On his deathbed,
Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers (to the land of Canaan). Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.” Genesis 48:21-22 Let’s break this down - First, Levi did not get land. Instead, Levi was allotted refuge in the land of Canaan that would be conquered by Jacob’s sons. Joseph also did not get land. Instead, his portion was given to his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Joseph received a double portion, one portion more than his brothers. But, what did Jacob mean when he said, “which I took from the hand of the Amorite?” I can’t find anywhere in scripture that references this. I wonder what Amorite Jacob was referring to? Was it a single man or an Amorite group? Perhaps it was an Amorite king? Is it possible that Jacob fought against Amorite chiefs and their tribes when he grew in the land of Canaan? According to Genesis 10, the Amorite kingdom came from the fourth son of Canaan whose name was Emer. Some information I found says it’s hard to know the Amorite past because they have two different points of reference, one from Mesopotamian literature and one from biblical scripture. What I did find interesting is that Amorites were known as “mysterious herders” who became steeped in folklore. The folklore says the sons of Emer brought their flocks down from the mountains of western Syria into southern Mesopotamia. They swept eastward, into the Levant, and they transformed the social landscape as they spread. Apparently, the Amorites were fierce warriors and often referred to as “horrible barbarians.” I wonder if they came from Mount Hermon, the land of the watchers? In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses wrote that Og, the king of the Amorites, was a very tall man whose bed was 13.5 feet long. Deuteronomy 3:11 The Amorites were probably descendants of the Giants, the Nephilim. Who knows? Later on, in the scripture, we also learn that God destroyed them! At least the ones that Joshua took on. That was the day the sun stood still. Joshua 10 references five Amorite kings - the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. They all joined forces and moved their troops and took up positions against Gibeon. The Gibeonites sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Come. Do not abandon your servants.” This is when the Lord assured Joshua He was with him, and Joshua commanded the sun to stand still. In the book of Numbers, in Chapter 32, Joshua was told by God to give the Amorite territories to Manasseh, the Joseph's first born son. God has His timeline, and we are His vessels. “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:28-29
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