Daily Scripture Reading Genesis 49:16 - 50:6

When bad things happen to us in life, we tend to get discouraged and lose hope in our future. However, Romans 8:28 tells us God works all things together for good. That means that as we live our life, we are part of a bigger plan that we may not see. Perhaps the bad things that happen to us are intended to result in something positive after our death, meaning we will never know why we experience some of the setbacks we experience.

When Judah was approaching death, he gathered his sons to tell them what was in their future. His predictions illustrate the extent to which God is orchestrating a plan for humanity that is way beyond our small part in world history.

Jacob began by fore-telling that the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi would suffer consequences for actions committed years earlier, while Judah would become the dominant tribe and serve as the ruler of Israel.

Gen. 49:16 ¶ “Dan shall render justice to his people,

As one of the tribes of Israel.

Samson was from the tribe of Dan and became one of the most famous judges.

Gen. 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way,

A horned snake in the path,

That bites the horse’s heels,

So that his rider falls backward.

Gen. 49:18 For Your salvation I hope, O Yahweh.

Gen. 49:19 ¶ “As for Gad, raiders shall raid him,

But he will raid at their heels.

Note that Gad would raid and be raided.

The territory allotted to Gad after the Israelites entered the promised land was on the eastern border, and was an area that frequently traded hands between Israel and her enemies such as Moab and Ammon.

Gen. 49:20 ¶ “As for Asher, his food shall be rich,

And he will yield royal dainties.

Gen. 49:21 ¶ “Naphtali is a doe let loose,

He gives beautiful words.

Gen. 49:22 ¶ “Joseph is a fruitful bough,

A fruitful bough by a spring;

Its branches run over a wall.

Look at the word “fruitful”.

When the Israelites settled the promised land, the land was divided amongst the tribes based on the size of each tribe. The allotment given to Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, was huge compared to most of the other tribes.

Gen. 49:23 And the archers bitterly attacked him and shot at him,

And they bore a grudge against him;

Much of the fighting recorded in the books of Joshua and Judges took place in the area allotted to Ephraim and Manasseh.

Gen. 49:24 But his bow remained firm,

And his arms were agile,

From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel,

Gen. 49:25 From the God of your father who helps you,

And by the Almighty who blesses you

With blessings of heaven above,

Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,

Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

Gen. 49:26 The blessings of your father

Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors

Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills;

May they be on the head of Joseph,

And on the top of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.

Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, and Jacob gave Joseph a long and positive blessing.

Gen. 49:27 ¶ “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;

In the morning he devours the prey,

And in the evening he divides the spoil.”

Gen. 49:28 ¶ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. So he blessed them. He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him.

Look at the word “appropriate”. The twelve men were brothers in the same family, and yet their futures were going to be very different. God had a plan for each tribe as to the contribution each tribe would make in fulfilling His overall plan for history. This illustrates the promise found in Romans 6:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

It is easy for us to get focused on our lives, desires, setbacks, and accomplishments, and lose sight of the fact that we are only one person in a sea of humanity spread across many centuries. We can also become jealous and envious of our siblings, relatives, and friends, wondering why the grass appears greener on the other side of the fence. However, God has a plan for each of our lives. When we live life, we are not just living our life, we are contributing to the overall arch of human history. When we impact other people, we impact humanity. We may impact it in a small way, but we still have an impact. Ultimately, God has a plan for humanity, and He is executing that plan.

Gen. 49:29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

Gen. 49:30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial site.

Gen. 49:31 There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah—

Gen. 49:32 the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.”

Gen. 49:33 So Jacob finished commanding his sons. And he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

Gen. 50:1 ¶ Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him.

Gen. 50:2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel.

Gen. 50:3 Then the forty days to do this were fulfilled, because in this manner the days of embalming are fulfilled. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

Look at the phrase “wept for him seventy days”. That is a much longer period of mourning than we typically employ in the 21st century. I am not sure if that is good or bad. Since we Christians have the hope of spending eternity in heaven, we do not need to fear or mourn death.

Gen. 50:4 ¶ Then the days of weeping for him were past, and Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,

Gen. 50:5 ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” So now, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’”

Gen. 50:6 And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

It is easy for us to get focused on our lives, desires, setbacks, and accomplishments, and lose sight of the fact that we are only one person in a sea of humanity spread across many centuries. We can also become jealous and envious of our siblings, relatives, and friends, wondering why the grass appears greener on the other side of the fence. However, God has a plan for each of our lives. When we live life, we are not just living our life, we are contributing to the overall arch of human history. When we impact other people, we impact humanity. We may impact it in a small way, but we still have an impact. Ultimately, God has a plan for humanity, and He is executing that plan.

In what ways is your life a small cog in the overall arch of human history, and yet still making a contribution to history?

What are some setbacks you have endured that you still don’t understand why God allowed that trial into your life?

How might your life be impacting other people in ways you may never learn about?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”