MOTIVATE

*My Grandparents…

We should savor the memories with loved ones passed, but we also should seize the opportunities we have with loved ones present.

Today is our final message in a series on resiliency from the life of Joseph #Down7Up8.

• Belonging
• Integrity
• Service
• Perspective
• Empathy
• Strategy
• Forgiveness & Reconciliation
• Redeeming Loss

EXAMINE      Genesis 48-50      Redeeming Loss

Genesis 37-50 review

• Joseph 1 of 12 brothers, but they despised him, sold him, and sent him to slave-traders.
• Joseph gets promoted as a chief servant in Potiphar’s house.
• But Joseph is falsely accused of exploitation and sentenced to prison.
• Joseph becomes respected by prisoners and guards alike. He aids one prisoner to be liberated, and they were supposed to help the same for him. Yet, Joseph is forgotten by the cupbearer.
• After over 1-year, Joseph is released from prison to help the Pharaoh interpret dreams about how to survive famine by storing food during years of abundance.
• Joseph would spend over 20 years without seeing his brothers, but in God’s providence with twists and turns, would discover his purpose to apply character and skill to lead people to survive a famine tragedy.
• During famine, Joseph met his brothers as they sought assistance. After a series of tests, Joseph deems them trustworthy to reconcile. The entire family with offspring and servants totals 70 people. Eventually, this family would multiply to over 1-million and turn into a historic nation.

Yet, this was the last lap for Jacob and Joseph. Let’s read these final few chapters to understand how to redeem loss and embrace resiliency through a relationship with God Almighty.

GENESIS 48 ¹ Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” This is the phone call or conversation that all of us will eventually receive. And how we respond to the news of death on our doorstep will define our faith and hope.

So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. ² When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.

Jacob has not been the godliest dude or greatest of dads. He’s been a cheater, a deceiver, a liar, and apathetic and destabilizing father. But Jacob lived in Egypt with all his family for 17 years (Gen 47:28), and this last lap he’s sought to make a significant and spiritual difference in his family. It’s never too late to refocus spiritually and relationally. Note the interchangeable names of Jacob/Israel with renewed covenant purpose with Jacob on his deathbed, marshalling all his strength for a holy handoff to his Hebrew sons (and Egyptian – Joseph’s sons).

Society recognizes handoffs matter.[1]
It is wise before we leave earth that we unclutter the storage cargo (have the yardsale) and unpack the heavy baggage. It is imperative to write up a will, list all the accounts and passwords, explain all the quirks of machinery around the house and the locations of essential items.

Seniors (60+), we need you to marshal your motivation and rally your strength. We need you to lean into what God is doing at SPBC and not step back. I/we understand life is hard. There has been considerable change in the last decade, and looking around it is easy to think and feel that anything you do won’t matter. So, I’m here to tell you that you do matter. You are a necessary and essential part of telling the testimony of God’s faithfulness, training the younger generations to grow in faith, hope, and love. Jacob’s last lap is an example of redeeming loss and leaving a legacy.

We redeem loss by reciting our testimony (48:3-6).
³ Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me ⁴ and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’ ⁵ “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. ⁶ 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.

Jacob is reciting his encounter with God that reaffirmed the covenant made with Abraham and Isaac (Gen 35). He’s testifying that God is forever faithful and extended undeserved grace in his life, and will do it again for those who reverence God.
Jacob claims Joseph’s sons – though born with Egyptian lineage – are counted as offspring in God’s covenant blessing with full beneficiaries spiritually and materially.

This is remarkable bc some think God’s covenant is only for the Jews. But throughout Genesis and even before the OT Law we see hints of God’s purposed invitation to bless all the peoples of the earth who call upon His name.  

In all, Jacob’s reciting his testimony to his grandchildren with Joseph is inspiring. He’s redeeming lost time and being a godly grandfather and devoted dad.

What about you? When is the last time you have recited your faith testimony to family members? There are many grown children who would pay enormous sums of money to have a video of their parent or grandparent telling their family stories and faith journey, but they can’t bc that time is depleted. So, what holds you back from seizing spiritual moments with family and friends?

When is the last time you have recited your faith testimony to family members? What holds you back from seizing spiritual moments with family and friends?

We redeem loss by remembering loved ones (48:7).

⁷ 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 Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem)

Jacob reflects not only about his faith testimony but his love and marriage with Rachel. Her burial in Bethlehem also foreshadows God’s resurrection of His covenant, not just with the immediate family line but a future Savior!

147y/o man, virtually blind, is visualizing the love of his life who has been deceased probably for 3-decades (35:19). He loved her all her days, honored her with burial, and never stopped loving and honoring her.

I’m not saying a person should remain unmarried if their spouse dies; or perhaps even in divorce. But our takeaway is that your children need to know and see you honor your spouse.

• Show affection. Your kids will say “eww” but what they really mean is “thank you for allowing me to grow up in a home of love, security, and blessing.” 😊
  *If your marriage is struggling, there is help. There’s a community of men bro & women sis for encouragement, as well as your pastors for short-term counseling & support with as needed recommendations for intensive counseling… fyi: upcoming SoS series…  
  
• Show vulnerability. A humbling aspect of a pastor’s job is plan funerals for families. And when a spouse or children volunteers to step up to eulogize their loved one, it’s the most powerful expression of love and faith – outside of the way they related in their lifestyle. Again – I’m not saying it’s wrong to not give a eulogy or designate someone else, but regardless your family (especially kids, not matter how old they are) will be blessed by your vulnerability.
  
• Share memories. Again, Rachel has been gone for 3-decades, but Jacob still has her name on his lips and wasn’t shy to talk about her memory. We redeem loss by continuing to speak the name and memories of deceased loved ones.

We see this again in GENESIS 50 ¹ Joseph threw himself upon his father and wept over him and kissed him. ² Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, ³ taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. ⁴ When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, ⁵ ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’ ”

Joseph honors his father’s wishes by taking his body from Egypt and burying him with their ancestors in Canaan.

We redeem loss by revitalizing others (48:11-20).

¹¹ Israel said to Joseph, ‘I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.’… ¹³ And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. 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. ¹⁵ Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, ¹⁶ 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 upon the earth.” ¹⁷ 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 to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” ¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.” ²⁰ He blessed them that day and said, “In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ” So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

The bestowal of blessing by a dying patriarch had irrevocable authority (25:5; 27:36–37).^[2] And despite Jacob’s age (147) and frailness, his memory is extraordinary to identify each of the boys with their individual natures and life details to address and align their life with God’s purpose.[3]

First, Jacob addresses Joseph’s sons Manasseh and Ephraim. As already mentioned, they’re included in the inheritance and will comprise of the 12 tribes of Israel. Joseph was concerned Jacob gave the greater blessing to the younger son Ephraim and tried to correct Jacob. But Jacob discerned God’s purposes with Manasseh as a leading tribe of the Northern Kingdom and capital of Samaria.[4]

Jacob also blesses the other sons. We won’t go through the whole chapter. But you need to see how Jacob is redeeming loss not by giving into entitlement of the sons but exhorting them to follow God’s purposes. In fact, this deathbed blessing from father to son is awkward yet speaking truth in love. He’s not aiming to shame but to revitalize their life before they reach the end like his own; essentially – Jacob’s saying, “learn from my mistakes.”

GEN49  ¹ Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. ² “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel. ³ “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. ⁴ Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it. ⁵ “Simeon and Levi are brothers—their swords are weapons of violence. ⁶ Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. ⁷ Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel. ⁸ “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. ⁹ You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? ¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. ¹¹ He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes….

Jacob speaks forthrightly to each of the sons: ²⁸ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.

* Children are unique. They or we as parents/adults should not form comparisons to others as it only leads to unhealthy standards. The standard is Christ.

* Pr 27:21 “The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, and a person is tested by praise.”  IOW, we redeem loss by experiencing suffering and hearing truth in love, so we learn lessons from the past to grow in future grace.

We redeem loss by providing an inheritance (48:21-22).

²¹ 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. ²² And to you, as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”

On one of Jacob’s adventures included a war with the Amorites. Can’t you picture a 147-y/o man reminiscing about sword fights and bow shots while climbing a hill and conquering enemies? Now, he gives this hard-fought for land to his son and g-sons.

Prov 13:22 “A good parent leaves an inheritance to their children’s children”

*Inheritance starts while you’re alive. Discern ways to help and bless children before you leave earth. That might look like purchasing a meal each week and spending family time; or perhaps gifting a vehicle; or sponsoring a vacation or mission trip.

*Inheritance doesn’t need to be equal. Jacob isn’t blessing equally but uniquely. Some children have special needs.  Several of Jacob’s sons lived ungodly and violently. He’s blessing them by not leaving them riches but reproof. Parents should not fund or support depravity. Instead, parents are called not to merely to leave an inheritance to their children but a legacy in their children. Prov. 28:6 “Better a poor person who walks in integrity than a rich person who is crooked in their ways.” Overall, the inheritance we should leave is spiritual more than material.   

We redeem loss by lavishing kindness (50:15-21).

GENESIS 50 ¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” ¹⁶ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ¹⁷ ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

¹⁸ His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. ¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ²¹ So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Joseph’s brothers worried once their dad was dead that Joseph would exact revenge and punish them – even after 17 years of peaceful reconciliation the brothers were still guilt-stricken. They buried their guilt, but it grew roots, and they couldn’t comprehend grace that seemed too good to be true!

Yet, Joseph wept. He was tenderhearted and spoke kindly to them, promising to take care of them and their families. The cure for bitterness isn’t burying our guilt as if it didn’t exist. Like Joseph, we need to return over and over again to God’s redemption. ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Eph 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander be put away from you. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Our ability to be kind toward others and resilient in life is a direct result of rejoicing in God’s redemption.

Our ability to be kind toward others and resilient in life is a direct result of rejoicing in God’s redemption.

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²² Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years ²³ and saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees.  ²⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers,
“I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” ²⁵ And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.” ²⁶ So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

*Death has a way of defining clarity. Steve Jobs said, “Death is the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent.” You see, there is something scarier than dying – it’s living with regret and without purpose. For Jacob, and for Joseph, when they evaluated their life not compared to earth but eternity, they released any guilt or grudge to God. They stopped searching for stability on a life built by sand, and discovered God is our only foundation and forever future. He redeems every trouble, every pain, all suffering, and restores us so that we can say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind conceived the things God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2:9).

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[1] https://youtube.com/shorts/vuE_OkpwOaI?si=1jognlIaokTnt3ri

^[2] K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 873.

[3] Charles Swindoll, Joseph. p.197.

[4] Manasseh starts greater (Numbers 26:34, 37) but Ephraim increases (Josh 16; 19:50; 17:15; Judg 3:27; Isa 11:13; Jer 31:6, 20).

*Art graphics accessed from https://x.com/AriLamm/status/1867569320529694890