with Elder Elico Manenji
Genesis 48:1-7: Joseph visits Jacob in his sickness
As Joseph visited his sick father, he took with him his two sons that they might receive their dying grandfather's blessing.
The sick bed is a proper place both for giving comfort to the sick and counsel to others, it a time of receiving instructions ourselves and promises of the future.
In hearing that Joseph had come, Jacob woke up and strengthened himself to receive his son and grand children. He adopted them.as his own children as they would be called amongst the children of Israel so replacing Joseph and the tribe of Levi who were consecrated to the priesthood latter.
From memory the aged patriarch recalled distant things of his call by God. Memory carries the present forward into the future as past never dies in our memory, so the mind of the patriarch rolled out the picture of his journey from Padanaram and were he buried Rachel before Bethlehem.
Text: "See, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward"(Psalm 127:3).
Happy shall we be if our memories of the past we are connected and recall our early attachment to the truth and especially to Jesus our Saviour.
The patriarch Job says, "Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects: therefore despise not you the chastening of the Almighty"(Job 5:17).
The wiseman says, "Happy is the man that finds wisdom, and the man that gets understanding"(Pro 3:13).
Genesis 48:8-22: Jacob blesses Ephraim and Manasseh and prophesied about Joseph's burial.
Jacob took the two sons of Joseph and blessed them and in blessing his seed he blesses himself exalting the two sons of Joseph into the rank and right of his own children, he bestows upon them the double portion of the first-born.
In his blessings, Jacob signals the threefold function which the Lord discharges in effecting salvation to a sinner;
I.That God is the Author of salvation, from Him salvation comes, to Him the saved returns to walk before Him and be perfected by His grace.
II. That God is the Judge who dispenses justice and mercy.That Christ is the Angel that redeems us from all evil is the all-sufficient Friend, who wards off evil by Himself satisfying the demands of justice and resisting the devices of malice and deceitfulness of the devil.
III. That God is the Father before whom the adopted and regenerate child walks.
He is the Creator and Upholder of life, the Quickener and Sanctifier, the potential Agent who works both to will and to do in the soul.
That Jacob’s threefold periphrasis of blessing is intended to describe the one God who wills, works, and wards mankind towards Himself to save to the uttermost those who come to Him by faith.
That those who come to Him are counted among the immediate sons and daughters of His kingdom, related to Abraham and Isaac and they grow into a multitude of people who believe.
Text: "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him"(Psalm 28:7).*
Those who have God for their Father, Friend, and Portion have all things in Him. He is the best Teacher, Guide, Protector, and Provider. But sometimes God has to deprive us of our earthly friends and possessions in order to lead us to trust Him as we ought.
The Psalmist says, *"And they that know your name will put their trust in you: for you, LORD, have not forsaken them that seek you"(Psalm 9:10).
Appeal
Death should never be met with fear but as Jacob was dying he looked upon himself as redeemed from all evil and bidded an everlasting farewell to sin and sorrow, so should death teach to remind us. Christ, the Angel of the covenant is He that redeems us from all evil. So it becomes all the servants of God that when they are young or old and dying, they need to witness for our God grace and His gracious moments with us whilst we lived leaving hope for others.
The Apostle Peter says, "Moreover I will endeavor that you may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty"(2 Peter 1:15-16) Amen!!!
Elico Manenji
(+263712052704)
No comments:
Write comments