Lesson date: 12/11/5858AA

Verses 1-2 – Here we see that Yoseph is told that his father is sick and he takes his 2 sons and goes to his father’s place in Goshen(Drawing Near). We are not told if this is the first time that the boys have met their grandfather or not. This I understand well because I did not meet my granddaughter until she was 14 and I was 64. I only knew she existed a little over 2 years before that and as a result I can identify with Yisra’el meeting his grandsons, probably young men in their twenties, possibly even their thirties, for the first time. ((Yoseph lives in Mitsrayim 22 years before his father came and his father lived there 17 years before he died.)) ((See how Sunday School, Bible School and bedtime stories have shaped our thoughts?))

Verse 3-4 – When something happens for the first time it can either grab our attention or seem innocuous and we overlook it. Look at what happens in this verse:

Gen 37:13  And Yisra’ĕl said to Yosĕph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Sheḵem? Come, I send you to them.” So he said to him, “Here I am.”

Gen 46:30  And Yisra’ĕl said to Yosĕph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.”

Gen 48:3  And Yaʽaqoḇ said to Yosĕph, “Ěl Shaddai appeared to me at Luz in the land of Kenaʽan and blessed me,

Gen 48:11  And Yisra’ĕl said to Yosĕph, “I had not thought to see your face. But see, Elohim has also shown me your seed!”

Gen 48:21  And Yisra’ĕl said to Yosĕph, “See, I am dying, but Elohim shall be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.

We see Yisra’el speak to Joseph for the first time, not as Yisra’el the nation but as Ya’aqob, Yosef’s father. Go back to Chapter 47 and remember what we looked at here: Gen 47:29 And the time for Yisra’ěl to die drew near, and he called his son Yosěph and said to him, “Now if I have found favour in your eyes, please put your hand under my thigh, and show loving-commitment and truth to me. Please do not bury me in Mitsrayim,

אִם־נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְעֵינֶיךָ – ‘im-na matsa’ati ḥen b’eyneyecha’

We talked about this last week, we see Ya’aqob, Yisra’el using the word Hen to his son Yoseph. It only happened once but it was obviously out of place. It stuck out like the proverbial “sore thumb” and as such it made us investigate the relationship between “chesed” and “hen”. Now we see Ya’aqob, the man address his son, not as the nation that wrestles with Elohim but Ya’aqob, the man, the heel-grabber, the son of his father, Yitsaq.

Yisra’el goes back in his story before he became Yisra’el to pass on his family’s history to his future generations. Also notice that it is before he renames Luz – Beyt El. Luz = H3870 – almond tr ee (do we see a foreshadowing here?) Num 17:8  And it came to be on the next day that Mosheh went into the Tent of the Witness and saw that the rod of Aharon, of the house of Lĕwi, had budded, and brought forth buds, and blossomed and bore ripe almonds.

Gen 48:4  and said to me, ‘See, I am making you bear fruit

Gen 30:37  And Yaʽaqob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods.

Gen 30:38  And he set the rods which he had peeled before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, and they conceived when they came to drink.

Let’s romanticize just a bit: Perhaps even Pharoah came with Yoseph, his most trusted advisor, who had made him wealthy beyond imagination, upon hearing that Yisra’el was sick and this is the story that Pharaoh himself wanted to hear from this very old man. (In all likelihood more than 3 times older than Pharaoh.) Go back to Bereshith 28: Gen 28:20  And Yaʽaqoḇ made a vow, saying, “Seeing Elohim is with me, and has kept me in this way that I am going, and has given me bread to eat and a garment to put on –

Bread = Bread of Life (John 6:33, 6:35, 6:48, 6:51

Garment = Garments of Righteousness (Isa. 61:10; Rev. 7:14)

Luz/almond tree/Aharon’s rod = The Good Shepherd’s Rod (Psa. 2:9; Rev. 2:27, 12:5, 19:15)

Verse 5 – Why does Ya’aqob mention Ephrayim’s name first? The answer is in verse 4. This verse of Scripture is very powerful. We see the adoption of Ephrayim and Mennashsheh who are now equal to Reuben (No. 1) and Shim’on (No. 2), just like we were adopted into Yisra’el by the amazing power of the Blood of the Lamb.

Eph 2:13  But now in Messiah יהושע you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.

Rom 11:19  You shall say then, “The branches were broken off ((Reuben and Shim’on)) that I might be grafted in.”

((Please read the parable in Matthew 21:33-44))

It is Ephrayim that becomes synonymous with those of the Gentiles that are grafted in.

Do you see why we should never cease in our reading of the Torah. We are like Mennashsheh and Ephrayim, we were born in Egypt, of a Mitsrian mother and, we have no idea who we are, what is our ancestry or the family history of our ancestors, so we must read and study and digest((Eze. 2:1-10; 3:1-7; Rev. 10:8-10)) Torah so that we can begin to understand how we came about. How our relationship with our Father came to be. Christianity taught us that we walked down the aisle when we were 9 years old and automatically had a relationship with out Father but none of this was true. I walked down the aisle and when I arrived at the front of the church I did not even know my Father’s Name. I was a bastard. I was like Mosheh talking to the burning: Exo 3:13 And Mosheh said to Elohim, “See, when I come to the children of Yisra’ěl and say to them, ‘The Elohim of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His Name?’ what shall I say to them?”

Verse 6 – This is a really great verse as well as it applies to the sentence above: let them be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.

Verse 7 – Look at the beautiful word picture painted by Yisra’el here: “And I, when I came from Paddan, (Paddan = field – H6307) Raḥĕl(“ewe” lamb, the symbol of fruitfulness) died beside me in the land of Kenaʽan on the way

And I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (literally an “ash heap” but means “fruitfulness”), that is Bĕyth Leḥem.(house of bread)

Ephrath – Ephrathite – Ephrayim: 1Sa_17:12  Now Dawiḏ was the son of that Ephrathite of Bĕyth Leḥem in Yehuḏah, whose name was Yishai, and he had eight sons, and in the days of Sha’ul the man was old among men.

Rth 4:11  And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “Witnesses! יהוה make the woman who is coming to your house as Raḥĕl and as Lĕ’ah, the two who built the house of Yisra’ĕl. And prove your worth in Ephrathah and proclaim the Name in Bĕyth Lehem. ((Get any goosebumps yet?))

Mic 5:2 “But you, Běyth Leḥem Ephrathah, you who are little among the clans of Yehuḏah, out of you shall come forth to Me the One to become Ruler in Yisra’ěl. And His comings forth are of old, from everlasting.”<<<< John 8:56-58. Have you ever thought about that?

Mic 5:3 Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labour has given birth, and the remnant of His brothers return to the children of Yisra’ěl.

Mic 5:4 And He shall stand and shepherd in the strength of יהוה, in the excellency of the Name of יהוה His Elohim. And they shall dwell, for at that time He shall be great, to the ends of the earth.

Verses 8-10 – “Who are these?” I honestly believe that Ya’aqob had seen his grandsons before but in verse 10 we see that his eyes were dim, so perhaps he did not fully recognize them. I believe it is more than that, that it is an invitation to present your family: Gen 33:5  And he lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, “Who are these with you?” And he said, “The children with whom Elohim has favoured your servant.”

Isa 60:8  “Who are these who fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?

Rev 7:13  And one of the elders responded, saying to me, “Who are these dressed in white robes, and where did they come from?”

Rev 7:14  And I said to him, “Master, you know.” And he said to me, “These are those coming out of the great distress, having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Mat_10:32  “Everyone, therefore, who shall confess Me before men, him I shall also confess before My Father who is in the heavens.

Joh_17:24  “Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me, might be with Me where I am, so that they see My esteem which You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Confess is G3670 – ὁμολογέω – homologeō – hom-ol-og-eh’-o – From a compound of the base of G3674 and G3056; to assent, that is, covenant, acknowledge: Do you see it?

Our Father will ask our Brother, “Who are these?” and I pray He will say, “These are those who have covenanted with Me. These are those whom you gave Me before the foundation of the world. These are those from the tribe of Ephrayim. HALLELUYAH!!!

Look at what happens next: And he drew them near him and where are they?

Goshen – from – H5066 – נגשׁ – nâgash – BDB Definition: 1) to draw near, approach

(G/SH/N)                                   (N/G/SH)

Jas 4:8  Draw near to Elohim and He shall draw near to you. Cleanse hands, sinners. And cleanse the hearts, you double-minded!

Ephrayim and Menashsheh were brought near to Yisra’el by Yoseph (Yeshua Ben Yosef) and they became as first born, and his father embraced them and kissed them. (Type of shadow) Col_2:17  which are a shadow of what is to come – but the Body of the Messiah.

Joh 14:6  יהושע said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

We are drawn near to the Father by Yeshua Ben Yosef and there is no other way.

A really neat side note about “embraced”: H2263 –  חבק – châbaq – BDB Definition:1) to embrace, clasp

H2265 – חבקּוּק – chăbaqqûq – BDB Definition: Habakkuk = “embrace” ((The name of the Prophet))

Verses 11-12 – Once again I see this as a shadow of things to come, when Yeshua presents us to His Father. Rom 8:15  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the Elohim and Father of our Master יהושע Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Messiah,

Eph 1:4  even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be set-apart and blameless before Him in love,

Eph 1:5  having previously ordained us to adoption as sons through יהושע Messiah to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His desire,

Eph 1:6  to the praise of the esteem of His favour with which He favoured us in the Beloved,

Verses 13-20 –  When Yoseph presented his sons before his father he placed each to a side, Ephrayim on Yisra’el’s left and Menashsheh on his right. All he would have to do is to reach straight out to touch each one as they were presented, eldest on the right, younger on the left. The Scripture says  consciously directing his hands, H7919 – שׂכל – śâkal – BDB Definition: 1) to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper 1b3) to have insight, have comprehension

Ya’aqob had insight, he comprehended who we were all those long years ago. He knew that we would one day be “grafted in” by the Blood of the Messiah. You can’t make this up! It is the Word of Elohim!

In verse 16 please notice:  “the Messenger who has redeemed me from all evil” that would be the same Messenger who redeemed us for the power of the grave, Yeshua. Psa 49:15  But Elohim does redeem my being From the power of the grave, For He does receive me. Selah.

Jonah 2:6 “I went down to the base of the mountains, the earth with its bars were behind me forever. But You brought up my life from the pit, O יהוה , my Elohim.”

Job 19:25 “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and as the last shall rise over the dust”

Now look at the blessing in verse 20: ‘Elohim make you as Ephrayim and as Menashsheh!’”

Elohim make you “doubly fruitful” and “causes you to forget your slavery” to sin. Have you ever thought about that, that we should bed ”doubly fruitful” and “forget our slavery to Mitsrayim, to Babel”?

Verses 21-22 – A portion – H7926 – שׁכם – shekem – Gen_37:13  And Yisra’ĕl said to Yosĕph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Sheḵem? Come, I send you to them.” So he said to him, “Here I am.”

 Gen_37:14  And he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the sheep, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Ḥeḇron, and he went to Sheḵem.

I am giving a portion above your brothers, right back where it all began.

Jos_24:32  And the bones of Yosĕph, which the children of Yisra’ĕl had brought up out of Mitsrayim, they buried at Shekem, in the plot of ground which Yaʽaqoḇ had bought from the sons of Ḥamor the father of Sheḵem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Yosĕph.

Joh_4:5  So He came to a city of Shomeron, called Shekem, near the piece of land Yaʽaqoḇ gave to his son Yosĕph.

Yeshua Ben Yoseph arrived in a Shomeroni town named Shekem and met a woman at the well, whom I call Sarah.

Ahavah vberakhot,