“Leaving A Legacy (Genesis 47:28 - 49:33)” | 8/29/2021
Genesis 47:28 - 49:33 | 8/29/21 | Will DuVal
I received an email last week from Polly’s aunt, that read, “Dear Family, for Dadaddy’s 87th birthday this year we decided to give him a subscription to StoryWorth. Once a week, they’ll email Grandad a question and then send us his answers so we can preserve his legacy for years to come. The first week’s question is: “What advice would you give your grand and great-grandchildren?” Dadaddy’s Answer?
“1. Do your best.
2. Integrity is everything.
3. Find a job that interests you.
4. Be respectful of everyone.
5. Don’t sign anything you don’t understand.
6. Give your kids a great education.
7. There’s no free lunch.
8. Beware of drugs and alcohol.
9. The government can’t run anything efficiently.
And 10. Always be improving.”
That’s a pretty good list. What do you want YOUR legacy to be? Whether you’re 87 or you’re 8 OR 7, we ALL need to slow down from time to time and consider the bigger picture. Moses put it well in Psalm 90: “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; Yet… they are soon gone, and we fly away. So teach us to number our days, [O God,] that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (10-12).
It is WISE, to live like we’re gonna DIE pretty soon, because in the grand scheme of ETERNITY, we ARE. The lives that you and I live here on this earth are but a BLIP on the radar screen of eternity. So the million-dollar question is: how do we make it COUNT? What kind of LEGACY, do you want to leave?
This morning, we’re gonna learn a few lessons - FOUR lessons - about how to leave a legacy, from the OT patriarch Jacob, aka Israel, in Genesis chs47-49, if you have your Bibles and want to turn there with me; if you don’t have a Bible, as always, we’d love to give you one. At first glance, Jacob seems like an unlikely candidate to be giving advice, especially on something as important as your LEGACY. Jacob came out of the womb grabbing Esau’s heel, and he’s been supplanting and defrauding ever since. Esau’s birthright, Isaac’s blessing, Laban’s livestock, Esau’s hospitality, his family’s purity (at Shechem), the family’s unity (when his older sons hated Joseph), the family’s JOY (once Joseph was gone). Basically Jacob’s legacy to date has been defined by deceit and disappointment. But the good news for Jacob, and for you and me this morning, is that when it comes to your legacy, it’s not how you start that matters, but how you FINISH.
And Jacob finishes WELL. 130 questionable years, but he finished strong, his last 17. And he left a legacy, not only for his OWN sons, his 12 boys; and not only to their descendants, the 12 tribes of Israel. But the NT actually calls US, all those IN CHRIST, this morning, who have been saved by grace through faith: we are the true offspring of Abraham, Israel’s grandfather. That means his legacy is for US as well. So even as we contemplate leaving our OWN legacy this morning, we can also appreciate the one that’s been left FOR us, by our forerunners of the faith, like Jacob.
Would you PRAY with me...
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#1 - Jacob’s first endowment is his legacy of FAITH (47:28-31). Faith.
We pick the story back up in ch47, v28; last week we examined the blessing of reconciliation, as Joseph brought his family down to Egypt to be with him and rescue them from famine and bless them with the very best of the land, and we concluded in v27 with the summary: “Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.” That was God’s very first commandment, by the way, all the way back in Genesis ch1: “Be fruitful and…? Multiply.” Israel’s finally on track, down in Egypt.
But we read on in v28: “And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. The days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years. 29 And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly... with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.” 31 And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.”
What’s going on here? 2 technical notes, and 1 overarching point:
First: Why put your hand under someone’s thigh? Because you swear sacred oaths on sacred things. Today, we use the Bible, in our courtrooms; they didn’t have Bibles in Bible times, but they did have God’s holy command to “be fruitful and multiply”, so they would swear on the instrument of procreation; the testicles. BTW, that’s where we get our word “testify” from.
Second: Remember Joseph’s dream, back in ch37, that one day his entire family would bow to him, and Jacob asked: “Will I, even I, your father, bow to you?” Well, check v31 here; Dream: fulfilled. Israel bowed. Even if it WAS his old age, his osteoporosis FORCED him to bow; still counts. God’s word never fails.
But here’s the bigger point: why is Jacob so insistent on being buried back in Canaan? Because THAT is the land God had promised to him. And to his father Isaac. And to his father’s father Abraham. And in Jacob’s final will and testament here, he demands to be buried in Canaan, as an act of FAITH - that God WILL one day give his descendants the land. Ancient burials were very important. And keep in mind: no one did them BETTER than the Egyptians! We STILL admire their mummies and their tombs, the pyramids, today - and Joseph was vice pharaoh; I’m sure he could’ve hooked Jacob up with a SWEET burial - maybe his own mini-pyramid, down in Egypt. But Jacob, by faith, says - “No, take me back to Canaan.”
What about YOU, friends: are you leaving a legacy of FAITH? If I asked the 3 people who know you best in this world, who would deliver your eulogy if you died tomorrow, to share the 3 things that come to mind when they think about YOU, would ANY of them say, “FAITHFUL”? There are TONS of great characteristics that might define a person’s character: loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, gentle, FUN, funny, hard-working, devoted, the list goes on. But the single most important virtue that you want to epitomize your life, more than ANY other, is FAITHFULNESS - were you a person of FAITH? Cuz here’s the thing: 1 John 2:17 declares, “the world is passing away… but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” It’s only by giving your life AWAY, to the will of God - Jesus said, “If you lose your life for MY sake, then you’ll truly FIND it!” - that’s the ONLY way to make your life last ETERNALLY; everything else is passing away!
2 Peter 3 tells us how the world’s gonna end: it’s going up in FLAMES! And 1 Corinthians 3 warns us that only one thing will survive that fire: it’s not your love for your FAMILY, not your accolades at WORK, not your 401k, not all the “good deeds and positive vibes” you tried to spread everywhere you went - that’s all gettin’ BURNT! To the GROUND! And only your FOUNDATION is gonna remain. And v11: “No one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Are YOU built on THAT foundation, on CHRIST, this morning? All other ground is sinking sand.
#2 - You want to leave a Legacy of an INHERITANCE (48:1-22).
We’re not gonna read all of ch48. But we’ll hit the highlights. This is an ancient ADOPTION ceremony. When Polly and I adopted Elijah, it was pretty anticlimactic - thanks a LOT, Covid! - but it still nevertheless felt very WEIGHTY; as far as PHONE calls go, conference calls, it was definitely up there amongst the most significant of MY life. The judge asked us: “Can you state your full legal names for me… the child’s full legal name…” all the legal stuff. But then he asked, “Do you promise to take this child as your OWN, to LOVE him, and CARE for him, to PROVIDE for him, both during your life as well as after your GONE, your INHERITANCE, just as you would your own biological child?”
THAT’S what Israel does here for JOSEPH’S two sons - Manasseh and Ephraim - born to him in Egypt, by a foreign wife; Israel is gonna ADOPT them as his OWN.
ch48; v1: “Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. ...Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. [v3, here’s the most important part...] And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty[a] appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you [there it is again…], and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’”
Jacob is reiterating his inheritance here, what he’s leave BEHIND, to his descendants: it is a promise, directly from God Almighty himself - El Shaddai - to father Abraham back in ch12, reaffirmed to his son Isaac in ch26, reaffirmed to his son Jacob in ch28, at Luz aka Bethel, when Jacob had nothing but a ROCK for a pillow; but he had a DREAM from God, and God BLESSED Jacob. And what was that blessing? Given to all 3 patriarchs? 3 things, you remember? 3 promises:
A PEOPLE. A PLACE. And a PLEDGE.
A People: “I’ll make your descendants as NUMEROUS as the stars.”
A Place: “...A land flowing with milk and honey.”
And a PLEDGE: “I will BLESS you, and make you a blessing, to ALL nations.”
That’s the threefold promise Jacob reiterates here, in vv3-4.
But now watch what he does in v5: “And now [Joseph] your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I [even] came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.”
Note 3 things:
First, Jacob acknowledges that the boys are Egyptian. They don’t deserve to be FULL members of the family of faith.
But nevertheless, second, Jacob declares: “as Reuben and Simeon are mine…” so shall your sons be. Reuben and Simeon were first and second in the birth order! According to ancient custom, that entitled Reuben in particular to a DOUBLE portion of Jacob’s inheritance. But NOW, they’ve been replaced - 1 Chronicles 5 tells us, by Ephraim and Manasseh.
And that’s the THIRD thing: note the ORDER in which Jacob names them. Manasseh is older. Joseph’s firstborn. But Jacob names Ephraim first. Because he’s about to BLESS Ephraim with the blessing of the firstborn - EPHRAIM will take Reuben’s place; look at v13 (we’re gonna skip vv6-12; that’s the legal part of the adoption...)
v13: “Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15 And he blessed Joseph...”
And he starts in, vv15-16, on this beautiful blessing, but Joseph cuts him OFF, in v17: “When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude[d] of nations.””
Even at 147, I bet Jacob couldn’t help but recall the LAST time he was involved in a deathbed blessing, when his OWN father, Isaac, accidentally endowed the younger JACOB with the blessing of the FIRSTBORN, that he had intended for ESAU. But GOD had always intended for Jacob to be blessed. Just like God blessed Isaac, instead of the older Ishmael. Just like God blessed Abram, and not HIS older brothers Nahor or Haran. God blessed Shem, above the older Japheth. And Abel above Cain. And Abel’s replacement, Seth, above Cain.
Why!? Why does God consistently bless the younger above the older? Simple: Because GOD’S kingdom is an upside-down one. Where the “first shall be last, and the last first.” Where the humble get exalted, and the proud get humbled. Because “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world… so that no human being[d] might boast” (1 Cor 1:27-29), because the ONLY reason you and I get picked is God’s undeserved GRACE. NOT because of any of the WORLD’S criteria for getting picked for the team; NOT because you were smarter, stronger, and more likable; this isn’t grade school P.E. class; NO - the Bible says you and I were FOOLISH, WEAK, and DESPISED, and that’s exactly why God picked us, to prove that it’s obviously NOT because of us at all - OUR good works, OUR greatness - that we made the cut; it’s ALL because of JESUS! HIS wise election, HIS strong salvation, HIS great sacrifice, for us.
And all of these OT birth order blessing swaps - the younger, in place of the older - they are all ultimately pointing us ahead to a much GREATER swap, whereby God would allow his blessing, which rightfully belonged to our older brother, Jesus, to instead pass to US, the undeserving, younger, adopted siblings, because God laid OUR sins, and their CURSE, on JESUS instead - HE gets our curse; WE get his blessing. That’s the GOSPEL, friends. The gospel, according to Genesis 48.
Last note on point #2, inheritance: v21, “Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope[e] that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
Some of your Bibles have a footnote below the word “mountain slope”, informing you that the Hebrew word getting translated there is “shekem”. Jacob literally says to Joseph: “Joseph, as your inheritance, I’m leaving you SHECHEM, which I took from the Amorites with my sword.”
Now, this seems like revisionist history, doesn’t it? You remember how Shechem was taken, back in ch34? When prince Shechem raped Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, so her two brothers, Simeon and Levi, tricked the whole town into circumcising themselves so they could intermarry with the Israelites, but then while they were all incapacitated, Simeon and Levi slaughtered the entire VILLAGE; remember that? THAT’S how Shechem was taken. And you might recall that at the time, Jacob was none-too-PLEASED about it. He was more worried about his own reputation, with these godless pagan peoples, than he was about defending his daughter’s honor.
What’s the point? Like Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob too, has benefitted from an undeserved inheritance that was WON FOR HIM, by someone else. But what is his response? His legacy? Jacob proudly CLAIMS this undeserved inheritance as his own, and then he in turn pays it FORWARD, as a blessing to others, to his grandsons.
Brothers and sisters - if you are an adopted HEIR of God Almighty this morning, by virtue of your faith in Jesus, you have received an inheritance - an undeserved, ETERNAL inheritance - beyond all compare. Eternal life - all the riches of heaven - are now LEGALLY yours; because you are a child of the KING.
My question is: how will you RESPOND to your inheritance?
Will you invite others into the family as well? To come be JOINT HEIRS, of Heaven, with Christ?
Listen, application for point #2 - you wanna leave an inheritance? You can take that literally, materially, I should say - sure, leave your kids, your loved ones, an earthly inheritance - don’t leave ‘em debt and bills to pay. 1 Timothy 5:8 exhorts us to provide financially for our family; that’s important. But friends, it is so much MORE important, ETERNALLY important, to leave your loved ones a SPIRITUAL LEGACY. An eternal inheritance. We ALL know someone, LOVE someone, who is NOT yet written into the family WILL; their name is NOT in the Lamb’s Book of Life - will you leave a legacy, a spiritual inheritance, for them?
#3 - You want to leave a legacy of a “SUITABLE BLESSING” (49:1-28)
The Hebrew word, in ch49, v28, is “ke-BEER-ka-toe”; a “suitable, fitting, appropriate blessing”. Israel adopted and blessed Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, in ch48; now in ch49 he’s gonna bless his own, biological sons - all TWELVE of them. v28 at the end summarizes it: “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.” Blessing repeated three times, for emphasis. But as we’re gonna see, not ALL these “blessings” FEEL like such a blessing; for a few of the boys, dad’s words sound more like a CURSE.
Jacob introduces his final benediction, in v1: “Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.” So this IS a “blessing”, but it’s ALSO a PROPHETIC WORD, from God, about the varied fates that lay in store for each of these 12 sons and their future TRIBES, for millennia to come. It’s one part BLESSING - “MAY this happen to you”, but another part PROPHECY - “this SHALL happen”. And for sake of time, we’re gonna FLY through it:
V3: ““Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, and the firstfruits of my strength,
preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. [So far so good…]
Unstable as water, [uh oh…] you shall not have preeminence,
because you went up to your father's bed;
then you defiled it”
Remember back, in ch35, v22 - Reuben slept with his STEP-mom, Bilhah, and that one decision cost him his birthright. Let that be a warning to US, friends: don’t let one bad decision BECOME your legacy, and define your entire life.
V5: ““Simeon and Levi are brothers; [two peas in a pod…]
weapons of violence are their swords.
6 Let my soul come not into their council;
O my glory, be not joined to their company.
For in their anger they killed men,
and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,
and their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will divide them in Jacob
and scatter them in Israel.”
Once again, their legacy - Simeon and Levi’s - is defined by that one RASH decision, when they went “Old Testament” on the entire village of Shechem. And for their senseless violence, God will divide, and scatter them. The Levites, when we come to the Book of Joshua, unlike the other tribes, they do NOT receive a land allotment in the Canaan, when it’s divvied up. And the Simeonites’ territory would eventually be absorbed by Judah (Josh 19:1-9, Judg 1:3, 2 Chr 15:9). They both lose their share in the Promised Land, their legacy, because of one rash decision. Be DOUBLY warned, friends!
But finally we get some GOOD prophecy, some BLESSING, in v8, with JUDAH. Judah may have ALSO expected for Jacob’s blessing to pass over HIM as well. After all, Judah had plenty of big sins in HIS past - that whole idea to SELL Joseph into slavery in ch37? Yeah, that was Judah. And in ch38 he married a Canaanite, then impregnated his daughter in law. But despite ALL that, Judah is about to get BLESSED. MAJORLY, ROYALLY blessed.
Why? What’s different, about him, than Reuben and Simeon and Levi?
One word: REPENTANCE.
Judah CHANGED. He changed course. Judah was headed, just like his older brothers, down the wrong path. But in ch43, Judah took responsibility, he owned up to his past mistakes, and he REPENTED.
So we can be encouraged by Judah’s example of REDEMPTION this morning: you don’t HAVE to be defined by your worst mistakes in life - they don’t HAVE to be your legacy… IF… IF… you will REPENT. Admit your sin, turn from it, and re-adjust course. RETURN to the Lord. And God will BLESS you for it.
V8: ““Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father's sons shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion's cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;[a]
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
From Judah will come a praise-worthy, warrior LION of a KING - “the scepter shall not depart from Judah”, until WHEN? “Until tribute comes to him” - some of your Bibles have a footnote on the word “tribute, Shiloh”. There were no vowels in ancient written Hebrew, so you had to supply the vowels when speaking. So you COULD read that word - Shiloh - one way, as “tribute”. Or by changing the VOWEL sounds, you could read it as an entirely different word which translates: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah… until the one comes to whom it belongs”.
King David was the first king, and the greatest king, of the royal tribe of Judah. And God promised David that he would have an heir on the throne FOREVER. Only one problem: immediately after David’s son Solomon died, the kingdom was torn in two. And 500 years after that, both Israel AND Judah were taken away into captivity. NO king on the throne. What gives?
Well, King David was NOT the promised messiah “to whom the scepter TRULY belonged”. 1,000 years AFTER David, the REAL lion of Judah would come. And “to him - to JESUS - shall be the obedience of the peoples.”
V11: “Binding his foal to the vine
and his donkey's colt to the choice vine,
Zechariah 9 - the “donkey’s colt” is a symbol of ROYALTY; Isaiah 5 - the “vine” symbolizes FRUITFULNESS;
See, a millennium after this, Israel is gonna reject GOD as their king, in the Book of Judges, and they’ll complain so much that God WILL finally give them a king like the other nations, but He warns them that their king would be SELFISH and exploit the people. And that was true of pretty much every king...
Until JESUS! The king who came not to “be served”, but to SERVE. By binding HIS donkey, using HIS royalty, as an opportunity for fruitfulness, to BLESS others, by uniting US to HIM, the “true vine”. And how did he DO it?
V11: By “Washing his garments in WINE” on the cross; by getting BLOODY, for our sake. SO much we’re skipping over here, but let’s keep moving:
V13: ““Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea;
he shall become a haven for ships,
and his border shall be at Sidon.”
Interestingly, the tribe of Zebulun never owned land ON the sea; their territory was completely landlocked. But despite this, they managed to run a profitable maritime trading business; scholars say this points to Zebulun’s entrepreneurial spirit.
V14: ““Issachar is a strong donkey,
crouching between the sheepfolds.[b]
15 He saw that a resting place was good,
and that the land was pleasant,
so he bowed his shoulder to bear,
and became a servant at forced labor.”
Issachar was the “blue collar” tribe of Israel. Additionally, “Issachar was allotted most of the Jezreel Valley… [along] the main highway from Egypt to Babylon, so any country trying to control the trade routes would seek to take control of that region” (Walton, 716); they would more frequently become enslaved.
V16: ““Dan shall judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way,
a viper by the path,
that bites the horse's heels
so that his rider falls backward.”
The most famous of all the OT judges, Samson, was a Danite. But Dan is also a SERPENT; sadly, it was the tribe of DAN that first introduced IDOLATRY to the nation of Israel, in the period of the Judges (18:30-31).
And halfway through his benediction, in v18, it’s almost like Jacob is looking forward millennia into the future, at the waywardness of the nation of Israel, with continued longing for God’s promised Messiah, as he exclaims: “I wait for your salvation, O Lord.”
V19: ““Raiders shall raid Gad,[c]
but he shall raid at their heels.”
“[A small tribe] located in Gilead (across the Jordan River), Gad was [more] vulnerable to encroaching forces. [They were] sandwiched between the Moabites to the south, the Ammonites to the east, and the Arameans to the northeast. As a consequence of their wars for survival, the Gadites became renowned warriors.” (Matthews, 901)
V20: ““Asher's food shall be rich,
and he shall yield royal delicacies.”
Asher’s territory is still known today for its production of olive oil. The name Asher means “happy”; Moses’ blessing in Deuteronomy 33 says: ““Most blessed of sons be Asher; let him be the favorite of his brothers.” (v24); he’s the fun, likable brother.
V21: ““Naphtali is a doe let loose
that bears beautiful fawns.”
“[Notable is] the absence of a northern border delineated [for Naphtali; this is] reflected in Jacob’s picture of a doe unfettered to roam where it pleased.” (Matthews, 902) Naphtali was the wandering, “free spirited” type.
Which brings us to Joseph, in v22. And predictably, as Jacob’s favorite son, he gets the longest, greatest blessing of all twelve of the brothers. Because though he was “attacked and harassed”, v23, he “remained unmoved”, v24. And not only THAT, v22, Joseph was a “fruitful bough”, that VINE image again, whose branches spill out OVER the wall intended for it. Because he was upheld, v24, by “the Mighty One of Jacob”, the “Shepherd”, the “Stone of Israel”. So in vv25-26, Jacob heaps blessing upon blessing on Joseph.
But ALL of this points us ahead to the coming Joseph, the most beloved son, who would be attacked and harassed but remain unmoved. The coming VINE of blessing for Israel, who was SO fruitful, his blessings spilled out over the wall for us Gentiles as well. Should I keep going? Jesus is the BETTER Joseph.
Finally, v27: ““Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,
in the morning devouring the prey
and at evening dividing the spoil.””
“The picture of Benjamin’s aggressive character predicts the military feats of the Benjamites during the settlement and early monarchy periods, despite their small size as a tribe. The warriors of Benjamin were renown for their skill as marksmen (Judg 20:15-16; 1 Chr 12:2) and for their bravery (1 Chr 8:40).” (Matthews, 910)
Here’s what I thought I’d do, to help condense all this for you: I decided to MEME the 12 sons of Israel, to give you a more relatable VISUAL, for who we’re dealing with here:
You’ve got...
Reuben (Bill Clinton) the dignified, powerful son, who will nevertheless forever be remembered for his inability to keep it in his pants...
Simeon/Levi - Anton Chigurh; No Country for Old Men, and no respect for human life
Judah - like his descendant King David, made some BIG mistakes, but repented and was ROYALLY blessed for it.
Zebulun - Jeff Bezos; the entrepreneurial shipping tycoon
Issachar - (Homer Simpson) is just your average, blue-collar, slave to the system working man
Dan - Robert the Bruce, from Braveheart; leads his people astray
Gad - the Karate Kid; gets picked on, but then learns to fight
Asher - (Guy Fieri) the likable chef; happy go lucky, life of the party kind of guy
Naphtali - the wild, creative, free-spirited type (from Into the Wild)
Joseph - IS a typology of Jesus (from “Passion”)
And Benjamin - (Elf from Lord of the Rings) the small but cunning fighter
Now here’s the takeaway: Can YOU imagine trying to father all TWELVE of them?!
Back in ch37, I criticized Jacob for not knowing his sons; for essentially being an absent, or at best an ALOOF, father; he should have intervened between Joseph and his older brothers, but instead, he put Joseph in CHARGE of supervising their work!
But here, Jacob proves that he has grown as a father. He KNOWS his sons. And he is able to give each of them a “blessing suitable” him.
What about you? Parents - Do you know your kids? Do you know their strengths and weaknesses? The way God has uniquely fashioned them? If we try and parent Elijah like we did Ellery, we are in TROUBLE. Because he’s NOT Ellery. They’re night and day different. And we’ve just got TWO! For now…
Maybe you don’t even HAVE kids; you’re still called to be a BLESSING to others. But you need to make sure it’s a SUITABLE, fitting blessing. I will tell you, if I have the privilege of being there when Polly’s grandfather I mentioned, Dadaddy, is on HIS deathbed, I will pray a BLESSING over him. But it’s gonna be a very DIFFERENT blessing than if I’m sitting there with some of YOU, when YOUR time comes. I hope I will be able to praise GOD for the legacy of FAITH that you are leaving behind you, and for the hope of GLORY to which you’re headed. But you may have noticed, as important as Dadaddy’s 10 words of wisdom were, NONE of them were of ULTIMATE importance. There’s NO legacy of FAITH. So on his deathbed, the only “suitable blessing” possible is one of WARNING! REPENT, while there’s still time! I will PRAY, that Dadaddy be like one of the workers in Jesus’ parable, who were hired at 5pm, at the very end of the workday, but STILL received the same wages as those of us who served the Master all our lives. Better late than never! Come into the Kingdom!
Will you leave a legacy of suitable blessings to everyone you possibly can?
And finally, #4 - will you leave a Legacy of HOPE (49:29-33)
Vv29-33, Jacob delivers his final, detailed instructions for exactly where they are to bury him, then v33: “he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.”
After 147 long years, Jacob finally gets to go HOME. Not to Canaan; there’s nothing but BONES there. No, Jacob’s people, to whom he was “gathered”, are with GOD.
And friends: you can be one day as well. Yours too, can be a legacy of HOPE.
Listen: if you’ve left a legacy at ALL, then people will be crying at your funeral one day. That’s a given. The question is: what kind of TEARS will they be?
Will they be tears of HEARTBREAK, because all the evidence in your life, your LEGACY, points to the fact that you never really knew, never BELONGED to Jesus, and therefore we KNOW where you’re headed…
Or will they be tears of Eternal JOY, because we KNOW that you knew your Savior, and therefore we KNOW where you’re headed.
Is yours a legacy of HOPE? Let’s pray...