The following commentary covers Chapters 48, 49, and 50.
Joseph
as heir in Canaan
Lastly, in chapter 48
besides the prophetical character—important in the
history of Israel—we see Joseph as heir; the double
portion (mark of the eldest, heir of the father, among
the Jews) being given to him (see 1 Chron. 5: 1, 2); and
not only as heir, but as heir in Canaan—Jacob's heir
there where Rachel had died; that is, where Israel, as
the Jewish beloved one of God, had failed and gone. Here,
too, all is ordered according to the purpose and counsel
of God, not according to nature; and Joseph, in his
children, possesses, as heir, the portion taken from the
hand of the enemy by power; for Joseph, after his
rejection, is ever Christ as glorified, and then heir of
the world.
The pledge of
Israel's re-establishment in the land; God's patience
with evil
We have then the lot of
the children of Jacob; and two facts, the burying of
Jacob, and the commandment concerning the bones of
Joseph, given as a certain pledge of the re-establishment
of Israel, left, according to what had been said to
Abraham, and in appearance abandoned, in a strange
country, whilst the patience of God bore yet with the
iniquity of the Amorites, a patience which strikes only
when it is impossible to bear the evil any longer (chaps.
49, 50).
Remark the beauty of the
grace in Joseph (chaps. 45: 7, 8, and 50: 17, 19, 20).
The difference
between the prophetic blessings of Jacob and Moses
It seems to me that there
is this difference between the prophecies of Jacob and
Moses as to the tribes. Here the prophecy refers to the
responsibility of the first parent-source of the tribe,
as Reuben, Simeon, Levi; and to the counsels of God,
which put forward Judah (the stock from which the Lord
sprang as regards the royalty), and Joseph (type of
Christ as Nazarene, separated from his brethren, and
afterwards exalted). The rest, if we except Benjamin who
ravages with power, gives the general characters of the
position and conduct of the tribes of Israel; Dan, of his
wickedness, and even of his character of traitor. I may
add that besides the royal place of Judah maintained as a
distinct tribe till Christ came, up to the end of
Issachar, it is the sad history of Israel in its
responsibility and what befell them. Dan adds to this
traitorous unfaithfulness, as indeed he set up, we may
say, tribal idolatry. This casts the faith of Jacob on
waiting for God's salvation, and grace comes in. All that
follows is blessing, and Christ the shepherd and stone of
Israel. Moses gives rather the history of the people as
entering into the country on leaving the wilderness; and
we find the priesthood and people to be the two points
brought into prominence, although power and a special
blessing be given to Judah.
The moral
character and failure of Israel, and the purposes of God
I add a few details as to
this prophetic blessing, hoping to make it more clear. We
may remark, in the tribes, responsibility and the future
of Israel as firstborn according to nature. Reuben
represents Israel in this character; Simeon and Levi, who
come after and will maintain their right by nature's
force, are no better. Then we have the purpose of
God in the king and the whole of the royal tribe till
Christ come, to whom the gathering of the peoples shall
be. Joseph comes with Benjamin at the end, the
representative of Christ personally glorified, as
Benjamin of Christ in judgment on earth. Joseph is a
personal representative of Christ, separated from His
brethren, glorious and blessed as the heir of all the
resources of God. Dan, before this, though owned as a
judging tribe and so Israel in him, yet marks out that
apostasy and power of Satan in Israel which led the
remnant to look beyond the portion of the people,
unfaithful in every way, to Him who was the salvation:
"We have waited for thy salvation, O Jehovah."
Salvation will
come with the true Joseph
I rather think, as already
noticed, that in the other tribes we have a distinct
contrast of what Israel is as oppressed, before
Christ—who has taken the full Joseph character in
glory, and has answered the faith of the remnant
expressed in verse 18 and after; and that thus, in these
characters of the tribes, we have the whole history of
Israel. Judah and Joseph have been already marked out and
distinguished in the history—Judah as surety for and
connected with Benjamin, and Joseph in all his history.
Thus, after Judah, in Zebulun and Issachar we have Israel
mixed with the world, busied in its waters to seek
profit, and a slave to it for rest and quiet; but this
ends in Dan and apostasy, so that the remnant, in the
spirit of prophecy, wait for the salvation which is to
come with the true Joseph. All is prosperity when this is
looked to. Once overcome, he overcomes at the last: his
bread is fat and yields royal dainties in his own land,
not seeking them by mixture with, and subjection to, the
world. And Naphtali is in the liberty of God, and full of
goodly words. In Joseph and Benjamin we have the crowning
of all blessing in the double character of Christ, the
heavenly Heir of all, and power and strength upon the
earth that subdues all.
So that the whole series
would be thus:—Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, the moral
character and failure of responsible Israel. It will be
found, as ever, corruption and violence: such is man.
Next, the purpose of God in Judah: he remains
till Shiloh come, to whom the gathering of the peoples
belongs. But He was rejected when He came to Judah, and
there was no gathering: "beauty" and
"bands" were broken.
Deliverance and
blessing through Christ as once separated and now the
heavenly glorified Man
Next, the state of Israel
being such, intercourse with nations (which, when not in
the power of God, is corruption), subjection to their
yoke for ease, and apostasy: still owned as a people,
however; and then the remnant looking to the only source,
and waiting, not for good in Israel, but salvation from
Jehovah Elohim. Thereon deliverance and blessing for
Israel; and finally (what we have already seen as the
double character of Christ—separated from His
brethren[1],
and then glorified) Joseph and Benjamin present Him to us
as the heavenly glorified Man to whom all is entrusted,
and the all-conquering Lord on the earth.
Israel's past and
future history in Jacob's prophetic blessing
On the whole, I think we
have a complete history of Israel in this way. First his
failure: Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, corruption and
violence, as already remarked. Then Judah, God s purpose
in His people, in connection with the royal stock and
Shiloh. This is plain enough. To Him the gathering of the
peoples was to be. Zebulun and Issachar then shew their
mixture with, and subjection to, the Gentiles for gain
and prosperity; Dan, the treachery of Satanic power, when
faith waits for Jehovah's salvation. Gad, Asher,
Naphtali, and Joseph and Benjamin, the fruit and power of
this salvation when the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel,
shall be also there when prosperity full in Israel shall
overpass its bounds, and victorious power shall belong to
them.
The fear of God
shown in Joseph the true basis of power and blessing
Personally the fear of God
was in Joseph from beginning to end: a mighty principle,
and the true basis of power. Whatever his glory, he does
not forget Canaan or the earthly promise—he sends
his bones there: nor has Christ. So Joseph, when Israel
is gone, forgives his brethren their wrong, and nourishes
them with his riches. So is it with Christ: He is above
the wrong and the just fears of them that rejected Him;
He will bless Israel from His own stores of heavenly
glory. The Lord hasten it in its day!
[1]
Joseph is so characterised in Deuteronomy also.
Genesis 49 Bible Commentary
John Darby’s Synopsis
Joseph as heir in Canaan
Lastly, in chapter 48 besides the prophetical character—important in the history of Israel—we see Joseph as heir; the double portion (mark of the eldest, heir of the father, among the Jews) being given to him (see 1 Chron. 5: 1, 2); and not only as heir, but as heir in Canaan—Jacob's heir there where Rachel had died; that is, where Israel, as the Jewish beloved one of God, had failed and gone. Here, too, all is ordered according to the purpose and counsel of God, not according to nature; and Joseph, in his children, possesses, as heir, the portion taken from the hand of the enemy by power; for Joseph, after his rejection, is ever Christ as glorified, and then heir of the world.
The pledge of Israel's re-establishment in the land; God's patience with evil
We have then the lot of the children of Jacob; and two facts, the burying of Jacob, and the commandment concerning the bones of Joseph, given as a certain pledge of the re-establishment of Israel, left, according to what had been said to Abraham, and in appearance abandoned, in a strange country, whilst the patience of God bore yet with the iniquity of the Amorites, a patience which strikes only when it is impossible to bear the evil any longer (chaps. 49, 50).
Remark the beauty of the grace in Joseph (chaps. 45: 7, 8, and 50: 17, 19, 20).
The difference between the prophetic blessings of Jacob and Moses
It seems to me that there is this difference between the prophecies of Jacob and Moses as to the tribes. Here the prophecy refers to the responsibility of the first parent-source of the tribe, as Reuben, Simeon, Levi; and to the counsels of God, which put forward Judah (the stock from which the Lord sprang as regards the royalty), and Joseph (type of Christ as Nazarene, separated from his brethren, and afterwards exalted). The rest, if we except Benjamin who ravages with power, gives the general characters of the position and conduct of the tribes of Israel; Dan, of his wickedness, and even of his character of traitor. I may add that besides the royal place of Judah maintained as a distinct tribe till Christ came, up to the end of Issachar, it is the sad history of Israel in its responsibility and what befell them. Dan adds to this traitorous unfaithfulness, as indeed he set up, we may say, tribal idolatry. This casts the faith of Jacob on waiting for God's salvation, and grace comes in. All that follows is blessing, and Christ the shepherd and stone of Israel. Moses gives rather the history of the people as entering into the country on leaving the wilderness; and we find the priesthood and people to be the two points brought into prominence, although power and a special blessing be given to Judah.
The moral character and failure of Israel, and the purposes of God
I add a few details as to this prophetic blessing, hoping to make it more clear. We may remark, in the tribes, responsibility and the future of Israel as firstborn according to nature. Reuben represents Israel in this character; Simeon and Levi, who come after and will maintain their right by nature's force, are no better. Then we have the purpose of God in the king and the whole of the royal tribe till Christ come, to whom the gathering of the peoples shall be. Joseph comes with Benjamin at the end, the representative of Christ personally glorified, as Benjamin of Christ in judgment on earth. Joseph is a personal representative of Christ, separated from His brethren, glorious and blessed as the heir of all the resources of God. Dan, before this, though owned as a judging tribe and so Israel in him, yet marks out that apostasy and power of Satan in Israel which led the remnant to look beyond the portion of the people, unfaithful in every way, to Him who was the salvation: "We have waited for thy salvation, O Jehovah."
Salvation will come with the true Joseph
I rather think, as already noticed, that in the other tribes we have a distinct contrast of what Israel is as oppressed, before Christ—who has taken the full Joseph character in glory, and has answered the faith of the remnant expressed in verse 18 and after; and that thus, in these characters of the tribes, we have the whole history of Israel. Judah and Joseph have been already marked out and distinguished in the history—Judah as surety for and connected with Benjamin, and Joseph in all his history. Thus, after Judah, in Zebulun and Issachar we have Israel mixed with the world, busied in its waters to seek profit, and a slave to it for rest and quiet; but this ends in Dan and apostasy, so that the remnant, in the spirit of prophecy, wait for the salvation which is to come with the true Joseph. All is prosperity when this is looked to. Once overcome, he overcomes at the last: his bread is fat and yields royal dainties in his own land, not seeking them by mixture with, and subjection to, the world. And Naphtali is in the liberty of God, and full of goodly words. In Joseph and Benjamin we have the crowning of all blessing in the double character of Christ, the heavenly Heir of all, and power and strength upon the earth that subdues all.
So that the whole series would be thus:—Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, the moral character and failure of responsible Israel. It will be found, as ever, corruption and violence: such is man. Next, the purpose of God in Judah: he remains till Shiloh come, to whom the gathering of the peoples belongs. But He was rejected when He came to Judah, and there was no gathering: "beauty" and "bands" were broken.
Deliverance and blessing through Christ as once separated and now the heavenly glorified Man
Next, the state of Israel being such, intercourse with nations (which, when not in the power of God, is corruption), subjection to their yoke for ease, and apostasy: still owned as a people, however; and then the remnant looking to the only source, and waiting, not for good in Israel, but salvation from Jehovah Elohim. Thereon deliverance and blessing for Israel; and finally (what we have already seen as the double character of Christ—separated from His brethren[1], and then glorified) Joseph and Benjamin present Him to us as the heavenly glorified Man to whom all is entrusted, and the all-conquering Lord on the earth.
Israel's past and future history in Jacob's prophetic blessing
On the whole, I think we have a complete history of Israel in this way. First his failure: Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, corruption and violence, as already remarked. Then Judah, God s purpose in His people, in connection with the royal stock and Shiloh. This is plain enough. To Him the gathering of the peoples was to be. Zebulun and Issachar then shew their mixture with, and subjection to, the Gentiles for gain and prosperity; Dan, the treachery of Satanic power, when faith waits for Jehovah's salvation. Gad, Asher, Naphtali, and Joseph and Benjamin, the fruit and power of this salvation when the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, shall be also there when prosperity full in Israel shall overpass its bounds, and victorious power shall belong to them.
The fear of God shown in Joseph the true basis of power and blessing
Personally the fear of God was in Joseph from beginning to end: a mighty principle, and the true basis of power. Whatever his glory, he does not forget Canaan or the earthly promise—he sends his bones there: nor has Christ. So Joseph, when Israel is gone, forgives his brethren their wrong, and nourishes them with his riches. So is it with Christ: He is above the wrong and the just fears of them that rejected Him; He will bless Israel from His own stores of heavenly glory. The Lord hasten it in its day!
[1] Joseph is so characterised in Deuteronomy also.