at verse 1 in chapter 48.
Sometime later, Joseph was told,
Your father is ill.
So he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, along with him.
When Jacob was told,
Your son Joseph has come to you,
Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.
Jacob said to Joseph,
God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan,
and there he blessed me and said to me,
I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers.
I will make you a community of peoples,
and I will give you this land as an everlasting possession
to your descendants after you.
Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt
before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine.
Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine,
just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
Any children born to you after them will be yours.
In the territory they inherit,
they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers.
As I was returning from Paddan to my sorrow,
Rachel died in the land of Canaan
while we were still on the way,
a little distance from Ephraim.
So I buried her there beside the road to Ephraim,
that is Bethlehem.
When Israel saw the sons of Joseph,
he asked, Who are these?
They are the sons God has given me here,
Joseph said to his father.
Then Israel said,
Bring them to me so that I can bless them.
Now Israel's eyes were failing because of his old age,
and he could hardly see.
So Joseph brought his sons close to him,
and his father kissed them and embraced them.
Israel said to Joseph,
I never expected to see your face again,
and now God has allowed me to see your children too.
Then Joseph removed them from Israel's knees
and bowed down with his face to the ground.
And Joseph took both of them,
Ephraim on his right towards Israel's left hand,
and Manasseh on his left towards Israel's right hand,
and brought them close to him.
But Israel reached out his right hand
and put it on Ephraim's head,
though he was the younger.
And crossing his arms,
he put his left hand on Manasseh's head,
even though Manasseh was the firstborn.
Then he blessed Joseph and said,
May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac
walked faithfully,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
the angel who has delivered me from all harm,
may he bless these boys.
May they be called by my name
and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,
and may they increase greatly on the earth.
When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand
on Ephraim's head,
he was displeased,
so he took hold of his father's hand
and moved it to Ephraim's head,
from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
Joseph said to him,
No, my father, this one is the firstborn.
Put your right hand on his head.
But his father refused and said,
I know, my son, I know.
He too will become a people.
He too will become great.
Nevertheless, his younger brother
will be greater than he,
and his descendants will become a group of nations.
He blessed him that day and said,
In your name Israel will pronounce this blessing.
May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.
So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
Then Israel said to Joseph,
I am about to die,
but God will be with you
and take you back to the land of your fathers.
And to you I give one more ridge of land
than to your brothers,
the ridge I took from the Amorites
with my sword and my bow.
Thank you.
Thanks so much, Louise.
Well, let's keep our Bibles open.
Just one comment before we get into our text,
and that is Jacob and Israel are the same people.
Okay, so his names are changed here and there.
Jacob just means deceiver.
Israel means one who struggles with God.
His name is used,
interchanged.
I'll just use the name Jacob throughout,
so don't get confused with that.
Let's pray before we look at his word.
Speak, O Lord.
Speak to us,
because we need to hear your word to us.
We are needy.
We are desperate.
And we know that in your word is life.
So speak to us afresh today
for our blessing and for our good.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
So what do you get a kid that has it all?
It's Christmas time,
and you're wondering what to buy your nephew or your niece.
A voucher is no good,
because, well, they've got more money than cents already.
And it seems that with every item you pick up,
you're saying to yourself,
well, they've already got one of those.
But you get a kid who has it all.
Well, look at verse 1 of chapter 48.
Sometime later, Joseph was told,
your father Jacob is ill.
So he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim,
along with him.
Jacob is now nearing his end.
He's about to die.
And that means blessing time.
So Joseph brings his two boys along to see grandpa for the last time.
But what does an old man give to a couple of kids like Manasseh and Ephraim?
Their father Joseph is ruler of all of Egypt,
the most powerful nation at the time.
They have everything already.
Power, status, position, wealth.
These kids are heirs to a fortune.
What do you give to a child that already has everything?
What about you?
What about me?
Maybe you feel that you've got everything that you need already,
that in your life, well, you're just content with what you have.
Well, it seems that when it comes to God's perspective,
children and adults, all of humanity,
have nothing to lose,
and we have everything to gain.
You see, God gives
what we don't have
and what we all desperately need.
God gives what we don't have
and what we all desperately need.
So, we're going to look and see in the text this morning
four spiritual blessings
that God offers to us today.
Four spiritual blessings that he offers to us.
First, adopted into God's family.
So, Joseph, in the text,
and his two boys go to see Pops.
And it seems he's in one of his storytelling modes.
Look at verse 3.
Do you remember, Joseph?
God Almighty appeared to me at Luz
in the land of Canaan,
and there he blessed me.
Verse 7.
Did I ever tell you,
as I was returning from Paddan to my sorrow,
Rachel, your mum,
died in the land of Canaan
while we were still on the way?
Well, this is no doting grandfather
who's lost his marbles
and loves telling old stories.
Jacob represents God's chosen family.
And as father of God's family,
he has the authority to bless.
You see, behind Jacob stands God.
And God is working through Jacob
to give what these two boys
don't have.
So, look at verse 5.
Jacob says to Joseph,
Now then,
your two sons,
born to you in Egypt,
before I came to you here,
will be reckoned
as mine.
Now, Manasseh and Ephraim
are not Jacob's sons.
They are not under God's covenant blessing.
They're Egyptians.
Their father was raised by Egyptians.
Their mother was an Egyptian.
All their life is Egypt.
They're not part of God's family.
But yet Jacob speaks to them
and says,
I will count them as mine.
Jacob is adopting
these two boys
into
the blessing of God's family.
And if we're in any doubt about it,
look what the rest of verse 5 says.
Ephraim and Manasseh
will be mine.
Just as Reuben
and Simeon are mine.
Now, Reuben and Simeon
were Jacob's first two children.
So, he's saying to Joseph,
your two boys
are going to be treated
just like
my two boys.
They'll be welcomed
and treasured
and accepted
as my very own sons.
They're going to come under
the covenant blessings of God.
You see,
the father
has the right
to welcome
who he determines
into his family.
Now, for these two sons,
these two boys,
being part of the Egyptian elite
was no small thing.
But nothing compares
to being adopted
into God's family.
To be called
sons and daughters
of the creator God.
The God who owns all things
and rules all things.
You see,
the Bible is very clear
in its message
that each one of us
are all born
outside of God's family.
Our rebellion,
our sin,
our pushing away
of the creator God
disqualifies us,
separates us,
keeps us out.
But yet,
God,
in his kindness
and in his mercy,
brings us in.
He adopts us.
He embraces us.
You see,
that's the kind of God
that we have.
God gives what we don't have
and what we all
desperately need.
So that's the first blessing.
We can be adopted
into God's family.
Here's the second.
Blessed through God's promise.
As sons of Jacob
having been brought in
to God's family,
that means they now
receive the same family
blessings.
And one of those
promised blessings
was a place
for God's family
to live.
Did you notice
what Jacob kept remembering
in his story time?
Verse 3.
God Almighty
appeared to me
at Luz
in the land of Canaan
and then he blessed me.
And in verse 7
he's talking about
his wife Rachel
who had died
where?
In the land of Canaan.
You see,
it seems as if
he's got Canaan
on his mind.
It's in his focus.
Because the land of Canaan
was the land
that God had promised
to God's family.
It was going to be
a land of blessing.
And the land
was important to Jacob
and as he gets older
in his age
and as he's dying
all he can think of
is Canaan.
But the problem is
Jacob and his family
are now down in Egypt
in a foreign land.
So where's the blessing?
Well,
Jacob is holding on
to the promise.
Look at the end
of verse 4.
God said to Jacob
end of verse 4
I will give this land
as an everlasting
possession.
Now there's something
about that word
everlasting
that should grab
our attention.
The land,
the place
for God's family
would be permanent,
eternal.
It wasn't just
going to be
for the here and now.
He says it will be
an everlasting
possession.
You see,
Jacob's vision
was beyond
anything temporal
on this earth.
His focus
was on the promise
of something
better and greater
to come.
He was looking
forward to
an eternal
possession.
An inheritance
that lasts
forever.
God's
eternal kingdom.
And that's
what he wants
for these
two boys.
Jump ahead
to the end
of verse 16.
See the second
half of verse 16.
He says,
May he bless
these boys.
May they be
called by my name
in the names
of my fathers
Abraham and Isaac.
May they be
adopted and welcomed
into my family.
And may they
increase greatly
on the earth
or literally
in the land.
He wants
them to share
in the
inheritance.
You see,
the kingdom
of Egypt
would be a
great inheritance
for these
two boys.
Their father
Joseph is the
ruler.
He's in charge.
They are set up
to inherit
something great.
The prospect
of wealth
and power
is enticing.
But you know
what?
It's also
temporary.
When we die,
we take
nothing with
us.
It all
stays behind.
But when
we're adopted
into God's
family,
we become
heirs of
a heavenly
kingdom,
a land full
of blessing
and everlasting
possession.
It's the
heavenly kingdom,
the new
creation.
You see,
that's the
kind of
God that
we have.
God gives
what we
don't have
and what
we all
desperately
need.
So we
are blessed
with an
eternal
inheritance.
Third
blessing,
sustained
by God's
faithfulness.
So these
two boys,
as they're
brought into
Jacob,
have been
adopted
into God's
family.
They've
been given
an eternal
inheritance.
But they're
young,
aren't they?
They're going
to need
God's
continued
care and
keeping
as they
continue
through life.
So having
embraced the
two boys,
Jacob now
steps forward
to bless
them.
Look at
verse 13
with me.
And
Joseph took
both of
them,
Ephraim
on his
right,
towards
Israel's
left hand,
and Manasseh
on his
left,
toward
Israel's
right hand,
and brought
them close
to him.
Now you
might be a
little bit
confused about
all these
hands,
left and
right,
what's
going on.
Well we're
going to
come back
to that
in a
minute,
hold on
to that.
But for
now I
want us
to look
at the
blessing
that
Jacob
gives.
Let's
pick it
up in
verse 15.
May the
God before
whom my
fathers Abraham
and Isaac
walked
faithfully,
the God
who has
been my
shepherd all
my life
to this
day,
the angel
who has
delivered me
from all
harm,
may he
bless these
boys.
Jacob is
scanning back
over his
life and
he's seeing
that God
has been
faithful to
him every
step of
the way.
He describes
it like
this,
first he
says,
do you
see it
there in
verse 15?
God who
has been
my shepherd
all my
life,
right up
to this
day.
Jacob,
as we
know through
our studies,
had been a
cheater and
a liar.
He had
deceived his
family,
he was an
unfaithful
husband,
he was a
hopeless father,
he was an
absolute mess.
Yet in it
all,
verse 15,
God was a
shepherd to
him.
God was
with him,
God watched
over him,
God provided
for him,
God persevered
with this
messy,
broken,
sinful man.
man.
And then
he says,
verse 16,
the angel,
that is a
reference to
the angel of
the Lord,
the one who
represented God
as he met
with God.
So he talks
about the
angel who
has delivered
me from all
harm.
Well,
Jacob in his
early life was
running from
his brother who
was chasing
after him to
kill him.
he was going
to be killed
by his own
brother.
Well,
that's what
happens when
you go stealing
your brother's
inheritance.
That was the
kind of person
Jacob was.
And then later
in life,
he and his
family were on
the brink of
starvation because
of a famine.
And he was
too stubborn to
get up and
move to
Egypt to go
and get food.
They were all
going to die.
But yet he
was delivered
from all
harm.
God delivered
him time
and time
again.
Now when we
look back on
Jacob's life,
it's a wonder
that he even
managed to
make it so
far.
He was a
deceiver and
a struggler.
But yet God
stood by
him.
God never
gave up
on him.
In spite of
Jacob's sin,
God remained
faithful.
the only
reason why
Jacob was
where he
was,
was because
of the
faithfulness
of God
who sustained
him.
So Jacob
with all
of this
in his
mind,
he now
turns to
these two
boys and
he says,
may this
God,
the God
who has
been my
shepherd,
the God
who has
been my
deliverer,
may he
bless these
boys.
You see,
if these
two boys
are going to
make it,
if they're
going to
get through,
they're going
to need a
faithful God
like this.
Now isn't
this the
kind of
God that
we need?
The God
who will
shepherd us
and who
will deliver
us,
who sticks
with us
and keeps
with us
year in,
year out,
despite our
mess and
our brokenness
and our
sin.
This is
the kind
of God
we have.
He gives
what we
don't have
and what
we all
desperately
need.
So,
on to
our fourth
blessing.
Humbled
by God's
grace.
So they've
been adopted,
they've been
blessed,
they are
being
sustained,
but now
humbled.
Let's go
back to
verse 13,
that funny
hands
business.
Joseph
presents his
sons to
his father
and Joseph
does what
is tradition
and practice.
Verse 13,
Joseph took
both of
them,
Ephraim
on his
right towards
Israel's
left hand,
and Manasseh
on his
left hand
toward Israel's
right hand
and brought
them close
to him.
You see,
the right
hand was
a symbol
of authority.
So Manasseh
is presented
to Jacob's
right hand.
Manasseh is
the firstborn
and the
firstborn son
always,
always
gets the
primary
blessing.
Verse 14,
but Israel
reached out
his right
hand and
put it on
Ephraim's
head,
though he
was the
younger,
and crossing
his arms,
he put his
left hand on
Manasseh's
head,
even though
Manasseh was
the firstborn.
Verse 17,
when Joseph
saw his
father
placing his
right hand
on Ephraim's
head,
he was
displeased.
He was
furious.
So he
grabbed hold
of his
father's
hand to
move it
from
Ephraim's
head to
Manasseh's
head.
Joseph said
to him,
no,
my father,
this one
is the
firstborn.
Put your
right hand
on his
head.
It would
have been
outrageous,
a scandal.
Now,
if you're
finding it
hard to
kind of
get to
grips with
this,
imagine
with me
for a
moment
that King
Charles
of the
monarchy
across the
water
can no
longer
carry on
being
king.
So in
a ceremony
he's
arranged to
pass the
crown
to his
son.
So there's
King
Charles
standing
before his
two sons,
William and
Harry.
Well,
everyone knows,
the world
knows,
that,
well,
William,
the firstborn,
gets the
crown.
He's the
good boy,
isn't he?
Does what
everybody wants
him to do.
He's been
preparing this
for his
whole life.
And then
comes the
crowning.
But just
as the
crown is
going to
be placed
on William's
head,
at the
last moment
Charles
stutters,
turns and
plonks it
on the
disgraced
Harry.
Could you
imagine the
scandal?
What would
be in the
papers the
next day?
What's
going on
here?
It's
William,
not Harry.
Manasseh
should get
the
blessing.
Not
Ephraim.
Everything
is turned
upside down
and on
its head.
But this
is no
mistake.
It's
intentional,
verse 19.
But Jacob
refused and
said,
I know,
my son,
I know.
I understand
protocol and
tradition and
practice.
I know all
that.
he too
will become
a people
and he
too will
become
great.
Nevertheless,
his younger
brother will
be greater
than he.
Why?
Why mess
with tradition?
Well, it's
what God has
been teaching
us all the
way through
Genesis.
God is a
God of
grace.
He blesses
the least
and the
last.
This has
been God's
pattern all
the way
along.
Israel,
or Isaac
rather,
was chosen
over his
firstborn
Ishmael.
Do you
remember?
Jacob was
chosen over
the firstborn
Esau.
And Ephraim
is chosen over
the firstborn
Manasseh.
There's a
pattern we
should pick
up.
You see,
God's grace
doesn't come
because of
status and
position.
We don't
receive grace
because we
earn it or
deserve it.
It doesn't
matter your
religious
privilege or
your social
standing.
God gives
his grace
to who he
determines,
to the
humble,
to those
who don't
qualify,
to those
who have
nothing and
need everything
from what
God gives.
you see,
if we are
to experience
the favour
and the
grace of
God,
we must
learn
humility.
Look at
this scene
again with
me of the
two boys
and Jacob
being blessed.
On the
one side,
we have
these two
boys.
They're young.
They're the
elite of
Egypt.
They have
it all,
possession,
wealth,
and power.
In the
eyes of
the world,
these two
boys are
already
blessed.
They have
everything.
And then
on the
other side,
picture it,
an old
blind
man on
his deathbed.
In the
eyes of
the Egyptians,
he's
detestable.
Why do
we say
that?
Do you
remember what
his job
was?
He was a
shepherd.
And you
know what
Egyptians
thought of
shepherds?
Well,
chapter 43,
verse 32
tells us
they wouldn't
even eat
with them
because they
were detestable.
Chapter 46,
verse 34
tells us
that Jacob
and his
family had
to move
to a far
part of
Egypt,
far away,
because all
shepherds are
detestable to
the Egyptians.
Christians.
Now,
what can
an old,
detestable,
despised
man give
to these
two elite
boys?
Well,
he gives
them what
they don't
have and
what they
desperately
need.
You see,
isn't this
the way God
works with
us too?
If we're
to experience
being adopted
into God's
family,
blessed by
his promises,
sustained by
his faithfulness,
we need
to be
humble.
You see,
before us
stands the
Lord Jesus
Christ,
despised
and rejected
by mankind,
held in
low esteem,
a nothing,
a nobody.
There he
is on a
cross,
beaten,
mocked,
flogged,
crucified,
cursed.
What can
a detestable,
dying man
possibly give
to people
like us?
Well,
he gives
what we
don't have
and what we
all desperately
need,
God's
grace.
You see,
the one who
is nothing
in the eyes
of the world,
the one who
is despised
and rejected,
humbles
himself for
us,
and dies
for us so
that we
might receive
from him.
He goes to
the cross
to take my
sin and your
sin.
He takes the
curse so that
we can have
the blessings.
things.
It takes
humility
to come and
bow before
a God
like this,
to admit
that you
actually have
nothing
and that you
desperately
need
Jesus.
God's
grace flows
not uphill
but downhill
to the least
and the last.
It embraces
the weak
and the
broken
and the
crushed.
It flows
to the
harries of
this world,
the rebellious
and the
rejected.
It comes
to people
like you
and I.
In
humility
and by
grace
we receive
what we
don't have
and what
we all
desperately
need.
Let's
pray
together.
As we
pray
the words
that we
started with
this morning,
these are
the ones
I look
on with
favour,
those who
are humble
and contrite
in spirit
and who
tremble at
my word.
Father,
give us
a humble
heart.
Help us
to see
that we
are empty,
that we
have nothing
and that
we desperately
need the
Lord Jesus,
his grace,
his kindness,
his welcome,
his inheritance,
and his
sustaining
faithfulness.
Humble us
before you,
we pray.
In Jesus'
name,
Amen.
Well,
we're going to
sing together.
When I was
lost,
you came
and rescued
me,
just as
God was
ashamed
of me.