GENESIS 48:1-16; 50:15-21
EXPOSITION OF GENESIS.
A Book That Emphasizes The Sovereignty Of God: GENESIS:
Genesis Begins With God Speaking Things Into Existence.
In Genesis, God Sovereignly Creates Life And Takes Life.
God Does The Positive And The Negative.
The Lord Has Established His Throne In The Heavens And His Sovereignty Rules Over All.
Psalm 103:19.
THE PROBLEM CONCERNING GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY IS NOT ONE OF DIVINE REVELATION.
IT IS ONE OF HUMAN EXPLANATION.
WHAT ENABLED JOSEPH TO STAY FAITHFUL ALL THROUGH HIS LIFE ?
HIS GRASP OF THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD.
To Joseph The Doctrine Of The Sovereignty Of God Was Very Personal And Very Practical.
It Kept Him From Rebellion During The Bad Times And From Retaliation During The Good Times.
A BELIEVER’S GRASP OF THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD:
IS THAT WHICH WILL ENABLE A BELIEVER
TO COPE WITH NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE
AND MINISTER IN A GOD-HONORING WAY.
REMEMBER:
JOSEPH BAR-JACOB IS SOLD INTO SLAVERY:
JOSEPH BAR-JACOB INTERPRETS PHARAOH’S DREAM:
JOSEPH BAR-JACOB IS ELEVATED INTO LEADERSHIP:
JOSEPH BAR-JACOB MODELS SUBMISSION TO GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE.
THIS IS A NARRATIVE OF FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION.
JOSEPH MODELS THE SOVEREIGN MERCIFUL GRACE OF GOD IN CHRIST.
Joseph Was Sovereign Over His Brothers Like JESUS Is Sovereign Over His Chosen People.
Joseph Was Merciful To His Sinful Brothers Like JESUS Is Merciful To His Sinful Chosen People.
Joseph Was Gracious To His Sinful Brothers Like JESUS Is Gracious To His Sinful Chosen People.
GOD IS SOVEREIGN:
ALWAYS IN ORDER.
ALWAYS ON TIME.
ALWAYS PRECISELY CARRIED OUT. IT IS EXACTLY AS IT SHOULD BE.
EXACTLY AS IT SHOULD BE:
IT IS THE BEST POSSIBLE SCENARIO FOR GOD TO BE GLORIFIED THE MOST IN THIS WORLD.
GOD IS CARRYING OUT EXACTLY AS IT SHOULD BE FOR HIS MAXIMUM GLORIFICATION.
THIS IS THE PLAN OF THE LORD THROUGH ALL OF THE CHAOS OF THIS WORLD EVEN TODAY.
OUR TEMPTATION IS TO QUESTION WHERE IS GOD IN ALL OF THIS CHAOS.
PSALM 139: WHERE SHALL I GO FROM YOUR SPIRIT AND FROM YOUR PRESENCE.
GOD IS WITH US. GOD IS EXACTLY WHERE HE PROMISES TO BE.
OUR FAITH IS IN CHRIST JESUS.
HE IS WITH YOU AND WITHIN YOU BECAUSE OF THE MERITS OF CHRIST.
THE WHOLE POINT IS THAT GOD BY SOVEREIGN GRACE:
SHOWS MERCY AND FAITHFULLY PROVIDES SALVATION FOR HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE.
GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY IS COMFORTING.
Where It Appears As Though Chaos Rules The Day:
We Can Take Heart Knowing That God Is Still In Control.
He Has A Plan And A Purpose That He Will Accomplish.
No Matter How Dire Things May Seem, God’s Will Cannot Be Thwarted.
GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY IS CONFUSING.
There Are Times When Knowing That God Is In Control Is Comforting And Protecting.
There Are Other Times, When Knowing Nothing Happens Without His Knowledge Is Both Challenging And Confusing.
It’s Truly Impossible For Our Finite Minds To Wrap Around The Infinite Mind Of God.
The Depths Of This Attribute Of God Cannot Be Completely Understood With Our Limited Knowledge.
It Takes A Faith That Surpasses Understanding.
GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY IS CONVICTING.
There Is A Constant Battle Between The Flesh And The Spirit For Us.
Our Flesh Wants Us To Be In Control And To Be Our Own Gods.
Repent Of Those Desires And Realize That God Is In Control.
God Is Really Good At His Job.
“And He Is Before All Things, And In Him All Things Hold Together” (Col 1:17).
NOW:
THE CLOSING SECTION OF THE GENERATIONS OF JACOB.
THE CLOSING SECTION PROVIDES A TRANSITION TO THE BOOK OF EXODUS.
Journey To Egypt, Occupation Of Goshen, Blessings On The 12 Tribes.
Death And Burial Of Jacob In Canaan, Death Of Joseph In Egypt.
GENESIS 48 AND GENESIS 50:
WE WILL LOOK AT JUST THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THESE TWO CHAPTERS:
A. JACOB BLESSES JOSEPH THROUGH HIS SONS.
GENESIS 48:1-16.
B. DEATH OF JACOB: JOSEPH IS CONFIDENCE IN GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY.
GENESIS 50:15-21.
BEGIN:
A. JACOB BLESSES JOSEPH THROUGH HIS SONS.
JOSEPH VISITS HIS DYING FATHER AND RECOUNTS GOD'S BLESSINGS.
Even JACOB (Israel) Must Go The Way Of His Fathers.
Even JACOB (Israel) Must Pass Into The Presence Of His God Through Death.
Joseph Visited His Father On His Deathbed.
Joseph Brought His Two Sons Manasseh And Ephraim.
WHEN JACOB SAW JOSEPH HE IS STRENGTHENED.
JACOB REITERATES THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT TO JOSEPH.
JACOB ADOPTS AND BLESSES THE TWO SONS OF JOSEPH.
MANASSEH AND EPHRAIM.
EACH BECOMES A TRIBE AMONG THE 12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL.
There Are Not 13 Tribes But 12.
Asher, Dan, Gad, Issachar, Naphtali, Reuben,
Simeon, Zebulun, Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, Manasseh.
Levi Became The Tribe Of Priesthood.
The Tribe Of Levi Was Scattered Throughout The Other Tribes.
Of These 12, Only The Tribes Of Judah And Benjamin Survived.
The 10 “Lost Tribes” Are The Ones That Inhabited The Kingdom Of Israel.
They Were Exiled By The King Of Assyria Who Conquered Israel In 721 B.C.
JACOB REMEMBERED RACHEL HIS WIFE AND TOLD JOSEPH.
Rachel Died During The Childbirth Of Benjamin.
What Does Rachel “Weeping For Her Children” Have To Do With The Innocents ?
Where Was Rachel Buried ?
"And Rachel Died, And Was Buried On The Way To Ephrath, Which Is Bethlehem.
And Jacob Set A Pillar Upon Her Grave: That Is The Pillar Of Rachel's Grave Unto This Day." Genesis 35.
JACOB BLESSED THESE SONS BECAUSE OF JOSEPH AND RACHEL.
JACOB BLESSES THE YOUNGER BEFORE THE OLDER.
Joseph Tried To Stop Jacob From Blessing Ephraim FIRST.
Manasseh Was The Older Of The Two.
This Passing Over The First-Born.
NOTE: A MOST STRIKING FEATURE OF THE BOOK OF GENESIS.
So It Was With:
Seth Instead Of Cain;
Shem Instead Of Japheth;
Abraham Instead Of Haran;
Isaac Instead Of Ishmael;
Jacob Instead Of Esau.
Ephraim Instead Of Manasseh.
DID GOD DISPLAY HIS SOVEREIGNTY
BY PREVENTING HIS BLESSINGS
TO FLOW THE LINE OF NATURAL PRIVILEGE ?
God Has Again And Again Chosen:
The Weak Things Of The Earth,
Even Those That Are Despised.
He Will Reject Those That Are Mighty.
GRACE IS SOVEREIGN.
Divine Grace Does Not Follow The Natural Course.
But Rather Opposes The Course Of Nature.
THE BLESSING OF THE SONS OF JOSEPH IS MORE THAN A SIMPLE BLESSING.
Not Only Did Jacob Adopt His Two Grandsons, But He Also Gave Them His Special Blessing.
Joseph Was Bowed Down With His Face To The Ground.
Whether The Boys Realized It Or Not, It Was Indeed A Solemn Occasion.
In Blessing Joseph’s Sons, Jacob Also Blessed Joseph.
The Tribes Of Ephraim And Manasseh Became Strong Leaders In Israel.
Jacob Gave All The Glory To God:
Who Called His Fathers And Blessed Them,
Who Shepherded Him All His Life And Cared For Him,
Who Saved Him From Evil And Harm Even Though He Had Experienced Great Difficulty.
B. DEATH OF JACOB: JOSEPH IS CONFIDENCE IN GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY.
WHEN JACOB DIED DID JOSEPH TAKE REVENGE AGAINST HIS BROTHERS ?
His Brothers Never Really Trusted Joseph.
They Thought That All He Had Done For Them Was Because Of Jacob.
They Could Not Believe He Was For Real.
The Brothers Sent A Messenger To Joseph.
They Reminded Him That Jacob Had Asked Forgiveness For The Brothers.
They Too Were Asking Forgiveness.
Joseph Wept Because The Brothers Did Not Trust Him.
Joseph Wept Because They Did Not Believe The Sincerity Of His Acts.
JOSEPH ASSURED THEM THAT HE WAS RULER IN EGYPT BY GOD'S APPOINTMENT.
ALL THEIR EVIL ACTS TOWARDS HIM GOD TURNED FOR GOOD.
FOR THEY WERE DESIGNED TO SAVE THE NATION OF ISRAEL.
(50:19-20).
Because Joseph Had A Firm Grasp Of The Sovereignty Of God.
There Was No Desire On His Part To Retaliate.
HE DESIRED ONLY TO DO RIGHT BEFORE GOD.
(50:21).
When We Realize That God Is Controlling All Things It Enables Us To Continue To Function In A Very
God-Honoring Way:
Observation #1 - Those Who DO NOT Have A Grasp Of The Sovereignty Of God Are Very
Afraid When Something Negative Happens. 50:15-18.
Jacob Died, Joseph’s Brothers Were Very Much Afraid Of What Joseph Might Do In Retaliation Against Them.
The Word Used For FEAR Is One That Means To Be Afraid To The Level Of Terror, Reverence And Trembling.
(Reaction #1) - Those Who Are Afraid Often Speculate About Things. 50:15.
Fearful People Are People:
Of Speculation Not Reality;
Of Imagination Not Realization.
Of Emotion Not Logic.
(Reaction #2) - Those Who Are Afraid Often Are A Slave To Things. 50:18.
The DREAM OF JOSEPH WHEN HE WAS YOUNG HAS COME TRUE.
His Brothers Are Bowing Down Before Him (37:7).
They Don’t See Themselves As SLAVES NOT BROTHERS.
Observation #2 – Those Who DO Have A Grasp Of The Sovereignty Of God Is Very Faithful
When Something Negative Happens. 50:19-21.
(Reason #1) - Because Joseph Is Not God. 50:19.
Joseph Believed, As His Father Jacob Believed,
That Sovereign Judgments Were To Be From God (30:2).
(Reason #2) - Because Joseph Was Directed By God. 50:20.
Even Though The Brothers Had Sold Joseph, God Had Sent Joseph.
(Reason #3) - Because Joseph Would Continue To Minister For God. 50:21
Joseph Would Continue To Nourish Them, Comfort Them, Care For Them And Be Kind To Them.
What Enabled Joseph To Turn The Other Cheek Was His Realization Of The Sovereignty Of God.
God’s Sovereignty Is A Very Important Doctrine.
It Is A Key To Survival, Righteousness And Ministry.
God’s Sovereignty Means He Is In Control Of Everything That Happens In Our Lives.
If We Realize This And Remain Faithful, He Will Greatly Use Us And Honor Us.
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