8. Jacob’s Faith

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Hymns: RHC 419 Take My Life and Let It Be, 423 Follow, I Will Follow Thee, 542 Saved By Grace

Hebrews 11:21 (KJV) 

21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

Jacob’s Faith

OUTLINE
(1) Obedient to God Rather Than Man

(2) Undying or Unwavering Faith of a Dying Man

 

INTRODUCTION

Jacob lived a full life with God at the helm. He tasted the goodness of God in his life. He was a man surrendered to do the will of God as he matures in faith to embrace the God of his father, Isaac and grandfather, Abraham. He was commended for his faith at the close of his life when he blessed both the sons of Joseph. He exercised faith by blessing Eprahim, the younger son, over Manasseh, the elder son, against Joseph’s will, so that God’s will was fulfilled. Joseph has been the son who has cared for the family in his latter years as Prime Minister of Egypt. To overturn and in a sense oppose the will of Joseph is not really the best thing to do, practically speaking. But Jacob sought even up to the last moments of his life to honour God, he submitted wholly to God. 

Genesis 48:14-20 (KJV) 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, 16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. 17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. 19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. 20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

Indeed, it is a fitting epithet to his life that he lived a life of victorious faith even to the end as the Apostle Paul emphatically wrote in Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

After living 17 years in Egypt, Jacob died, and the length of Jacob’s life was 147 years. His son Joseph carried Jacob’s remains to the land of Canaan, according to Jacob’s instruction, and gave him a stately burial in the Cave of Machpelah where  Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, and Jacob’s first wife, Leah were buried.

 

Two thoughts:

(1) Obedient to God Rather Than Man

(2) Undying or Unwavering Faith of a Dying Man

 

(1) Obedient to God Rather Than Man

Indeed, Jacob has come a long way in his spiritual stature growing in spiritual maturity as the Apostle Paul would put it for the Christian life in Ephesians 4:13 “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”

 And the mark of true faith is the uncompromising tenacity to obey the will of God. Recall when Jacob discovered that Joseph was still alive and has been appointed Prime Minister in Egypt, he sought the will of God to affirm that it was the will of God that his family migrate to Egypt even in view of the grave famine that was in Canaan.

 Genesis 45:25-28 (KJV) 25 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, 26 And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not. 27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: 28 And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.

 Genesis 46:1-7 (KJV) 1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. 3 And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: 4 I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. 5 And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: 7 His sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

 He stopped in Beersheba to offer sacrifices to God and sought the Lord’s approval. It was in the will of God that Joseph’s invitation be accepted. He acceded to God’s will, not Joseph’s will to go down to Egypt.

 God showed Jacob that Egypt will be an incubating place to bring forth the rapid growth of the family so that God will finally make them a great nation, as a witness for the living and true God, to the honour and glory of God.

 Jacob understood that it is better to trust in the Lord than his own understanding and acted by faith to go to Egypt with his family notwithstanding the famine (Proverbs 3:5-6).

 Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

 Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

 Jacob did not trust the words of Joseph who wielded all the resources of Egypt to bless the younger son Ephraim rather than the elder son Manasseh though it did displease Joseph.

Genesis 48:1 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. 3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

 Jacob recounted his blessed encounter with God when he left his father’s house. His father Isaac first blessed him with God’s covenant promise made to the family. A promise he received by faith.

 Genesis 28:1-22 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.  2 Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother.  3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; 4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. 

 5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.

 …10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. 20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

 The promise was futuristic. He was not even married. God speaks concerning his posterity that it will be great. It was indeed mind-boggling for Jacob to comprehend this promise that God would give him except by faith. It is the same for the Christian.

 God tells you that you have been chosen to reflect His glory even before the foundation of the world was laid. And the great salvation that God will give to you together with the spiritual inheritance that He promised. We cannot fully comprehend the fullness of the promise.

 Ephesians 1:3-14 (KJV) 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

 How we are chosen by the Father – a privileged people called out from sin unto holiness, purchased by the Son – a purchased people in intimate fellowship with God and sealed by the Holy Spirit – a protected people destined for heaven!

 Truly, Jacob lived a life of faith and he will depart in faith.

 

(2) Undying or Unwavering Faith of a Dying Man

By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped…

 Genesis 48:5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.  6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. 

 Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph with inheritance in the Promised Land. The sons of Joseph were born before Jacob came to Egypt. Therefore, they are over 17 years old.

 Observed David C. Searle, “These two young men had been brought up in a wealthy home with servants and the Egyptian equivalent of several cars, the best of everything, clothes, books and the latest gadgets. Their appearance most probably would have been Egyptian style, and they may well have been wearing the best Egyptian clothes. They could also have been educated in Egyptian schools and were probably ready for entrance to higher education. But they had cousins who were, frankly, the equivalent of local tinkers, who looked after cattle, sheep and goats. In Egypt, only slaves did work like that. The two boys’ uncles were also cowherds with tangled beards, dressed in the oddest long clothes. Instead of fast chariots, they had ancient old cattle transporters, and instead of riding on sleek horses, they rode ridiculous donkeys, their feet trailing on the ground as these bizarre looking animals awkwardly walked along. The contrast between their father’s home, wealth and way of life could not have been more stark and vivid compared to the homes of their uncles and grandfather. Ephraim’s and Manasseh’s way of life was aristocratic, for they lived with all the privileges of princes. The rest of their family, no doubt still clinging to their former way of life in Canaan, lived in Bedouin tents. And now here is this old man in his peasant’s clothes, with his long hair and even longer beard, claiming these two young men in their smart Egyptian clothes from their sophisticated background as his own sons, part of this shabby family. Can you image the scene? These two teenage lads had to choose between Egypt and Israel, between the rich and cultured on the one hand, and the crude and despised on the other hand. I think for them it may have been a hard choice. But they chose to belong to their grandfather’s family, and to turn their backs on the pride and pomp of Egypt. They took their place among the people of God.”

 He further applied, “For those who follow Christ, there is no other way. You and I still have to choose. On the one hand there is the world and its friendship with all that that implies. The world offers so much: parties, clothes, music and friends of all sort, together with thrills and spills and so much more. It seems sparkling and dazzlingly attractive and there is much that the very scent of it makes one’s head go slightly fuzzy with an apparently lovely feeling. Alongside all that excitement and fun, standing in the shadows is One who appears to be so out of date and old-fashioned that he is uninviting. His name is Jesus, and he endured the shame of death of an outcast, despised and rejected. Today the choice is still between the disgrace of following a lowly Carpenter and this point – we cannot have both. We must choose. For if we try to have both, we will be sucked down into the quicksands of alientation from our Lord and Maker; we will be drawn into the company of those who spat on Christ and delivered Him to death. So, all of us today must choose, as these two lads had to choose.” 

 Jacob imparted his faith to his grandchildren through the blessings that God would have him bestowed upon them.

Genesis 48:7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem. 

 Jacob speaks of his beloved wife Rachel, Joseph’s mother, Ephraim and Manassehs’ grandmother and her burial place. 

 Genesis 48:8 And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these?  9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.  10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.

 Genesis 48:11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.

 Indeed, Jacob had thought for a long time his beloved son was dead and he will not see him again. But it was not to be. He rejoiced and was glad that God has been gracious to him not only to be reunited with Joseph but to enjoy also the company of Joseph’s children.

 Genesis 48:12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.  13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him.  14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn…17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.  18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.  19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.  20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.  

 Matthew Henry commented interestingly, “In blessing them, he crossed hands. Joseph placed them so as that Jacob’s right hand should be put on the head of Manasseh the elder, Gen. 48:12-13. But Jacob would put it on the head of Ephraim the younger, Gen. 48:14. This displeased Joseph, who was willing to support the reputation of his first-born, and would therefore have removed his father’s hands, Gen. 48:17-18. But Jacob gave him to understand that he knew what he did, and that he did it not by mistake, nor in a humour, nor from a partial affection to one more than the other, but from a spirit of prophecy, and in compliance with the divine counsels. Manasseh should be great, but truly Ephraim should be greater. When the tribes were mustered in the wilderness, Ephraim was more numerous than Manasseh, and had the standard of that squadron (Num. 1:32-33; 2:18,20), and is named first, Ps 80:2.”

 Joshua was of that tribe, so was Jeroboam. The tribe of Manasseh was divided, one half on one side Jordan, the other half on the other side, which made it the less powerful and considerable. In the foresight of this, Jacob crossed hands.

  CONCLUSION

May we learn the lesson of clinging to God in faith till our very last breath, for then we find our reward and blessing in the very presence of our God and Saviour. Amen.