49:1-28 Jacob called all his sons to tell them what would happen in the days to come.

#1 Reuben is the firstborn, the first sign of Jacob's strength, excelling in honor and power, but he would excel no more because he slept with Jacob's wife, Bilhah (Genesis 35:22).

#2 and #3 Simeon and Levi are violent men who killed many men in their anger when their sister Dinah was defiled in Shechem (Genesis 34:25). Jacob curses their anger and says they'll be scattered in Israel.

#4 Judah will be praised by his brothers and defeat his enemies. In class we talked about how Jesus came from the tribe of Judah and Jacob's prophecy is fulfilled in Him.

• His brothers will praise Him
• He will defeat His enemies
• His Father's sons (believers) will bow down to Him
• He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah
• The scepter and the ruler's staff (of a King) will not depart from Judah until "he (Christ) comes to whom it belongs."
• The obedience of the nations is His (after His second coming)
• Christ rode a colt of a donkey to Jerusalem just before His crucifixion
• He will wash his robes in the blood of grapes (His blood was shed and wine symbolizes His blood)

# 5 Zebulun will live by the sea and become a haven for ships. This tribe later settled by the sea in Canaan.

#6 Issachar is a "rawboned" or strong donkey who will submit to forced labor because he sees how good and pleasant is his land. This tribe settled in an area where they were later invaded and taken captive.

#7 Dan will provide justice for his people but he will do so in a cunning and deceptive way.

#8 Gad means "attack." His descendants will be attacked and will attack back.

#9 Asher will indulge in rich food and provide delicacies fit for a king.

#10 Naphtali is a doe set free. His descendants settled in the hill country and moved about freely in it.

#11 Joseph is a fruitful vine near a spring whose branches climb over a wall. He was bitterly attacked by his brothers but he remained steady and strong because of the Mighty One, the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, the God of his fathers, the Almighty who has blessed him with many different blessings. Joseph is a prince among his brothers.

#12 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf who hunts and eats and then divides the plunder.

v. 29-50:1-14 Jacob told his sons to bury him with his fathers in the family burial cave in Canaan; the same cave Abraham bought when he buried his wife Sarah. Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah and Leah were all buried there. After Jacob finished speaking to his sons he died. Joseph mourned deeply for his father. He had the Egyptian physicians embalm him, taking the full 40 days. The Egyptians mourned for him 70 days. Joseph asked Pharaoh's court to speak to Pharaoh about allowing him to travel to Canaan and bury his father there. Pharaoh agreed to let him go. He traveled there with all the Egyptian officials and dignitaries as well as all his brothers and Jacob's household. The children and livestock were left in Goshen. Chariots and horsemen accompanied him. At the threshing floor of Atad near the Jordan River they observed a 7-day period of mourning. When the local Canaanites saw them there they named the place Abel Mizraim meaning "mourning of the Egyptians." Jacob's sons buried him in the cave where his ancestors were buried and then they returned to Egypt.

v. 15-21 Joseph's brothers feared that he would get even with them now that their father was dead. They sent word to Joseph that his father left instructions saying he should forgive his brothers for the sins they committed against him. Of course Jacob hadn't left such instructions, the brothers were just trying to protect themselves. When Joseph heard their message he wept. His brothers threw themselves at his feet and said they were his slaves. But Joseph spoke kindly to them and reassured them. He said they intended to do him harm but God intended it for good and many lives were being saved. Joseph said he would provide for his brothers and their children.

v. 22-26 Joseph stayed in Egypt and lived to be 110 years old, seeing the third generation of Ephraim's children. Also, his great-grandchildren, the grandchildren of Manasseh, were "placed at birth on Joseph's knees" which means they were counted as Joseph's children. When he was near death Joseph made his brothers swear an oath that they would carry his bones out of Egypt when God would rescue their descendants and bring them to the Promised Land (this was done in Exodus 13:19). Then Joseph died and they embalmed him and placed his body in a coffin in Egypt.

 That's the end of Genesis. Next time we will start reading Exodus

--Sandy Blank

6:13-20 When God made a promise to Abraham, He also swore an oath and Abraham received what God promised him-- a son and many descendants. It's not only God who swears an oath. Men also swear an oath as a confirmation that they will indeed do what they've promised. God wanted His people to be very sure that He would follow through on what He'd promised. That's why He swore an oath. The readers can be greatly encouraged because of these "two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie," (1. His promise and 2. His oath). They have "fled to take hold of the hope" that they've been offered through Christ. This hope of eternal life is "an anchor for the soul" and it enters "the inner sanctuary behind the curtain" where Jesus has entered on their behalf. He is their high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

7:1-10 Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. We read earlier about how he met Abraham after the defeat of the kings (click for handout). Abraham gave him 10% of the plunder. Melchizedek means "king of righteousness" and king of Salem means "king of peace." No one knows where he came from, his genealogy is unknown. "Without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever." We know Melchizedek was greater than Abraham because he received the tithe from him and blessed him. The greater one always blesses the lesser. He was also greater than the Levites because even though the Law requires the Levites to collect the tithe from their brothers, Levi essentially paid a tithe to Melchizedek through his great-grandfather Abraham. The author is showing his readers that the Melchizedian priesthood is superior to the Levitical priesthood.

v. 11-19 Obviously the Levitical priesthood could not bring about perfection otherwise there would have been no need for the Melchizedekian. "When there is a change of the priesthood there must also be a change of the law." Jesus belonged to the tribe of Judah, not the tribe of Levi. He couldn't have been a high priest in the Levitical system because He came from the wrong tribe. Jesus is high priest of the order of Melchizedek. He became high priest not on the basis of His ancestry but "on the basis of the power of an indestructible life." Take a moment to think about that statement. Jesus is indestructible. He cannot be stopped. He will never die and be replaced by another. The former priesthood was set aside because it could not do what the Melchizedekian order can do. The new is "a better hope" through which believers can draw near to God.

v. 20-22 There was not an oath associated with the Levitical priesthood. But Jesus became high priest with an oath. "The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: 'You are a priest forever.'" Notice how God's oath confirms the statement and makes it more certain. He will not change His mind. What He says He will do, He will do. It's because of the oath that Jesus is "the guarantee of a better covenant." The new covenant is better than the old.

v. 23-8:2 There have been many high priests in the Levitical priesthood because a new one had to be appointed whenever the current high priest died. But Jesus lives forever and will never die. Therefore He has a permanent priesthood. Those who come to God through Jesus, not through some other means like the Levitical high priest, are saved forever because He "always lives to intercede for them." Jesus is better because He is "holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens." This cannot be said about the other high priests. Jesus doesn't have to offer sacrifices for His own sins because He has never sinned. He offered Himself as the sacrifice once and for all. Levitical high priests were appointed by the Law of Moses and they are "weak". But God's oath which came after the Law appoints the Son of God "who has been made perfect forever." The author says, "The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest" who serves in the heavenly sanctuary in the "true tabernacle set up by the Lord."

Keep in mind that the author is writing to Jewish-Christian converts who were being tempted to go back to Judaism. The Temple is still standing, sacrifices are being offered every day, and the high priest still goes into the holy of holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. They don't know that in a few short years the Temple will be destroyed. There will be nothing to go back to. The author is explaining to them that whatever they felt they lost when they became Christians has been replaced by something infinitely better. They have a better High Priest of a better order of priests. They have a sanctuary in the true tabernacle set up by the Lord and not by men. They have had the ultimate sacrifice offered on their behalf by their everlasting Intercessor. They have an inheritance far richer than the Promised Land and the traditions of their fathers. As we continue to read Hebrews we will see more details of how much they have gained by following Christ. This should be a great encouragement for us today.

Click to see the diagram we used at the end of class.

Much more next time.

--Sandy Blank

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