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: Friday, January 29, 2021
Chapters: Genesis 48-50
Message: A Christian
Hello My Friend,
Many call themselves Christians based on their religion or how well they live their lives having some belief that all their good deeds will impress God and therefore, will take them to heaven when they die. Neither religion or works qualifies you as being a Christian. In fact, a Christian is not a title given to distinguish believers of God from the world, based on what they see as good deeds, it is a name given to those who are born again, [John 3:3,6-8 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.]
Did you know that the term, “Born Again” is only written in the Bible three times? Twice by Jesus here, and once by Peter. Being born again means that you have personally accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and upon doing so have been born with the Spirit of God upon your soul, hence, the term “Born Again”, [I Peter 1:22-23 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.]
[which liveth and abideth for ever.] The Word of God, it lives and abides forever, and there is not other book that when the true believer reads it, comes to life for them. When you read about Joseph’s life, you become a part of his life, you feel the pain that he must have felt, the hope that he had that his dreams would come true. And they did come true, just as God had foretold. Now, here he is, a Hebrew, whom the Egyptians would come to despise, the governor of Egypt, reunited with his father and brothers, with his own sons. Jacob was getting up in age, he was at sick and at the point of dying, he calls for Joseph, bringing his two sons with 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. And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 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. 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. 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 shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.] They should not have distinct names, or make distinct tribes, or have a distinct inheritance; but should be called either the children of Ephraim, or the children of Manasseh, and should be known as belonging to the one tribe, or the other, and their inheritance is in them, and with them, and not separate. The second that we receive Christ as our Saviour, we are given a distinct inheritance, and we shall be known as the sons and daughters of God. [Ephesians 1:10-11 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:]
Jacob was one hundred and thirty years old when he and his family came into Egypt to endure the famine. The famine was over five years later, yet Jacob and his family lived there another thirteen years while Joseph still ran as governor. [Genesis 48:11,13-17 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed. And 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 unto him. And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. 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, 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. 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.]
[and let my name be named on them,] Jacob is asking God to bless the boys, and give them the same name he has, which is another way of saying, to be with them as He was with him. The second that we receive Christ as our Saviour we also have His name written upon us, we are Christians, the saved, born again, children of God, through our faith alone in Christ Himself, [Titus 3:5-7 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.].
When Joseph saw that his father blessed the youngest above the first born, he did not like it, and even moved his hand, thinking that since he could not see very well that he might have made a mistake. God makes no mistakes, there will be many, unfortunately that are in our very own families that will not be saved because they never accepted Christ. Then there are those who will get saved and not do very much after to keep Christ in their lives, they will go to heaven, but will not receive very much while here. Jacob knew who he was blessing.
[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. 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. And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. 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.]
[Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren,] By giving to Joseph this portion above the rest, it appears that the birthright was become his, he having the double portion, and indeed all that Jacob had of his own in the land of Canaan, in Shechem. Joseph’s bones were actually buried there, [Joshua 24:32.]. The saved born again Christian is given a birthright above the children of men, they will all receive the kingdom of God, and all the perks that come with it, [I Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,].
None of this generation would see, what would be now known as the promised land, but Jacob knew that God would lead them back there eventually. The life we live here on earth may take us to unknown territory, and we may even become content with it and decide to make it our home, but this is not our home, we will eventually get there. While we are here there are some things we are destined for that only God knows, once in a while He will tell us what that is. After Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons he calls for all of his sons, one by one, blessing them, foretelling the amazing future of each tribe.
[Genesis 49:1-5,7-8 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. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 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. Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.]
[I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.] Simeon’s tribe would not be known to have done very much, except be given a part of the inheritance. Levi’s tribe would become servants of God both in the priesthood and or the tabernacle. They would not receive an inheritance in the land, rather God would become their inheritance, and be given portions of land to dwell within the other tribes inheritance. All saved, born again Christians are scattered all over the world, given portions of land to dwell on until He brings them home, their inheritance is God, and will receive something far more greater than a piece of land upon the earth, they will be given eternal life in the new earth, New Jerusalem, [Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.]
As I said earlier, many will get saved, and do nothing more, most likely they will find life much more difficult and be called home because their lives are suffering and out of control in their sin. While Judah had his share of challenges, the prophetic news of Jesus is foretold through his tribe, [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. 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? 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. 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: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.]
[until Shiloh come;] The Lion of Judah, Shiloh, whom is also Christ, this is referring to Christ’s first coming, from which He will descend from the tribe of Judah, Mary being His mother, [Luke 1:30-32 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:].
Notice the prophecy given, [Binding his foal unto the vine,] This would be His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where He where praised Him as King, only the next day arrested, tried, and sentenced to death by crucifixion. Jesus gave His life, He shed His blood, He died a sinless death so that all who believe in Him might live eternally with Him. Through Him our souls are washed in His blood, we are made clean and will all gather the second He calls us, [John 10:4,16,27-28 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.]
After Jacob gave his blessings, he was at peace and ready to die, and shortly after he spoke he died. 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 50:15-21 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. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 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 his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 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. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.]
[to save much people alive.] 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, [I Peter 4:12-16 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.]
Jesus Christ 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, but it was not very prosperous until I 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 am here, I know I will face more suffering, yet I find comfort in knowing that this is not my home. And if never receive anything here that I hoped for or dreamed of while I remain here, I do know that I will see You, and that is more than I ever dreamed of. I will join in with Jacob and say, “I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.” 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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