Bible Study Notes: Genesis 48:15-16

And he blessed Joseph and said,

“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,

the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,

the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;

and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;

and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

In Genesis 48 we see Jacob, the last of the three patriarchs, with the 12 sons, give a special blessing to his son Joseph. Jacob is dying and before he does, he wants to impart the last bit of wisdom and blessing to all of his sons. 

Genesis 49 records the blessings and prophecies Jacob announces for eleven of his sons. But in Genesis 48 we read a special blessing. As a special honor, Jacob doesn’t just bless Joseph, but Joseph’s sons as well: Ephraim and Manasseh. In the middle of this sacred blessing, we see this phrase: 

“God, who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day….” 

Jacob was a shepherd. All his days, from the time he ran away from his mother and father and went to live with his uncle, to the day he came to Egypt to escape the famine, Jacob was a shepherd. 

Shepherds were not looked on as favorable to the Egyptians and even during the time of Jesus Shepherds were at the bottom of the social status. Today, you and I can take great comfort, as Jacob did, in the idea of a Shepherd. 

My God, My Shepherd

Shepherd is a name that God calls Himself, seen first here in Genesis. Jacob, a shepherd by trade, describes his God as “Shepherd”. God guided him, protected him, led him, redeemed him, carried him, and blessed him. He was simply a Shepherd.

It is no wonder that Psalm 23 is such a beloved psalm. Centuries later, another shepherd, who would be king, David, also called God shepherd. Then, centuries after this Shepherd King the real King came and called Himself the Good Shepherd. 

Jacob was the first, but you and I carry this name for God today. I pray that this is a comfort knowing the same God who held, redeemed, protected, guided, and provided for Jacob is our Shepherd too.

I would encourage you to listen to this episode of the Psalms to Help You Sleep Podcast, Psalm 23. May you find hope and comfort in God as your Shepherd!