Before I continue with the end of Genesis, I need to make mention of an important incident that I passed over in my rush to cover Abraham. I mentioned the LORD and two angels visiting Abraham and warning him about the coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Most people are familiar with the story of Lot and his family fleeing Sodom. Everyone has heard about his wife turning into a pillar of salt for looking back. The most important detail is what happens after that event.
Lot and his daughters are now living in a cave, and the daughters have written off any chance of their father finding them husbands. We know from the account that they were both betrothed prior to the destruction of their home (but had not yet been wed as they were still virgins), and the angels had given Lot a chance to persuade his sons-in-law to flee with them. But they had refused. So the girls took it upon themselves to ensure they had children. They each took a turn getting their father drunk and then sleeping with him. Both conceived and they gave birth to sons: Moab and Ben-Ammi. They become the fathers of the nations of Moab (the Moabites) and Ammon (the Ammonites). They settle each of the Jordan river and are thorns in the side of Israel for generations. But most importantly, we need to remember the origins of Moab when we get to Ruth because she's a "Moabitess" and she's also the great-grandmother of King David. This also puts her in the line of ancestry to Jesus.
It's these little interconnected details that make me baffled as to how people can be disregarded now that we have the New Testament. No, the New Testament doesn't make sense without the Old Testament...
Anyway, let's wrap Genesis.
Israel (Jacob/his entire family) are now in Goshen in Egypt. They are guests of Pharaoh and blessed by God.
As Jacob feels death is coming for him, he calls for Joseph to bring his sons: Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob wants to bless them so Joseph places the boys in front of his father so that the older (Manasseh) is position to have Jacob's right hand on him to receive the greater blessing, but Jacob crosses his arms. Joseph argues with his father over this, but Jacob insists he knows what he is doing. He intentionally blesses Ephraim above Manasseh. It's impossible to escape the connection of this to Jacob's own position as the younger brother to Esau. Israel also makes an interesting statement to Joseph. He says that though the Ephraim and Manasseh will always be counted as Joseph's, they will also be Israel's just as any of Joseph's brothers. They will be their own tribes.
Israel then calls the rest of his sons to him and he pronounces "blessings" on them all. I put blessings in quotes because as with the "blessing" given to Esau, in some ways these seem as much a curse as a blessing.
To Reuben, the firstborn, Israel finally reveals his thoughts on Reuben's sleeping with Jacob's concubine, Bilhah. He says that though Reuben should excel in prominence and power as the first fruits of Israel, he will not excel because of his actions in defiling his father's bed.
Simeon and Levi are spoken of jointly. And again, Israel brings up things from the distant past. He remembers their vicious anger in response to the rape of Dinah, and he condemns them to be dispersed throughout Israel.
Judah is next, and he is given the highest blessing, essentially becoming like the first born. Israel compares him to a lion and promises that the ruling scepter of Israel will not depart from him.
To Zebulun, Israel promises him to be a harbor by the sea (literally). He promises him specific territory near Sidon.
Israel compares Issachar to a strong donkey who has found a good place to rest, but he is also forced into labor.
About Dan, Israel seems to say "yeah, I guess you can be a tribe too" before describing him like a viper striking at horses in the rode.
Gad will be be attacked but will attack back.
Israel says Asher's food will be rich, and he will produce delicacies.
Naphtali is described as a doe producing beautiful fawns.
Joseph gets the longest blessing. He's compared to a fruitful vine, and though he is attacked, he prevails. Israel wishes him high blessings than even those of his ancestors and calls him a prince among his brothers.
Benjamin is a wolf who devours his prey.
With that Israel finished blessing his sons. He then charged Joseph with ensuring that he would be buried in the same cave in Canaan in which Abraham and Sarah, and Isaac and Rebekah were buried, the same cave where he had buried Leah.
Israel dies in Goshen at 147 years of age. He spent 17 years in Egypt. He was embalmed by the Egyptians and the entire nation mourned him for 70 days. Joseph then took such a procession out of Egypt to bury his father that the Canaanites thought it was some great Egyptian official.
When they return from the burial, the brothers say "oh crap, what if Joseph has been harboring a grudge for the last 17 years?!" They send him a message claiming that their father had secretly told them to tell Joseph that he should forgive them. They then offer themselves as slaves.
Joseph's response best summarizes what Genesis is about: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good."
Joseph dies (apparently preceding his brothers) at 110. His final request is that when God does bring Israel out of Egypt, they bring his bones with them.
To summarize the summary summarily
Genesis is the beginning. And it's conclusion is still about looking forward. God created a perfect world, but it only took three chapters for man to sin. Every subsequent chapter has been about the story of redemption. A promise was made to Abraham. It was reiterated to Isaac. It became more concrete with Jacob/Israel, but now the people of the promise are separated from the land of the promise. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were the patriarchs, and the receivers of the promise, but they were never more than outsiders in the land of Canaan. The only property they own is the field with the cave in which they are buried. But they all die believing in a future realization of the promise. The covenant will be fulfilled.
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