ch 48 - Men of God are not always positive about life. Whereas Israel could say :15 'God which led me …' he had said to Pharaoh 47:9 'few and evil have been the days of my pilgrimage'. We should be encouraged that faithful men have their off days.

49:28 'the stone' of Israel passes into Biblical use as a marker for the redeemer. Consider Isaiah 28:16 Psalm 118:22 and many New Testament references also. Maybe you would like to look them out for yourselves?

50:24 In telling his brethren that they would be brought to 'the land which he sware to Abraham, Isaac and to Jacob' Joseph introduces a phrase which is picked up again. However it is only used in the books of the wilderness journey! Here is a complete list
Exodus 33:1 Numbers 32:11 Deuteronomy 1:8 6:10 9:5 30:20 34:4. It is a highly specific phrase. It's use in the wilderness should remind the nation of the faith of Joseph - whose coffin they were carrying with them to Canaan.

ch 48 - Last year when looking at Chapter 46 we noted the way in which Jacob and Israel were used. The same point could be made about this chapter.
Israel :2 8 10 13 14
Jacob :2 3

49:5 In calling Simeon and Levi 'instruments of cruelty' Jacob is referring to their behaviour in Shechem (Genesis 34:25)

50:16-18 It is 17 years since Joseph made himself known to his brethren but now their father is dead they still are concerned that Joseph will treat them roughly. They did not understand what full forgiveness after repentance really means. We run the risk of being like the brothers. Our God is willing to forgive us if we are repentant - however we still wonder …

Genesis 48:5 - "And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh" - Ephraim was the youngest, but is mentioned first, as he afterwards was preferred in the blessing of him: "which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into Egypt" - and therefore must here be twenty years of age, or upwards: for Jacob had been in Egypt seventeen years, and he came there when there had been two years of famine, and Joseph's sons were born to him before the years of famine began - Genesis 41:50. Of these Jacob says, they"are mine: as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine" that is, by adoption; they would be reckoned not as his grandchildren, but as his children, even as his two eldest sons, Reuben and Simeon; and so should be distinct tribes or heads of them, as his sons would be, and have a distinct part and portion in the land of Canaan; and thus the birthright was transferred from Reuben, because of his incest, to Joseph, who in his posterity had a double portion assigned him.

When we consider the 12 tribes of Jacob who later dwelt in the land, we do well to consider:- (A) there were actually 13 tribes - for the Levites owned no land but had their inheritance in things spiritual, & (B) two of the tribes [Ephraim & Manasseh] are included through the principle of adoption - which principle opens the way for we Gentiles to also be reckoned with Israel. There is no tribe of Joseph mentioned in scripture.... until we get to Revelation 7:8 - and obviously Joseph is here reckoned, showing the principle of adoption once more for Spiritual Israel.

49:10,24 - The Pentateuch contains 6 "image" titles for Messiah. Four are mentioned in these two verses. Christ is here described as "the sceptre," "shiloh," "shepherd," and "stone." And elsewhere He is described as "the seed" - Genesis 3:15 - and "the star" - Numbers 24:17.

The Seed [Genesis 22:17] of promise, who shall be King [the sceptre], will bring tranquility, security and prosperity [shiloh].  He will nourish [shepherd]  His people and increase [stone - to build] the family name, raising men up to be heavenly [star] rulers - Daniel 12:3.

Genesis 50:26 - "So Joseph ['the Increaser'] died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt" - The book of Genesis which started with so much promise and life, now ends with a coffin in Egypt.

Joshua, who like Joseph, has no sin recorded against his name, and who led the children of Israel into the land of promise, also died at the age of 110yrs. Joseph's faith was such that he knew that his brethren's sojourn in Egypt would come to an end, at which time, he requested, his body then be interred in the Land of Promise. Joseph perhaps typifies Jesus in His mortality, whilst Joshua typifies Jesus in His triumphal immortality.

48:17-19 That Jacob chose Ephraim before the firstborn Manasseh is one of many occasions where the firstborn is refused and the younger preferred.  God’s promises are not according to birth.

49:29 Jacob’s desire to be buried in the land of Canaan shows his firm conviction that the promises to him and his fathers will be fulfilled. He identified with the land of Canaan rather than the land of Egypt.

ch 50 - In a similar way to his father Joseph wished to be buried in the land promised to the fathers – but he could wait to be taken there. His allegiance, nevertheless, was with the land of promise, not Egypt.

I like Bro Robert's comments about the footsteps poem.  It's been a while since I've read it and I'm not sure if this part is in the original or in an added version.

It is about a person looking at the footprints and some are missing and God says that is when He carried the person.

It caught my attention because doing the readings in Gen 46:5 Jacob was carried into Egypt.
and in Gen 50:25, his bones were to be carried out of Egypt.

I also like the emphasis in Gen 46:6, all Jacob had went into Egypt. and in Exo 10:26 not
even a 'hoof'' was left in Egypt.

Reminder to me that not even a footprint in my life should be left in 'Egypt'.

48:3Jacob’s use of ‘God Almighty’ reflect the way that God had spoken when he appeared to Abraham – Gen 17:1 . This way of speaking of God is rare – here are all the other occurrences  Gen 28:3 35:11 43:14

49:24‘Mighty God of Jacob’ is only found on two other occasions Psa 132:2,5 Given that both other occurrences are to be founding the Psalm we should be looking for links between this promise to Joseph and Psalm 132.

50:20-21  Israel murdered Jesus, yet he will return to be their saviour, and they will recognise him at long last. God meant that for good also. The death of Jesus was determined by God Acts 2:23. Joseph shows us how concerned God is to preserve His people.

49:9 In speaking of Judah as a ‘lion’s whelp’ we have the origin of the idea that Jesus uses in Rev 5:5

48:13   The way in which the narrative is careful to make the point that the blessing of the sons of Joseph was not as Joseph expected – the younger receiving the blessing for the first born – is designed to force us to recognise that the promises and blessings are by grace, not right.

49:10 is clearly referring to the messiah.  The fulfilment of this verse began with the kingship of David.  It will be finally accomplished when Jesus returns to rule the world (Psa 9:8; Acts 17:31).  A picture of the abundance that the kingdom will bring is shown in 49:11,12  It will be so lush that animals (which eat greenery) could be tied to even the choicest plants or trees without fear of overall loss; wine will be as plentiful as water; and the health of individuals will be outstanding.

49:14 We read of ‘Ephraim’ often in the historical and prophetic books and possibly think nothing of a large element of the nation being named in this way. However this repeated use of ‘Ephraim’ shows that what God had said of Ephraim in the blessing actually came true.

Gen 49:11 - does this refer to Christ entering Jerusalem and then being sacrificed or does it refer to the kingdom age or perhaps both?

Gen 49:22 - does the well or fountain refer to the cleansing baptism/burial in Christ or does it refer to refreshment from the word of life (John 4:1-13)? Branches going over the wall is that a reference to overcoming the wall of sin or does it refer to salvation going beyond the borders of natural Israel?

Gen 49:26 - Joseph was a crowned prince separate from his brethren but ultimately this would foreshadow Christ.

48:16‘The angel which redeemed me ...’ contrasts interestingly with what Jacob said to Pharaoh –Gen 47:9

Psalm 52 - This Psalm which relates to Doeg killing all the priests at Nob reads more like a personal letter sent to Doeg - notice the pronouns :1 thyself :2 thy :3 thou :4 Thou :5 thee. One wonders if it was ever read by Doeg.

Psalm 51 - This Psalm properly begins with the inspired words "A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba" - David was a dead man! No sacrifice or restitution under Moses Law could be offered to God for the crimes of adultery, pre-meditated murder, lying, deceit, hypocrisy. But as the last words of the Psalm previous declare, "to him that orders his way of life aright will I show the Salvation of God [Jesus]."

51:4 - "Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done evil in they sight" - Sure, David had taken privileges with Bathsheba, caused Uriah to become drunk, murdered Uriah, given cause to greatly upset Bathsheba's family, caused Joab to become complicit with his designs, denied sinning, lied to cover up, went on with life as if all was normal, hypocritically deceiving others - in so many ways, David's transgressions involved other people - yet he rightly states that all his crimes are against heaven itself.

51:10 - "Create in me a new heart" - David's request for a "heart transplant" gets right to the "heart" of the problem. David realises that to become right with God, he must adopt a totally new way of thinking. No sacrificial code under the Law of Moses can put things right - only God in Heaven can. David needed to develop Faith that God can forgive our sins, and remove them as far from us "as far as the east is from the west" - Psalm 103:12 - "casting all our sins into the depths of the sea" - Micah 7:19 - "remembering them no more" - Jeremiah 31:34. Do we believe that? Or do we think that there are some things that God just cannot forgive in our lives?

51:16-17 There was no animal sacrifice that David could have offered for his sins – murder and adultery demanded the death penalty. So David realised that all he could give to God was himself, just as he said in Psa 40:6-8

52:6 There are a number of places in Scripture where the righteous are described as laughing at the calamity of the wicked. Now this clearly cannot be the laugh of ridicule. It is the laugh of joy that the righteous have been delivered.

Psa 51:18-19 - These verses are an indication that animal sacrifices will be reinstituted in the Kingdom Age. A little research into  the latter chapters of Ezekiel indicate that the mortal Israelites (Levites) are "keepers of the charge of the house" ; whilst the immortalized "Sons of Zadok" will be "keepers of the charge of the altar". Eze 40:45-46, Eze 44:10
An understanding of our future roles in that age is helpful to the neccessary "vision" required. Prov 29:18

51:4   The language of this verse forms the basis for the repentant language of the prodigal son in Luke 15:18,21

52:8   The idea of a faithful man being like an olive tree is seen elsewhere, for example Psa 128:3, Jer 1:16

51:4 David’s specific comment upon God’s righteousness being seen in his life is quoted in Romans 3:4 in a general way showing that the way that God specifically dealt with David is not unique but the way in which He will deal with the whole of mankind. He will forgive the repentant sinner.

52:1 O mighty man is surely meant to be ironic.  Doeg, the Edomite, was the chief herdsman of Saul.  He saw David with the priest Ahimelech.  Then he went and denounced them to Saul (1Sam 22:9).  Saul wanted revenge but everybody declined to carry out the act except Doeg.  He went to Nob and killed all the priests and their families (1Sam 22:18).  This was hardly the act of a mighty man.

51:8.17 Notice the twofold use of ‘broken’ David’s ‘bones’ are his ‘’spirit’ That is how David explains what has happened with the chastening hand of Gd.

If you have read Psalm 51 already, read it again, but with the following in mind.

The heading of the Psalm says "when Nathan the Prophet went to him", so when David wrote the psalm, God had already pronounced forgiveness for his sin (see 2Sam 12:13). So if the Psalm is not a request for forgiveness of sin, what is it about? And what can we learn about our own prayers from this? (Clue: List all David's specific requests in this Psalm)

5:1 That we have 'peace with God' is such a powerful point. Of course this does not mean that we will have no problems. 'Peace' is to be seen as a contrast with :10 'enemies'. Those 'in Christ' are no longer God's enemies - that is they are no longer at war with Him, they are at peace with Him. We might not think that we are at war with Him just because we are not baptised but that is the clear implication of what Paul is saying.

6:16 This is the crucial point. The way that we behave and think shows truly where our heart is. Either we hate sin or we do not.

Romans 5:6 - "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" - At a time when the Jewish world was at its worst, God acted - and He sent the very best man - SoS 5:6 - to die for the worst, and that was the right time! How different to the way we often do things! Imagine if God had waited until we were "good enough" to save, before He acted toward us in love!

Romans 5:21 - The Grace of God shines all the brighter because of the gross darkness of our sinful natures.

Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death"  - Sin is represented as a king, a mighty monarch, a tyrannical prince; sinners are his subjects and vassals, his servants and soldiers, who fight under him, and for him, and all the wages they must expect from him is death. The word "wages" means "the hire of armies", or the wages of soldiers for a whole year, so that it denotes wages the due, and paid after a campaign is ended, and the service is over; and suggests, that when men have been all their days in the service of sin, and have fought under the banners of it, the wages they will earn, and the just reward, and correct payment that will be given them, will be death. King Sin has never been known to default on a payment yet. On the other hand, the "free gift" of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Both the wages and the gift are eternal - but the "gift" of God is just that - it cannot be earned - it can only be accepted by living through the very one who entered into the 'jaws of the lion' - and who killed the lion!

The Golden Thread:- Though no sin is recorded against Joseph, yet he died, even as we all do, because of his relationship to sin through Adam. When Joseph is raised to immortality it will because he has received the "free gift" of God, even eternal life, because of his trust in a [then future] Saviour of the World. David opened his heart to God, and acknowledged that he had indeed worked for King Sin in the matter of Bathsheba, and was therefore rightly related to death. But salvation through Jesus Christ was offered to him, not because of who he was, but because he developed faith and trust in his God, such as is described by Paul in Romans.

5:19 We doubtless agree with the certainty and truth of the first part of this verse. It is through Adam’s transgression that we die. We see the evidence every day so there is no doubt in our minds on this point. Are we as certain about the second part of the verse?

Romans 6 has a parallel passage in the New Testament – Colossians  3 compare the two chapters for similar language and ideas.

Rom 5:12  Sin and Evil. ( cause and effect ) God is the author of evil. (Isa 45:7)  God is not the author of sin. (Rom 5:12) Evil is the punishment of sin. Sin only brings death. (Rom 6:23)

Rom 5:20  When we consider this verse we soon see the purpose of the law.   "Without law there can be no sin.:

5:1 ‘Therefore being justified by faith’ shows that Paul has reached a conclusion along his reasoning in the letter. We now move on to other issues.

6:11    ‘ye also  likewise’ emphasises our commitment in the same way that Jesus was committed as recorded in Heb 2:14. It was this commitment on Jesus’ part which qualifies him to be a faithful and merciful high priest – Heb 5:2. This is the only route that we can take in order to be kings and priests in the age to come Rev 5:10.

5:18 Some folks take verses like this and conclude that all people are covered by Christ's sacrifice because he died as a substitute for them.  It is true that all people have the opportunity for salvation because of Christ's sacrifice if they choose to take the scripturally appropriate ways to do so.  Salvation is not automatic.  That is the reason 5:19 says that many sinners will be made righteous by Christ's sacrifice.  These are the ones who chose to take the necessary steps and changed their behavior. One of the steps is baptism (6:1-4).

Romans 6 is often read at baptisms. But have you ever noticed that the chapter speaks of going into slavery? Maybe we should think twice about having it read at baptisms then?

From the age of around 50 until 65 men dream of retiring from work. At age 63 the excitement reaches a peak, and you will hear them speaking constantly of everything they're going to do with their time. At age 64 they're less vocal, more worried. At 65 and 66, if you were to visit them at home, you would see a sadness and emptiness. Many retirees take up work again - most of it for free.

This might be a generalisation, but presenting ourselves for work when we don't have to is characteristic of mankind, isn't it? We don't like to be forced to work, but we do like to work! We need the satisfaction of activity in order to feel whole. And this is what Paul is talking about. If we have been (completely) freed from slavery to sin, we ought to feel compelled now to enrol once again for work - not because we have to - but because we want to. This is why he uses the word "present", a willing act, in v13,16,19 and in 12:1. Our new master is not demanding (Matt 11:29-30) but supportive (Matt 28:20, John 14:13-14) and hopeful (John 15:5,15-16). So maybe slavery is a good theme for a baptism after all.