Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Ge. 48: Israel Blesses Eph and Manny

Well, by this time, old man Israel is ailing, and Joseph takes his sons Manasseh and Ephraim to go see him. When Israel hears tell that his boy Joseph is there, and he brought the grandkids, he sits up in bed. He tells Joseph about the stairway dream he had, where the LORD told him that He would make Israel fruitful, increase in number, and give him this land as an everlasting possession to the descendants after him. Everlasting, as in everlasting everlasting? Like...forever? As in, would never end? Like eternity? Not sure if Joseph heard him tell this story before. It was years before he was born.

Israel then tells Joseph that the two sons born to Joseph in Egypt will be reckoned as Israel's, just like Reuben or Simeon. Joseph adopts the two boys as his own. He confers upon them all rights and blessings as if they were his own sons. This I find amazing. I wonder if in this time, they and Joseph sort of felt that they were in some kind of ancestral limbo. They were after all, half Hebrew and half Egyptian. You know, which table do they eat at on Thanksgiving and Christmas....the Hebrew table or the Egyptian table? Now they have a home. They have their ancestry and their nationality clearly defined.

Any children born after these two will belong to Joseph, and will inherit territory in the land of Manny and Eph. Then Israel tells Joseph how Rachel died and when, and where they buried her. Joseph was probably too young to really comprehend it at the time. I don't know.

Israel finally meets Joseph's sons, and kisses them and embraces them as they sat on his knees. The gift of grandchildren. Israel says in verse 11, "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too." What joy Israel had in this simple, yet amazing gift from God! This son, once feared dead and gone, is alive! And brings amazing blessings!

Interesting here is how Jacob arranged Manasseh and Ephraim in front of Israel for their blessings. He places his oldest, Manasseh at Israel's right hand, and the younger Ephraim at Israel's left hand, in order to receive what Israel had to give. The blessing was given with the right hand, the symbolically stronger hand. But as we have seen, the younger Isaac received the blessing, and the younger Jacob received the blessing.

Israel follows suit. He crosses his arms, and puts his right hand on the head of Ephraim. He blesses Joseph first, and then confers on them his ancestry along with Abraham and Isaac, and that they would increase greatly.

Joseph sees that his arms are crossed. He actually reaches out and takes Israel's hand from the head of Ephraim's and moves it to Manasseh's. It may have been because Manny was the first born, and it may be because, like his fathers, Joseph had a favorite between them. Is this that drastic of a change or a deviation? Why the second or younger? What is God's reason for doing this, or allowing this?

"No, my father, this one is the first born. Put your right hand on his head." That may be how they do things in Egypt...

"I know, my son. I know. He too will become a great people. But his younger brother will be greater than he. And his descendants will be a group of nations."

He pronounces them Ephraim and Manasseh. Not Manasseh and Ephraim.

Then to Joseph, he says, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. Have some choice land I took from the Amorites."

Well, didn't Joseph have everything he needed in Egypt? Couldn't they take over Egypt anyway? What about Joseph's other brothers. Do they not get an audience with their dying father? We'll find out tomorry, I'm sure.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Ge. 35: Jacob's Refuge; Birth in Bethlehem

In spite of Jacob's fear, God yet again proves His faithfulness and His covenant in chapter 35. Still reeling from his sons' devastating Shechem offensive, Jacob is visited by God and told to go back to Bethel, the place where he had that weird Angel Stairway Dream back in Gen. 28:12. Why would God tell Jacob to go back there?

I believe because Bethel was established as a place of refuge. Jacob found a place to rest there in fleeing Esau. He had a meaningful encounter with God there, in which God grabbed a hold of Jacob's attention by conferring upon him the covenant He had made with Jacob's forefathers. This was a new chance for Jacob's family to go back to that place after many years, and sort of recenter, refocus, and refresh themselves. It would be a time of purging, of cleanliness.

They changed their clothes, rid themselves of any foreign Gods or charms they may have been taking with them, and set out for Bethel.

Verse 5 is amazing. Can you imagine being in that caravan, making your way to Bethel, and as verse 5 says, "The terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them." What deliverance! The towns? No one came after Jacob out of fear. I wonder if this is similar to the fear that God put into the animal kingdom in regard to man waaay back in Gen. 9:2. God has certainly established Himself as the protector of those who fear him. Lets not forget that these towns may have had an interest in exacting vengeance on Jacob (Gen. 34:30). When you know without a doubt you can have no fear, what amazing opportunities open up to you, and you can focus on the beautiful things of life, and what God has planned.

Jacob arrived there, and built another altar to God, calling it El Bethel, or God of Bethel, in a display of humility and rededication.

Verse 8 mentions the death of Rebekah's nurse, and that she was buried under the old oak tree in Bethel...not sure what that's all about. Maybe this was in time past...and they remembered Deborah. Or maybe she was traveling with the posse. Not sure. If I had to guess, I'd say this is a current (for the time of the story) event.

God appears to Jacob again, and reiterates the covenant, and the name Israel. God repeats the covenant. When I see repetition in the Bible, it seems to be either important, a challenge or both. I don't remember precisely, but I think Isaac got a review. I know Abraham did.

Verse 11, where God says, "I am God Almighty..." Wow. If that sends my spine a-quiver, then I can't fathom being there at that time with God saying it directly into my ear. Whether God was yelling it, or whispering it, I imagine there would be no difference in awe.

Hmm.

Anyway, God blesses Him, and tells him to be fruitful and multiply. And Jacob set up another pillar, oiled it up real nice, and called it Bethel. Again.

While Israel was traveling from Bethel to Ephratah, a very pregnant Rachel went into labor. And there was great difficulty in childbirth for Israel's offspring. Birth pains, big time. "Don't be afraid, you have another son," the midwife said to Rachel. Rachel called her son Ben-Oni because she was dying. Israel renamed him Benjamin. So the child's name goes from meaning "son of my trouble" to meaning "son of my right hand." So, a pretty important son is born with trouble in Bethlehem, where Rachel is buried.

Israel moves on to Midgal Eder. While they were there, Leah's oldest, Reuben goes in a sleeps with Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant. Israel, cool as ever, heard about it, as the Bible says, but the Bible doesn't report anything further.

Rather there is a genealogy of Jacob.

With Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun
With Rachel: Joseph, Benjamin
With Bilhah: Dan, Naphtali
With Zilpah: Gad, Asher


Finally, Jacob makes it home to his father Isaac in Mamre. Isaac live to be 180 years old. And Jacob must have reconciled with Esau and explained his little detour in chapter 33, because they both bury their father.

Isaac: 2038 - 2218