Genesis 46:15-34
READING
15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan
Aram,[c] besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and
daughters of his were thirty-three in all.
16 The sons of Gad:
Zephon,[d]
Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher:
Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.
Their sister was Serah.
The sons of Beriah:
Heber and Malkiel.
18 These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah,
whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.
19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin. 20 In
Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of
Potiphera, priest of On.[e]
21 The sons of Benjamin:
Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh,
Muppim, Huppim and Ard.
22 These were the sons of Rachel who were born to
Jacob—fourteen in all.
23 The son of Dan:
Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali:
Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.
25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom
Laban had given to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.
26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who
were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six
persons. 27 With the two sons[f] who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the
members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy[g] in all.
28 Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to
get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph
had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As
soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father[h] and wept for a long time.
30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die,
since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”
31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his
father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My
brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have
come to me. 32 The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and
they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ 33 When
Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you
should answer, ‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just
as our fathers did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of
Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”
BOARD – Are you BARAK (blessed)? YES!
Blessing
Beloved
Bear Witness
Initial thoughts regarding – if the resurrection
happened then that is all there is
BARAKE(hhh)
15-27 – Blessing
15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan
Aram,[c] besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and
daughters of his were thirty-three in all.
16 The sons of Gad:
Zephon,[d]
Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher:
Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.
Their sister was Serah.
The sons of Beriah:
Heber and Malkiel.
18 These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah,
whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.
19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin. 20 In
Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of
Potiphera, priest of On.[e]
21 The sons of Benjamin:
Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh,
Muppim, Huppim and Ard.
22 These were the sons of Rachel who were born to
Jacob—fourteen in all.
23 The son of Dan:
Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali:
Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.
25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom
Laban had given to his daughter Rachel—seven in all
26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who
were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six
persons. 27 With the two sons[f] who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the
members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy[g] in all.
There is a blessing
here that has to be recognized.
Is it the blessing that they thought that they should have?
Is over 215
years the fact that there are only 70 to be a sign that God is not blessing
them?
Is time
an issue for us in counting a blessing when WE want the blessing.
What will the sons and daughters of your sons and
daughters be? What will they know of you?
From GotQuestions.org
Question:
"What is a blessing according to the Bible? What does the Bible mean by
bless?"
Answer:
A blessing, according to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary,
is “the act or words of one that blesses,” or “a thing conducive to happiness
or welfare.” In the
Bible, there are several words that are usually translated as “blessing” or
“bless.” The
Hebrew word most often translated “bless” is barak, which can mean to
praise, congratulate, or salute, and is even used to mean a curse. Genesis 1:22 is the first occurrence, when God blessed the sea
creatures and birds, telling them to be fruitful and multiply in the earth.
Likewise, in verse 28, God gave the similar blessing to Adam and Eve, adding
that they were to exercise dominion over creation. When God called Abram to go to the Promised Land (Genesis
12:1-3), He promised to bless him, make his name great, and through
him, to bless all the families of the earth. The blessings here are plainly
associated with happiness and welfare, both for Abram and others. In Genesis
22:16-18, God again blesses Abram, and adds
that blessing is due to his obedience to God's commands.
God is not the only one who
pronounces blessings. When Rebekah left her family to become Isaac's wife (Genesis
24:60), her family blessed her by saying
“may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the
gates of their enemies.” When Isaac was ready to die, he pronounced this
blessing on his son, Jacob: “May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's
richness— an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples
bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother
bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be
blessed” (Genesis 27:28-29).
Is it the blessing that they thought that they should have?
Is over 215
years the fact that there are only 70 to be a sign that God is not blessing
them?
Is time
an issue for us in counting a blessing when WE want the blessing.
What will the sons and daughters of your sons and
daughters be? What will they know of you?
Another Hebrew word for blessing is esher,
(EEsher) which is also translated as happiness. Job 5:17 declares “Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the
discipline of the Almighty.” This blessing is connected to the knowledge that God is at
work to direct us in the right path. God's
chastisement is actually a display of His love for us, like a parent who
disciplines a child who plays in the middle of the street. Psalm
1:1-3 carries that theme further when it
states, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or
stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his
delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” The book of Psalms
is full of references to this kind of happy blessing for those who love and
fear the Lord God.
In the
New Testament, there are two primary Greek words translated as “blessing.” Makarios
carries the meaning of happiness that we just looked at. The Beatitudes of
Matthew 5 and Luke 6 describe the happy state of those who find their purpose
and fulfillment in God. As in the Psalms, the
best life is available for those who love and fear God and order their lives
according to His Word. Romans
4:6-8 ties this happy blessing to those
whose sins are forgiven, for they know the relationship to God has been
restored. Eulogeo
focuses more on good words or the good report that others give of someone and
also describes the blessing that we say over our food (Matthew 26:26). This word is where we get our
English word “eulogy,” in which we speak well of one who has passed away. Ephesians 1:3 blesses God for all the blessings
that He gives us in Christ, and 1 Peter 3:9 instructs us to bless those who mistreat us, because
we were called to receive a blessing from God.
Bringing
these threads together, we see that a blessing is a statement of good will and
happiness that is said about another, as well as the condition that fulfills
those good words. God's original design in creation was for His creatures,
including mankind, to experience prosperity, peace, and fulfillment, but that
design was ruined when sin entered the world. Statements of blessing are a wish
for God to restore His favor on others or a declaration of His inherent
goodness. The ultimate blessing that God has given is the new life and
forgiveness that comes through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. The material
blessings we enjoy from day to day are temporary, but the spiritual blessings
available to us in Christ encompass time and eternity, as well as material and
immaterial things. As the Psalmist said, “Blessed is he
whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God” (Psalm 146:5).
28-30
Beloved
28 Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to
get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph
had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As
soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father[h] and wept for a long time.
30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die,
since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”
Know that there are 17 more years on Jacob’s life still to go.
What were the preparatory steps Joseph had taken until now (not just this
chariot)?
· Worked
with the brothers regarding their hearts – allowed not forced them to see their
hearts
· Ensured
the family was alive/well
· Setup
a place for them to live
· Went
to meet them
The
one thing Jacob wanted to do before he died was see Joseph
again – his beloved
Why
does God allow things to happen to folks, especially
suffering, before their death?
From Gotquestions.org
Question:
"Why do so many people have to experience terrible suffering before
death?"
Answer:
Suffering is a universal part of our humanity that exists in
a fallen world. The
question of why there is suffering in death for some and not as much for others
is really not answerable. For we reckon things from our human experience and do
not understand the infinite mind and purpose of God. In the great faith
chapter, we often read of the heroes of the faith but neglect the litany of
those unnamed who suffered for their faith (Hebrews 11:33-40). These all died suffering deaths
yet are heroes of the faith. They are unnamed and unsung among men, but God
values their suffering and includes them in this great chapter of faith as a
lesson to us.
Suffering and death are part of the
curse of sin on the world (Genesis
3:16-19). Adam and Eve fell, and when they
did, they brought to themselves and to all of their descendants the suffering
of death. "But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die" (Genesis
2:17). We know that Adam and Eve did not
die physically on the day that they ate of the tree. Adam lived to the age of
930 (Genesis 5:5). But when Adam
sinned, he was spiritually separated from God, and this is the first death.
The
question of why some suffer at death and
others do not could be summed up in one statement: "God is
sovereign." That is not just a trite and easy statement. When Jesus healed a man born blind, the disciples questioned
Him. "‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born
blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this
happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life’" (John 9:1-3). In this passage is a principle that can be applied to our question.
God allows some to suffer so that "the work of God might be
displayed." In
other words, God allows some to suffer to bring glory to His name and others
not to suffer for the same reason. It is His sovereign will that determines
each circumstance. Therefore, we can safely say that no suffering is without a
purpose in the plan of God, even though we as finite humans may not see that
purpose clearly.
The
Apostle Paul suffered much in his life and ministry. A litany of that suffering
can be found in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27. Paul was
killed for his testimony and according to universal tradition was decapitated
after a long imprisonment. However, during this time, he wrote this testimony
to Timothy: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I
have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only
to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing" (2 Timothy
4:7-8). Another purpose for
suffering is to be a witness to those watching that God's grace and strength is
sufficient to enable a believer to stand in that suffering (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Paul also
gives us an example as to how we should view suffering as a child of God.
"But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's
sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in
difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). And Paul also said, "For me to
live is Christ, to die is gain" (Philippians
1:21). Therefore, however a believer dies,
in suffering or in relative peace, it is but a transition to "face to
face" with the LORD. Once that transition has been made, all of the sorrow
and pain of the suffering will end. "He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no
more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has
passed away" (Revelation
21:4).
31-34 Bear Witness
31 Then
Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and
speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household,
who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds;
they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and
everything they own.’ 33 When
Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you should answer,
‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers
did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all
shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”
Why is Josephs’s
testimony to Paraoah important?
(because they would be destable to Egyptians)
What is it that he tells Pharaoh?
1)
These are MY
brothers and family – they belong to me and they are mine
2)
They
are shephards – and that they brought their stuff as they were
not supposed to
They have to give an account – This is what they
have always done as a family – this is WHO they are
Who is YOUR family? What would you say of your ‘family’
line? If you are joined to Christ and a
new creation in Christ your family includes those in the family – members of
one body
Some of you have a great Christian heritage, some
of us don’t. It is important to
distinguish what we ARE in Christ.
Who intercedes for you making everything ok? Who defends you in front of others?
Does this pattern match the one of Christ?
From GotQuestions.org
Question:
"How should we live our lives in light of our identity in Christ?"
Answer:
Our identity in Christ is first and foremost is one of
newness. We are new creations in Christ (2
Corinthians 5:17). “Identity” is defined
as “the collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is
definitively recognizable or known,” so our new identity in Christ should
be recognizable both to ourselves and to others. If we are “in Christ,” that
should be evident, just as being “in the world” is equally evident. A further definition of identity is “the
quality or condition of being the same as something else.” In the case of our
identity in Christ, our lives should indicate that we are the same as Christ.
The name “Christians” means literally “little Christs.”
In our
new identity in Christ, we are no longer
slaves to sin (Romans 6:6) but we are
reconciled to God (Romans
5:10). This new identity completely changes our
relationship with God and our families, just as it changes the way we see the
world. Our new identity in Christ means
we have the same relationship with God that Christ has—we are His children. God
has adopted us as sons. We are able to call Him “Abba! Father!” (Romans
8:15-16). We are both joint heirs (Galatians
3:29) and friends (John
15:15) of Christ. And this relationship is even stronger than that with our earthly
families (Matthew
10:35-37). Instead of fearing Him as judge, we
have the great privilege of coming to God as our Father. We can approach Him
with confidence and ask of Him what we need (Hebrews 4:16). We can ask for His guidance and wisdom (James 1:5) and know that nothing will take us from Him (Romans 8:38-39). We also rest in His authority and
respond to Him with trusting obedience, knowing that obedience is a key part of
remaining close to Him (John 14:23).
The concept of family has changed as well, enlarging to encompass a
vast body of believers who strive together to grow closer to God (1
Corinthians 12:13), a family that is stronger for the gifts of each person in it (Romans
12:6-8). Members of this new family seek
the best for one another (1
Corinthians 10:24), encourage each other (Galatians
6:1-2), and forgive each other (Matthew
18:21-22). Each member has a specific role,
but the roles are acted out with respect and grace (1 Peter
5:1-5). Most of all, we respond to each
other in love, not the feeling, but a selfless, conscious act of sacrifice,
which is reflective of theagape love of the God who loved us and gave
Himself for us (Galatians
2:20).
Finally, our view of the world has changed. We are no longer
citizens of the world, but apart from it (2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1). We understand that we are a part of
a heavenly, God-ruled kingdom. Things of the earth no longer draw us (Colossians 3:2). We don’t fear or over-emphasize
suffering on earth or the trials we face (Colossians 1:24; 1 Peter 3:14, 4:12-14), nor do we place importance on things
the world values (1 Timothy 6:9-11). Even our bodies and our actions
reflect that our minds are no longer conformed to the world (Romans 12:1-2), but are now instruments of
righteousness to God (Romans 6:13). And our new kingdom perspective
means we understand that our enemy is not the people around us, but the
spiritual forces that endeavor to keep the people from knowing God (Ephesians 6:12).
All of this is the ideal—the character of a mature follower of
Christ. One of the greatest blessings about our identity in Christ is the grace
we’re given in order to grow into the spiritual maturity that truly reflects
our new identity (Philippians
1:6). Our lives in light of our
identity in Christ are filled with a heavenly Father, a large, loving family,
and the understanding that we are citizens of another kingdom and not of this
earth.
Final Questions –
· What have
you been blessed with?
· What do you
need to reconcile
· What is your
occupation? What would someone say you
ARE?
· Astute
question this week on why good things happen to bad people as well – not just
the other way around – answer -
stewardship
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