When Jacob went to Egypt, he did not engage in any activity for himself. This also is a manifestation of his maturity. Do not think that Jacob was lazy, tired, or lacked the energy to act. If he had not been able to do anything, he could have ordered his sons to do things for him. However, he did not do this. Rather, he was fully satisfied and rested absolutely in God's sovereignty. He did not depend upon his own endeavors. From his experience through the years, he had come to know that his destiny was in the hands of God, not in his own hands. As Jacob was about to bless the two sons of Joseph, he spoke of God as the One who had shepherded him all his life long (48:15-16, Heb.). Jacob's word in 48:15 and 16 is a reference to the Triune God. Here we see the Triune God in Jacob's experience, not in doctrine. In these verses Jacob said, "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which shepherded me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from evil, bless the lads." Here we see a threefold mention of God: the God before whom Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who shepherded Jacob his whole life long, and the Angel who delivered him from evil. The God before whom Abraham and Isaac walked must be the Father; the God who shepherded Jacob his whole life must be the Spirit; and the Angel who redeemed him from all evil must be the Son. This is the Triune God in Jacob's experience.
Jacob experienced God's sovereign, shepherding care. Shepherding includes feeding. The shepherd meets every need of the sheep, who only eat and rest. Every provision for their existence comes from the shepherd. The example of the shepherd is a marvelous illustration of Jacob's realization that his destiny and existence were absolutely in the hands of the shepherding God. Thus, after he had matured and had arrived in Egypt, he did nothing for himself. This is another sign of the maturity of life.
Now we come to the strongest sign of Jacob's maturity: his blessing of others. The first thing Jacob did after arriving in Egypt was bless Pharaoh (47:7, 10). Although Pharaoh was the highest person on earth, he was under Jacob's blessing hand. According to Hebrews 7:7, "the lesser is blessed by the greater." Thus, the fact that Jacob blessed Pharaoh was a proof that he was greater than Pharaoh. After Jacob had been ushered into Pharaoh's presence, he did not speak to him in a polite, political way. He stretched forth his hand and blessed him. This is absolutely different from human culture and religion. As Jacob was leaving Pharaoh's presence, he blessed him again.
Blessing is the overflow of life, the overflow of God through someone's maturity in life. In order to bless others, we must be filled to the brim with life so that life overflows to them. Having such an overflow of life, Jacob blessed Pharaoh and the two sons of Joseph (48:8-20).
Jacob's father, Isaac, blessed blindly. But Jacob's blessing of his two grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh, was full of insight. Although his physical eyes were dim, his spirit was clear (48:10). Joseph presented his sons to Jacob, placing Manasseh, the firstborn, at Jacob's right hand and Ephraim at Jacob's left hand. Joseph expected that Jacob would place his right hand upon Manasseh's head and his left hand upon Ephraim's head. But being very clear inwardly about what he was doing, Jacob crossed his hands and placed his right hand upon Ephraim's head. Joseph was not happy with this and he said, "Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head" (48:18). But Jacob refused and said, "I know it, my son, I know it." Jacob guided his hands purposefully and intelligently. Unlike his father, Isaac, he did nothing blindly. Because he was mature and because he was one with God in life, he was clear in the spirit. In his spirit he knew that it was God's will to establish Ephraim above Manasseh.
Later we shall see that Jacob's mature life was filled with blessings. Jacob blessed his twelve sons, and those blessings were prophecies relating to the destiny of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob was so filled with life that he overflowed blessings to everyone he met. This is the strongest manifestation of Jacob's maturity in life.