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This week we end the book of Genesis with parasha Vayechi which translates to “and he lived”. It takes us from Genesis 47:28 to 50:26 and finishes the book of Genesis. This parasha contains the final Messianic prophecy of Genesis as well as a powerful lesson on forgiveness.
Our parasha begins with Jacob making Joseph swear an oath that when he passes away he would be buried with his family in the Promised Land, not Egypt.
Genesis 48 relates the blessing of Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Menasha, by Jacob at the end of his life. By doing this Jacob effectively gave Rueben’s blessing as firstborn, his double portion, to Joseph through his sons. Rueben had lost this blessing due to sexual sins.
Joseph brought his sons to Jacob, positioning them so the older son, Menasha, would be blessed by Jacob’s right hand, as is traditional for the firstborn, and Ephraim being blessed with Jacob’s left hand. But Jacob crossed his arms placing his right hand on Ephraim, not Menasha. Joseph thought his father was making a mistake and tried to move his right arm. But Jacob knew who the older son was, and while both would be a great people, the younger son, Ephraim, would be greater than his brother.
In chapter 50 Jacob gathers together his sons to give each the blessing that was appropriate for them. Rueben was denied the blessing of the firstborn because of his sexual relationship with the same woman his father had been with. For Levi and Simon, neither received the blessing of the firstborn, or headship over their brothers, because of their deep anger and violent ways.
Jacob then pronounces his blessing over the next oldest son, Judah. He is called a young lion and told that his brothers would bow down to him. Verse 10 contains Jacob’s prophesy that the kings of Israel would come from Judah as well as the King of Kings, the Messiah:
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
The term Shiloh refers to the promised Messiah. While this translation has been argued over the centuries, both Christian and Talmudic sources agree to this interpretation. Some claim this refers to the city of Shiloh, however this argument is severely weakened because of Shiloh being in Ephraim, not Judah. Jacob finishes blessing his sons and instructs them to bury him in the Promised Land with his fathers and then passes away.
Chapter 50 records the embalming and mourning for Jacob. Jacob was so greatly loved and respected by the Egyptians that they mourned his death for 70 days. Then a huge procession of Egyptians, along with Joseph and his brothers went out to bury Jacob.
After the burial of Jacob, Joseph’s brothers became scared. With their father dead would Joseph seek revenge? Verses 19 and 20 are his response to his brothers’ fears:
But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
The fear of the brothers showed that they still did not believe that Joseph had forgiven them. Joseph’s brothers did not understand that they were forgiven for the sins they had done against him. Joseph understood that through all the terrible situations in his life the Lord had always been with him and was using it to accomplish His good purposes. Joseph understood, as we should to, that when things seem hopeless to us, when we cannot see a way out and past our current sufferings, the Lord is ALWAYS in control. There is a powerful comfort and peace in knowing that no matter the plans of other people or the plans of the adversary, God is able to use these things to accomplish His will and nothing can stop Him. Joseph’s ability to forgive his brothers and see his life through the eyes of God shows that he had truly made peace with the difficulties of his life.
When I read this passage I am reminded of the many different conflicts, grudges, and unwillingness to forgive there is between my own family and even my spiritual family in Messiah’s Community of Jews and Gentiles. It is very easy to become focused on our own fears and guilt like the brothers of Joseph did and be unable to see the reality of the situations in our lives. They were still stuck in their past to the point they could not truly see and accept the man their brother had become. Even though outwardly they had reconciled, there was still this lingering guilt and fear that came out after the death of Jacob.
As followers of Messiah we need to be willing to put our conflicts and suffering in the right heavenly context like Joseph did and find real forgiveness for those that have hurt us through Adonai. Not all relationships can and should be restored, but we have to do the hard work with Adonai’s help of moving past the suffering we endure from others, especially those we love. We also need to acknowledge the hurt we have caused to others; we may like to believe that we are always on the receiving end of suffering but the reality is we can cause it as well. When we realize we have sinned and hurt someone we need to acknowledge it and do the hard work of confessing our sins to Adonai and then reaching out when possible to those we have harmed. There are few things as spiritually and emotionally damaging as unresolved conflicts that poison us and our relationships with others.
The book of Genesis ends with the death of Joseph at the age of 110. His final words recorded in verses 24 and 25 proclaim his unwavering faith and hope in the promises the Lord made to him.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”
Joseph knew the Lord kept His word, that his hope was not unfounded. He demonstrated once again his extraordinary faith in Adonai.
Later in the Torah we will read that when Moses left Egypt with our people, they took the bones of Joseph with them as he instructed. Joseph’s faith was not misplaced and he was eventually buried in the Promised Land.
With the death of Joseph we have reached the end of the book of Genesis, the book of the Torah that lays the foundation for everything that comes after. Looking back we can see despite many plans for evil, God turned situations on their head and accomplished His good, especially His plans for the future Messiah woven throughout this book.
May the Lord help us to completely forgive others like Joseph and to acknowledge our own sins like his brothers. May each one of us realize God’s good plans for our lives and experience the ultimate forgiveness that only comes through Messiah Yeshua.