Just like that, we are wrapping up the book of Genesis. I love the book of Genesis. Even over the years that I was just sporadically reading the Bible, it was a fantastic story! Now as I look at Genesis, I appreciate the foundation God laid for us to know Him and His never-ending love for us. I also appreciate the supernatural way that God works in and through ordinary people. It’s so relatable. Thousands of years later, we can totally get Him. Isn’t that amazing????
Genesis 48-50
Chapter 48 – Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons. (Not the rest of the grandsons.)
Note One: Jacob adopted them as his own. Today that would mean that Joseph was either unable or unfit to care for them. As the 2nd in command of Egypt, I don’t think that is the case. Especially given Joseph’s history with God. I am jumping to the conclusion that Joseph was a nearly perfect dad. I envision him as the Bill Cosby of the day with ALL of the answers. All that to say, that this is really not about the life of the “grands” as much as it is about a double blessing for Joseph. He got the coat, he got the position, now he gets the double blessing! God was with him and more importantly, he was with God.
Note two: Jacob switched hands so that the younger received more than the older. Hmmm. Like grandfather like grandson? Or was Jacob prophetically directing them as God intended?
Chapter 49 – Jacob blesses his sons.
The blessings of the patriarchs are a BIG DEAL in Genesis. Since this book covers such a huge amount of history we are just privy to the highlights. Therefore, this is the one big “talk” we know about between Jacob and all of the boys. Some of it is prophetic, (Genesis 49:8-12) some of it is a pep talk, and all of them get some sort of admonishment or encouragement from dad before he is gone. Beautiful.
Chapter 50 – Jacob’s funeral. Joseph’s forgiveness. The End.
Jacob’s final words were about the family grave and his instructions to be taken there. Out of respect for Joseph, the entire country of Egypt mourned with him. (Wow, this is when you know you’ve made a difference.) As the fanfare and the emotion die down from dad’s death, the brothers get nervous about how Joseph is really going to treat them. I think I would be nervous too. Since Joseph was sold into slavery many chapters ago, have we seen them confess to Joseph what they had done? Or ask for forgiveness? No. But in a roundabout way that is what finally happened, (30 years after the fact), and Joseph’s response is perfection! Genesis 50:20 You intended it for harm, but God intended it for good.
Pause. Have you been able to forgive? Even the people that hurt you 30 years ago? Or last week? You’ve tried to forget about it, but is it gone? Or is it buried? What if the tables are turned and you were the one who caused the pain?
Have you asked for forgiveness?
Do you see how Joseph can authentically love his brothers, and move beyond the harm they intended for him? Joseph isn’t denying what they did was harmful. It was. Instead, he’s focused on God and trusting in His plan. Because God was his focus he could easily move past the pain caused by his brothers. It’s called mercy (not given what we deserve) and grace (given what we don’t deserve). God shows us mercy and grace in abundance. God forgives us completely and forever. When we move our thoughts from our pain to God’s provision, we can let go of the debt we felt people owed us. That is forgiveness.
The power of forgiveness, mercy, and grace is yours to accept and extend. If that is all you get from this entire book of Genesis, it is absolutely worthwhile. The freedom that comes with forgiveness is priceless!
Blessings
The topic of blessings is an obvious choice for today’s post. But the question is how do we translate what is spoken specifically over these people at this time in history to our lives?
- To record the lineage of God’s chosen.
- To reveal God’s future plans.
- To reaffirm the value of each person and their role.
- To reassure them of God’s love.
challenge
- #1 You know what I see when I read through the lineage, I see details. Because I see details, not just once but repeatedly, I understand that details matter to God. He is accurate. He is precise. His plans are verifiable.
That means I also can’t be sloppy about God’s word but need to understand it and talk about it in an accurate, precise way. Not perfectly, but with excellence.
- #2 Amazingly God’s plans are written at different times in history, in different places, and by different writers. Together they tell His story from Genesis to Revelation. He seriously wants us to know Him. Think about all He has done just in the retelling of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s stories and the promises He has made and kept.
We can’t gloss over the significance of this and should be moved to the worship of the One and Only who can reveal Himself to us over and over again for centuries and millennia.
- #3 God can use me! I have to be faithful, available, and teachable. I don’t have to be something I can’t be (like perfect). I can be part of God’s story for others. And that story will be celebrated for eternity with Him. Don’t you want to be part of someone else’s God story?
Think about that.
- #4 As His kid, I can and should be continually reassuring others with God’s love, mercy, and grace and helping them know and love Him. Why else would He leave me here on this planet?
God loves you and desperately wants you to be part of His future. He’s done everything to clear the way for you. Want to know more about that? Message me!
