Releasing Him from All His Sufferings
Eventually, near the end of his life, Jacob was released from all his sufferings to see his beloved son Joseph again in his honor and glory (45:1—47:12) and to enjoy a rich and peaceful life with the worship of God in his old age (vv. 11-12, 27-31).
God’s Causing Him to Be Transformed and Matured
Being Transformed from a Supplanter
to a Prince of God
God caused Jacob to be transformed from a supplanter, Jacob, to a prince of God, Israel (35:9-10). The Hebrew word for Israel can bear two meanings—“a wrestler with God” and “a prince of God.” In chapter 32 Jacob was surely a wrestler with God. But from this time to the end of Malachi, the name Israel bears the meaning of a prince of God.
Being Matured to Bless All People Whom He Contacted
Jacob was eventually matured to bless all people whom he contacted. At the end of his life, Jacob’s job, his profession, was to bless. He blessed Pharaoh (47:7, 10), he blessed Joseph with his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (ch. 48), and he blessed all his twelve sons (49:1-28). According to Hebrews 7:7, the lesser is blessed by the greater. Thus, Jacob’s blessing of Pharaoh indicates that he was greater than Pharaoh. Even Pharaoh the king of Egypt was under him and under his blessing.
Causing Him, with Joseph,
to Go through a Long Period of Suffering
and to Be Exalted as the Sovereign Ruler
Going through a Long Period of Suffering
God caused Jacob, with Joseph, to go through a long period of suffering (37:4-36; 39:1-23; 40:12-15, 21-23; 41:9-37). Joseph was actually a part of Jacob. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are a sign of the Triune God. God the Father was expressed in Abraham, God the Son was expressed in Isaac, and God the Spirit was expressed in Jacob. In other words, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with Joseph should be considered as one saint of God. This is why the Bible tells us that God is the God of only these three persons: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Thus, Joseph should be considered only as a part of Jacob.
Being Exalted as the Sovereign Ruler
Eventually, God caused Jacob with Joseph to be exalted as the sovereign ruler (vv. 39-44) in order to rule over all of Egypt (45:8b-9a) and supply all the earth with food (41:55-57; 42:5-6). Apparently, this was done by Joseph. Actually, however, what Joseph did was a part of Jacob’s life. This is God’s working on Jacob with Joseph.
Genesis is a book on the creation of man to consummate with three persons—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—issuing in a people named Israel. The next thirty-eight books of the Old Testament, from Exodus to Malachi, are all on Israel. Israel was to usher in the incarnation of Christ so that God’s real move on the earth could begin.