Deuteronomy 33:12 – 17 “Concerning Benjamin, he said: “May the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him; God shields him all day long, and upon His shoulders he rests.” This blessing is a lovely description of a father carrying his little son on his shoulders, protecting him.
Concerning Joseph, he said: “May his land be blessed by the LORD with the precious dew from heaven above and the deep waters that lie beneath, with the bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons, with the best of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills, with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it, and with the favor of Him who dwelt in the burning bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph and crown the brow of the prince of his brothers. His majesty is like a firstborn bull, and his horns are like those of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even to the ends of the earth. Such are the myriads of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”
There are two places in the Old Testament where a patriarch pronounces blessings over the tribes. When Jacob lay dying in Egypt, he prophesied over his sons, knowing their natures and foreseeing what God would do with them. Genesis 49 records Jacob’s prophecies. The “blessing” pronounced over Levi was a curse that his descendants would be scattered throughout Israel; yet, the Levites overcame that curse by their obedience. The Levites settled throughout Israel because of the priesthood, but this was a blessing.
Benjamin: v. 27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.” Joseph and Benjamin were Rachel’s sons and Jacob’s favorites. Benjamin was the baby of the family; given the nature of Jacob’s blessing, it sounds as if he was very spoiled. Those in the tribe of Benjamin must have been far happier with Moses’ blessing!
The blessing of Joseph: v. 22 – 26 “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall. The archers attacked him with bitterness, and aimed in hostility. Yet he steadied his bow, and his strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you, with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with blessings of the breasts and womb. The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.” There is no tribe called Joseph because Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh both became tribes. The blessings pronounced on Joseph are some of the most elaborate, and these blessings later do come true. Even though Manasseh was the older son, Jacob and Moses both bless Ephraim more abundantly.
Jacob blessed Joseph so abundantly partially because Joseph had saved the family, the Egyptians, and many nations around Egypt from starvation during a seven years’ drought. Remember how Joseph started out? Joseph was also spoiled, and his father had given him wonderful clothes, far nicer than anything the other brothers had. Joseph had prophetic dreams of rulership and was rash enough to share them, infuriating his jealous brothers and leading them to seize him and sell him into slavery when they got the chance. But God used this evil deed to get Joseph to Egypt and then to put him through very rigorous training as a manager before promoting him to become the second most powerful man in the country. Joseph EARNED those blessings that Jacob pronounced over him, and that heritage of blessing continued as Moses pronounced further blessings over Ephraim and Manasseh. Between Jacob’s blessing and the blessing of Moses, there was a a period of four hundred forty years; yet, those blessings that Jacob pronounced over Joseph were still working. Joseph’s suffering paid off for his descendants in amazing ways.
APPLICATION: Several years ago, Paul Billheimer wrote a book entitled Don’t Waste Your Sorrows. The book was a study of the Book of James, taking its title from James 1:2 – 3, which says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance..” Joseph could certainly have testified to the truth of those verses, as could Moses. Most people learn far more during times of testing than they do during times of abundance. We are far too prone to take the abundance for granted, assuming that we have deserved it, and to relax spiritually. That’s why God kept using Moses to warn the Israelites about the dangers of the abundance they would find in the Promised Land.
Most of us are not interested in the value of suffering! Charles Schulz in his “Peanuts” cartoon expressed it succinctly. Lucy is complaining about feeling down, and Charlie Brown is attempting to console her. But Lucy doesn’t want to be comforted. Lucy’s retort to Charlie Brown is classic: “I don’t want any “downs”! I only want “ups” and “ups” and “ups”!”
Are you going through trials today? Hang in there! God may be preparing you for something wonderful that He can only give you after you have learned the lessons of suffering. You will find that those who have suffered are the very people who can help you the most. Those who have not suffered are the ones who will give you quick platitudes. Such people have led “shrink wrapped” lives. Nothing has touched such people, and they misinterpret their lack of pain as evidence of their wisdom, rather than abysmal ignorance.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You that when You bring us through trials, You only do it so that we can learn and be ready to comfort others. Thank You for Your unfailing Love. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
January 29, 2022 at 7:08 pm
Well said