JANUARY 16, 2021 Genesis 50:19-20 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” In saying, “Am I in the place of God” Joseph conveyed to […]
JANUARY 15, 2021 Genesis 50:15-17 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” Even though Joseph had made provision for them and their families and even though hugs and kisses had been exchanged between them, […]
JANUARY 14, 2021 Genesis 49:33 And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people. The way the text reads, it sounds as if Jacob passed away from this life almost immediately after prophesying over his sons and their […]
JANUARY 13, 2021 Genesis 49:27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.” Jacob portrays the tribe of Benjamin as a warring tribe in that he “tears his prey” and “divides the spoil.” Indeed, there are examples of their warlike tendencies in the […]
JANUARY 12, 2021 Genesis 49:26 “The blessings of your father have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.” It is amazing to think, given […]
JANUARY 11, 2021 Genesis 49:23-24 “The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him. But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob.” The Hebrew word translated as “archers” is literally translated as “Masters of piercing” thus hinting at arrows. The archers are those […]
JANUARY 10, 2021 Genesis 49:22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; his branches run over the wall.” The most eloquent blessing was reserved for Joseph who unites the best qualities of Reuben and Judah. He is a dreamer, a visionary some might say, but one who balances his dreams with moral and […]
JANUARY 9, 2021 Genesis 49:18 “I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!” At the end of Jacob’s blessing upon Dan, he said something very interesting — “I have waited for your salvation, O Lord.” It is understood in rabbinical sources that Jacob was alluding to something that would occur at the end of days, or […]
JANUARY 8, 2021 Genesis 49:16-17 “Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider shall fall backward.” The name Dan means “to judge” and carries the connotation of judging a situation […]
JANUARY 7, 2021 Genesis 49:14-15 “Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two burdens; he saw that rest was good, and that the land was pleasant; he bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, and became a band of servants.” The prophecy upon Issachar is interesting. He is likened unto a strong-boned donkey that rests between two burdens, implying that the […]