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Torah readings

Torah reading Vayechi (ויחי): Genesis 47:28–50:26

We’ve been mining the account of the life of Yosef in Mitzraim over the past three weeks (see the sections Vayeshev, Miketz and Vayigash) to see foreshadowings of the coming Mashiakh.

These shadows grow even more defined in this week’s Torah portion, וַיְחִי Vayechi (“he lived,” Gen. 47:28–50:26). In it, we see parallels between pharaoh, Yosef and Ya’akov, and the Father, the Son and the people called Yisra’el.

Readings

  • Genesis 47:28–50:26
  • 1st Kings 2:1–12
  • John 13:1–19
  • 1Peter 1:1–9

Studies

The following are notes and recordings from studies by Hallel Fellowship teachers on passages related to Vayechi.

Shiloh or sham: Was the messianic message of Genesis 49:10 lost in translation?

Shiloh or sham: Was the messianic message of Genesis 49:10 lost in translation?

“Jesus asked [a group of Pharisees] a question: ‘What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?’ They said to Him, ‘The son of David'” (Matthew 22:41–42 NASB95). The scribes and teachers of the Scriptures of Israel knew that the Messiah would descend from through King David thanks to a key phrase in the blessing the Patriarch Ya’akov (Jacob) gave to his son Yehudah (Judah) in the Torah passage וַיְחִי Vayechi (“he lived,” Genesis 47:28–50:26). But in modern times, scholars have come to doubt that messianic interpretation, and some of the latest Bible translations no longer include “Shiloh”…
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How a righteous man's dying words changed the world (Genesis 49). Two hands are lit from the top and with both palms facing up and the fingers outstretched, as a sign of giving.

How a righteous man’s dying words changed the world (Genesis 49) 

The deathbed blessing–prophecies in the Torah reading ויחי Vayechi (“he lived,” Gen. 47:28–50:26) of Ya’akov (Jacob) to his 12 sons — especially, Yosef (Joseph) who was betrayed by his oldest brothers then reunited with the same but changed men — is a model for how Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) and we His followers give our all in mending the broken heart connection between Heaven and Earth.
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Lifeline for the world: Blessings of Israel's 12 tribes, King Solomon and 12 disciples (Genesis 49; 1Kings 2; John 13-17)

Lifeline for the world: Blessings of Israel’s 12 tribes, Solomon and the 12 disciples (Genesis 49; 1Kings 2; John 13–17)

One of the key lessons from the blessings of the 12 founders of the tribes of Israel in Torah reading ויחי Vayechi (“he lived,” Gen. 47:28–50:26) is that ancestry doesn’t mean much if each generation doesn’t carry on the legacy handed down. We can learn from these blessings and from the final messages of King David for Solomon (1Kings 2:1–12) and of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) for the Twelve (John 13–17) what Heaven wants us to pass on to our children and to the world. We all have to choose spiritually and physically (belief in action) to follow what is right…
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Why character of Israel’s 12 tribes matters for the ‘end of days’ (Genesis 49)

When some learn about the connection between the 12 tribes of Israel and the “end of days,” they can obsess over finding out their modern identities and whether one is part of said tribe. Yet a more important lesson from the blessings for the 12 sons of Israel in the Torah passage ויחי Vayechi (“he lived,” Gen. 47:28–50:26) is the character of each of the peoples that are the sons’ legacy.
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A section of the Zig-Zag path above Llyn Peris

Genesis 49:22–26: Yosef teaches us how to be ambassadors for Christ

How do we become righteous? Yosef’s life story shows the way. He walked in the path of righteousness, he did not “do in Rome as the Romans do” and refused to hold grudges against or plot revenge against those who persecuted and defamed him. What we can learn from the Torah reading ויחי Vayechi (“he lived,” Gen. 47:28–50:26) is this was the Messianic template that Yeshua walked too.
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Genesis 47–48

Yosef presents his family to Pharaoh, receives double blessing via Ephraim and Manasseh

We read more about how the land of Egypt survived the seven-year famine thanks to God’s revelation to Yosef and his stewardship of Pharaoh’s land. Later, Ya’akov gives Yosef his double portion of the blessing vicariously through his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

Ya’akov moves to Goshen; Yosef takes control via the famine; Yisra’el blesses Ephraim & Manasseh

Ya’akov blessed pharaoh of Mitzraim upon arrival there. Ya’akov blessed the sons of Yosef, Ephraim and Manasseh, as if they were his own elder sons. As we have noticed in past studies of the account of Yosef in Genesis, there are parallels between the roles of pharaoh, Yosef and Yisra’el, f.k.a. Ya’akov, and those of the Father, the Son and a people called Yisra’el.

Genesis 49

Messianic connection between pharaoh and Yosef

Messianic figures in the Bible aren’t one-to-one representations of the Messiah, but the messianic figures of the pharaoh of Mitzraim and Yosef do give us a glimpse of the relationship between the Father and the Messiah.

Blessings for Yisrael’s sons: Reuben, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah

Many people who read Genesis 49 believe that the prophesies Israel gave to his 12 sons were only about their or their immediate descendants. This is not the case. These prophesies encompass our prophetic future and those of our descendants all the way to the end of time. Today’s talk focuses on the prophesies given to Israel’s first four sons, culminating with his fourth son, Yehudah. All 4 of these sons were sons of Leah, the daughter of Laban as well, which gives us an additional insight as well.

The blessings Yisra’el, f.k.a. Ya’akov, gave his sons in Genesis 49 seem cryptic, because events are described that didn’t happen in the sons’ lives. Then we notice that these are prophecies for the end of history and about the Messiah. In this part of the study, covering Gen. 49:1–12, we encounter the messianic name Shiloh.

Blessings for Yisrael’s sons: Reuben, Zebulun, Issachar

More than just a list of names, these blessings from Ya’akov/Yisra’el are prophesies that will be fulfilled in the last days and give us insight into the mission of the Messiah. For Issachar, it’s a blessing rather than a curse.

Blessings for the 12 sons of Yisra’el: Zebulun through Ben-Yamin

Some Christians think references to “the latter days” in the Bible refer to the coming of Messiah, destruction of Babylon and messianic reign. Some connect the blessings for each of the 12 sons in Genesis 49 to particular nation groups that are supposed to exist at the end of time. When I read the chapter, I see Ya’akov only addressing his 12 sons, who would become the 12 tribes of Yisra’el, in their “end times,” not in those of some modern nation.

Blessings for Yisrael’s sons: Dan, Gad, Naphtali, Asher, Joseph, Benjamin

We finish this chapter discussing the prophesies related to Dan, Naphtali, Asher, Yosef and Ben Yamin. If we look at these prophesies as only relevant to the sons of Ya’akov, we are missing out on the messianic significance of every one of these prophesies.

Blessings for Yisrael’s sons: Ben-Yamin and Yosef; Ya’akov dies

We read the prophesies of the last days given to Joseph and Benjamin by Israel, their father. He also gives the final instructions for his burial. He wanted to be buried with his father and grandfather.

Genesis 50

Yisra’el pleads with Yosef to forgive his brothers

After the death of Yisra’el, fka Ya’akov, 10 of his dozen sons approached Yosef with a message from their father: Don’t seek revenge for selling him as a slave. Yosef lived out the “second greatest commandment” in his response, showing he trusted God’s plan that had violently separated him from his family and landed him in prison for a few years.

Yosef does not take revenge after his father dies

Two patriarchs die in this chapter. It starts with the death of Yisra’el (Ya’akov) and ends with the death of Yosef. When the brothers realized the depths of Yosef‘s love and forgiveness they make a vow to him, which their descendants fulfilled 200 years later.

Haftarah: 1st Kings 2:1–12

Solomon replaces David as king

At the end of 1st Kings 1, David ensured Solomon’s succession to the throne and strictly speaking, David is no longer the king because there can only be one king on the throne at a time. Here, David charges Solomon with several pieces of advice to try to ensure Solomon’s success and long reign.

Two accounts reveal anti-Messiah

Taking a closer look at 1st Kings 2, we see a pattern of The Adversary (haSatan) and anti-Messiah revealed by two men in Scripture who lead parallel lives more than 1,000 years apart.

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