RPG Adults
THE FAITH OF JACOB AND JOSEPH
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
Hebrews 11:21-40
Genesis 48:16-22
“The Angel which redeemed me
from all evil …”
THE FAITH OF JACOB AND JOSEPH
This section begins with Jacob, the father of Israel. His name Israel was given to the nation. It touches on key figures in the Old Testament and others whose names are not mentioned. However they had one thing in common: they exercised faith and had good success. They demonstrated what faith could do and God greatly used them in their life time.
It is said of Jacob that by faith he blessed the sons of Joseph. This is a reference to Genesis 48, where Jacob adopted Ephraim and Manasseh as his own. When Joseph brought his sons before Jacob, he placed the elder son towards Jacob’s right hand and the younger towards the left. However, Jacob crossed his hands in blessing the two boys: the younger would be greater than the elder. He had foreseen this by faith. This was not the only prophetic blessing that Jacob delivered. In Genesis 49, he blessed each of his twelve sons. Most notable is the gift of kingship to the house of Judah. The Lord came to fulfil the promises of His covenant through Judah. Jesus Christ was born out of this house. Ephraim was greater than Manasseh as Jacob had predicted.
Joseph also mentioned the departure of the children of Israel and he gave commandment concerning his bones. He died at the age of 110; this was eighty years after the arrival of Jacob in Egypt. It was to be more than three hundred years before the predicted Exodus took place. He saw all these by faith and commanded that his bones should be buried in the land of Canaan. The Egyptians were known for the art of embalming bodies that lasted for centuries without decay. Joseph’s body was embalmed when he died and put in a coffin. When Israel left, they did as Joseph had commanded and buried his bones in the land of the heritage of Ephraim his younger son. The day that Joseph prophesied of came to pass.
THOUGHT: The faith of our fathers is still alive today.
PRAYER: Father, may the day of the Lord come as a blessing to me.