As a refugee in Egypt, in a world decimated by famine, Jacob lay on his deathbed and blessed his sons and their families.

He said to Joseph, I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. And to you I give one more ridge of land than to your brothers, the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.

Just where this extra ridge lay is unclear. Some scholars believe it refers to the ancient city of Shechem, where Jacob son’s massacred the men of the city in revenge for the abduction and rape of their sister. Jacob, however, condemned their actions, so likely he’s not referring to that particular incident. But at some point he took control of that area.

Four hundred and thirty years later, as Jacob’s descendents left Egypt, they dug up the bones of Joseph to rebury them in this promised location. Jacob’s promise of an extra ridge of land was handed down from generation to generation during the captivity in Egypt. His words were neither forgotten nor passed into legend.

I’m not nearly so patient. Of course, the children of Israel lived in slavery, so patience was enforced. But keeping a promise alive for so long took intentionality. Elders taught the next generation, who repeated the process. Over and over.

Those of us long in faith have the same responsibility, to teach those younger than us to follow Jesus and live in his ways. We possess the promise of new life in Christ, but the end results are often hard to see. Persevere in teaching and promoting. Eventually we’ll come in sight of that ridge of land and it will be ours to keep.

Genesis 48 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Patrick Hendry