Sermon Tone Analysis

This Torah Portion:

Gen 47:28 - 50:26

Introduction

In a previous Torah portion we discussed how this was a picture/ type of the End Times, with Joseph in power

In our last Torah Portion, we talked about what it means to draw near to God - walk in His ways

We also talked about:

The story of Jacob coming to Egypt

The blessing of God’s covering and revelation

The Power of Drawing Near

And their implications for the End Times

In this Torah portion we continue to explore the prophetic implications of the story of Jacob, and obviously now including Joseph

In this Torah portion we will not talk about all the descendants of Jacob - the 12 tribes and their blessing

We did that last year

In this Torah portion we will focus more on the other descendants of Jacob - Joseph’s children

We will talk about who they are - more specifically Ephraim

Prophetic implications

Presentation

In our previous Torah portion we spoke about Messiah initiating the Exodus:

Speaking of His decease = exodus in Greek

They were talking about His exodus which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem

I guess today the question would be what prophecy was Yeshua fulfilling?

What was Jesus really accomplishing for humanity here?

Today we will continue to attempt to explain the prophetic work of the King of Kings

Israel moves in to Goshen

17 years pass by and Jacob is about to die

This is exactly where we pick it up with our Torah portion today.

The last days of Jacob

From our last Torah portion when Jacob comes to Egypt with his clan - 70 in total,

Jacob was 130 years old when he comes to Goshen, now 17 years have passed

Now Jacob is 147 years old

Chizkuni, Genesis 47:28:1

ויחי יעקב, “Yaakov lived;” according to Rashi, the reason why this portion has not been separated from the preceding portion by as much as the space of a single letter, is because with the death of Yaakov the “eyes and the heart” of his descendants were as if closed to the spiritual mission they were to bring to the world, as they were being enslaved.

You might well ask that seeing that Joseph his son ruled in Egypt for another 54 years during which all of his descendants enjoyed complete freedom, how is that possible?

The answer is that this was not quite so.

His family had become culturally too dependent on Egypt.

Time to go draw near to Him, again

This brings us back to our previous Torah portion: Vagigash - draw near

The same principle applies at the end of our lives - we draw near to Him, and He will draw near to us:

Rashi:

BUT I WILL LIE WITH MY FATHERS — This ו of ושכבתי is the connecting link with the beginning of the verse above: Put thy hand beneath my thigh and swear unto me that you will not bury me in Egypt.

For I must ultimately lie with my fathers (i.e.

die as all my fathers have died) and you shall carry me out of Egypt.

One cannot say that “I will lie with my fathers” means “make me lie with my fathers in the cave” (i.e.

bury me), for immediately after this it is written “And thou shalt carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place”.

Further we find that wherever the term “lying with one’s fathers” is used it denotes dying and not burial.

For instance, (1 Kings 2:10) “and David lay with his fathers”, and afterwards it states “and he was buried in the city of David”.

Here is the example:

Back to the Torah portion:

HE SAID TO JOSEPH — “he” means one of the messengers: it is an elliptical phrase.

Some say, that Ephraim was regularly with Jacob for study and when Jacob became ill in the land of Goshen Ephraim went to his father in Egypt and reported it to him (Tanchuma 1:12:6).

Here are two names we want to focus on a bit more today:

Manasseh and Ephraim

Apparently, after a previous visit from Joseph, as he had returned to Goshen, he comes back, and Jacob takes ill.

Not only do we need to take a look at this passage as the account of Jacob being sick, and when he hears his son Joseph is coming, he strengthened himself, at a superficial level according to the narrative

Not only at this point in time, but as the End times - when Israel will be strengthened, when the Son of Man returns

Jacob goes on to recount his life story to Joseph making sure he mentions how God has blessed him, and his family

Fruitful a multitude of people

I will make you a company of peoples (congregation of people) [Kahalamim] - get together for a reason and purpose behind it - gathering together

kahal = קָהָל

Strongs 7736

assembly

7736 קָהָל‎ (qā·hāl): n.masc.; ≡ Str 6951; TWOT 1991a—1.

LN 11.12–11.54

assembly, community, congregation, i.e., a socio-religious group of believers, with customs, rituals, and a leadership structure (Lev 4:13); 2. LN 55.7–55.13

army, throng, horde, i.e., a group of soldiers gathered for military purposes (Eze 32:22); 3. LN 11.1–11.11

crowd, throng, mob, company, i.e., a group which can meet for any purpose (2Ch 30:13; Ne 8:17; Pr 21:16; Eze 16:40)1

1 James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

The same word we us in Greek - ekklisia - to be called out= commonly known as church

1711 ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia), ας (as), ἡ (hē): n.fem.; ≡ DBLHebr 7736; Str 1577; TDNT 3.501—1.

LN 11.32 congregation, an individual assembly of Christians

1711 ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia), ας (as), ἡ (hē): n.fem.; ≡ DBLHebr 7736; Str 1577; TDNT 3.501—1.

LN 11.32 congregation, an individual assembly of Christians (or OT believers Ac 7:38; Heb 2:12), usually with leaders who conform to a standard, and have worship practices, with members interacting, more or less local (Mt 18:17; 1Ti 3:5; 1Co 11:16–22; Jas 5:14; Rev 1:4; 1Pe 5:13 v.r.); 2. LN 11.33 church, the totality of all congregations of Christians at all times (Mt 16:18); 3. LN 11.78 assembly, gathering of persons for a purpose, even riotous (Ac 19:32, 39, 40)1

1 James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

ekklesia, church, qahal, congregation for a purpose- to be built upon the Rock

Matthew 16:13-18

On this rock I will built my qahal.

The only church in the wilderness is the congregation of Israel - Stephen refers to the church in the wilderness (qahal) in Acts 7 - assembly

There was a church in the wilderness before Acts and the apostles.

Not the same way as people refer to church today - a word only to refer to an assembly - a multitude of people who are called out and set apart - we get together for a purpose.

To build the congregation as a witness - not to build a building as a witness

qahal again

The same concept here with Jacob.

The congregation that Jacob is calling out here is the church that Messiah called

(edah) = עֵדָה

community - assembly

6337 I. עֵדָה‎ (ʿē·ḏā(h)): n.fem.; ≡ Str 5712; TWOT 878a—1.

LN 11.12–11.54

community, assembly, i.e., a socio-religious group as a congregation as a united gathering (Ex 12:3; Nu 16:5), note: for another interp in Jer 6:18, see 6338; 2. LN 11.1–11.11

gang, i.e., a band of evil people (Ps 22:17[EB 16]; 86:14); 3. LN 4.1–4.37

herd, i.e., a gathering of bovines (Ps 68:31[EB 30]); 4. LN 4.47–4.50

swarm, i.e., a group of flying insects (Jdg 14:8)1

1 James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

From this word we find the root of the word witness:

6338 II.

עֵדָה‎ (ʿē·ḏā(h)): n.fem.; ≡ Str 5713; TWOT 1576c, 1576e—1.

LN 29.6–29.12

witness, i.e., an object which is given as a memorial or remembrance of an agreement (Ge 21:30; 31:52; Jos 24:27+), see also domain LN 33.262–33.273; 2. LN 33.262–33.273

witness, i.e., one who is able to give verbal testimony to an event (Jer 6:18+), note: for another interp in Jer 6:18, see 63371

1 James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997)

Church building (not the church building ) is what is called to be a congregation, to be a witness of Messiah