Genesis 50:1-26

Genesis Study 133

JOSEPH'S LOVE, FAITH AND HOPE

Genesis 50:1-26
Key verse 50:24
"Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'"

I thank God for blessing our Genesis study last two years nine months and ten days. Through Genesis study we could learn that God created us in his own image and for his good purpose. But our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God in their arrogance. This put the whole family of mankind under God's curse. But God still loved his lost children and wanted to bless them. So he chose the most hopeless idol worshipper from Ur. God trained him until he became a true worshipper of God. God gave him a new name Abraham meaning "a father of many nations". God promised to bless all peoples on earth through him. The book of Genesis ends with the death of Joseph. But this was just a beginning. God would continue to keep his promise to Abraham. Finally God sent his one and only Son Jesus through the line of Abraham. The Bible says the purpose of Jesus' coming as follows: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believers in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Once we were condemned and cursed because of our sins. But now in Jesus all our sins are forgiven and all curses removed. In Jesus we are no more the children of hell but the children of God. In Jesus we got a permanent job to serve the King of kings. In Jesus we got an eternal reservation in the kingdom of God. Things are changing everyday. But God never changes. He is the God of promise. Whatever he promises he keeps at any cost. Even at the cost of sacrificing his beloved Son he keeps his promise. The book of Genesis tells about the things that had happened about four thousand years ago or even before. But all the promises written in this book are not outdated. Even today they are still "yes" to those who hold them by faith. May God bless us to hold his promise once again through today's study.

Look at verses 1 to 3. At the death of his father, Joseph threw himself upon him and wept over him and kissed him. Though he had a hope to meet his father again in heaven, it was still a very painful moment. Joseph honoured his deceased father by directing the royal physicians to embalm him taking a full forty days. The Egyptians held a nationwide mourning for Jacob seventy days. But honouring the man of God does not end here.
Look at verses 4 to 14. Pharaoh granted Joseph's request to bury his father in the land of Canaan. All royal officials accompanied Joseph besides all the members of Joseph's household and his brothers and those belonging to his father's household. They were escorted by the royal palace guards who were on their Chariots. It was a very large company. When they reached the threshing floor of Atad in Canaan, they lamented loudly and bitterly seven days. The Canaanites must have been wondering why these foreigners came all the way from Egypt to Canaan to bury their dead. They were greatly amazed at the scale and solemnity of the funeral ceremony. So they said, "The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning." Then they called the place Abel Mizraim meaning "mourning of the Egyptians."
We remember Jacob's situation when he was fleeing from his angry brother. He had nothing except one staff. His bed was the field, his pillow a stone and his roof the dark and cold sky. But God gradually blessed them. He became a father of twelve sons and man of great wealth. Later he became the father of the governor of Egypt. His family well settled in the best land of Goshen and royal food was provided daily. Most of all he became a great pilgrim. Now at his death he was honoured like a king. But all the glories and honours Jacob received on earth are nothing compared with what he would receive in the kingdom of God. Instead of mummifying his body, God would grant him a heavenly body. Then Jacob would never suffer from any illness or sinfulness or death. Instead of solemn mourning, God would let him join heavenly chorus and sing new songs of praise everyday. Jacob's one day in heaven would surpass all the glories of earthly kingdoms. Was this only for Jacob? No, the same glories and honours are for all those who live by faith to the end. With this hope we can continue our pilgrimage today and tomorrow.
Jacob's sons buried their father in the cave of Machpelah where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and Leah had been buried. This burial site continually reminded them that one day they must return to the Promised Land. After completing the ceremony they returned to Egypt.

Look at verses 15 to 18. After the death of their father, Joseph's brothers looked like a half-dead not because of sorrow but because of fear. They said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph already forgave them seventeen years ago. He proved his forgiving love by providing them the best land, the best food and the best care for the last seventeen years. He was their good shepherd. But at the end his love was doubted. Joseph had been serving them to fear God and live before him. But they still feared Joseph more than God. He had been serving them to be free from their guilty and live a happy life. But they were still carrying the burden of sins. So when their message came to him, Joseph wept. He did not know what to do with his unchanging brothers. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. How did Joseph help them?
Look at verses 18 to 21. He said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. Here we see Joseph's divine love. We all want to love others. But we always find it so difficult. Let's learn from Joseph the secret of love. The secret is in his answer, "Am I in the place of God?" What does it mean to be in the place of God? It is to be in the place of judging others. It is to think that I am already perfect like God and others have to be perfect like God. Being in the place of God, all we can do is only judging and condemning others. But even God did not do that. Instead of judging and condemning Joseph's brothers, God loved them and trained them. God also used their wrongdoings to save many lives. At the end all Joseph's brothers grew to be the sources of blessing in world salvation ministry. When God still loves our brothers and sisters, how can we judge them? When God still keeps his great hope on them, how can we cut off our hope on them? Joseph said to his brothers, "So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." He refused to be in the place of God. Instead he chose to be in the place of a servant. This enabled him to love even the most difficult people like his brothers.
Look at verses 22 to 24. Joseph lived a hundred and ten years and saw the third generation of Ephraim's children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph's knees. God blessed him and his descendants to be very fruitful. Now it was time for him to conclude his pilgrimage. Joseph's brothers again worried about their future. But Joseph did not say to them, "Brothers, don't worry. I already spoke to Pharaoh to take care of you. Everything will be fine." Instead he said to them, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." Joseph helped them trust in God alone. He believed it was not he who brought them down to Egypt but God. So the same God would take them up out of Egypt to the Promised Land. It was not easy for the brothers to send away Joseph. But it was a good chance for them to grow in independent faith. In the past God provided them everything through Joseph. In the future the same God would provide them everything through his own way. Here we learn from Joseph how best we can help others. The best help is not giving someone a job or money. The best help is to guide someone to have faith in God and his promise. Joseph did that and in the book of Exodus we see he was right. The Israelites became slaves in Egypt. They had no one to help them. But they had faith in God and his promise. This was more than enough for them to come out of Egypt and enter the Promised Land.
Look at verses 25 and 26. And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place." So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt. Here we see Joseph's ultimate hope. He longed to be placed not in the Prosperous Land but in the Promised Land. Now, the prosperity of Egypt is no more. But Jesus came through the spiritual line of Joseph. The spiritual children of Joseph are everywhere in the world. They are growing everyday. Joseph is enjoying the true prosperity even today. Those who put their hope in the promise of God will enjoy eternal prosperity. May God bless us to bear the fruit of Joseph's love, faith and hope.

Genesis 49:1-33

Genesis Study 132

JACOB BLESSES HIS SONS

Genesis 49:1-33
Key verse 49:28
"All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him."

Last week we studied that Jacob adopted Joseph's two sons as his sons and blessed them. In today's passage he blesses his twelve sons.

Look at verses 1 and 2. Even though he called for his sons to bless them, he did not say, "Gather around so I can bless you." Instead he said, "Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come." As we study we will find some of his words were not easy to digest. Especially in the cases of his first three sons his words sound very harsh. How could those harsh words still be a blessing for them? And as we study we also can see how their past affected their future. All these things will teach us something very important in our lives of faith. Jacob said to his sons, "Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel." He called for their careful attention. Let's listen to his words with full attention so that we too may be blessed by God.
Look at verses 3 and 4. Jacob says to Reuben. "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honour, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it." Being the firstborn of the family Reuben had extraordinary strength, honour and power. But all his excelling capability made him proud. He became proud enough to defile his father's bed by sleeping with his father's concubine. God had gifted him with many good things for a good purpose. But when he misused the gifts, he lost everything. God humbled him down to the ground. But this was for his own good. True blessing is not giving someone always great honour and power. Even though he may be brought down to the ground, if it makes him holy and humble before God that is a true blessing.
Look at verses 5 to 7. Jacob says to his second and third sons. About forty years ago Simeon and Levi had killed the Shechemites to avenge the raping of their sister Dinah. In their anger they killed even the innocent people. By doing so they defiled God's name and put the godly family in great danger. As joy becomes double by sharing it so does anger. That is why Jacob scattered them in Israel. He said to them, "Simeon and Levi are brothers—their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel." Jacob cursed their anger and fury. But he did not curse them. He was helping them repent of their emotional anger. When they repented God blessed their descendants to possess holy anger. Moses was from the tribe of Levi. With holy anger he fought against the false gods of Egypt and rescued God's people. With holy anger the Levites fought against the idol worshippers in Israel and saved the nation. With holy anger Phinehas, a priest from the Levites, fought against the immoral sins of Israel and honoured God's name. Emotional anger is so destructive. But holy anger honours God's name and saves many lives. To be trained by God and have holy anger is a true blessing.
Look at verses 8 to 12. Jacob blesses Judah. In human point of view, Judah was worse than Reuben, Simeon and Levi. But his father did not say anything bad about him. Instead Jacob raised Judah above his sons by saying, "Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you." In fact the kingship of Israel was given to him. In the future twenty kings of Israel would be raised from the tribe of Judah. But the greatest blessing was the coming of Jesus Christ through the line of Judah. Jacob said, "The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his." Everlasting kingship belongs to Jesus. When he comes the nations will obey him. Jesus will rule their hearts with grace and truth.
How could Judah receive such a great blessing? It was because he repented from the heart. He was no more a selfish Judah but a sacrificial Judah. It does not matter how dirty and selfish we have been in the past. When we confess our sins without hiding even the most shameful one, God lets Jesus be born in our hearts. Then Jesus cleanses all our sins. He helps us live for God and others. He makes us rulers in his everlasting kingdom. This is the greatest blessing.
Look at verses 13 to 21. Jacob blesses Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher and Naphtali. We don't know much about them. But through the words of Jacob we can imagine their characters.
Jacob says, "Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon." Mumbai and Chennai are haven for ships. Those harbour cities are always busy with trade. It seems Zebulun had a special talent in trade. Later his descendants would be actively engaged in trade and export God's truth to many nations.
Jacob says to Issachar, "Issachar is a raw-boned donkey lying down between two saddlebags. When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labour." In movie Shrek the donkey never stops talking. But in reality donkeys don't talk but keep working. In New Delhi I saw them carrying heavy bricks even at noon in May. There are people who do not speak much. But they speak through their hard work. Every Saturday some of us arrange this hall for worship service. Every Sunday morning one of us prepares our lunch. They don't talk much. But their action delivers us the message of love and humble serving.
Jacob says to Dan, "Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backward." Dan was not a romantic person. He was as shrewd as s serpent and as sharp as a viper's fang. He got low marks in poetry but always topped in law. He could be a good judge for his people. But he should judge the things not based on his human reasoning but based on God's truth. Judge Samson was from the tribe of Dan. His life displays the importance of judging the things based on God's truth.
In verse 18, Jacob prays, "I look for your deliverance, O Lord." Jacob humbly asked to God to enable him to complete his last mission. He also humbly asked God to deliver his sons from their sins and grow them as the sources of blessing for mankind.
In verse 19 Jacob says to Gad, "Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels." Gad must have had a never-give-up spirit. Proverbs 24:16a says, "…though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…" When God Almighty is with us why should we give up? Satan attacks us and makes us fall more than seventy times a day. But in God we rise again. He forgives our sins. He renews our strength. In God we fight back and win the battle. This blessing is guaranteed to all God's people.
Jacob says to Asher, "Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king." Asher must have been a very good cook like his father and our shepherdesses. Had he joined Christ College he could have been the topper in Hotel management course. In earthly kingdom one's greatness is measured based on how many people he rules over. But in God's kingdom one's greatness is measured based on how many people he serves. May God bless us to serve many campus students with delicious spiritual food and physical food.
Jacob says to Naphtali, "Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns." New King James Version reads this verse as follows, "Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words." He must have been eloquent in speech and beautiful in singing. His descendants would carry God's messages to the nations and lead them to sing praises to God.
Look at verses 22 to 26. Jacob blesses Joseph. Joseph was a special boy from his childhood. He received special love from his father. He received special dreams from God. This made his brothers bitter and hostile to him. Then they attacked him so badly. Joseph became a slave and later a prisoner. But he forgave his brothers from the heart. He prayed for them even in his prison cell. He accepted all hardships as necessary trainings to fulfil God-given dreams. So even at the bottom of his life he continued to serve others with God's love and truth. Then God exalted him to the highest. Joseph sacrificed his whole life to save many lives. He had thousands of reasons to cut off his relationship with his brothers and millions of reasons to give up his life of faith. But his love for his brothers grew bigger and his faith in God grew deeper. Jacob says it was all because of God who is the Mighty One of Jacob, the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, and the Almighty. By the grace of God, Joseph could be the shadow of Jesus Christ. His life reflects Jesus' suffering and glory, his forgiveness and salvation. When Jesus came to this world he came not only through the physical line of Judah but also through the spiritual line of Joseph.
God wants to give us the same blessing. Our present sufferings are the parts of God's blessing. Through hard problems God helps us grow in faith. And through hard people he helps us grow in love. In this way Jesus' image is carved in us. Those who bear Jesus' image bring glory to God and save many lives. This is the greatest blessing.
Jacob says to Benjamin, "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder." Benjamin must have been very ambitious. But God changed his human ambition into godly ambition. Then his descendants could do great things for God. Apostle Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin. He had godly ambition to preach the gospel to the end of the earth.
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. Each of them received the blessing appropriate to him. At present they had many weaknesses. But God trained them and raised them to be the sources of blessing for all mankind. Jacob instructed his sons to bury him not in Egypt but in Canaan. This would always remind them of the Promised Land. Finally Jacob breathed his last and completed his pilgrimage. May God bless us to thank him for his appropriate blessing. May God bless us to repent like Judah and bear Jesus' image like Joseph.

Genesis 48:1-22

Genesis Study 131

EPHARAIM AND MANASSEH

Genesis 48:1-22
Key verse 48:5
"Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine."

Last week we studied how God brought his great deliverance through Joseph. In the army I was trained for were two purposes—one was to deliver my life from all dangers and the other was to deliver my nation from all its enemies. In the same way when God trains us there are two purposes—one is to deliver us from all our sins and the other is to deliver people from their sins through us. Though it is very tough, I pray we may humbly go through all God's trainings. Someday God will bring his great deliverance through us.
In today's passage Jacob blesses Joseph's two sons—Manasseh and Ephraim. This was the moment of happiness and honour. However here is something more than ordinary blessing. Let's learn it.

Look at verses 1 to 4. According to chapter 47 verses 28 and 29, Jacob was a hundred and forty-seven years old. The time drew near for him to die. He requested Joseph to bury him in the Promised Land. Now some time later he became ill. Everyone sensed that it would be his last moment. In fact he would die after blessing Joseph's two sons in this chapter and his twelve sons in the next chapter. Jacob had lived such a hard but beautiful life of faith. And he wanted to accomplish his last mission that was to hand over God's blessing to the next generation. We can learn something wonderful from him.
When Joseph was told about his father's illness, he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. Jacob was lying on the bed. But he gathered his last strength and sat up on the bed. He said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me and said to me, 'I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.'" This was the very promise Jacob had received half century ago. By now he could hardly see because of his old age. He could hardly move from his bed. Yet he clearly remembered the half-century-old promise of God as if it was told him yesterday. This shows he had been putting all his hope in this one word of God. He had kept this one word of God as his most precious treasure. Now it was time for him to hand it over his sons. This one word of God would make them truly great in God's sight and this one word of God would bring God's great salvation to all mankind.

Look at verses 5 to 7. Here Jacob reckons Manasseh and Ephraim as his sons. The word "reckon" has the meaning of "consider". Even though Manasseh and Ephraim were Joseph's sons, from now on they would be considered as Jacob's sons. Jacob says, "Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine." What a great honour for Joseph and his two sons! Romans 2:10 says that God gives "glory and honour and peace to every man who does good." We all are born as sinners. It is very hard to teach our children to do good things. But even if we don't teach them they already know how to do bad things. It is because we all are sinners. Now the Bible tells us that even though we are bad sinners there is a way for us to be reckoned as God's children. What good should we do then to be reckoned as God's children? John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who received him (that is Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." The only good thing we can do as sinners is to receive Jesus as our Saviour. Then as Ephraim and Manasseh were adopted as Jacob's sons, we will be adopted as God's children.
Look at verses 8 to 16. Here Jacob blesses Ephraim and Manasseh. Joseph brought his sons close to his father, and Jacob kissed them and embraced them. He said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too." Jacob had lived with Joseph for seventeen years in Canaan and another seventeen years in Egypt. But in between he had missed him for twenty-two years. Those twenty-two years was the darkest moment of his life. But it was a preparation time for the brightest future. Now Jacob sees God's grace and kindness clearer than ever before.
Then Joseph removed his sons from Jacob's knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. Joseph never had bowed down to anyone even to Pharaoh. But before receiving God's blessing from his father, he bowed down. This shows how much he feared God and valued God's blessing. And he took Ephraim on his right toward Jacob's left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Jacob's right hand. He wanted his father to bless his first son with his right hand that signifies greater blessing. But look at verse 14. But Israel that is Jacob 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' head, even though he was the firstborn. Then he blessed Joseph and said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm—my 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 upon the earth." In his blessing he confessed God as his shepherd. Being a shepherd by profession Jacob knew very well about a relationship between a shepherd and a sheep. Sometimes Shepherd God guided him through rocky places or deep valleys. But at the end he always led Jacob to the most pleasant and secured places. Now he blesses Ephraim and Manasseh to be guided by the same Shepherd God all the days of their lives. He was sure that Shepherd God would protect them perfectly and make them so fruitful. Our God is not simply supernatural force. He is not one of many gods. He is not a product of mythology. Our God is our shepherd and we are his beloved sheep. He knows us personally because he created us in his own image. He knows our names, habits and hobbies. He knows our favourite food and favourite colour. He knows our past, present and future. While we are sleeping he still watches over us. Even when we are wandering in our sins, he still loves us and makes every effort to turn us back to him. This is what our Shepherd God says us in Isaiah 49:15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" In fact when we were completely lost in sin, he left all his glory in heaven and came down to this world. Then he took up all our sins upon himself and died on the cross. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11) Jesus is our Shepherd God. He never leaves us alone. He takes care of us until we reach his everlasting kingdom.

Look at verses 17 to 20. 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. This was the only moment where in Joseph was displeased with his father and tried to correct him. It was out of his spiritual ignorance. He did not know that it was God's will to put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
So Jacob refused Joseph's request 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 Jacob put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
We all want God's blessing for every part of our lives. We want God to bless our studies, health, family, job, marriage, children, friends, relatives, country, bike, and house etc. But we have something for which we want God's greater blessing. For someone it may be job placement. For another it may be his or her marriage. Yet for another it may be final exams. But when God changes the priority we become anxious. We say to him, "God, thank you for blessing my Bible study. But what about my job? This is more urgent and this needs greater blessing. Please do hurry." But God crosses his hands and blesses our Bible study more than other things. Even if we try to change God's hand position, he refuses. Then we are in trouble. But God does so for our own good. There was one brother who asked me, "Shepherd, please pray for my job." Next time he said to me, "Shepherd, please give me a job." Then finally he asked me, "Shepherd, why don't you give me a job?" What could I do for him? I only prayed to God to guide him through the best way. Then God blessed his Bible study first. His faith in God's word grew. At last after taking eight interviews he got a job placement in the world famous software company. On his interview form he wrote his life purpose as "To have faith in God". In the past his life purpose was "To have faith in myself." What a great change! God knows what is best and what is most urgent for us. He never makes a mistake. I humbly pray we may earnestly seek God's greatest blessing for our Bible study. Then all other blessings will naturally follow. May God bless us keep his promise as the best treasure and hand it over to our next generation.