Verse 23 says, "The archers have bitterly harassed him, and shot at him, and lay in wait for him" (Heb.). This refers to Joseph's suffering. His brothers were like archers who attacked him and shot arrows at him. When they were shepherding the flock of their father, Joseph was sent by their father to visit them, and they were actually lying in wait for him. When he came, they seized him.
However, Joseph's brothers did not gain the victory over him. Verse 24 says, "But his bow remained firm, and the arms of his hands were made strong and agile by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel)" (Heb.). Joseph's brothers were not victorious because Joseph's bow remained firm and the arms of his hands were made strong and agile by the mighty One of Jacob. This mighty One of Jacob was Jacob's shepherd and his stone. Jacob had a shepherd who took care of him, and he had a stone on which to stand. Both this Shepherd and this rock were the mighty One of Jacob. Joseph was made strong through this mighty One of his father.
The God of Joseph's father helped him and the all-sufficient One blessed him. Verse 25 says, "Even by the God of thy father, who helpeth thee; and by the All-sufficient, who blesseth thee" (Heb.). When we combine the blessings mentioned in 49:25-26 with those in Deuteronomy 33:13-16, we see that the blessings bestowed upon Joseph were of ten aspects. First, he was blessed with the precious things of heaven (Deut. 33:13). Certainly some of the blessings of the precious things of heaven should include rain and snow. Second, he was blessed with the dew. Third, he was blessed with the blessing of the deep that lies beneath. This refers to the springs, fountains, and waters underneath the earth. Fourth, he was blessed by the precious fruits brought forth by the sun (Deut. 33:14). After that, as the fifth blessing, he had the blessing of the precious things put forth by the moon. We need both the sun, which typifies Christ, and the moon, which typifies the church. Some fruits are brought forth by Christ, and some precious things are put forth by the church. All these were among the blessings bestowed upon Joseph. The sixth blessing Joseph received was the blessing of the best things of the ancient mountains, and the seventh was the precious things of the eternal hills (Deut. 33:15, Heb.). In all these blessings all of time and space is included. From ancient times to eternity, all of time is included, and from heaven to earth, including the deep under the earth, all of space is included. This indicates that all the good things in the universe have become blessings to Joseph. The eighth blessing includes the precious things of the earth and its fullness (Deut. 33:16). Certainly this must include minerals such as gold and silver. The ninth blessing is seen in Genesis 49:25: "Blessings of the breasts, and of the womb." The blessings of the womb are for begetting, and the blessings of the breasts are for nourishing. These refer to the producing of life. This is the only blessing that is of life. The tenth blessing is "the good will of him that dwelt in the bush" (Deut. 33:16). Later we shall see that the One who dwelt in the bush (Exo. 3:4) will dwell in the temple, in the church, and then in the New Jerusalem. All the bushes will be transformed into precious stones. Formerly, God dwelt among the bushes, but eventually He will dwell among the precious stones in the New Jerusalem. This is the very desire of God's heart, His good will. All these things are included in the universal blessing bestowed upon Joseph.
The greatest blessing is the dwelling of the One who dwelt in the bush. God's dwelling among us is the foremost blessing. Suppose your father gives you many things and then leaves you and goes away. This would not be very good. The Father has given us so much, but eventually He gives us His ultimate blessing --His dwelling. As we read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we see that God has given us many good things. But what God finally gives us is His dwelling.
All these blessings are Christ's inheritance. Hebrews 1:2 says that God has appointed Christ Heir of all things. All the good things throughout time and space are the inheritance of Christ. This is God's blessing to Christ. And we are Christ's partners participating in His inheritance. Joseph here represents Christ. All the blessings of the Father go to Him. In the New Testament we are told that all things have been given to the Son. These are the blessings in space, in time, and in life. All this is Christ's inheritance, and we, His partners, join Him to inherit all these blessings. It is not simply a matter of salvation or of the kingdom. All the things in time from ancient times to eternity, everything in space from heaven to underneath the earth, and all the producing and nourishing aspects of life are the blessings bestowed upon Christ.
This Christ was the One separate from His brothers (49:26). The Hebrew word rendered "separate" is also the word for Nazarite. According to Numbers 6, certain Israelite males were separated from the others to live absolutely for God. Joseph was such a one. He was the first Nazarite in the Bible, separate from his brothers, and Christ became the real Nazarite, separate from all the people. Thus, Joseph typified Christ as the Nazarite, the One who was separated from the common people to live wholly for God. This separated One has received the blessing of the whole universe. The universal blessing is bestowed upon the crown of the head of such a Nazarite.