by faith Jacob, dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped on the top of his staff;
Hebrews 11:21
What an interesting comment! Notice who are in focus in this comment. Jacob was the father of the twelve sons who became leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel. Again I think we need to pause and consider the detail of this next short statement. It’s not as short as the faith statement related to Isaac; in this case it took 19 words in English. But what lies behind these words is significant. Why does the writer of Hebrews single out this aspect of Jacob’s life to highlight? Among all of his sons, why is the focus put on the sons of Joseph? After all, the sons of Joseph are not Jacob’s sons; they are his grandsons. Why focus on the grandsons of the son of one of his twelve sons and not all of the sons and the blessing he spoke over each of them? And furthermore, why choose the grandsons of Joseph only?
Have you also noticed something else about these three verses: Hebrews 11:20, 11:21 and 11:22? Notice that they are joined together. There is a semi-colon at the end of verse 20 and 21, resulting in a string of statements that hang together. The full stop doesn’t come until the end of verse 22.
By faith, concerning coming things, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau; by faith Jacob, dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped on the top of his staff; by faith, Joseph dying, made mention concerning the outgoing of the sons of Israel, and gave command concerning his bones.
Hebrews 11:20-22
I believe that is significant. These verses belong together, grouped as they are. Stop and think for a moment. Why would Joseph be the one son of Jacob’s sons to be singled out and why are his sons mentioned and not the blessing Jacob spoke over Joseph himself, in keeping with the previous verse?
I can’t help but think that it is all to do with the fact that Joseph had the dream about the sheaves of wheat.
One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. “Listen to this dream,” he said. “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!” His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them. Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!” This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?” But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.
Genesis 37:5-11
What a thing to dream and furthermore that you would tell your brothers and parents the detail of the dream you had. It seems pretentious and boastful. But don’t you think it is a touch reminiscent of Jacob and Esau and God’s choice concerning them and their future. Here then is the same scenario again. I am sure you know the next stage in the story. Joseph’s blessing, birthright and inheritance was split between his two sons – Manasseh and Ephraim. When it came time for Israel (Jacob) to bless the boys something curious happened.
Then he positioned the boys in front of Jacob. With his right hand he directed Ephraim toward Jacob’s left hand, and with his left hand he put Manasseh at Jacob’s right hand. But Jacob crossed his arms as he reached out to lay his hands on the boys’ heads. He put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, though he was the younger boy, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, though he was the firstborn. Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my grandfather Abraham and my father, Isaac, walked—the God who has been my shepherd all my life, to this very day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm—may he bless these boys. May they preserve my name and the names of Abraham and Isaac. And may their descendants multiply greatly throughout the earth.”
But Joseph was upset when he saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head. So Joseph lifted it to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. “No, my father,” he said. “This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.” But his father refused. “I know, my son; I know,” he replied. “Manasseh will also become a great people, but his younger brother will become even greater. And his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” So Jacob blessed the boys that day with this blessing: “The people of Israel will use your names when they give a blessing. They will say, ‘May God make you as prosperous as Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In this way, Jacob put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
Genesis 48:13-20
I believe this was highly significant. It could have been that Israel, aka Jacob, the deceiver, was doing to Joseph’s what was done to him as a result of Rebekah and Jacob’s deceit, but there is not a hint of that in the text. Rather the element from verse 20 “concerning things unseen” – yet to come – applies also to this verse. By faith Jacob sees the prophetic scenario that once again the younger son will rise to a position greater than the elder son. Despite Joseph’s protestations Israel persists in lay his right hand on Ephraim and his left hand on Manasseh. By faith, seeing into the world of the unseen things, Israel blesses once again the son of God’s choice. The line runs once more according to God’s intention: from Jacob to Joseph to Ephraim, appropriately by faith. Jacob now can lean on his staff with his last breath and worship God, knowing that he has done that which is in accord with God’s intentions, by faith.
You have to agree it’s curious that history is repeating itself and the younger son is once again chosen to lead Israel. In fact Ephraim becomes synonymous with Israel in that Ephraim is often interchangeable as the name for the nation. Jacob now by faith is able to follow the prompting of God and place his right hand of power on the younger son Ephraim believing that this grandson is God’s choice for the future. Jacob refuses to switch hands in obedience to the LORD’s leading. What was going through his head do you think? I think he was now operating in faith, realising God was doing it again by choosing the younger son. God was making the choice and Jacob was concurring. This must have also been confirming in ways we cannot imagine that the switch related to Jacob over his brother Esau was of God’s intention as well. No wonder he worshipped given all the fallout from the earlier choice and the bad blood between him and his brother. Talk about déjà vu.
Jacob is once more making a choice in line with God’s will by faith, not being able to see the things to come and see how it will work out. He will go to his grave believing in faith he has done the right thing and leaving the result to God. Once again that is an action by faith without being able to see the unseen things but trusting God for the outcome.
Use your gifts faithfully, and they shall be enlarged; practice what you know, and you shall attain to higher knowledge.
Matthew Arnold
If the challenge you’re facing doesn’t place a demand on your faith, it neither pleases God nor involves Him.
Bob Gass
Understanding can wait; obedience can’t. Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions.
Bob Gass
When God tells you to do something don’t try to reason it out, just obey. Delayed obedience is disobedience. For some people it takes a long time to learn that lesson.
Ian