanse us for all time. This is the pivotal point where Judaism diverges from Christianity. It is not really about belief in Yeshua, since there are forms of Judaism that believe in a Messiah Yeshua, but about Yeshua being God. The difficulty is with Judaism in believing Yeshua is God, the Father is God, and The Holy Spirit is God. This violates the Jewish belief there is only one God. Yet Scripture shows us God showed Himself - in some form - to man at various times, and walked with Adam and Chava in the Garden before the fall.
The reality of truth is more than the absolute singularity of God, as we understand singularity. God is more than we understand and more than we can know.
Philippians 2:6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (ESV)
1 Kings 2:2:1-4 1 When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 "I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Torah of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the LORD may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' (ESV)
Our Torah portion dealt with several things, but I chose to focus on the blessings Judah, Dan and Joseph received from Jacob. In our haphtarah portion we once again have a great individual, in this case David, on his deathbed, advising his son Solomon what he must do to establish his throne. I find it very encouraging when David tells Solomon that he is about to die and Solomon must act like a man, and that in order to do so he must keep the Torah and carry out God's instructions. The reason I find this interesting is because our world tells us that belief in God is for the weak. A real man only needs to depend on himself and does not need anyone else. We know we do need other people, because the Almighty did not make us separate from each other in the sense we could function emotionally on our own. He created woman for man because man, Adam, came to see there was no companion for him, while all of the animals the Almighty created had mates.
Genesis 2:20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. (NKJ)
The Holy One showed Adam through the creation of the birds and animals he did not have anyone to walk with him and be his companion and helpmate. The woman was not created by God to be his servant, but to help him in the work the Lord had given him to do. In their fall from grace and their expulsion from the Garden, it would be the man and woman who would have to live out this exile from their Creator. Can you imagine what it must have been like for Adam and Chava to come to the realization they had been cast out of God’s presence forever, never to see Him again? When that truth dawned on them, it must have left a deep impression they would carry to their graves, one they would pass on to their children and to all those who would come after them. The story of the fall of man is the story of his redemption as well. In his fall we see how far down man can go, and at the same time we see the Lord’s plan to redeem man, and how high man can go when reconciled with his Creator.
We find this in what Yeshua did. We see this in David’s instructions to Solomon to follow the Torah and do all that God had instructed them to do. Solomon was blessed with wisdom and riches by the Holy One of Israel. He ruled over a united Israel for forty years, and after his death the kingdom was divided because Solomon became too full of himself. Though he started correctly, he turned from the Rock of his salvation and followed after the gods of his pagan wives, building them high places to worship within Israel. Solomon, a man God had spoken to, fell crashing to the earth from his high throne. He forgot about his God and rejected His Torah. His father David had warned him to follow God and His instructions in the Torah, but in his wisdom Solomon forgot what it was that had raised him up to begin with.
We tend to do the same things, but have Yeshua right there in front of us, showing the way. He walked the road we now travel, reached the end of that road, and is waiting for us to get there. You must never lose sight of the Messiah Yeshua, the source of your salvation. When you take your eyes off of Him is when your troubles will begin.
2 Peter 2:15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. 17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Yeshua the Messiah, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. (ESV)
Those who lead others away from the Messiah Yeshua face a harsh truth on the Day of Judgment. It will be a sad day, but can be avoided if you turn back to Yeshua and hold on to Him with everything you have in your very being. We are told to cling to God; He will see us through the trials and tribulations that come our way. Hold tight to Yeshua my friends, because He is the way, the truth, and life.
John 14:6 Yeshua said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (NKJ)
Chazak, Chazak, V’nitk Chazeik: Be strong, be strong, and let us summon up our strength! (This is based on 2 Samuel 10:12 and reflects the transformation of an exhortation to physical, military prowess into a wish for spiritual strength.)
Torah Man Says: “If you live in a small town, when you don’t know what you’re doing, someone else does.”
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