King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026
Chapters: Genesis 48-50
Message: Genesis: Jacob Blesses His Sons
Hello My Friend,
As we come to the end of the reading of Genesis we learn that Jacob has grown very ill. Unaware when his final day could come, he sent for Joseph. Joseph gathered his two sons and went to his father’s house. When Jacob heard that Joseph had arrived, he summoned all his remaining strength, sat up in his bed, and began to speak.
[Genesis 48:1-4 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. 3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.]
The land of Canaan was theirs to possess so long as they remained the people of God and walked in obedience to His law. Their continued faithfulness was the condition by which they held the land, even until the coming of the Messiah. Yet Canaan itself was more than a physical territory; it served as a type and shadow of the eternal inheritance reserved for the saints in heaven. Just as Israel received a promised land, so the spiritual Israel of God will receive an everlasting possession—an inheritance that will never fade, diminish, or be taken away, [I Peter 1:4-5 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.]
As Jacob continues he makes mention of Joseph’s two sons, he wanted him to know that even though they were born in Egypt, they are still family, [Genesis 48:5-7 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. 7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Beth-lehem.]
In other words, even though Joseph’s sons were born in Egypt they are still as one of Jacob’s children and entitled to receive a portion of the inheritance that God promised. There was a measure of comfort for Jacob in knowing that at least three of the tribes of Israel would trace their lineage back to his beloved Rachel. Through Joseph, Benjamin, and now the adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh, Rachel’s memory would continue through multiple tribal lines. In this way, her remembrance remained honored and sacred within the nation of Israel.
While Reuben is still recognized as Jacob’s son, his birthright was transferred to Joseph because of his indiscretions with Bilhah, [Genesis 35:22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:]. Simeon and Levi, who were the next eldest sons lost out on the birthright being handed to one of them because of what they did in Shechem, [Genesis 34:25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.]
As Jacob spoke with Joseph, he suddenly realized that he was not alone and asked who was with him. Joseph then brought his two sons forward, [Genesis 48:9-11,14 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. 11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed. 14 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.]
Jacob had never imagined that he would lay eyes on Joseph again, and that blessing alone was more than he ever thought he would receive in this life. In that moment, every hardship became a distant memory, replaced by the joy of seeing the generations God had raised up before his death. We do face much suffering in our lifetime, some more than others, but some of our deepest sorrows turn out to be the greatest blessings, [Psalms 116:3-6 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. 4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. 5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. 6 The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.]
I love the song, Blessings, the chorus goes like this, [Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops? What if Your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near? What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?] It is a reminder that quite often it is the tears that we shed that bring the greatest blessings. This song always brings tears to my eyes as I realize that no matter how many times I mess up that God is still with me. Now as Jacob continues speaking with Joseph, he goes on to bless him and his sons, and actually began to pray for them, but when Joseph saw that he was about to bless Ephraim first, he stopped him.
[Genesis 48:17,19,21-22 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head. 19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. 21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.]
This was the foreshadow of a prophecy, Joshua, who was of the tribe of Ephraim would be great in that he would be the leader of the tribes to receive their inheritance once they reached the promised land. Centuries later, Jeroboam, would go on to be made king of ten of the tribes, only to mess it all up when he introduced them to idol worship. The tribe of Manasseh would divided, one half on one side of the Jordan, the other half on the other side, which made it the less powerful and easier to fall away from God. Now, after Jacob spoke with Joseph he calls for the rest of his sons beginning with the oldest, he not only gave them a blessing, but some incredible prophetic insight into their families as well.
[Genesis 49:1-4 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. 2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. 3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.]
What a statement to have spoken over your life. It almost makes you pause and imagine those words written across a resume. Yet Jacob’s assessment proved true. Reuben’s tribe never rose to prominence, for they chose to settle outside the heart of the promised land. Their instability, first seen in Reuben himself, echoed through their descendants, and the privilege that could have been theirs was never fully realized. And now we come to Simeon and Levi, [Genesis 49:5-7 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. 6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.]
Simeon and Levi were guilty of killing the men of Shechem, and yet they were still one of Jacob’s sons, and would receive an inheritance. Although Levi’s family would not receive an inheritance as they would actually become God’s ministers. It is remarkable to consider that God had already foreseen the outcome of these events centuries before they unfolded. Nothing in Jacob’s blessings was accidental or improvised; each word reflected the divine plan that had been in motion long before Jacob ever spoke it. As he continued, Jacob turned his attention to Judah and began to declare what would come from his tribe
[Genesis 49:8-12 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. 9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. 11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: 12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.]
Wow! This entire passage is not only a foreshadowing of Jesus’ birth and His sacrificial death on the cross, but it also points unmistakably to His identity as the King of all kings. He is the true Vine into whom we are grafted by His blood, and the One before whom every knee will surely bow, [John 15:5-6 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.]
God knows the path each of us takes. Sadly, many will come to salvation and then go no farther, choosing not to grow, not to obey, and not to walk closely with Him. Such believers often find themselves facing unnecessary suffering on their journey toward the promised land. Yet there is someone in far greater danger than an unfaithful Christian, and that is the lost person who only pretended to be saved. Their deception leaves them without hope, without transformation, and without the security of eternal life. As Jacob continued speaking, he began to foretell what would come of the tribes of Zebulun, Issachar, and Dan, revealing how their futures would unfold.
[Genesis 49:13-18 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon. 14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: 15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute. 16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. 18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.]
Samson, of the tribe of Dan, who would be a judge, upon his death killed thousands of idol worshipers [Judges 16:22-30]. They would later fall deep into idol worship, even having an idol placed in their part of the land of Israel [II Kings 10:29]. Jacob, catching his breath, weary, and worn out, is reminded of where he will be when he is gone. Someone else said something similar to this after Jesus was born in the flesh.
[Luke 2:25-30 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,]
Do you see how believers in the Old Testament were no different from those in the New Testament? They placed their faith in the LORD just as we do. The difference is simply this: they trusted that the promise of Jesus would come, while we trust that the promise has come. Their faith looked forward; ours looks back to the finished work of Christ. Now, there were two more sons for Jacob to address. First, even though he had already blessed Joseph, Jacob had one final word to speak to him before his strength was gone.
[Genesis 49:22-25,27 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: 23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: 24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) 25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: 27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.]
Joseph, faced more hardships than Jacob did for his righteousness, but no matter what he faced he remained faithful to God and kept his faith strong. And by the hands of the Almighty God, he was given the strength to endure it all as He does with all His faithful. Jesus, is the strength of every faithful Christian, [II Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.]
As for Benjamin, what he seized by night would already be divided by dawn. This vivid imagery captures the boldness and intensity that would mark the tribe of Benjamin throughout Israel’s history. There is not much said about his tribe, but from Benjamin would arise Israel’s first king, Saul, and even after the nation divided, the tribe of Benjamin remained aligned with Judah. Their loyalty, courage, and fierce spirit echoed the very prophecy Jacob spoke over them. Jacob blessed each of his sons according to the blessings that God, in future generations, intended to bestow upon them. He had one final request before he died and that was to be buried in the land that would indeed become the inheritance of his descendants in due time.
[Genesis 49:29-31,33 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. 33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.]
When he had finished both his blessing and his final charge, an extraordinary calm settled over him. His work was complete, his faith unwavering, and his hope fixed on the God who had guided him all his days. Jacob, was one hundred and thirty years old when he and his family came into Egypt to endure the famine, it had been over for thirteen years now, yet Jacob and his family still lived there while Joseph governor. He was one hundred and forty-seven years old when he died, and well known and respected by both his family and the Egyptians.
[Genesis 50:1,3-5 And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. 3 And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days. 4 And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5 My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.]
It is not the beginning of our lives that makes the biggest impact, it is what we did before the end, in particular for our soul. Those whom have received Christ as their Saviour will go on to inherit eternal life, while those whom have not will receive eternal death, [John 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.]
[Genesis 50:9-11,14 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company. 10 And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days. 11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abel-mizraim, which is beyond Jordan. 14 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.]
It is not the beginning of our lives that makes the biggest impact, it is what we did before the end, in particular for our soul. Those whom have received Christ as their Saviour will go on to inherit eternal life, while those whom have not will receive eternal death, [John 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.]
Now that their father was gone, his brothers were sure that Joseph was going to get revenge for what they did to him all those years ago. However, he did not seek revenge, he forgave them. No suffering that we face is enjoyable, whether it be something that we did on our own to deserve or nothing we did, but it all leads to much more. This is what Joseph basically says to his brothers.
[Genesis 50:15,19-20,22,24-25 And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. 19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father’s house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years. 24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.]
God has a place for us, even if we have not been the best of Christians. Sometimes God allows us to be in a certain place in our lives in order to prepare is for great things while we are here, sometimes He chastens us, sometimes we are wrongfully persecuted or treated badly, but there is an expected end of something great, [Jeremiah 29:11,14 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.]
Today’s Prayer: God, I cannot thank You enough for what You have done for me and in my life since I accepted Your Son as my Saviour, and dedicated my life to You. There have certainly been ups and downs, twists and turns, and yet, You remained faithful, and kept Your promise to keep me from evil. I really have no idea where You will take me while I remain here, I do know I will face more sorrow, more ups and downs, and more trying of my faith, yet I find comfort in knowing that You have an expected end for me. I will join in with Jacob and say, “I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.” and whenever you are ready to bring me home, I know I will be with You. Praise God! I love you, and pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/ready-to-follow-jesus/
Read Previous Devotions: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Read The Bible: http://kingjamesbible.imfollowingjesus.com/
Visit I’m Following Jesus: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/welcome/
I’m Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2026 I’m Following Jesus, All rights reserved.