This Bible study is all about looking for God’s deliverance in every season of life.
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Jacob and Joseph were able to look forward to God’s deliverance while remembering the past. They saw God’s handiwork in their own lives and all the ways God worked for their good. Even when circumstances were not favorable, they chose to lean on God and trust in His goodness.
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Read about looking forward to God’s deliverance, before reflecting on it below.
Genesis 48-50
God’s deliverance comes from the least expected
When Jacob was on his deathbed, he called for Joseph’s sons to be brought to him so that he could bless them. Joseph’s sons were blessed before any of Jacob’s sons, and Ephraim {the younger} was blessed before Manasseh {the older}. This was contrary to a society that always gave the older son the bigger blessing. God often chooses what we would consider the least among us to receive the greatest.
Why does it matter who gets the blessing? How does this blessing fit in to the greater picture of the gospel (Romans 9:16).
Related Post: Embrace the Journey | Bible Journaling Through Genesis
A blessing and prophecy of God’s deliverance
When Jacob calls his sons to himself to receive their blessing, he also gives them a prophecy for the future. In beginning his blessing, Jacob introduces himself as both Jacob and Israel. He acknowledges that he has been both in his lifetime. He was announcing that in his sinful human nature, he was Jacob – a deceiver – but in Christ, he was Israel – made in the image of God.
Who are you in Christ? What does it say about the character of God that we can all be given new life when we come to Him (Romans 6:4)?
Related post: 7 things to do while waiting on God | How to stay faithful in the waiting
Looking forward to God’s deliverance
When Jacob gets to Judah’s blessing, he says that Judah’s brothers will praise him. Judah wasn’t necessarily a great person – he was the one who suggested selling Joseph for money, he withheld his son from Tamar, and he slept with Tamar thinking she was a prostitute. Yet he did show himself to be transformed when he offered his life as a substitute for Benjamin’s. God can use anything to bring about his glory. This prophesy was just as much about the coming Messiah as it was about Judah.
Why is it important to identify old testament prophecies about Jesus? How does this prophecy point to the coming Messiah (Revelation 5:5)?
God’s predestined good from man’s free-will
After Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers were afraid, again fearing retribution for the sin they had committed against him. Joseph’s reply acknowledged that they had sinned, but reminded them that God had bigger plans. What they meant for evil, God used for good. If Joseph’s brothers hadn’t sold him into slavery, the family would have either died in Canaan or assimilated into pagan tribes. But because of God’s provision, the family found themselves in Egypt where they would grow into a great nation that would eventually see the Messiah.
How has God brought good from evil in your own life (Romans 8:28)?
Related post: Who will go before? Revealing God’s glory
Looking forward to what is ahead
When Joseph died, he made sure that he was not buried in Egypt, but that his own bones would eventually make it to the promised land. So, for 400 years when the Israelites were in Egypt, his bones remained above ground in a coffin. They served as a reminder that God is faithful and God would deliver his people and lead them back into the promised land. Joseph’s death was just as much a testament to God’s faithfulness as his life was.
Why did Joseph (and Jacob) give instructions about their bones after their death (Hebrews 11:22)?
Reflect on looking forward to God’s deliverance while remembering the past
How can you look forward to God’s deliverance in your own life? Why is it important to remember how God has provided in the past, both in your life and in the lives of others?
This Bible study was all about looking forward to God’s deliverance during difficult circumstances – remembering His faithfulness in the past.
