What a way to wrap up your life: blessing others, worshiping God, a pilgrim to the end.
Let’s continue with Jacob’s blessings. “Bread from Asher shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties” (Gen 49:20), but James warns, “Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you.” It is unwise to “have heaped up treasure in the last days” (Jas 5:3). Let’s invest in heaven. And “Naphtali,” the region from which the disciples came, “is a deer let loose; he uses beautiful words” (Gen 49:21). Yes, says James (4:8) to all those who are Christ’s disciples, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” That’s how you find liberty and joy in witness. Again Joseph, like Judah, has a lengthy blessing, that’s all about, well, blessing! He pictures the believer like a fruitful branch. James (3:18) would add, “The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” Lastly, “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;…he shall devour the prey” (Gen 49:27). Far better to “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (Jas 5:16). Now right in the middle of Jacob prophesying, we find this: “I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!” (Gen 49:18). Is this not the prayer of every concerned but hopeful parent who has watched their child struggle and perhaps fail in life? But God is the God of families, and loves happy endings. Wait on God! Chapter 50 now concludes the book, first with the death of Jacob and his last trip back to Mamre. Then Joseph dies at 110 years old, first securing the promise that, when the Israelites eventually leave Egypt, they will take his bones with them—what will become a 400-year delay, then a 40-year funeral procession! But that must wait for our next book study: Exodus, the greatest escape in human history! I hope you’ll join me then.