Jacob and Joseph's Faithfulness
On Sunday 13th August, Rev. Kenneth I. MacLeod preached on Genesis 48, which deals with the death of Jacob.
Whether a person’s life is long or short, it must come to an end and Jacob, though he was 147 years old, eventually died. Despite his great age, he continued to have a lively interest in everything and, although he was bed-bound, was filled with spiritual vitality.
This vitality was born out of God’s faithful dealings with him and his family down through the generations; Jacob was highly aware of his place in the genealogy and of God’s promises to his forefathers, as well as to himself and his descendants.
It is worth noting the great change that had taken place in Jacob from when we first meet him in scripture as a young man who is selfish and prepared to do almost anything – even depriving his own brother – to gain personal advantage. In his later years, he is the product of God’s work in his life, breaking him and moulding him.
This should cause us to reflect upon how we tend to categorise people and to truly believe that they cannot change. No one can change their essential nature, of course, but they can be changed by God. Once He begins working in our lives, He changes us little by little, conforming us to the image of Christ.
Jacob’s life was not easy – he suffered many blows and losses, but it was these which refined him into the man that he became. Througout his journey, Jacob knew that God was taking care of him and would be faithful to his promises.
Indeed, faithfulness is a feature of the lives of Jacob and Joseph: faithfulness to one another and faithfulness to the Lord. Whatever circumstances Joseph found himself in, he was always absolutely true to his master, and to God.
When Jacob and his family went into Egypt during the famine, Pharaoh gave them Goshen, which was a particularly fertile land. They had a form of nourishment which no one else had, which is a wonderful illustration of the Lord’s dealings with his people: even in a time of spiritual famine, He may bless and nourish those who are faithful to Him. It is entirely possible for the Christian to look back over his life and see how God did just that.
Jacob was so convicted of God’s faithfulness that, as he reached the end of his life, he told Joseph that it would be up to him to ensure that Jacob could be buried in Canaan, the land to which God had promised him he would return. Indeed, the substance of that promise is a great comfort for believers in every generation: the land you are in is not your home. Faith in God so fills the believer’s heart that they look beyond the world. He does not permit His followers’ roots to go too deep here; no matter what blessings fill their lives, there is always something which keeps them from loving the world too much, or becoming toed to it.
When Jacob asks Joseph to take him back to Canaan, he also blesses Joseph’s children but, in crossing his hands, reverses the order of the blessing so that Ephraim receives the greater part, which would have been expected by Manasseh as the older child. Unusually, Joseph was angry because he did not understand why his father would do such a thing. Of course, Jacob was moved by the spirit of God and fulfilled His purpose. Joseph, as is often the case with God’s believing people, could not discern this purpose and it made him angry with his father.
Ultimately, Jacob and Joseph are an illustration of lives lived in faith and by faith. Mr. MacLeod implored anyone who is currently trying to live life by themselves, in their own way, to see this. Anyone who puts their faith in God will have their own part of the promise God made to Jacob when he had fled from his family and was feeling utterly alone:
‘Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you’. Gen.28:15
