KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Chapters: Genesis 48-50
Message: To An Inheritance Incorruptible
Hello My Friend,
Blessing; A solemn prophetic benediction, in which happiness is desired, invoked or foretold. There use to be a time when a blessing was given to children upon the death of their father, often passing down an inheritance to the eldest. My father gave me scrapbooks that were my grandmothers well before he passed away, and when he passed away four years ago, we were not even told that he died until after he was cremated. I felt horrible that I had not even seen him for months, and all I could think of was the last words he said to me, my brother had gotten engaged, and he asked me when I was going to find someone to marry, convinced I was going to reconcile with my horrible ex. Thank God that never happened, but he actually did try several times to reconcile with me. Parents truly know their kids, and they see so much more in us than we think they do, and most of them truly want to bless them, as does God. And if we are saved, He is our Father, and it gives Him great joy to give us the ultimate blessing of eternal life, and we all will receive an inheritance from Him too.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” – I Peter 1:3-5.
“To an inheritance incorruptible,” This is Jesus, and we receive Him by our faith in Him, we do not have to work for it, we do not have to be the eldest son or daughter, but we do have to be blood related. And let me tell you, if you have received Jesus Christ as your Saviour, then you are blood related, because you have Christ’s blood upon you. Praise God! It does not matter how old we get, our parents always see us as kids, they will forever be loving, nurturing, and protective of them. Jacob was now a hundred and forty-seven years old, he knew his end was near, he calls for his children, and gives them each a blessing, which is a way of telling them what their lives would be like once he dies. He begins with Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Jacob gave the bigger blessing to the younger son, not because he favored one over the other, but because the Spirit of God guided him.
“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 Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.” – Genesis 48:1-6,21.
“and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.” Jacob never forgot what God had said, that his children would return home, and truly believed that it would have been in Joseph’s lifetime. Reuben and Simeon both caused some embarrassment to the family, but Jacob still blessed then. Parents have such high hopes for their children, no matter their age, as God does, but He knows the path they take, and exactly what will come of us. Now, Jacob calls for all his sons to give them their blessing, beginning with the eldest. “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.” – Genesis 49:1-4.
“thou shalt not excel;” How would you like to hear that from your father? However, this was true, Reuben’s tribe would not even go into the promised land to receive their inheritance, they did not want to even go into the promised land, instead asked for land that was on the other side of the Jordan River, and they were the first tribe to be captured when the land was seized. God does not force us to take His blessing, but we only have ourselves to blame if we do not. “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” – II Timothy 2:11-13.
I am not going to go through all the sons, but am going to point out Levi, who is of the tribe of whom Moses and Aaron would be born into, and of Judah, of whom David, and Jesus would be born into. “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. 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. 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.” – Genesis 49:5-8,10-12.
“instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.” Remember, these two killed an entire tribe of men when their sister, Dinah, was living with the leaders son and they were not married? Together, these two brothers from the same mother were destructible, but apart they would be indestructible, Simeon’s tribe would be powerful in the military, and Levi’s would be powerful in God’s ministry. Shiloh means tranquil, and is also another name for Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah, the Prince of peace, the one who was, in fact clothed in His own blood when He went to the cross for you and I. Never underestimate what God can do for His children, He will give them the power to succeed in whatever calling He has given them. And now, Jacob gives Joseph his blessing.
“Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: 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:) Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.” – Genesis 49:22-26.
“(from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)” This may seem confusing as it sounds like he is speaking about Joseph’s tribe, because Jesus descended from Judah’s tribe, but Joseph became the shepherd of Israel, to take care of his father and family; and also the stone of Israel, who was their foundation and strong support. Jesus, the Shepherd of His sheep, and cornerstone of Israel (all His believers), keeps and protects us while we are here on the earth, and throughout eternity. One day all of God’s people will gather together, Jesus will judge the earth, and reign as King in His kingdom. “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:” – Revelation 22:1-3. Praise God!
Jesus Christ Magnified: “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:” – Genesis 49:11.
Today’s Prayer: God, It is uncomprehending with all our shortcomings that You have an ultimate blessing waiting for us that is incorruptible, settled in heaven, and awaiting all who have trusted Your Son as their Saviour. We do not have to work to receive Your blessing, we do not have to be the first or the last to receive it, we just have to be of Your blood. And amazingly, we are of Your blood the second we have Christ’s blood poured upon us. Thank You! Lord, it is not always easy to follow Your will, and we do make some detours as we do, but You always love us, always want the best for us, and always watch over and protect us from the elements that life brings us, whether it is something that You have brought into our lives or we brought upon ourselves. While the intent was evil, You used it for good, and made something amazing out of a mess. I praise You, in Jesus’ name. Amen!
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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