Hebrews 11:21: By Faith Jacob
2023-09-01
Hebrews 11:21
By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. (Hebrews 11:21)
Like Isaac, Jacob blessed two children, which were his grandchildren by Joseph. In Isaac’s case, he thought he was dying, but it turned out he had many years left in him. Jacob was truly dying when this happened.
Consider Genesis 48:1-22. When Joseph heard that his father Jacob was presumably sick unto death, he came with his sons. This is normal to visit when someone is dying as it may be the last time you see them. Jacob strengthened himself when he realized they were there because he was bedridden.
What was Jacob’s blessing to the sons?
- They would be counted with Jacob’s sons. They would be numbered with the tribes of Israel. We know that Levi became the priestly tribe that had no inheritance among the tribes. “But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance” (Numbers 18:23). To maintain the number of tribes to be 12, Ephraim and Manasseh were separate tribes with separate inheritances in the land. Presumably, from Genesis 48:6, Jacob may have had other sons, but they would be counted among these two tribes or other tribes of Israel.
- Manasseh was the firstborn, but Ephraim was put before Manasseh. Ephraim, not Manasseh, is used as a synecdoche for all Israel, the northern kingdom, especially in the prophets. “And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son” (Isaiah 7:9).
- Joseph’s sons would be blessed like Jacob was blessed. “The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth” (Genesis 48:16). Each of Joseph’s son’s tribes would be around the same size as their uncles’ tribes. Joseph, therefore, would be a huge tribe compared to his brothers.
We see Jacob’s faith, not being able to see because of age, guided his right hand to Ephraim’s head (recall being at the right hand is to be at a place of prominence). “And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn” (Genesis 48:14). He was moved by faith to do this because it was normal for the firstborn to receive the blessing and the birthright.
We also see how Jacob recalled God’s faithfulness in the past and blessed according to how he was blessed. The Angel that guided him and protected him in his life was to do the same for his grandsons. They would be blessed beyond the other tribes. “And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh” (Genesis 48:20). These are all events he would never see, yet by faith he blessed them. We can do the same by spiritually investing in our own children and grandchildren and beyond, not thinking about ourselves, but the future generations that will serve the Lord long after we are gone.
It does not seem to say anything about how Jacob “worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.” He blessed the Lord by recounting how He preserved him. He was mainly in bed when this happened since he was sick. These things could be simply illustrative of his life since he returned from Padan. He had his thigh permanently injured at Peniel when he wrestled with the Man. “And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him” (Genesis 32:25). “And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh” (Genesis 32:31). He was leaning on the top of his staff for the rest of his life. As a result, he worshipped the Lord more than he did as a young man who was known for deception.