Day 44 – Jacob & the Blessings

• Well Jacob, it’s been nice knowing you! Today we see the last acts of this chequrered patriach before he dies. Think about some of the new things you have learned about him during the last week. I bet you have learned lots!
• I wonder if today’s passages show us something about what Jacob learned too. This wily schemer who didn’t always put God first has come to know and love his Lord through the many experiences of his life. In our passages today, for example, we see him give a blessing; not like other men would do it, but how God would.
• In this passage we see the ageing Jacob come to Joseph and Joseph’s two children, Manasseh and Ephraim. These are names you’ll read about quite a lot over the next few months, so I’d encourage you to spend time remembering them. Jacob, delighted that he has had a chance to meet the grandchildren he never thought would be born, sets up to give them a blessing, in a very similar way that we have seen previous blessings being given.
• What is surprising about the way Jacob blessed Joseph’s children? Joseph brings them up to have Manasseh (the eldest) on Jacob’s right hand side, and Ephraim on the left. The blessing with Jacob’s right hand would be the greater one, and Joseph assumes it should be for the eldest. Jacob, however, isn’t having any of it, as he crosses his arms (Genesis 48:14) to give Ephraim the blessing. Does this remind you of anything?
• Abraham received blessings, but he wasn’t the oldest son. Isaac was blessed ahead of big brother Ishmael, Jacob was blessed instead of the older Esau, Joseph was blessed instead of his older brother Reuben, and now Ephraim is blessed ahead of Manasseh. What do you think God is teaching us with all this stuff about the greater blessing going to the “second” birth?
• The writer in the book of Hebrews, in today’s third reading, refers to this moment when looking back on the life of Jacob. It’s the only thing mentioned about Jacob. Why do you think this moment is highlighted as Jacob’s greatest moment of faith?
• Where did Jacob want to be buried? Why did he not want to be in Egypt with his family?

We’ve talked a lot about blessings. What blessings do you have? When was the last time you looked at all the good things in your life and thanked God for them? Do you take for granted the freedom to read the bible and the blessing that it is to have all of God’s “One Story” in your hands? If you read today’s passage with a sense of duty rather than joy, do you need to re-evaluate how amazing it is that you can read it at all?

I talked about the blessings we have each and every day last Sunday, partly to get you thinking this week about the many blessings we have. Interestingly enough, it wasn’t because I knew this passage was coming up this week – I just chose it because it felt right to do so. Maybe God was in control of that little moment!

Of course, the greatest blessing we have is that which God Himself gives us – His amazing grace, given freely because of the substitutionary sacrifice of our Saviour Jesus upon the cross. It is for wonderful truths such as this that sometimes we’re led to sing, rather than speak, our praises to God. Maybe you can finish today’s session in the bible by listening to the video below as you write out your notes. It’s of a song I’m sure you know.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.