Read Genesis 49:29-50:21. What great themes of hope are found in the conclusion of the book of Genesis?

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The conclusion of Genesis is made of three events that are filled with hope.

• First, it is the hope that Israel will return to the Promised Land. Moses, the author of Genesis, describes Jacob’s and Joseph’s deaths and burial as events pointing to the Promised Land. Immediately after his blessing and prophecy on the “twelve tribes of Israel” (Genesis 49:28) Jacob thinks of his death and charges his sons to bury him in Canaan, at the cave of Machpelah, where Sarah was buried (Genesis 49:29-31). The narrative describing the funeral procession toward Canaan becomes a precursor to, several centuries later, the Exodus from Egypt.
• Second, it is the hope that God will turn evil into good. After Jacob’s death and burial, Joseph’s brothers are worried about their future. They are afraid that Joseph will now take his revenge. They come to Joseph and prostrate themselves before him, ready to become his servants (Genesis 50:18), a scenario that is reminiscent of Joseph’s prophetic dreams. Joseph reassures them and tells them to “not be afraid” (Genesis 50:19, NKJV), a phrase that refers to the future (Genesis 15:1); because what was “meant evil” against him, “God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20, NKJV), and turned the course of events toward salvation (Genesis 50:19-21; compare with Genesis 45:5, Genesis 45:7-9). That is, even despite so many human failures, God’s providence will overrule.
• Third, it is the hope that God will save fallen humankind. The story of Joseph’s death in this last verse of Genesis is broader than just about Joseph’s death. Strangely, Joseph does not command to have his bones buried. Instead he points to the time “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here” (Genesis 50:25, NKJV), which they did, years later, in direct obedience to those words (see Exodus 13:19). Ultimately, the hope of the Promised Land, Canaan, is a symbol, a precursor, to the ultimate hope of salvation, of restoration, of a new Jerusalem in a new heaven and a new earth — the ultimate hope of all of us, a hope made certain by the death of Shiloh.

<–Wednesday Friday–>

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You can view an in-depth discussion of Israel in Egypt; in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. Click on the image to view: With thanks to Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.

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This video is produced by the South Pacific Division Discipleship team.

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Read Genesis 49:1-28. What is the spiritual significance of Jacob’s blessing on his sons?

Beyond the prophecies concerning the immediate history of the tribes of Israel, Jacob sees the Messiah and the ultimate hope of salvation. This hope is already indicated in Jacob’s opening words that use the expression “in the last days” (Genesis 49:1), a technical expression that refers to the coming of the Messianic king (Isaiah 2:2, Daniel 10:14).

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The text then goes through the future line of each of these men. These are not predestinated fates, as if God willed that each of these would face what they faced; rather, they are expressions of what their characters and the character of their children would bring about. God’s knowing, for instance, that someone will kill an innocent man is a radically different thing from God’s having willed that the killer do it.

Read Genesis 49:8-12. What prophecy is given here, and why is it important?

Over and above human free will, God does know the future, and He had arranged that it would be through Judah that the Messiah would come. Judah (Genesis 49:8-12), who is represented by a lion (Genesis 49:9), refers to royalty and praise. Judah will produce King David, but also the Shiloh, that is, the one who will bring shalom, “peace” (Isaiah 9:6-7) to Him “shall be the obedience of the people” (Genesis 49:10, NKJV).

The Jews have long seen this as a Messianic prophecy pointing to the coming Messiah, and Christians, too, have seen this text as pointing to Jesus. “Unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Genesis 49:10), which is, perhaps, a precursor to the New Testament promise “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:10).

As Ellen G. White wrote: “The lion, king of the forest, is a fitting symbol of this tribe, from which came David, and the Son of David, Shiloh, the true ‘Lion of the tribe of Judah,’ to whom all powers shall finally bow and all nations render homage.” — Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 236.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

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As Jacob approaches death, he remembers his earlier return to Bethel (Genesis 35:1-15), when he received from God the renewed promise of the “everlasting possession” (Genesis 48:4) that was given to Abraham (Genesis 17:8). The hope of the Promised Land is, therefore, a comforting thought that nurtures his hope as he feels death coming. Jacob turns, then, to Joseph’s two sons, who were born in Egypt, and blesses them, but does so in the context of the future promise regarding his own seed.

Read Genesis 48:1-22. Why did Jacob bless Joseph’s two sons here, and not his other grandsons?

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Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, are the only grandsons that Jacob blessed. They are thus elevated from the status of grandsons to the status of sons (Genesis 48:5). Although Jacob’s blessing implies a preeminence of the second (Ephraim) over the first (Manasseh), Jacob’s blessing concerns essentially Joseph (Genesis 48:15).

What we see here is a personal testimony about God’s faithfulness to them in the past and His promise for them in the future. Jacob refers to the God of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 48:15), who had provided food and protection for them. It is the same God who “has redeemed me from all evil” (Genesis 48:16, NKJV). Jacob also has in mind “the God of Bethel” (Genesis 31:13), with whom he wrestled (Genesis 32:29) and who changed his name from Jacob to “Israel” (Genesis 32:26-29).

By referring to all these experiences where God turns the evil into good, Jacob expresses his hope that not only will God take care of the present lives of his grandsons, just as He did for him and Joseph, he also thinks of the future, when his descendants will return to Canaan. This hope is clear from his reference to Shechem (Genesis 48:22), which is not only a piece of land that he had acquired (Genesis 33:19) but also a place where Joseph’s bones will be buried (Joshua 24:32) and where the land will be distributed to the tribes of Israel (Joshua 24:1). Even amid all that has happened, Jacob kept in mind the promises of God, who said that through this family “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3, NKJV).

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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