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Patriarchs and Prophets
Joseph promised to do so, but Jacob was not satisfied; he exacted a
solemn oath to lay him beside his fathers in the cave of Machpelah.
Another important matter demanded attention; the sons of Joseph
were to be formally instated among the children of Israel. Joseph,
coming for a last interview with his father, brought with him Ephraim
and Manasseh. These youths were connected, through their mother,
with the highest order of the Egyptian priesthood; and the position
of their father opened to them the avenues to wealth and distinction,
should they choose to connect themselves with the Egyptians. It was
Joseph’s desire, however, that they should unite with their own people.
He manifested his faith in the covenant promise, in behalf of his sons
renouncing all the honors that the court of Egypt offered, for a place
among the despised shepherd tribes, to whom had been entrusted the
oracles of God.
Said Jacob, “Thy two sons, Ephraim, and Manasseh, which were
born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into Egypt,
are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.” They were to be
adopted as his own, and to become the heads of separate tribes. Thus
one of the birthright privileges, which Reuben had forfeited, was to
fall to Joseph—a double portion in Israel.
Jacob’s eyes were dim with age, and he had not been aware of
the presence of the young men; but now, catching the outline of their
forms, he said, “Who are these?” On being told, he added, “Bring
them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.” As they came nearer,
the patriarch embraced and kissed them, solemnly laying his hands
upon their heads in benediction. Then he uttered the prayer, “God,
before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which
fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me
from all evil, bless the lads.” There was no spirit of self-dependence,
no reliance upon human power or cunning now. God had been his
preserver and support. There was no complaint of the evil days in the
past. Its trials and sorrows were no longer regarded as things that were
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“against” him. Memory recalled only His mercy and loving-kindness
who had been with him throughout his pilgrimage.
The blessing ended, Jacob gave his son the assurance—leaving for
the generations to come, through long years of bondage and sorrow,
this testimony to his faith—“Behold, I die; but God shall be with you,
and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.”