We've been looking at the life of Joseph.

Jacob is getting kind of old, and news that he's sick makes Joseph wonder if he's going to die.

He wants his sons blessed by Jacob before he dies.

If this is at the end of Jacob's life, then Jacob is 147 years old, and Joseph would be about 56 years old.

Bethel, where Jacob saw the ladder going up into heaven, with angels going up and down.

What Joseph is doing is in a sense giving Joseph the double blessing of the firstborn son.

Instead of Reuben, the actual first son of wife Leah, Jacob gives the right of the firstborn to Joseph, the first son of wife Rachel.

If this is at the end of Jacob's life, these aren't just little boys, but they're at least 19 years old.

Joseph knows how these blessing things are done.

Jacob doesn't follow orders too well.

He crosses his hands, and places the right hand on Ephraim instead of Manasseh.

The blessing is on the two sons of Joseph, but in covering the two sons, Joseph is blessed.

Joseph is telling his dad that he's got it backward with the hands!

This gives us an insight into the proper view of this kind of "blessing".

There's irony in this as well.

Others may leave us, but God will never leave us.

These blessings aren't just for tomorrow or the next day, but far down the line, when the descendants of Israel will again go back to the promised land.

Again, these aren't so much blessings that Israel is giving to his sons, as much as they are prophecies that he sees for his sons and their descendants.

Reuben certainly had some good qualities.

Reuben had one little problem though, he lacked self-control.

He got involved sexually with his father's concubine (not porcupine) Bilhah. (GEN 35:22)

In contrast, remember what happened with Joseph:

Simeon and Levi were the brothers who went through the city of Shechem, and killed all the inhabitants, after tricking them into all becoming circumcised. (Gen.34)

The result of their anger is that they would be scattered.

This prophecy was fulfilled in the days of Joshua, when the tribes received their inheritance.

There's a little play on words here, Judah means "praise".

... strong as a young lion that has eaten his prey and secure as a mature lion whom no one would dare to rouse (v. 9). This prediction did not begin to be fulfilled until the time of King David, some 640 years after Jacob's prophecy.

Shiloh come. Probably means "the one who brings (or, until he comes into that which belongs to) peace," referring to Messiah who would be of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5).

There would be some form of ruling government or elders in Judah over the nation until the time of the Messiah.

This is something you don't do with a herbivorous animal, unless there is so much prosperity, so much abundance that you don't really care.

This is all a picture of great prosperity, probably speaking of the millenial reign of Christ on earth.

Though Dan was to be a judge over the nation, instead it became a serpent, leading many astray.

The tribe of Dan was the first tribe to go entirely into idolatry in the promised land (Judg.18)

Play on words, Gad will be attacked, but will attack back.

Gad was located on the east of the Jordan, often open to attacking armies.

Ephraim = fruitful, a play on words

It sounds as if Jacob found out how Joseph ended up in Egypt.

It sounds as if Joseph gets a great blessing from his father.

Judg.19-20 - they were almost wiped out because of the violence they displayed with the man's concubine, killing here, then defending the guilty parties.

Again, these are more prophecies than some kind of spiritual power or gift being given by Jacob.

I wonder if God would have us think about blessing and prophesying over our children?

the threshingfloor of Atad, E of the Jordan and N of the Dead Sea, a formal seven-day period of mourning was carried out.

"mourning of Egypt", because there were so many Egyptians involved in the mourning over Jacob.

The tombs of the patriarchs, in modern Hebron, the city newly given over to the Palestinians except for a small group of 400 brave Jews living in the area around the tomb.

If he did, why didn't he tell Joseph?

I think they're making this up.

He knows they're making up a story.

He's grieved to think that the brothers think he's holding some sort of grudge against them.

We see that the things Joseph had said earlier to his brothers weren't just words, he meant it.

Another of those chronological markers.

This is prophetic.

Keep this in mind, God is going to visit them, and they will take Joseph's bones to Canaan.

Joseph is embalmed like his father, but he is kept in Egypt, until the day comes that Israel leaves for the promised land.