Genesis 48:21-22
Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
What can we leave our children after we die and are gone? In the above passage we see the some of the final words of Israel, who was brought to Egypt in his last days to be reunited with his son, Joseph. Israel, in the above passage, is making a blessing over Joseph's two boys and will, in the next chapter, bless the other boys and then expire. This is the end for Israel. At birth he was named, Jacob. He was the deceiver and lived up to the name. He would, with two wives, give birth to twelve sons, who would become the twelve tribes of Israel. This is the end, however. He must now focus on leaving the sons his legacy and his wisdom. In a bold statement, speaking to one of Joseph's sons, Ephraim, Israel makes the above statement. He recognizes his death and then leaves the best possible gift to his grandson: Words of hope. Israel recognizes his own death and his limits as a man. But, he tells his grandson that he is leaving him the knowledge that God is still with him, despite the physical death of his grandfather. He tells Ephraim that he is also leaving him a place on the edge of a mountain slope that he previously secured in battle. We don't know the place, although most think it is the town of Shechem. The place may or may not be significant in the story, but we do see here is that Israel left with grandson with the hope that all of us should leave our children and grand-children: God will be with them!! The physical gift left (one mountain slope) does not compare to the spiritual gift left (God will be with you). Yet, the physical gift would be the proof of the spiritual gift. When the nation leaves Egypt (see the book of Exodus) this statement of Israel's will come to fruition. When they divide up the land and Ephraim is given the land of Shechem, this hope will be realized (Joshua 24:32). In the world we leave in today, leaving your children and grandchildren a fortune is often used as an indication of a great parent or grandparent. Yet, the truth is, the one who can leave their child spiritual truth and spiritual promises is the ultimate parent or grand-parent. Giving a child or grand-child the truth that God will be with them, trumps any other gift ever giving by the hand of one man to the other. Before Christ ascended to glory, in speaking to His disciples, He stated, "I am with you always." In Paul's final words to his disciple and "son", Timothy, Paul states the following:
2 Timothy 4:22
The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.
The presence of God is greater than the gifts of man. Joseph wanted his son(s) to know this and stated it boldly before his death. This is a truth we should leave to all those born of us and from us.
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