WHAT FAITH BRINGS (PART 10)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

Hebrews 11:21

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today, we go over the half way mark of this 19 message series titled “What Faith Brings”, drawn from our close study of Hebrews, chapter 11 which could easily be called the Bible’s faith chapter.

In yesterday’s message, we revisited the Old Testament story of Isaac who was Abraham’s son, Rebekah, his wife, and their two twin sons, Esau and Jacob. In what was an interesting family dynamic grounded in deception and yet the outcome predicted by God, the younger son Jacob received both the birthright and more favorable blessing from his father while Esau, the eldest son, was left with a lesser blessing, albeit still one that ensured he would be great and renowned in his own right.

We know Jacob went onto father the sons who would form the foundational structure for the twelve tribes of Israel while Esau was the founder of his own nation, the nation of Edom and its people known as the Edomites.

As we see in today’s passage, we are moving forward and focusing on the later years of Jacob, who God would rename Israel. Look again at these words from verse 21:

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

To see the foundational text for this verse written by the letter’s Christian author, we need to go back to the Book of Genesis, first looking at the 48th chapter:

Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.

When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”

“They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father.

Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.”

Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.

Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”

Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.

Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm —may He bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth.”

When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.” He blessed them that day and said, “In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”

So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. Genesis 48:1-2, 8-21

Here, we find Jacob/Israel blessing Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and in an interesting, ironic twist, he blesses the younger son, Ephraim, ahead of his older brother. We have no idea why Jacob/Israel did such a thing but we can only trust in faith that it happened just as God ordained it, just as it had been when he gained the birthright and greater blessing over his older brother, Esau.

So through faith, we have seen straight from the scriptures how Jacob/Israel blessed Joseph’s two sons despite the fact that he was in his last days. But what about his worshiping of God?

For that, we go to Genesis again, this time to the 47th chapter:

Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.”

“I will do as you say,” he said.

“Swear to me,” he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. Genesis 47:28-31

As he drew near to death, here we find Jacob/Israel seeking reassurance from his son Joseph that his burial wishes would be carried out as he desired which meant that he wouldn’t be laid to rest in Egypt but rather with his fathers, Abraham and Isaac, who we know were buried in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite (Genesis 23-8-10). After Joseph swore an oath to do as Jacob/Israel wanted, the scriptures tell us that the ailing, aged father of the twelve sons who would form the twelve tribes worshiped God.

You see, through the story of Jacob we find that faith in God will bring us to a place where we want to bless others while devoting ourselves to God in worship, no matter where we are in our life journey, even in our dying days.

Who can you bless today as you bring your Lord all the glory, honor, and praise that He is worthy of?

Through faith and the Holy Spirit, the answer will become crystal clear if you allow it to.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.