November 18, 2020 (Wednesday)
As Jacob prepares
to die, there are several details to pay attention to… First, after moving to
Egypt Jacob encounters Pharaoh who marvels at his age. “Jacob said to Pharaoh, “I’ve been a
traveler for 130 years. My years have been few and difficult. They don’t come
close to the years my ancestors lived during their travels.” [Genesis 47:9 CEB]
Let’s put this
into perspective. Shem, Noah’s son, lived 100 years before the flood and 500
years after the flood. It is possible that, since they both lived at the same
time, Jacob could have met Shem. After moving to Egypt, Jacob will live another
17 years.
Remember, I noted
that there were 13 tribes of Israel. In Genesis 48 Jacob blesses Ephraim and
Manasseh. Legally he declares to Joseph, “I’m giving you one portion more than to your brothers…” [Genesis 48:22 CEB] Which tribe gets cut out of
inheriting land? It’s Levi, this tribe becomes priests. Their inheritance is
not land but the Lord.
In Genesis 49,
Jacob blesses/curses his children. These come in the form of prophecy, of
sorts. “Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to
you in the coming days.” [Genesis 49:1 CEB] Reuben will not be the
family ruler because he defiled one of his father’s concubines. Simeon and Levi
are promised they will be scattered in Israel. The fourth son is Judah.
The main thing to
see is Judah is given the scepter. Jacob declares, “The scepter won’t depart from Judah, nor
the ruler’s staff from among his banners.” [Genesis 49:10a CEB] This
is a promise of a Messiah. The first king in the line of Judah is David. As
Christians, we recognize the human ancestry of Jesus as coming from David.
Jacob’s final
request was to be buried in the cave of Machpelah. This is where Abraham,
Sarah, Isaac, and Rebekah are buried. Not to be missed, but Jacob had TWO wives
and two concubines (slaves that were used to bear children). The two wives were
sisters: Leah and Rachael. Since Rachael was more physically attractive, Jacob
loved her.
Yet, their lives
took drastic turns. In the race to give children to Jacob, Leah lands on hoping
her husband will respect her. Rachael, on the other hand, steals her father’s
household gods. She is responsible for the idol worship that plagued Israel
until the Babylonian captivity. In the end she dies cursing her son. Jacob
notes that Leah is buried with honor beside their ancestors.
When Joseph’s
time came to die, he spoke to his brothers, “Joseph made Israel’s sons promise, “When God takes care
of you, you must bring up my bones out of here.” [Genesis 50:25 CEB] These bones represent a
promise God would keep. 430 years after Jacob moves to Egypt, God provided a deliver
named Moses.
Still, it’s is sad
to think that humanity started in utopia and ends in a coffin. We have done
this, are doing this, and will do this to ourselves. We have no one to blame.
This selfish, self-deluded, self-destructive condition is what the Bible calls
“sin.” We no longer need a devil to blame for our evil.
You want to know what’s
wrong with this world, just look in the mirror. You want to know the only hope
the world has, if you are follower of Christ, just look in the mirror. “So we are
Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ
when we plead, “Come back to God!” [2
Corinthians 5:20 NLT]
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