JOSEPH #31 | JOSEPH IN EGYPT #13
Lesson 3627
JOSEPH #31
JOSEPH IN EGYPT #13
LAST WORDS OF JACOB #2
Jacob's blessing of Joseph was given to his two sons - which contains a three-fold structure that is echoed by the later Aaronic blessing in Moses' time.
1. Jacob's Blessing of Joseph's two sons (Genesis 48:15-16)
15 He blessed Joseph, and said,
‘The God before whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
16 the angel who has redeemed me from all harm, bless the boys;
and in them let my name be perpetuated, and the name of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude on the earth.’
2. The Aaronic Blessing ( Numbers 6: 22-27 )
The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons,
‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
‘The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.’
‘So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’”
Numbers 6:22-27
The act of blessing is deeply rooted in Israelite culture.
To bless is to bestow power for fertility and well-being, which, once spoken, takes on a life of its own.
The priestly blessing of Aaron has a simple structure, consisting of three lines, each of which contains two verbs: 1. Bless-keep (protect),
2. Shine-grace,
3. Lift-peace.
The covenantal name of God as YHVH appears once in each line, in association with the first of the paired verbs.
YHVH bless you and keep you;
YHVH make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
YHVH lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
In Jacob's blessing we read:
1. The God whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked.
In so many words, just as God kept the patriarchs within His eyesight in a manner of speaking, so too will He bless and keep the children of Israel - the Blessing of Protection.
2. The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day.
The Blessing of Favour is spelt out here - of guidance and grace.
3. The angel who has redeemed me from all harm.
Jacob's reference is to his face-to-face encounter with an angel at Peniel - where he beheld as it were the face of God.
Thus the Aaronic blessing speaks of God turning His face towards His children - either lifting them up to His eye-level or stooping down to their level like a tender parent.
This "lifting" is the gesture of peace and reassurance of love.
And the angel is sometimes likened to Christ the Prince of Peace.
Today's lesson is to understand the ageless three-fold blessing of God.
Do you believe that in Christ we are joint- heirs to such blessings - the blessings of Protection, Favour and Peace?
