The last pages of Genesis  

Wow! This is my 13th post on Genesis and I've already arrived at the end of the book. The last few pages are Jacob's last days, his death, burial, and Joseph's last days as well. The book has left me both reflecting and looking ahead.

Synopsis

Jacob, about to die, makes Joseph promise to bury him with his fathers, not in Egypt. They use the special "thigh" promise that Abraham used with his servant getting a wife for Isaac.

Later Jacob is ill (wasn't he already?) and tells Joseph the story of God's covenant with him at Luz (when he first left his father's house): God will make him a great nation and will give him the land. Jacob says Joseph's two sons are to become Jacob, which, as far as I can tell, is a blessing to Joseph, that his family will have twice the inheritance. Jacob blesses the younger one ahead of the older one. Kinda like how Jacob got the better blessing as the younger sibling.

Next Jacob gathers his sons around him to bless them/tell about their futures. It's done in verse:
Reuben, his oldest, has been strong, but will no longer excel since he slept with one of his dad's wives.
Simeon and Levi, who killed all those guys because they raped Dinah, are denounced for their violence, and are said to be scattered among Israel.
Judah is to be praised among his brothers, is a lion, will be a ruler until "he to whom it belongs shall come."
Zebulun will live by the sea.
Issachar will live on good land and submit to forced labor.
Dan will be like a snake and give Israel justice.
Gad will be attacked by raiders but will fight back.
Asher will be a good cook.
Naphtali is a doe that bears beautiful fawns.
Joseph gets a long poem... Despite being bitterly attacked, he has persevered because of the power of God, who is a great, great God. He gets really really blessed.
Benjamin is a wolf who devours prey and divides plunder.

These twelve men make up the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jacob reiterates to bury him in his family's burial cave in Canaan. Then he dies.

Joseph asks for permission to take his body to Canaan, and Pharaoh grants it. Joseph, his bros, and tons of others go up with them to Canaan to bury Jacob. They mourn terribly and for a long time, and do bury him in the same cave Abraham is in. Then they go back to Egypt.

Joseph's brothers are still afraid of his wrath, but he assures them again that his slavery was part of God's plan to save Israel's family.

Joseph lives to see his great grandchildren and tells the Israelites that they will eventually go back to Canaan and when they do, to take Joseph's bones with them. then he dies at 110.

Analysis

And that's all, folks. That's where the story ends. The implication is that Israel will grow into a nation. But it hasn't happened yet. They certainly don't have the land (they aren't even living in it) and all nations have not at all been blessed. Genesis, at the end, is a book that looks forward to the future or possibly to the next book.

Response

Overall, what do I come away with? The book is definitely in two halves: before Abraham and after he shows up. Before Abraham seems to be that despite God's beautiful and harmonious creation that man is apart of, mankind is totally and utterly corrupt, evil and violent. God quells the evil for a while with the flood, but clearly another solution is needed.

The second half is about a lot of things. First of all, it's about God making a covenant with Abraham and his family: they he will bless them, that he will bless all nations through them, that he will make a great nation from Abraham, and that he will give Abraham the land of Canaan. Over and over and over again this is stated and restated several times to Abraham, then once to Isaac, a few times to Jacob, and then retold by Jacob. It matters.

Other themes are there though. God demonstrates extreme faithfulness to the family, not just to honor his promises, but to develop them to a point that they really trust him, through Isaac's birth or Jacob wrestling with God or his sons being shown mercy through Joseph.

Over the weekend I plan on making a large post summarizing Genesis in full and linking to appropriate posts. I also will write a few posts just pondering some issues we may have when reading through Genesis.

It's been fun, and I look forward to Exodus.