22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. 23 The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, 24 yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), 25 by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26 The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.” (Genesis 49:22-26)
It should not be a surprise that Jacob’s oracle concerning his son Joseph, and his posterity, should contain an abundance of blessings. The fact is, this oracle is filled with God’s prophetic blessings upon Joseph.
To begin with, Jacob compared Joseph to a fruitful bough by a spring. In the Hebrew language, a bough referred to a young animal, a son or a grandson. It was a reference to one’s descendants (Lev. 6:11; 19:18).
Secondly, Jacob acknowledged Joseph had been the victim of personal assault. Jacob likened it to archers shooting at him, attacking him and severely harassing him. Jacob used strong words with vivid imagery.
Yet in spite of these attacks, Jacob indicated that Joseph remained unmoved. The reason for this resolute strong and courageous demeanor was that God was with him (Gen. 39:1-2; 21; Acts 7:9). As the LORD had been with Joseph’s Grandfather Isaac (Gen. 26:24-28) and Father Jacob (Gen. 28:15), He had also been with him.
Dr. R. C. Sproul states, “As with Reuben, Simeon, and Levi (Gen. 49:3–7), Jacob offers a succinct summary of Joseph’s life. “Archers bitterly attacked him” (v. 23), that is, Joseph’s brothers, Potiphar’s wife, and others did their best to destroy this favored son. Nevertheless, Joseph was not defeated. This emphasis on God’s presence is a lesson that we must never forget. Worldly success can blind us, making it easy to believe the lie that we can also prevail with God through our own efforts. In fact, this is what happened to the offspring of Joseph’s son Ephraim centuries later when they led the northern kingdom Israel into idolatry and self-reliance, and earned the Lord’s condemnation (Hos. 9). Those who profess Christ can do the same thing (see Jer. 18:1–10; 1 Cor. 5), and so we ought to beware of the dangers of complacency.”
Have a blessed day in the Lord. Remember, He is always with us (Heb. 13:5-6).
Soli deo Gloria!
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