Alderwood Community Church May 25, Dying With Grace and Confidence Genesis 49:1-33

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1 1 Alderwood Community Church May 25, 2014 Dying With Grace and Confidence Genesis 49:1-33 Intro to sermon: Are you ready to die? (I didn t ask, Do you want to die? If not, why? This morning I want to talk about getting your spiritual affairs in order. Context: Jacob moved with his entire family and all his belongings from Canaan to Egypt to be reunited with his son Joseph after 22 years of being apart. Joseph, thanks to Pharaoh s generosity gave his father Jacob and his entire family the most fertile land, the land of Goshen to raise their sheep and cattle and showered them with an abundance of food, even in the midst of a severe famine. Jacob and his family had lived in Egypt for 17 years, and at the age of 147, Jacob was coming to the end of his life, and he knew it. There are 3 scenes: 1. Gen. 47:29-31 Jacob called Joseph in to his room, and made Joseph promise that he would not bury Jacob in Egypt, but that he would take his remains and bury him in Canaan. Jacob worshiped God by faith. (Heb. 11:21) 2. Gen. 48:1-22 (While lying on his bed, sick and very weak) Joseph brought his 2 sons, Manasseh and Ephraim to his father, and Jacob blesses them. *Jacob declares his faith in God s promise to bless him with many descendants and the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. (48:3-4) 3. Gen. 49:1-33 (While still on his bed) A. Jacob summoned all of his sons into his room so he could bless them and tell them what will happen to them in the future. B. He then commanded his children to bury him with his fathers in the cave that Abraham purchased in Canaan. This was a declaration of faith: (1) in God s promise to give him and his family the land of Canaan. (2) of his future in heaven with his fathers. gathered to my people. Read Text: Genesis 49:1-33 Big Idea: Absolute faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing that prepares you for death! 1. Your faith in God is strengthened when you acknowledge His blessings. (49:1-28) Jacob is both declaring his personal faith in God, as well as instructing his children, so that they would place their faith firmly in God. A. God blesses us by including us in His plans regardless of our circumstances. So, Why did God inspire Moses to record these last words of Jacob?

2 2 (1) For Jacob s sons: These words showed Jacob's sons that God was going to build their families into tribes and those tribes into a nation. Furthermore, from the tribe of Judah would come a ruler (Jesus Christ) to whom would be the obedience of all peoples (49:10). So Jacob was raising their vision from their current circumstances--a bunch of families trying to survive in Egypt-- to show them God's plan for history and how they and their families fit into that plan. (2) For Moses first readers: Moses wrote Genesis for a fledgling nation of stubborn and often unbelieving people who were poised on the edge of Canaan, ready to go in and conquer this land which God had promised to Abraham and his descendants. They were a selfish lot, who easily could have lost the land by getting in foolish squabbles with each other. They were a worldly-minded bunch, who could easily get into the land, settle down to enjoy the material comforts, and forget the Lord and His purpose for them. So, many of the same purposes which these prophecies had for Jacob's sons applied to Moses's readers. (a) Moses wanted his readers to view their current circumstances in the light of God's plan. They faced some difficult battles in order to conquer Canaan. It wasn't going to be a piece of cake. If the nation lost sight of God's promise to give that land to Abraham's descendants and to use them to bless all nations through the promised Savior, they could easily have lost heart and settled in a less threatening region. Or, they could have blended in with the wicked Canaanites and God's purpose would have been thwarted. (b) Once they got into the land, they easily could have started quarrelling over who got which piece of real estate. Moses's reporting of Jacob's prophecies showed Israel that each tribe had a different inheritance from the Lord. So they needed to be content with His provision and not fight over who got what. (c) A final reason Moses shared these prophecies with his readers was to instill in them the hope of God's salvation through the Messiah. One would rise up from the tribe of Judah, and to Him would be the obedience of the people. Even though some great men would come from some of the tribes and do great exploits, true deliverance would come only from the Lord. (3) For us today: God is reminding us that not only does He have a plan for history, but that he has a plan for each of us, within his plan for history, regardless of our circumstances. It is easy to forget this during times of disappointment or difficulty. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 For we are God s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

3 3 Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matthew 28:18-20 As parents, our #1 discipleship responsibility is to disciple our children. B. God blesses us by reminding us of the consequences of sin. These prophecies on Jacob's sons were also recorded to show them that their character affected their own and their descendants' destinies. It is a lesson and warning to all readers of this passage. Reuben Gen. 49:3-4 Reuben was entitled to leadership and a double inheritance (1 Chron. 5:1 2), but because he had the ungoverned impulse of boiling water (turbulent as the waters) he would fail in leadership. In the time of the Judges (Jud. 5:15 16), the tribe of Reuben was characterized by irresolution. Reuben s sin was committing adultery with his father s concubine Bilhah, which is noted briefly in Genesis 35:22. The brevity is perhaps important, for it was certainly a passing incident a moment s sinful pleasure. Yes, but with what long-lasting consequences! It was long-lasting for Reuben; as long as he lived, he would know he had lost first place among his brothers and that his place was given over to his much younger half-brother Joseph (cf. 1 Chron. 5:1 2). It was also long-lasting for his descendants, because his displacement affected them forever. Simeon and Levi Gen. 49:5-7 Simeon and Levi were men of violence and not justice, men of uncontrolled anger and fury, with disregard for men and animals. Here was God s moral judgment on their slaughter of the Shechemites (34:25 29). God distinguishes holy war from vengeance. Both tribes were later scattered (49:7). Simeon was largely disintegrated (with its land inside that of Judah; Josh. 19:1, 9), but Levi was afforded an honorable dispersion because it was the priestly tribe (Josh. 21). (BKC) Jacob s prophecy concerning Simeon and Levi has three parts: a denunciation of Simeon and Levi s sin, which flowed from their character; a disengagement from it by Jacob, who wanted no part in such treachery; and a judgment upon them, which contains a curse on their anger and a prophecy that they would possess no land of their own but would rather be scattered throughout Israel. The curse on Simeon and Levi s anger is an explanation of the judgment concerning their being scattered in the land. It is because of their cruelty that they were to lose their proper share of the tribal territory in Canaan. On most Bible maps, where the tribal areas are

4 4 indicated, the territory of Simeon is located to the south and southwest of Judah, which occupied the area around Jerusalem. The tribe of Levi experienced a similar scattering, though in a quite different way. In the conquest of Canaan the Levites became the priests and thus, instead of being given tribal territory, were scattered throughout the land. If you learn nothing else from these two prophecies, at least learn this lesson: Sin has consequences, and some of the consequences greatly affect others. This was the case with the very first occurrence of sin in human history. When Adam and Eve sinned it affected all who have ever lived, and that in the most radical ways. God had told Adam that in the day in which he disobeyed by eating of the forbidden tree, he would surely die (Gen. 2:17). And he did die! But not only Adam! Not only Eve! By Adam s disobedience, death, which is the consequence of sin, passed upon the entire human race. Let me make this really clear. If you live for Christ and are godly, your children will benefit. But if, on the contrary, you live for yourself and are ungodly, your children and probably others will pay the consequences. You cannot escape this law. Sin is not private. Sin is far-reaching. This fact alone should restrain sin and lead to godliness. Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8 C. God blesses us abundantly with grace, provision and forgiveness. Judah Gen. 49:8-11 As Judah listened to the judgments on his older 3 brothers, he must have expected a judgment similar to be pronounced on him. But remarkably, a judgment does not follow. Instead of punishment, Jacob speaks of praise, preeminence, and prosperity. This showed that when a man turns to the Lord in repentance, the Lord will bless him. Judah had truly repented of his sin. He confessed before Joseph, "What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants" (44:16). His eloquent, heartfelt appeal to Joseph, asking that he be substituted for Benjamin, had revealed the depth of Judah's repentance. Moses wanted his readers to know that no matter how great their past sin, if they would now turn to the Lord in repentance, the Lord would bless them greatly by His grace. Instead of punishment, Jacob speaks of praise (8a), preeminence (8b-10), and prosperity (11-12). These words refer two periods of great prosperity in Judah as the result of God s blessing.

5 5 (1) We remember that four hundred years after this, when the Hebrews were led out of Egypt, God gave them a good land a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey, a land where bread will not be scarce and [they would] lack nothing (Deut. 8:7 9) (2) This also refers to the rule of Christ during the Millennium. With the coming of Messiah there will be paradise-like splendor. Kidner says that every line of Genesis 49:11 12 speaks of exuberant, intoxicating abundance: it is the golden age of the Coming One, whose universal rule was glimpsed in [v.] 10c (Genesis, p. 219). For Judah, grapevines will be so abundant that they will be used for hitching posts; wine will be as abundant as wash water. In Judah, people s eyes will be red or bright from wine and their teeth will be white from drinking much milk. These are picturesque ways of describing the suitability of Judah s territory for vineyards. Such opulence will be evident in the Millennium (Isa. 61:6 7; 65:21 25; Zech. 3:10). Joseph Gen. 49:22-26 This blessing has two parts: (1) the first part speaks of Joseph s fruitfulness. (2) The second part explains the secret of that fruitfulness was Joseph s dependence on God, giving a stirring list of names expressing God s attributes. (1) 49:22-25 God lavished the blessing of fruitfulness (22), the promise of victory (23-24a), and prosperity (25b) on Joseph s two tribes. Victory in battle was experienced by Joshua, Deborah, and Samuel, all of the tribe of Ephraim, and by Gideon and Jephthah, both of Manasseh s tribe. (2) 49:25-26 It is clear that he wished to give Joseph the greatest possible blessing, and he did. But the blessing is because of God, and for that reason Jacob s presents a succession of great names for God, which express God s attributes: because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb. This was the secret of Joseph s fruitfulness and victory, of course. We too have been blessed abundantly. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:3-8 (James 1:17; 2 Peter 1:3-4)

6 6 2. Your hope of heaven in anchored in the promises of God s Word. (49:29-33) Here we read the very last words of a dying man. Here Jacob acknowledges his absolute confidence in God by requesting to be buried in Canaan. How Jacob had changed over the last 17 years of his life. When his sons came back from their first trip to get food in Egypt, and they told Jacob that Benjamin must accompany them on their next trip, or they could not get anymore food, Jacob complained to his children, You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me. (42:36 When Jacob first arrived in Egypt and met Pharaoh, he blessed Pharaoh and then was asked about his age. In Jacob s characteristic self-pity responded, The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers. (47:9) But after 17 years of observing God s faithfulness to his family in the land of Egypt, he confidently acknowledged to Joseph God almighty appeared to me at Luz (Bethel) 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 you this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you. (48:3-4) (a) So, when Jacob instructs all of his sons to bury him in his Father s cave in Canaan, it is an expression of faith that God will one day give that land to his family. (b) Jacob s expression in 49:29 I am about to be gathered to my people, is not simply a reference to death, but a confident assertion that he will go to heaven and be re-united with his father, and family members who have gone on ahead of him. The Bible gives us the assurance, that if we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we too can live and die with the full confidence, knowing that when we breath our last breath, we will then be welcomed into heaven. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:14-16 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life. And this is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. 1 John 5:11-13 (John 5:24-25, 14:1-3)

7 7 3. Jesus Christ alone secures your future in heaven. until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. (49:10) This verse is a Messianic Prophecy about Jesus Christ. Revelation 5:5 describes Jesus as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 Conclusion: 1. Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins and secure your future in heaven? 2. Are you confident that when you die, you will go to heaven? 3. Have you blessed your children through the declaration of your faith? Is it obvious to your children that you are living a life of faith and dependence on God? Are you talking about your faith in God with your children? Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:5-7