Week 1; Session 1 Read Genesis 48 It seems like a funny way to begin, but let’s start at the end. I can’t wait to dissect all the different scenes of Jacob’s life, but I want to make sure that we're looking at what's really important. So, I want to begin with an overview and I guess I want you to hear it from Jacob himself. What did he think was important about his life? Genesis 48 is his last recorded conversation with his son Joseph and it allows us to understand Jacob through his own words. To set the story briefly, Jacob in his old age has been reunited in Egypt with his beloved son, Joseph, whom he had grieved as dead. Jacob has now lived in Egypt for seventeen years and is nearing the end of his life. Genesis 48 allows us to listen in on essentially Jacob’s last will and testament which he wants to impart to Joseph and Joseph’s sons. Read Genesis 48 and then journal your answers to these questions. What lifetime events does Jacob deem important enough to recount to his son and grandsons? What was on his mind at the end of his life? What do you think Jacob wanted his family to remember about himself? What did Jacob expressly leave behind for Ephraim and Manasseh, and for Joseph? In Genesis 48: 3-4, Jacob remembers a promise that God had made to him previously. This promise to Jacob is recorded in Genesis 28:13-15. We’ll look at the circumstances surrounding how this promise was given later, but for now, look at what the promise involves. Read the promise given in Genesis 28 and list every part of that promise and what you think each part means: This promise has appeared earlier in Scripture. Jacob had surely heard stories of his grandfather Abraham’s promise from God. For extra credit, read about Abraham’s encounter in Genesis 12:1-9. Are there any differences? What part of that promise makes your heart sing? For me, it’s, “All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you,” which appears in 12:3 to Abraham and in 28:14 to Jacob. Those words remind me that God's grace doesn't stop with Abraham, but filters through his descendants to us all. And more good news--Paul says in Galatians 3: 8-9 that as believers in Christ, we share the same promise as Abraham. I love this passage so much, that I’m going to copy it here. 8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. (NLT) I don’t think I can emphasize it or state it any clearer than Paul, we share the same blessing as Abraham. As did Jacob. Now at the end of his life, Jacob has seen how God fulfilled that promise and wants to make certain that his grandsons understand their inheritance. Here at the end of his story, we see what Jacob wants his family to know, that God's promises have come to pass. You know what Jacob didn't say? He didn't talk about the time his brother vowed to kill him, or his father-in-law promised him one wife and gave him another. And he didn't talk about the time he was on the road with his whole household heading towards uncertainty. He just wants them to know that God's promises have come to pass. If we have breath, we surely have promises that have not yet been fulfilled in our lives. What we hope to gain from a study of Jacob’s life is a picture of faith walked out. And what it means to hold on to those promises in hope. Journaling prompt: What is a promise you have clung to in your life? Look it up and copy down the scripture. When is it easy to believe and when is it difficult to believe?
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AuthorLoving words written to increase hope. Archives
May 2020
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