King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Monday, January 29, 2024
Chapters: Genesis Chapters 48-50
Message: Waiting For The Salvation of The LORD
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
I spent an hour talking to God and in between did all these things that came to mind as I was talking to Him only to catch myself and asking Him to forgive me for not giving Him my whole heart and full attention. We are actually supposed to be taking God with us wherever we go so in a sense I guess I was taking Him with me. All this is a reminder that God is for us and before us, fully knowing just how short our attention span is, especially when we have a million things going on, [Psalms 139:16-18 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.]
God’s faithful are really no different than people of the world or other Christians who are not so faithful, but what draws them out of the crowd is their faith. They are not too proud to admit that they have sinned, they are not too proud to humble themselves, and they are not too proud to say that they need Jesus every hour. In a world where we have no way of knowing what will come of each day, we can rest assure that we have Jesus who will guide us along the way. As we come to the end of the reading of Genesis, we learn that Jacob’s health, being well up in years, took a turn for the worse, and unknowing when his last day would be he called for his beloved Joseph. Joseph, picked his two sons up and headed over to his fathers house. When Jacob heard that Joseph had arrived, he pulled himself together the best he could, sat up on the bed and began talking to him.
[Genesis 48:1-6 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. 3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession. 5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.]
[And now thy two sons…are mine; as Reuben and Simeon,] Jacob, was telling Joseph that his two sons, even though they were born in Egypt, are just as much his sons as his two first born sons were and therefore will receive a part of the inheritance given to them by God when they return to Canaan. While Reuben is still recognized as Jacob’s son, his birthright was transferred from Reuben to Joseph, who in his posterity had a double portion assigned him, because of his indiscretions with Bilhah. Simeon, also lost out on the birthright being handed to him because of what he did in Shechem. It dos not matter who our mothers or fathers are or what we have done, every saved, born again Christian belongs to Jesus. And since Jesus is the Son of God, we too are sons and daughters of God, [Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.]
Now, as Jacob was talking with Joseph, even though he could not see very well, he realized that someone was with him. Discovering that it was his sons, he wanted to embrace them and actually blessed them, [Genesis 48:8-11 And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these? 9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. 11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.]
[God hath shewed me also thy seed.] Jacob, never thought that he would ever see his son again, that alone was a blessing in itself and all the pain and suffering he faced was only a distant memory now that he was able to see him and his grandsons before he died. We do face much suffering in our lifetime, some more than others, but some of our deepest sorrows turn out to be the greatest blessings, [Psalms 116:3-6 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. 4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. 5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. 6 The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.]
I love the song, Blessings, it is a reminder that quite often it is the tears that we shed that bring the greatest blessings, but it always brings tears to my eyes as I realize that no matter how many times I mess up that God is still with me. As Jacob continues speaking with Joseph, he goes on to bless him and his sons, and actually began to pray for them, but when Joseph saw that he was about to bless Ephraim first, he stopped him.
[Genesis 48:15-17 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. 17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.]
[The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads;] That angel was no ordinary messenger from God, He was the Son of God Himself, who would come to earth in the flesh through man. The reason we know this to be true is that Jesus is the only one who can redeem a soul from all evil, [1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.]
The great deal of hardships that Jacob had endured in his lifetime had the reminder that it was the LORD who had graciously kept him from the evil of his troubles. Now, the reason why Jacob was about to bless Ephraim first was to show Joseph prophetically that his descendants would become a greater nation than Manasseh’s who would be great, but not as great as his younger brother.
[Genesis 48:19-22 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. 20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.]
[and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.] Jacob, was correct in his prophecy, Joshua, who was of the tribe of Ephraim would be great in that he would lead the tribes to their inheritance once they reached the promised land. Then centuries later, Jeroboam, would go on to be made king of ten of the tribes, only to mess it all up when he introduced them to idol worship. The tribe of Manasseh would divided, one half on one side of the Jordan, the other half on the other side, which made it the less powerful and easier to fall away from God.
[Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren,] Jacob, was referring to Shechem, it was the only land that he purchased, and while Joseph would never see the land, his bones would be buried there when Joshua got there and claimed the land, [Joshua 24:32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.]
I have come to the conclusion that God often gives us the best time of our lives just before He brings us home, I think that is for two reasons, one; that we have something sweet to remember them by. And two; that while we are here there are some things that we are purposed for and we will not leave until that happens. Now, after Jacob spoke with Joseph, he calls for the rest of his sons beginning with the oldest, he not only gave the blessing, but some incredible insight as to what will happen to them once they got to the promised land.
[Genesis 49:1,3-6 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. 3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. 5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. 6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.]
[Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel;] Wow! How would you like to have that on your resume? It is very true though, Reuben’s tribe did not excel as they chose to live off the promised land. Simeon and Levi were guilty of killing the men of Shechem, and yet they were still one of Jacob’s sons, and would receive an inheritance. Although Levi’s family would not receive an inheritance as they would actually become God’s ministers, [Numbers 18:23-24 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. 24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.]
It is quite incredible to think that God had this all planned out, or rather knew what the outcome would be centuries later. Jacob, goes on to tell of what is to come of Judah’s tribe, who would be the most successful and profitable of them all.
[Genesis 49:8-12 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. 9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. 11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: 12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.]
[Binding his foal unto the vine,] Wow! This whole passage is nor only a nod to Jesus being born and dying on the cross, it also points directly to His being the KING of all kings, the VINE that we are all grafted into by His blood, and that every knee will definitely bow down to Him, [John 15:5-6 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.]
God, knows the way we take, and sadly, many will get saved, and do nothing more, only to find themselves going through much suffering until they reach the promised land. However, there is someone in more danger than an unfaithful saved Christian, and that is lost person who only pretended to get saved. Jacob, goes on to foretell what is to come of Dan’s, Joseph’s, and Benjamin’s tribe.
[Genesis 49:13-15,17-21 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon. 14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: 15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. 18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD. 19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last. 20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. 21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.]
[Dan shall be a serpent by the way,] Samson, who would be a judge, was part of Dan’s lineage, who upon his death killed thousands of idol worshipers (Judges 16:22-30). They would later fall deep into idol worship, even having an idol placed in their part of the land of Israel (II Kings 10:29).
[I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.] Jacob, catching his breath, weary, and worn out, is reminded of where he will be when he is gone. Someone else said something similar to this after Jesus was born in the flesh, [Luke 2:25-30 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,]
Do you see how believers from the Old Testament were no different from tones of the New Testament? They still had faith in the LORD, the difference is that they trusted that the promise of Jesus would come while we trust that the promise has come. Now, there was one more son to bless, and even though Jacob had already blessed Joseph, he had one more thing to say to him.
[Genesis 49:22-24,27,29,31 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: 23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: 24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) 27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. 29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.]
[The archers have sorely grieved him…But his bow abode in strength,] Joseph, faced more hardships than Jacob did for his righteousness, but no matter what he faced he remained faithful to God and kept his faith strong. And by the hands of the Almighty God, he was given the strength to endure it all as He does with all His faithful. Jesus, is the strength of every faithful Christian, [2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.]
Jacob, was one hundred and thirty years old when he and his family came into Egypt to endure the famine, it had been over for thirteen years now, yet Jacob and his family still lived there while Joseph governor. He was one hundred and forty-seven years old when he died, and well known and respected by both his family and the Egyptians.
[Genesis 50:1-3,7-9 And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days. 7 And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.]
[and it was a very great company.] It is not the beginning of our lives that makes the biggest impact, it is what we did before the end, in particular for our soul. Those whom have received Christ as their Saviour will go on to inherit eternal life, while those whom have not will receive eternal death, [John 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.]
Now that their father was gone, his brothers were sure that Joseph was going to get revenge for what they did to him all those years ago. However, he did not seek revenge, he forgave them.
[Genesis 50:14-17 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father. 15 And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. 16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.]
[And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.] Love covers a multitude of sin, love covers the pain that we once endured until we have fulfilled the will of God, [1 Peter 4:6-8 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.]
Why are Christians here? Why do we remain among the world? Why do we face so much suffering? It is so that we can be testimonies of Christ in our lives, and lead some to Christ. No suffering that we face is enjoyable, whether it be something that we did on our own to deserve or nothing we did, but it all leads to much more. This is what Joseph basically says to his brothers.
[Genesis 50:19-22,25-26 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them. 22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father’s house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years. 25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. 26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.]
[ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good,] God has a place for us, even if we have not been the best of Christians. Sometimes God allows us to be in a certain place in our lives in order to prepare is for great things while we are here, sometimes He chastens us, sometimes we are wrongfully persecuted or treated badly, but there is an expected end of something great, [Jeremiah 29:11,14 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Genesis 48:16 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.]
Today’s Prayer: God, I cannot thank You enough for what You have done for me and in my life since I accepted Your Son as my Saviour, and dedicated my life to You. There have certainly been ups and downs, twists and turns, and yet, You remained faithful, and kept Your promise to keep me from evil. I really have no idea where You will take me while I remain here, I do know I will face more sorrow, more ups and downs, and more trying of my faith, yet I find comfort in knowing that You have an expected end for me. I will join in with Jacob and say, “I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.” and whenever you are ready to bring me home, I know I will be with You. Praise God! I love you, and pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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