Life & Eternity – Vayechi – Jan. 3

What are we living for?  Why do we exist?

Have you ever thought about these questions before?  What is life really about?  So many people go through life staying busy at every moment but never really consider these questions.  I invite you to take the next 10-15 minutes and think about the reason that you are here and the reality of eternity as we take a look at this week’s Torah Portion.

The lives of Jacob and Joseph come to an end in this week’s reading (Gen. 47:28 – Gen. 50:26), however, they did not die at the same time.  Jacob lived to be 147 and Joseph 110.  Joseph died about 54 years after his father Jacob died.

In the beginning of this week’s Torah Portion we read that Jacob lived 17 years in Egypt (Gen. 47:28).  This is interesting to note because Joseph was Jacob’s beloved son but at the age of 17 Joseph was taken from him.  Jacob considered his son Joseph dead for 22 years, however, when Joseph was 39 Jacob was informed by his other sons that Joseph was alive and well.  Jacob came to Egypt and spent the last 17 years  of his life with his son Joseph.  Life does not always seem fair, as in the situation with Jacob and Joseph, but we need to make the most of the time that we are given.

When Jacob’s life was drawing to a close he knew it and he made a request of Joseph.  Jacob called Joseph to himself and then asked him to place his hand underneath his inner thigh (in Hebrew ירך – pronounced “yarech”).  We see this same type of request from Abraham to his servant when Abraham was seeking a wife for his son Isaac (Gen. 24:2).  This placing of the hand under the thigh is an extremely intimate request and reveals the seriousness of the matter.  For Abraham, it was seeking to walk in obedience to God and to see His plans fulfilled on this earth through his son and his offspring in connection to the future Land of Israel (Gen. 24:1-9).  For Jacob it was the same.

Jacob asked Joseph to swear to him to not bury his body in Egypt but to carry it up to the place where his fathers, Abraham and Isaac, were buried in Hebron (Gen. 35:27-29).  Jacob knew of the promises of God for His people and he knew that one day God would bring them back to the Land that He had promised them.  His request to bury him in Hebron, in the Land of Promise, was a request of faith believing that God would fulfill His word.

The Reality of Death   

Jacob became sick and it was obvious that his life was ending (Gen. 48:1).  Jacob was old and he knew that his time was soon running out.  Jacob’s life had run the natural course and it was now time to say goodbye.  There was not a scurrying for the doctors of Egypt to help Jacob or a prayer meeting called to pray for his healing.  Both medical treatment and prayer are life saving ways that God gives us to see life made whole again, however, they are not the only options.  As we read here regarding the end of the life of Jacob, instead of either of these two methods there was a simple acceptance that his life was now coming to an end.

We live in a day of extreme technological advancement.  There is not much that doctors can’t do to save a life today and keep one from an untimely death.  However, something that is often misunderstood in our days is the reality of death.  We are each given so many days and years on this earth.  As Moses recorded for us in the Psalms, we are given 70 years or 80 years if we have the strength (Ps. 90:10).  Some may live to be 90 or even 100 years old but there is a limit.  Acceptance of death, as part of the life cycle, is critical for a balanced perspective in this world and mourning in the proper way.  We celebrate life and we do all we came to preserve life and make the most of these fleeting days we have on earth but we also accept that death is a reality.  Jacob accepted this reality in his own life and was ready to die when the time came.

An Eternal Perspective

When death is knocking at the door the question of eternity rings loud.  What is next?  Is there life after death?  Does God exist and if so, do I know Him?  Or better yet, if God does exist, does he know me?

Jacob gives us a view into his soul as his physical life on this earth was about to end.  Jacob said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers” (Gen. 48:21).  This statement by Jacob speaks volumes.  Jacob was stating that he was about to die and that it was ok.  He was ready to die.  He was also stating that God exists and that God is active in the lives of people.

When Jacob spoke to Joseph it is interesting to note in the Hebrew that Jacob used the plural forms of “you” twice in this short sentence: “God will be with you (pl), and bring you (pl) back to the land of your fathers.”  Jacob was telling Joseph that God will fulfill His Word.  God would fulfill His promises to Abraham (Gen. 15:13-16) and bring the children of Israel back after 400 years.  Jacob was proclaiming that God exists, God is with you, God is active in the affairs of man, and God is faithful to fulfill His Word.  There was no doubt in the mind of this dying man that eternity is a reality and he was about to enter it and also that God is real and life goes on.

What gave Jacob such assurance that God is real and that eternity exits?

Jacob had various encounters with God along his journey (Gen. 28:10-22. 31:2-13. 32:1-2. 32:9-12. 32:24-30).  God proved Himself to Jacob in such a personal way that Jacob could not deny that God was with him, that God had guided him, and that God had redeemed his life (Gen. 48:15-16).  Jacob knew God and God knew Jacob.  They had relationship and this relationship brought hope and peace to Jacob.  Jacob’s relationship with God gave him assurance that God is real and that God is in control.  In life or in death he could have peace.

Do you have peace with God today? 

Do you know God and does God know you?

Above all else, peace with God through a spiritual relationship in the Messiah allows a person to cope with the trials of life and the reality of death.  No other religion or philosophical explanation will provide the answers that the human heart longs to have answered.

Blessing the Next Generation

When Jacob knew that he was about to die he first blessed Joseph by blessing Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 48:8-20).  This blessing that Jacob gave to Ephraim and Manasseh is still a tradition amongst Jewish parents as they bless their sons every week on the Sabbath day.  Sons are blessed with the words, “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!” (Gen. 48:20).  For a more in-depth understanding of the traditional Jewish Sabbath read Practicing the Sabbath with Community

Blessing is such a valuable part of life and a beautiful way to speak into the lives of the next generation in a way that money and real estate cannot.  Our words can bring life or death, healing or hurt ache, encouragement or discouragement (Proverbs 12:18. 15:4. 16:24. 18:21).  The choice is ours but our time is limited.  I encourage you to speak life while you still have breath in your lungs.  Speak blessing over your family, friends, and loved ones.  Especially bless the children and grandchildren and give them hope for the future.

Looking to God’s Salvation

After Jacob blessed Joseph’s two sons, Jacob called all of his children and blessed them individually (Gen. 49).  The blessings that Jacob gives to each of his sons are unique and prophetic.  The details of the blessings of the twelve sons, who eventually become twelve tribes, give us great insight to the future of the nation of Israel.  To investigate this subject more I would recommend the following book, Jacob’s Dozen by William Varner.  I would, however, like to make mention of one significant aspect of the blessing of the twelve sons.

In the middle of blessing his twelve sons, Jacob makes a statement that seems disconnected to any of his sons.  After blessing seven of his sons, immediately following the blessing of Dan, Jacob makes a short statement which is only three words in Hebrew, “לישועתך קויתי יהוה”.  In English it reads, “I wait for your salvation, O LORD” (Gen. 49:18).  Why does Jacob make this statement in the middle of blessing his sons?  There is no logical reason for this in the text, however, it is a general statement of waiting upon the LORD for His salvation.  The word for salvation here is the word “yeshua” in Hebrew.  This is actually the first use of the Hebrew word “yeshua” in the Bible.  In the midst of blessing his sons and telling them of what will happen in the days to come, Jacob states that he is waiting or hoping for the salvation of the LORD.  Jacob understood that God alone gives life and God alone takes life.  Jacob was waiting on God and hoping in God even on the day of his death for he knew that there is more to life than the 147 years that he walked on this earth.  He believed in eternity.  He believed in God’s salvation!

Soon after Jacob finished blessing his sons he drew his last breath and died (Gen. 49:33).  Joseph and his brothers mourned for their father Jacob.  After the days of mourning ended Joseph fulfilled his father’s request and buried him in Hebron (Gen. 50:1-21)

Life in Egypt continued for the sons of Israel but after 54 years Joseph knew that he was about to die.  He told his brothers that God will take care of them and bring them up to the Land of promise, which he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Joseph stated again that God will take care of them.  God had personally led the fathers of the faith; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and finally Joseph.  Joseph was the last one before the coming years in Egypt.  There would be silence for over 300 years after Joseph.  Joseph asked the sons of Israel to bring up his bones from Egypt when they would return to the Promised Land.  Joseph died at age 110 and was placed in a box (Gen. 50:24-26).

Jacob knew the time of his death and died.  Joseph also recognized the time of his death and died.  They didn’t pray for healing.  They accepted the years that God gave them and died.  Death is the conclusion of life for all men.  There is a time to be born and a time to die (Eccl. 2:2).  We need to learn this and we need to accept this.  We need to learn to live and walk in the plans of God, bless others, and move on.  We need to learn to let God be in charge and trust others into God’s care.

A Life of Faith

In the book of Hebrews both Jacob and Joseph are listed amongst those who walked in faith while on this earth:  “By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff.  By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones” (Hebrews 11:21-22).  Jacob and Joseph lived a life of faith in God in word and deed.  They both lived lives with an eternal perspective.  Both Jacob and Joseph illustrated a life of faith in their dying.

Life is a gift that God gives us to walk with Him and bless others along the way.  God will bring about His ultimate plan of salvation in this world through His Son, Yeshua, which means “salvation.”  Through faith in God and His salvation there is hope of the resurrection, eternal life (Daniel 12:1-3).  We are part of God’s creation and God created us to worship Him (John 4:19-26).  This is the true meaning of life; to know God, walk in faith, and worship Him.

Shabbat Shalom!

If you enjoyed reading this article, we invite you to sign up for our weekly Torah Portion commentary on the sidebar to the right.

Torah Portion: Gen. 47:28 – Gen. 50:26

Hafatara: 1 Kings 2:1-12

Return to Torah Portion Homepage

Copyright Jewels of Judaism. All rights reserved 2014