Lesson 24 – Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
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||| Lesson 24 |||
Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
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OPEN IT
What is the most important promise you have made?
EXPLORE IT
1. What happened when the time for Jacob to die drew near? (Gen.47:28–31)
2. What did Joseph do when he heard that his father was ill? (Gen.48:1–2)
3. What did Jacob tell Joseph? (Gen.48:3–7)
4. What did Jacob ask Joseph? (Gen.48:8–10)
5. What did Jacob say he never expected? (Gen.48:11)
6. Whom did Joseph bring before Jacob, and what did Jacob do? (Gen.48:13–14)
7. What did Jacob say when he blessed Joseph? (Gen.48:15–16)
8. What concerned Joseph, and what did he ask Jacob to do about it? (Gen.48:17–18)
9. How did Jacob respond to Joseph’s request? (Gen.48:19–20)
10. What did Jacob tell Joseph, and what responsibility did he give him? (Gen.48:21–22)
GET IT
11. Why is it important to keep one’s promises?
12. When is it easy to keep promises? Break them?
APPLY IT
13. What promise that has become difficult to keep will you publicly commit yourself to keeping?
Commentary Intro
Jacob makes Joseph promise to bury him in Canaan (Gen.47:28-31)
Although Joseph and Jacob have finally been reunited, the text gives little attention to this, focusing instead on events at the end of Jacob’s life. In doing so, the focus begins to look beyond the time in Egypt to the point when Israel will settle in their own land.
Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons (Gen.48:1-22)
This vignette from the life of Jacob is told in three parts. Verses 1-12 portray Joseph’s visit to his father and their conversation, which is largely dominated by Jacob’s words adopting Ephraim and Manasseh as his heirs. Verses 13-20 describe Jacob’s blessing on Joseph’s sons. Finally, verses 21-22 depict Jacob’s grant of land in Canaan to Joseph.
This chapter explains the prominence of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh in Israel and why there were two Joseph tribes while each of Jacob’s other sons accounted for one tribe.
Although Joseph and Jacob have finally been reunited, the text gives little attention to this, focusing instead on events at the end of Jacob’s life. In doing so, the focus begins to look beyond the time in Egypt to the point when Israel will settle in their own land.
Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons (Gen.48:1-22)
This vignette from the life of Jacob is told in three parts. Verses 1-12 portray Joseph’s visit to his father and their conversation, which is largely dominated by Jacob’s words adopting Ephraim and Manasseh as his heirs. Verses 13-20 describe Jacob’s blessing on Joseph’s sons. Finally, verses 21-22 depict Jacob’s grant of land in Canaan to Joseph.
This chapter explains the prominence of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh in Israel and why there were two Joseph tribes while each of Jacob’s other sons accounted for one tribe.
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