Hebrews 11:21 “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.”
By faith, Jacob finished well He stopped wrestling with God and started worshipping God. You may recall, that the story of Jacob begins in Genesis 25 with the birth of him and his twin Esau to Rebekah and Isaac. Jacob’s story is then weaved through the rest of the book of Genesis with a concluding statement in Genesis 49:33, which says, “And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.”
As we look at our verse from Hebrews 11:21 we see that just before he would die, he would not just command his sons but would bless Joseph, whom he had for years thought was dead. And not only did he bless Joseph he was able to bless the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh.
What a moment that must have been to bless Joseph and then bless his grandsons! For the longest time, he only had a memory of a most precious and cherished son that left him struggling with the promises of God. There came the point with Jacob that he hit rock bottom as not only was Joseph “dead” but his wife Rachel had earlier died in childbirth, and he presently was in a famine. After going to get grain in Egypt Simeon, his son, was kept as a prisoner. To get more grain Benjamin has to go down to Egypt. In this low moment, Jacob cried out in anguish “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.” Genesis 42:36
Let 4 words and then 6 words sink in:
4 words: You have bereaved me!
6 words: All these things are against me.
That is the mind of Jacob in Genesis 42:36. God has bereaved him, or God had robbed him as that is what the word bereaved means. From the standpoint of Jacob God has robbed him and everything is against him!
Now at the end of his life, he is seeing both Joseph and his grandsons and he tells them as he blesses them that God is the One “who has fed me all my life long to this day.” (Genesis 48:15)
Please don’t miss the keyword spoken in Hebrews 11:21 as one reads “and worshiped!” What a great ending for Jacob! While his story is filled with wondering about God, even being very upset with God it ends with him worshiping!!
And you too can have a great ending! Know that what you see today happening in your life is not the whole story. While Jacob was thinking all things were against him God was working all things out for his good! So keep trusting God!
Finish Well by faith!
I find with the story of Jacob it is good to read Footprints in the Sand!
One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You’d walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.”
Continue Strong believing that God is working all things out for His glory!
And remember to DATE The Word!