Sermon: Genesis 49
INTRODUCTION
How one remembers and how one is remembered are two different things. Such was the story of three sisters ages 92, 94, and 96 lived in a house together. One night the 96 year old draws a bath. She puts her foot in and pauses. She yells down the stairs "was I getting in or out of the bath?" The 94 year old yells back "I don't know. I'll come up and see." She starts up the stairs and pauses. "Was I going up the stairs or down?" The 92 year old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea listening to her sisters. She shakes her head and says "I sure hope I never get that forgetful". She knocks on wood for good measure. She then yells "I'll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who's at the door?" We will all lose our memory, but how will be remembered?
Genesis 49 is a unique passage in our study of Joseph’s life. At this point, the family, along with father Jacob, has relocated in Egypt, where God saved their lives through Joseph. And now, Jacob has come to the end of his days. He is literally upon his death bed. As was Jewish custom, it was time to bless each of the children, with some parting words from the patriarch.
Not all of the blessings were positive. For instance, Reuben would be judged for his sexual immorality (Genesis 35:22). Thus he is called unstable and a defiler (vs. 3). Simeon and Levi were the instigators of the bloodshed upon the city of Shechem in Genesis 35:25. Therefore they are labeled as “instruments of cruelty (vs. 5).” Among the blessings that are given in Genesis 49, we see two that stand out, that of Judah and Joseph. The rights of the firstborn would belong to Joseph. This morning, we focus on these two and the significance they hold for you and me. We first turn to Judah and learn that…
- JUDAH HOLDS SIGNIFICANCE TO CHRISTIANS EVERYWHERE.
Genesis 49:8 "Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's sons shall bow down to you. 9 "Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up? 10 "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” A whelp is another term for a lion’s young, a cub. The lion is a symbol of royalty. Later Biblical texts such as Psalm 78 and 1 Chronicles 5 denote that Judah’s blessing anticipated David’s rise to the kingly throne in Israel. David was from the tribe of Judah.
Notice in verse 10 that to this king, the obedience of all people will be due. Obviously, this denotes a king that is bigger than David, Solomon or anyone else in the historical record. Rather, some scholars believe that this is an allusion to Jesus Christ. And because throne of David had Messianic undertones, we understand that Jesus is also a descendant of Judah through his earthly guardian Joseph. Hebrews 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah…. Revelation 5:5 and one of the elders said to me, "Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals."
What significance does this hold for you and me? It speaks of the humanity of Christ. Through Judah, He is identifiable with not just the nation of Israel, but the entire human race. Hebrews 4:15 tells us the spiritual benefits of such linkage. “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” And because Jesus was that sinless sacrifice for you and me, He is able to minister unto God on our behalf.
Jonathan Edwards, the father of the American church, taught that it makes perfect sense that our mediator is both divine and a member of the human race. If it were otherwise, he could not perfectly fulfill the demands of God’s law. So in our worship, we ought to not ever forget that Jesus is our king. He is worthy of our worship and praise. Revelation 5:9, referring to Jesus, it says: “And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,” Jesus is that lion from the tribe of Judah, the king of all who believe. Is He your king? This morning, let us also look at the life of Joseph and see that…
- JOSEPH IS REMEMBERED AS A MAN OF BLESSING AND ENDURANCE.
Genesis 49: 22 tells us: Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a spring; Its branches run over a wall. 23 "The archers bitterly attacked him, And shot at him and harassed him; 24 But his bow remained firm, And his arms were agile, From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), 25 From the God of your father who helps you… . Certainly we have seen how the Lord had helped Joseph during this years in Egypt. It did not appear to be a blessing at first. This slave, then prisoner, his life had every appearance of a curse. But God is faithful. When others rejected Joseph and cast him aside, God did not. The hand of the Lord remained upon Joseph, enabling him to be a blessing to many others, even preserving life in a strange land. These few short verses are a summation of Joseph’s life, a life that is characterized as blessed by God. Verse 25 tells us: And by the Almighty who blesses you with blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26 "The blessings of your father Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; May they be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers. Please keep in mind that all blessings come from God (James 1:17). We might not see Joseph’s life so blessed, but he was blessed to be a blessing, just like his great grandfather Abraham (Genesis 12:3).
But how did Joseph obtain his blessings? By working? No. He did nothing to deserve God’s hand upon his life. Rather, he did so by patiently trusting in God, even thought the events may indicate misfortune. Joseph seems to typify what the Scripture says in Psalm 37:7 which says: Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. We are told as well in Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
What if Joseph would have given up on God or his life? He would have never seen the faithfulness of God in the end. Some of us need to have a “hang-on” mentality, rather than a “give-up” one. For if we hang on, there could be a blessing from God at the end. What have you learned from Joseph’s life? Hopefully one lesson is that god operates at a completely different level than humankind. What Joseph’s brothers meant for evil, God meant for good. Not just Joseph’s good, but the health and welfare of a multitude of others.
CONCLUSION
Verse 28: “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him.” And verse 33: “When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people. How will we be remembered? What will people say about us at our funeral?” For some of us, life is not serious. We don’t care enough about our legacy. For others, we are altogether too serious. Fear grips us to where we cannot enjoy life if we wanted to. Some of us are so afraid of dying, that we’re afraid of living.
There was a very cautious man
Who never laughed or played.
He never risked, he never tired
He never sang or prayed.
And when one day he passed away
His insurance was denied
For since he never really lived
They claimed he never died.
How does one live and die? By trusting Christ; obeying God. And seeing life as a precious gift. Let us pray.
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