Jacob’s Blessing of His Sons Genesis 48-49 April 27, 2014

A. Introduction ! Why do you think so much coverage (two whole chapters) is given to Jacob’s blessing his sons? 48-49 • In these verses, Jacob not only revealed the character of his sons. He also predicted their future. B. Blessing of Joseph’s boys ! What message did Joseph receive with regard to his father and how did he respond? 48:1 • __________________________________________________________________________________ ! How did Jacob describe what had happened to him in Canaan? 48:3 • __________________________________________________________________________________ ! After reviewing God’s blessings, what did Jacob say about Joseph’s sons and what did he mean? 48:5-6 • Joseph’s two sons shall be Jacob’s. He adopted them, giving Joseph a double portion in the inheritance. ! After further discourse in 6-14, what did Jacob do for Joseph and his sons? 48:15a,20a. See Heb. 11:21 • __________________________________________________________________________________ ! What prediction did Israel (Jacob) make to Joseph that would actually apply to the entire nation? 48:21 • He prophesied that God would be with Joseph and bring him back again into the land of his fathers. ! What did Jacob say he was giving Joseph and what did the gift mean? 48:22 • He was giving Joseph one portion more than his brothers, usually the privilege given to the firstborn. C. Blessing of Jacob’s sons ! For what purpose did Jacob summon his sons to gather together? 49:1 • __________________________________________________________________________________ ! What kinds of things did Jacob predict for Reuben, Simeon and Levi, and why? 49:3-7 • __________________________________________________________________________________ ! What good things did Jacob predict for Judah? 49:8b, 10a,b 1. __________________________________________________________________________________ 2. __________________________________________________________________________________ ! What is the difference between Joseph’s blessing and the blessings of the other sons? 49:13-21, 22-26 • __________________________________________________________________________________ D. Blessing of others today ! What great blessing has God given to us today? Galatians 3:13-14 (See 6-9) • Christ has taken our curse that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles through Christ. ! What is the meaning of the Greek word for blessing? Galatians 3:14 • Blessing Eulogia means to “speak well of someone,” “to bless or to invoke a benediction upon someone” (that they might prosper). ! How can you encourage someone with the spoken word? Acts 20:2, Rom. 15:4-5, II Thess. 2:16, Heb. 12:2 • __________________________________________________________________________________ ! Is it possible that a very brief word of encouragement can bring hope? Prov. 12:18, 25; 15:23; 25:11; 27:9 • Yes, it is, according to the singular use of word in some of these verses.

April 27, 2014Jacob’s Blessing of His Sons

A. Introduction

B. Blessing of Joseph’s boys

C. Blessing of Jacob’s sonsD. Blessing of others today

A. Introduction

Genesis 3:15 - I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.

B. Blessing of Joseph’s boys

Genesis 48:3-4 - Then Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,

4 and He said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I will make you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you for an everlasting possession.’”

Genesis 48:15-16 - And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,

16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

Genesis 48:20 - And he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel shall pronounce blessing, saying,‘May God make you like Ephraim and

Manasseh!’” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

C. Blessing of Jacob’s sons

Genesis 49:3-4 – “Reuben, you are my first-born;My might and the beginning of my strength,Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. 4 Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence,Because you went up to your father's bed;Then you defiled it — he went up to my couch.”

Genesis 49:5-7 – “Simeon and Levi are brothers;Their swords are implements of violence. 6 Let my soul not enter into their council;Let not my glory be united with their assembly;Because in their anger they slew men,And in their self-will they lamed oxen. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;And their wrath, for it is cruel.I will disperse them in Jacob,And scatter them in Israel.”

Genesis 49:8-12 – 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 crouches, 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.

cont....

Genesis 49:8-12 – 11 He ties his foal to the vine,And his donkey's colt to the choice vine;He washes his garments in wine,And his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes are dull from wine,And his teeth white from milk.

Genesis 49:13 - Zebulun shall dwell at the seashore;And he shall be a haven for ships,And his flank shall be toward Sidon.

I Chronicles 12:33 - Of Zebulun, there were 50,000 who went out in the army, who could draw up in battle formation with all kinds of weapons of

war and helped David with an undivided heart.

Genesis 49:14 - Issachar is a strong donkey,Lying down between the sheepfolds. 15 When he saw that a resting place was goodAnd that the land was pleasant,He bowed his shoulder to bear burdens,And became a slave at forced labor.

Genesis 49:16 - Dan shall judge his people,As one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way,A horned snake in the path,That bites the horse's heels,So that his rider falls backward.

18 For Thy salvation I wait, O Lord.

Genesis 49:19 - As for Gad, raiders shall raid him,But he shall raid at their heels.

I Chronicles 12:8 - And from the Gadites there came over to David in the stronghold in the

wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and

whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.

Genesis 49:20 - As for Asher, his food shall be rich,And he shall yield royal dainties.

Genesis 49:21 - Naphtali is a doe let loose,He gives beautiful words.

Matthew 4:12-16 - Now when He heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into

Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of

Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The land

of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those who were sitting in the land and shadow

of death, upon them a light dawned."

Genesis 49:22-26 - 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)

cont...

Genesis 49:22-26 - 25 From the God of your father who helps you,And by the Almighty who blesses youWith blessings of heaven above,Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26 The blessings of your fatherHave surpassed the blessings of my ancestorsUp 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.

Genesis 49:27 - Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;In the morning he devours the prey,And in the evening he divides the spoil.

D. Blessing of others today

Galatians 3:13-14 - Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us — for

it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree," in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of

Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Galatians 3:6-9 - Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture,

foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the nations shall be blessed in you." So

then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

The Bible indicates that words are powerful symbols that can either build up people emotionally and

spiritually or tear them down.

Proverbs 18:21 - Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 12:18 - There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, but the

tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 27:9 - Oil and perfume make the heart glad, so a man's counsel is sweet to his friend.

Question: How can you encourage someone with the spoken or written word?

 Answer: You can speak or write a good word to them, and intercede for them with

words based on Scripture.

Acts 20:2 - When he [Paul] had gone through those regions and had given them much

encouragement, he came to Greece.

Romans 15:4-6 - For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that

through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant

you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus; that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of

our Lord Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 12:25 - Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad.

Proverbs 15:23 - A man has joy in an apt answer, And how delightful is a timely word!

Proverbs 25:11 - A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. (Spoken in right circumstances)

How is the best way to give a blessing to someone?

1. Ask the Lord to direct you through Scripture as to the wording of your blessing.

2. Personalize the blessing to fit the present circumstances in the person’s life.

3. Consider the model blessing given in Numbers 6:24-26.

Numbers 6:24-26 - The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and

be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

How is the best way to give a blessing to someone?

4. Write down the blessing you intend to give.

5. Speak it or write it directly to the person for whom it is intended.

6. Continue to pray the blessing for that person.