Commenting on the prophecy made regarding Joseph in Genesis 49:22-26, the great Baptist preacher of a bygone era, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, wrote,

Dear friends, we long to have many converts; we count that church happy to which God adds daily of such as are being saved. But we are very much concerned about the quality of our converts. We do not wish to make up a church with a number of shallow professors, whose religion lies upon the surface, and is of a doubtful character. We are very anxious that we should have those in our fellowship who are thoroughly converted, richly experienced, and fully instructed in the deep things of God. We would have as our associates people who are established by principle rather than moved by passion. We would earnestly pray to have a company of believers added to the church who shall be like Joseph in character—fruitful trees growing by the well, whose branches run over the wall. Jacob describes Joseph as a fruitful offshoot, and he explains his fruitfulness by his position: he is fruitful “by a well.” When a vine grows near a well which is always full, and when it is able to send its roots down to drink of the unfailing spring, it may very well be fruitful, and send forth many branches. The point is, to get by the well…. If we can reach the secret fountains, and say to God, with the Psalmist, “All my fresh springs are in thee,” then shall we find nourishment for our branches, and our fruit and leaf will never fail. “Dwell deep” is a prophetic word of much value to Christians. To live upon land-drainage and casual rains may suffice for ordinary plants; but the trees of the Lord which bring forth much fruit need to penetrate below the topsoil and reach to the secret fountains of grace.

Such was the life of Joseph. For all who knew him, there was no doubt about whom he loved and served. He was unmistakably a man of God. His faith wrought with his works and his faith was made complete (cf. James 2:22). Joseph was one son of Jacob who was manifestly a believer. His profession of faith was unmistakably proven. And with Spurgeon I would concur that it is a wonderful blessing when a church is filled with such.

This should be our prayer for our local churches. We should beseech God for conversions—real conversions—for those who will manifest that they are in covenant relationship, both with God and with other believers, by a faith that really works; that is, faith which brings forth fruit. In fact, our faith ought to produce so much fruit that our profession is unmistakably proven.

As we study Jacob’s prophetic blessing upon Joseph may we find ourselves drinking from the same well as he and many of his future descendants did; from the deep and satisfying spring of the mighty God of Jacob.

The Context

On his deathbed, Jacob gave his final, prophetic blessings to his twelve sons. Some of his words proved to be negative predictions and some were positive. But all were inspired and thus all came to pass in space and time. And as we have been learning, the characteristics of these tribes are exactly what we find in the life of the church in our own day. We are thus challenged by this record to avoid the bad and to embrace the good. And when it comes to the life of Joseph, he always is presented as good.

The Characteristic

We have thus far identified the outstanding characteristics of the following sons:

Reuben, who was unappreciative of his privileges;
Simeon and Levi, who had unbridled passions;
Judah, who received unconditional pre-eminence;
Zebulun, who would enjoy unusual prosperity (in a most unlikely position);
Issachar, who would become guilty of unutilised potential;
Dan, who would enjoy an unusual privilege and yet grow unrepentantly perilous
Gad, who would have unstoppable perseverance and yet would suffer from unwise and selfish preferences;
Asher, who would receive unbounded prosperity; and

Naphtali, who would have the wonderful characteristic of being an unfettered people; they would be surefooted, secure and satisfied.

The characteristic that perhaps stands out the most concerning Joseph is that of his being unmistakably proven. That is, there was no dichotomy between what he professed in his religion and what he practiced. He was fruitful. Let’s look at this more closely.

Unstoppable Progress

First, let us examine Joseph’s unstoppable progress, as observed in v. 22: “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall.”

Joseph’s Success

This is a remarkable testimony by a father regarding his son. Would to God that we could all hear such words! And, by God’s grace, we can!

The picture is that of either a large and flourishing tree or that of a fruitful vine. The word in the KJV is often used elsewhere of a vine.

The nation of Israel would later be referred to on several occasions as a “vine,” but in every case it is in a negative context. Usually, there is a reference to what could have been and what could be if the nation would serve the Lord. But in this case we read of what was already true of Joseph. He in fact was so fruitful that he was a blessing to many; even to those beyond the “wall.”

Joseph’s life had proven itself to be in a right relationship with God, with the result that others were immensely blessed—not only in Egypt (see 47:25) but also in Palestine (cf. his family’s deliverance from famine).

The word translated “wall” could also be a proper noun describing the city of Shur. In the days of Egyptian glory this city was on the border between Egypt and Palestine and served to demarcate, “thus far and no further.” That is, it served as a point of entry, a customs border post. Thus it is interesting that in spite of obstacles, Joseph’s life was able to be a blessing to a land that the Egyptians despised. Though Joseph was a citizen of Egypt, he was a blessing to the land across the river.

Joseph’s Spring

There was a cause behind Joseph’s profound and unstoppable progress: His roots were well situated; they were deeply buried in God.

A vine that is well nourished beneath the surface will in harvest time give testimony to this as it produces luscious fruit. And such is true of the believer who abides in Christ. One can hardly read this portion of Scripture without thinking of our Lord’s words in John 15:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

(John 15:1-5)

This is precisely the reason that Joseph lived such a fruitful life. In the face of much adversity and in the presence of almost countless obstacles, Joseph remained in God. His vine may have been shaken by the winds of opposition; his leaves may have been battered by the hail and by the scorching winds of mistreatment, yet his roots were protected in the secret place of the Most High. It was for this reason that the leaf of a God-centred faith did not wither and that he was able to bring forth the fruit of a godly character in his season (cf. Psalm 1:1-3).

Joseph certainly faced the sirocco droughts of injustice, slander and abandonment. Many hardships seemed to be his lot in life. And yet through it all he was a beautiful example of the godly man depicted by Jeremiah many centuries later:

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.

(Jeremiah 17:7-8)

Joseph walked with God. He obviously meditated upon His Word. He would have often reflected upon God’s covenantal promises made to his father (Jacob), his grandfather (Isaac) and his great-grandfather (Abraham). I am sure that he often meditated upon God’s inspired dream (Genesis 37) and from this his vine was strengthened as he faced the onslaught of disillusionment.

Joseph’s Sphere

As noted, the blessings of Joseph’s life were far and wide in their influence. The sphere of his impact was enormous. I love the picture here of his branches running over the wall. This is a poetic way of emphasising his sphere of influence. Because his root was well-situated in God, others also received the benefits of his relationship. You will recall how the Lord used him to rescue multitudes from a horrifically fierce famine. But his influence was not merely temporal. Rather, because of his faithfulness and thus fruitfulness, he was used of God to save the people of God through whom one day Messiah would come. And through Christ multitudes have been and will be redeemed.

We must keep in mind that Genesis is an account of God’s redemptive plan. Thus, all that we see in this record is Christ-centred. We have seen over and over again how Satan sought to build walls in the path of the progress of the Seed and yet over and over we have also seen God’s purposes and promises climb over those walls. Joseph was one means by which Satan’s obstacles were conquered. Yes, God used Joseph to overcome wicked walls for His glory.

We would be wise to understand that the trials in our lives are ordained of God for His redemptive purposes. And if we will respond faithfully in them then we can be so fruitful that others will be blessed.

When God saves someone, they are rooted and grounded in the love of God. There are wonderful personal blessings that attend this. The peace and joy, the surefootedness and satisfaction in Christ is a wonderful thing for the individual believer to experience. But if those blessings remain on your side of the wall only, then I would suggest that your root has become disconnected from the Spring. Christianity is indeed personal, but it is never merely private. True fruitfulness is proven by whether or not others share in our produce.

Unlimited Power

Joseph’s unstoppable progress was not because of anything that was naturally inherent. Rather the testimony of Scripture is that God was the One strengthening him. “The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: but his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel)” (vv. 23-24).

Joseph’s Situation

In v. 23 Jacob no doubt is referring to the injustices that Joseph had experienced at the hands of his brothers, the slave traders, Potiphar and his wife, the forgetful butler and perhaps a host of other people who had mistreated Joseph. Remember that the Scriptures are a sufficient but incomplete record of all that Joseph encountered. Thus it is quite likely that many “archers,” in addition to those recorded, had taken their best shots at him. And so when all things are considered, his situation up until the time of his ascendancy in Pharaoh’s court was pretty horrific. Consider the words of the ESV, “The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely.” That is quite a description!

Perhaps you can relate in some way to his situation. Perhaps you have been betrayed by your spouse, or forsaken by a friend. Perhaps you have felt the arrows of hatred as you have stood for Christ. Perhaps, through no fault of your own, you are being harassed at work or at school or even in your home.

How will you respond? Well, that all depends on the location of your root. As we have seen in the opening words of this prophecy, Joseph was fruitful in the midst of such a painful situation. “The root of the righteous shall not be moved” (Proverbs 12:3) but his fruit will surely be mobile; it will relocate beyond the wall (see Proverbs 12:12)!

Joseph’s Strength

Verse 24 is a beautiful verse that identifies the source from which Joseph drew his fruitful strength, from “the mighty God of Jacob.”

The picture is from the scene of a battlefield, Joseph on one side and his enemies on the other. He is the target for the hate launched arrows. Multitudes are against him and he is no match for these bloodthirsty enemies. He has no strength to defend himself; he is perhaps on the verge of surrender. The white flag is being tied to the end of his spear. He begins to raise it but all of a sudden he finds himself laying it down and grabbing his bow with a new sense of vigour. He rises up from above the trench and finds himself pulling back the string that has been loaded with a well aimed arrow. From where does this renewed strength come? Why do his arms feel that they can draw the bow? Why are his once shaking (because battle weary) hands steady as the arrow is once again aimed? Ah, it is because it is actually not his strength at all! In fact as he observes he notices that his arms have been embraced by another set of arms—strong and steady ones. He notices that his feeble hands have been clasped by hands that are firm and these seem to be covered with the calluses that loving actions produce. Yes, his arms and hands have been strengthened by those of the mighty God of Jacob.

Believer, the only way that you will be able to stand in the evil day will be if the Lord enables you to do so. You are no match for the world, the flesh and the devil. Only He who conquered such on the cross has the power to deliver you, and He will!

Paul exhorted the Corinthian church, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). They would need to do so if they would go forward as a church for the glory of Christ. But Paul knew that in and of themselves they could not do so. Thus as he closed his letter to them a few verses later he added, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (1 Corinthians 16:23). In his next letter he would tell them again that the secret of his strength in the midst of difficulties was the grace of God (see 2 Corinthians 12:9-10). And what was true of him is equally available and applicable to you and me.

The church is constantly being confronted by warriors and by walls. And the only way that we will be enabled to defeat the one and to climb over the other is by the strength of the mighty God of Jacob. Yes, we must show up for the fight, we must bring with us the arrows of truth; we are to enter the battlefield with all of the armour of God. And yet at the end of the day the Lord must be the one who enables us to lift the bow and to pull back the string in order to let the arrows fly (or, in some cases, not to fly).

Whilst I do not wish to argue from silence, I find it interesting that the word picture used here ends before the well taut bow is released. That is, the picture is that of one who is prepared to respond but seemingly does not. And such is often the path to victory. Sometimes it requires as much strength to refuse to let the arrows fly as it does to release them. The Bible calls this meekness: strength held in check, strength under control.

In the Genesis record we never see Joseph retaliating; he is never seen seeking revenge. In fact, he is not observed complaining. Rather, we see him consistently letting God be his defence. And he is in good company.

Moses without doubt was one of the strongest most effective leaders who has ever walked this planet. And yet what was the single greatest testimony to his character? “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). What a testimony! What a marvellous strength! What a great God!

Some perhaps would have thought that it was when Moses struck and killed a man who had offended his people that he most proved his strength. But in fact that only proved his weakness. He would spend forty years alone with God before he would develop the kind of strength that would enable him to not react. His strength was proven in his ability to not shoot the arrow. And so it was for David.

When David was hotly pursued by Saul some of his well meaning friends tried to coax him to kill this enemy when he had the chance. But to David this was unthinkable. He learned that it takes as much wisdom and strength to merely duck the spears as to throw them. In fact, it probably takes more!

The Lord Jesus personified this characteristic of godliness (as always) in a perfect way. He could have called down ten thousand angels to deliver Him. He could have come down from the cross by His own power. On several occasions He had avoided death and by doing so He proved Himself to be sovereign. But His ultimate proof of His power came when he refused to fight. When He refused to let the arrows of justice fly he showed Himself to be the mighty God of Jacob. And, of course, this was fully manifested upon His resurrection three days later.

What do all of these examples have in common? In each case these men waited on the Lord. In each case they were strengthened by the mighty God of Jacob. Moses and David clearly lived in such a way that their roots were deep in God. They no doubt spent so much of their time meditating on who God is and His grace to them. They were men of prayer and thus they were identified as men of God, men who were uniquely the property of God. God was their portion and thus God was the source of their power. And therefore they were content for Him to defend them. After all, when the sovereign of the universe is for you, who can be against you?

The Lord Jesus demonstrated this reality more than anyone ever has or ever will. He was constantly in communion with God. He rose “a great while before day” and communed with His heavenly Father before the busyness of the day (Mark 1:35). On the night of His betrayal and subsequent mock trial and crucifixion He prayed and found strength from His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. As the onslaughts of hell opposed Him that night, there was a real sense in which His hands may have felt weak as He held the bow. The devil tempted Him to raise the white flag of surrender as He cried out, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). And at that moment it was as if He felt the arms of the Father embrace His own. His hands had renewed strength. He thus filled His quiver with the arrows of faith, grabs the bow of commitment and said, “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt!” Hallelujah, what a Saviour! Truly those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31).

Dear believer, that same source of strength is available to you and me—the strength to both shoot when necessary as well as to put the arrows away when called upon to do so. But this will only happen if you are rooted in Christ. Those who are so rooted will bring forth much fruit, in spite of wars and walls.

Joseph’s Shepherd and Stone

Jacob, of course, knew the source of Joseph’s strength. After all he called God “the mighty God of Jacob.” And it is wonderful that he does in fact personalise this designation. It is a wonderful thing when our theology is personal. Those for whom God is real are those alone who are rooted in His spring.

As Jacob spoke of the Lord he added two more designations: “shepherd” and “stone.” These names reveal to us the tenderness, and may I say the toughness, of God. Jacob had learned by experience that God cares for His people and that He is their solid foundation. God will do what is necessary to preserve His people.

We experience God’s strength as He shepherds us and by His stone-like quality of being unmovable. A proper response to these two aspects are essential if we will be fruitful for His glory.

Unparalleled Prosperity

Up until this point Jacob’s words were largely been historical. As he reviewed the kind of man that Joseph had become he acknowledged that this man of God kneeling before him had been fruitful by God’s enablement. But in these final words addressed to Joseph, his father pronounced the most emphatic blessings upon him and his descendants. The blessings pronounced here are unparalleled.

The Scope of the Blessings

As v. 28 notes, these prophetic words of Jacob to his sons were blessings. That is, the good things that would happen to them were by God’s grace and their failures would be used by God to bring His purposes to pass. In other words, these were “blessings” because these sons would produce the nation of Israel through whom Jesus Christ would come. They were truly Christ-centred blessings.

But nowhere in this chapter is this more apparent than in these verses before us. The scope of these blessings leaves us almost breathless.

Jacob had acknowledged that God had been the source of Joseph’s strength in the past and now he assured him that God would be so in the future. “Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb” (Genesis 49:25).

For generations to come, God would lay His hand of rich grace upon the descendants of Joseph. In fact, when it came to territory, to number of great leaders (Joshua, Deborah, Gideon, Jepthah, Samuel, to name a few) and overall fame, the tribe of Joseph (through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh) were miles ahead of the other tribes.

Jacob assured Joseph that El Shaddai would abundantly bless his people. This name speaks of God as the One who powerfully and thus effectively nourishes His people. Against all odds, God would preserve and prosper His covenanted people.

Joseph could expect the scope of God’s blessings to traverse heaven above and earth beneath. As it was God who nourished His people, Joseph could expect a mother’s love from Him (“blessings of the breasts, and of the womb”). In fact the scope of these prophesied blessings was so sweeping that Joseph would be even more blessed than any other patriarch. When one considers that Abraham was called the friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8) this is quite a blessing indeed!

When you pause to consider this prophetic word it becomes very relevant to you and I who are a part of the new covenant people of God. We have been similarly blessed—humanly speaking—because indeed Joseph was a fruitful bough whose fruitfulness climbed over the wall of difficulty to bless our own backyard with, through and in Christ.

Commentator Don Fortner helps us to understand the blessings pronounced upon Joseph here. He speaks of “a sevenfold blessedness” pronounced “upon Joseph” and “upon all who are God’s.” This sevenfold blessedness includes:

“Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee …” Here is a promise of help in every time of need. He who is the God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; he who is the God of Judah, who helped them and fulfilled his word to them, will help us and fulfil his word to us.
“And by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above.” Here is the promise of all blessings of heaven, grace, salvation, eternal life and heavenly glory in Christ (Eph. 1:3-6).
“… with blessings of the deep that lieth under.” Here is the promise that all of the deep mysteries of providence, all the affairs of time, all the events of the world, the demons of hell, the beasts of the field and the adversities of life will prove to be a blessing from God to his people (Hosea 2:18; Rom. 8:28-30).
“… with blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.” This is a promise that “goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Speaking by the Spirit of God, the old patriarch declares that God’s elect are blessed in all things, all the days of their lives, even from their mother’s breasts. Every believer may, with David and with the Lord himself, confidently speak these words of praise to God: “Thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts” (Ps. 22:9).

The Singularity of the Blessings

As we have seen, these blessings pronounced upon Joseph were unique, unparalleled. They were singular in their scope. But why? Verse 26 helps us to grasp the answer.

The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

(Genesis 49:26)

Joseph had been cruelly separated from his brothers. Their wicked envy had led to his being sold as a slave, a fate that was perhaps just one step above death. But God keeps score, and he never misses a thing. He rewards the righteous. Those who are persecuted for righteousness sake are given a great reward.

You will remember that Joseph had a dream (recorded in chapter 37) in which he saw that one day he would rule over his family members. In the words of 49:26, he would have a “crown on the head.” God indeed fulfilled this revelation, against all human odds. Joseph faced conflict. He endured cruelty. But eventually he was crowned. His commitment to God’s Word; his zeal for righteousness (37:2) resulted in his suffering of reproach. He was separated from his family. But—thanks be to God—he was sovereignly singled out, not left out of God’s plan.

The Lord Jesus Christ of course perfectly fulfilled what a sinner like Joseph could only foreshadow. He was singled out by sovereign grace to suffer at the hands of the family of the human race. Like Joseph Jesus too reported on our evil deeds. He forthrightly showed us that we have a bad report before Almighty God and that there is, literally, hell to pay. In love He honoured his father; in love he, like Joseph, cared for His father’s flock. He too was treated as an outcast. Only in His case He was not sold into slavery; rather He was sold to death, the death of the cross. He was singled out, by evil men, but like Joseph His mistreatment led to the salvation of those facing certain death. And also like Joseph, though he was forsaken for a time, He was not left out. In fact because of His work on the cross He has been crowned upon His resurrection. And the blessings bestowed upon Joseph, as great as they were, don’t hold a candle to the reward that is Christ’s. He has been crowned Lord of all!

Believer, there is a crown of righteousness awaiting all and sundry who will follow Christ, for all who are unmistakably proven.

Yes we can share in the blessings that are centred in Christ. May God the Holy Spirit give to us illumination of the fruitfulness that awaits those who will keep their root buried deep in Christ. And thus may we help others who dwell beyond the wall for the glory of God.

Christ-Centred Blessings V (Genesis 49:22-26)