Genesis

Genesis 48: God shepherds and blesses His family

Begin in prayer

Before we hear Jacob thank God for lifelong care and bless Joseph's sons, let us seek that faithful Shepherd together. Please ask God to show us Christ, teach us to receive His gifts by grace and help us trust His promise beyond our own years.

Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.

Psalm 23:1

Father, please open our eyes to Your promise and the care Jacob remembered at the end of his life. Show us Jesus, the Shepherd who gave Himself for His sheep. Make us more like Him, gracious toward others and faithful in passing on Your Word. Please bless our family with hearts that trust Christ through weakness and grief. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

Joseph brings Manasseh and Ephraim to his sick father, who recalls God's promise at Luz and Rachel's death on the road. Jacob takes both boys as his own like Reuben and Simeon, giving them a place in the inheritance and providing for any later children. Despite failing sight, he embraces them and thanks God for seeing Joseph's children after he had thought Joseph lost. He knowingly crosses his hands to bless the younger Ephraim first, asking lifelong care from the God who fed and redeemed him. Joseph objects, yet Jacob promises greatness to both boys and a greater future for Ephraim. Jacob says he is dying while God will remain with the family and return them to the fathers' land. He gives Joseph an extra portion which he says he took from the Amorite with his sword and bow.

As you read Genesis 48, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

God has shepherded Jacob and blesses his family by grace, keeping His promise beyond Jacob's death.

When Joseph brings his sons to the sick Jacob, their grandfather begins with God Almighty's promise of fruitfulness and land at Luz. He claims Ephraim and Manasseh as his own like Reuben and Simeon, giving Joseph's line two shares in the family's inheritance. He recalls Rachel's death on the road, then welcomes the grandsons God has allowed him to see despite years of grief and failing sight. Blessing Joseph through his sons, Jacob asks the God who has fed him and the angel who redeemed him from evil to bless them. Joseph has placed Manasseh for the right hand, yet Jacob knowingly crosses his hands to put it on the younger Ephraim. Joseph objects, but Jacob refuses, promising greatness to both and a greater future for Ephraim, without crediting either boy with earning it. Hebrews calls Jacob's blessing faith, as he entrusts the boys to the God who has kept him (Hebrews 11 verse 21). Jacob gives Joseph an extra portion, assuring the family that God will remain after his death and return them to the fathers' land. God's care outlasts a father's life, and Christ is the good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep (John 10 verse 11).

How does Genesis 48 show us that God has shepherded Jacob and blesses his family by grace, keeping His promise beyond Jacob's death?

God's promise gives Joseph's sons a share in the family.

Jacob recalls God's blessing at Luz before taking Ephraim and Manasseh as his own, like Reuben and Simeon. Any later children of Joseph would share under their brothers' names, so these two hold the named inheritance. The gift rests on the promise God has made and leads to two tribes within Israel.

God's faithful care holds through grief and weakness.

Jacob remembers Rachel's burial on the road and thanks God for seeing Joseph's children after he thought Joseph lost. He describes God as the One who has fed him throughout his life and names the angel who redeemed him from evil. His blessing asks this faithful care for the boys as they carry the family's name and grow.

God's blessing follows His grace beyond the order we expect.

Joseph places the older boy toward Jacob's right hand, yet Jacob knowingly puts that hand on the younger. He refuses Joseph's correction, blessing Manasseh as well while promising a greater future to Ephraim. His crossed hands give no credit to the boys' achievements, and Hebrews calls his blessing faith.

God will remain when Jacob can stay no longer.

Jacob says he is dying, then assures the family that God will be with them and return them to the fathers' land. He gives Joseph an extra portion which he says he took from the Amorite with his sword and bow. His own life is ending, while the care and promise of God continue for those who follow.

Memorise

God will be with you, and bring you again to the land of your fathers.

Genesis 48:21

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, what pride in my place do I need Jesus to forgive and change?

Jacob recalls “the God who has fed me all my life long to this day”. His eyes are failing, Rachel lies beside the road, and his own death draws near. Yet he can bless Joseph's sons in faith and say, “God will be with you”. The God who cared for him will remain.

Jesus is the good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep (John 10 verse 11). At the cross He bore their sins and the punishment those sins deserved, settling their debt before God. He rose from the dead, and His finished work is enough to forgive every sinner who trusts Him. He gives His sheep eternal life, and no one can snatch them from His hand (John 10 verses 27 to 29).

Please turn from treating God's gifts as something your rank or record has earned, and trust Jesus Christ. Everyone who repents and comes to Him is forgiven and received by grace. If you belong to Him, thank Him for His care through your grief and tell someone younger what He has done. Your years may end, yet the living Shepherd will keep you and every person who trusts Him.

Parent's note

Tell your children that Jacob blessed by faith, thanking God for lifelong care and trusting His promise beyond death. Christ gave His life for His sheep and rose, so call each child to repent and trust Him for forgiveness. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Pray that God would give them new hearts that receive His grace and rest in His faithful care.

Pray together

Please bring God the pride named in the heart question and seek His grace through Jesus. Thank Him for care through weakness and for His promise to keep believers beyond death. Invite each child to pray if they want to, thanking Him for His care or asking help to trust His wisdom.

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. He doesn’t say, “To descendants ”, as of many, but as of one, “To your offspring ”, which is Christ.

Galatians 3:16

Father, thank You for Your faithful care through every year and for the promise fulfilled in Christ. Please forgive our pride and the thought that Your gifts are wages we have earned. Give our family repentance and faith in Jesus. Help us trust Your wisdom, care for others and tell the next generation of Your grace. Amen.