A Chosen Family
Introduction
- We come to the end of Jacob (not Joseph’s) life
- He had known a difficult and hard life
- At the end the family is united – called to his death bed
- Joseph brought his children to be blessed
- Joseph must have been so thrilled enduring such hardship and difficult
- The family is gathered in and he is united with them
- Jacob makes 12 prophecies – what will become of the tribes
- Example of funeral and a saint dying well in the Lord
- Jacob is dying well in the Lord
- Blessing God
- Blessing his family (v28)
- Not looking at all 12
- To look at some tonight and then look at Judah at the Communion Service
- Look at the grace of God to this family
- No family member was written off
- Example of Judah, Reuben & Simeon
- Jacob never disowned any of his children
- All are included in the family of God
- No family member was written off
- Last words of Jacob
- Inspired by the Holy Spirit / prophetic words
- Jacob was given foresight
- First slide: genealogy of the 12 tribes of Israel
- Second slide: pictures for the tribes of Israel
- Reuben: a fist with turbulent waters
- Simeon & Levi: men of the sword
- Judah: a lion and sceptre (these speak of Christ)
- Zebulun: a ship
- Issachar: a donkey
- Dan: judges and the snake
- Gad: foot overcoming the sword
- Asher: provision of royal dainties
- Naphtali: a deer
- Joseph: a bow and fruitful vine
- Benjamin: ravenous as a wolf
- Overview:
- Grace: Reuben, Simeon & Levi
- Blessing through pain
God’s Grace
Reuben (v3-4)
- Should have all the rights of the firstborn
- He squandered them and became unstable
- He defiled his father’s bed
- 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 – "Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright; yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph’s"
- He slept with Bilhah and lost the birthright blessing
- He was too unstable to become leader
- He never excelled – no prophet, priest or king came from the tribe of Reuben
- Quote from Spurgeon
- A great lack of self-cotnrol
- We must pray that our heart is fixed in Christ, not unstable
- We must pray to sow to the Spirit
Simeon & Levi (v5-7)
- Their sins are identified by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount
- Murder and anger – Simeon & Levi
- Adultery and lust – Reuben
- We sin the serious of sin – they lose the blessing
- The history of Simeon
- Emerging after Egypt as the third strongest tribe
- After the wandering in the wilderness, the numbers had reduced by 63% and they had become the weakest tribe
- They had to share part of Judah’s land
- Anger and violence always has consequences – Prov 21:7
- The tribe of Levi
- They never had a piece of land – a type of judgment?
- The Lord was their portion
- They became a priestly tribe
- Grace mixed with judgment
- They never had a piece of land – a type of judgment?
- As Christians we do not inherit from our parents – we are a new creation
- Though we are shaped by our culture and past
- We are to remind ourselves that we are new in Jesus Christ
Blessings through pain
Joseph (v22-26)
- When there are blessings and conversions, often their is pain
- When revival comes, there are often difficulties
- Satan attacks
- When revival comes, there are often difficulties
- Wonderful words
- The blessing was to come through his sons – the tribes called Ephraim and Manasseh
- Reading v22-24a
- A man strong in the Lord
- He blessed Potiphar, he blessed the prison keeper, he blessed Pharaoh, he blessed the Egyptians
- He tested his brothers to ensure their repentance
- He inherits the best part of Egypt – Goshen
- Manasseh a split tribe, Ephraim
- Yet there was blessing
- Ephraim became head of the 10 tribes – Israel
- Reading v24b-25a
- Wonderful titles
- God of grace
- The Almighty God
- The Shepherd
- The Stone of Israel
- Wonderful titles
- Reading v25b-26
- Great blessings in his life
- Even though you may have known great pain
- Example of spiritual blessings
- We are blessed in Christ
- Joseph received the blessings of the firstborn because God was with Him
- We have known temporal blessings
- Great blessings in his life
Closing Remarks
- Judgment
- Grace
- Blessings though pain