Genesis 48:8-11 "And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these? And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed."
Joseph had come to visit with his aged father, Israel, who was very sick. Jacob had also brought his sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him to spend some time with their grandfather. Joseph’s sons would probably be in their early twenties. Both were born before the famine (Genesis 41:50), Israel did not come to Egypt until two years into the famine, and he had lived in Egypt for seventeen years, so he had been able to watch Joseph’s sons grow up.
However, by this point Israel’s eyesight was failing him. Many of us have reached an age where we can tell there is a person in the room with us, but we cannot distinguish their features unless we are wearing glasses or contacts. Israel could tell there were two men with Joseph, but he could not see them clearly enough to recognize who they were. When he understood that they were Joseph’s sons, he requested that they come close to him to receive a blessing.
This was not simply a matter of Israel telling them in broad strokes that he wished them a good life. Being a man whom God had visited on multiple occasions, he was blessed with divine understanding of the promise and purpose of God. His blessing carried the weight of promise and not just wishful thinking for his grandsons whom he had just adopted (Genesis 48:5). They would be directly blessed as being heads of two of the tribes of Israel.
Israel then speaks words to Joseph that give us a glimpse of what the last seventeen years have meant to him. For around twenty-two years, Israel had believed that Joseph was dead. He certainly would not have expected there to be any seed. But here, at the end of his days, he had found great joy not only in seeing Joseph’s face again, but in seeing Joseph’s sons as well.
Our journey, like Israel’s, is a mixture of highs and lows. We face some situations that seem almost unbearable at times. Yet, God makes Himself known to us on this journey, gives us His promises, and reveals to us His ability to do above and beyond our wildest imaginations. He blesses us to see Jesus in others and ourselves, showing us His seed. We are most surely blessed!