Blessing Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 49:22-27)

Jacob has now saved the best for last. After blessing ten of his children, he saves his longest blessing for his favored son, Joseph, and he blesses Benjamin with his brother.

Please read Genesis 49:22-27.

In blessing Joseph, Jacob recounts some of his past (the archers attacking are his brothers harassing and selling him into slavery) and some of his present (he is currently a fruitful bough as second-in-command over all of Egypt), but he focuses on the future. Jacob declares that God ‘will help’ and ‘will bless’ Joseph.

As someone who has already been incredibly helped by God, Joseph will be even more helped; as someone who is already incredibly blessed by God, Joseph will be even more blessed. God has done great things through Joseph, is doing great things through Joseph, and will continue to do great things through Joseph. As Jesus declared “to the one who has, more will be given” (Luke 8:18).

Benjamin is also blessed, but he is pictured as one who will never be content with his blessing—he will always desire more. I think this comes from the fact that Benjamin has never suffered the way that Joseph has--he has never gone through those trials, so he doesn't appreciate what he has.

Benjamin has always been favored, but Joseph has taken the brunt of the harassment that comes with that favor. Joseph has gone through many trials to get to where he is, but Benjamin has been given everything that he has. Perhaps he has developed a sense of entitlement that Jacob is alluding to here: he will never be satisfied, even though he will have more than enough.

These two brothers serve as a good example for us today. They are a reminder of why God allows us to go through trials, hardships, sickness, loss of our jobs, loss of loved ones, and pain. God doesn’t torment us because He’s some kind of sadist. God allows us to go through trials so that we may lean more fully on Him. When we come out on the other side, we will be richly blessed, just like Joseph and Benjamin. But Benjamin, who never went through the trial, doesn’t appreciate his blessing and isn’t content with anything that he has, while Joseph, who experienced more trials than most of us, appreciates his many blessings and will be given many more.

God wants what’s best for us, and He knows that we must go through the valley before we appreciate the view from the mountaintop. He graciously allows us to have little so that we can appreciate when He gives us much.