“But his bow remains steady, And his arms are made strong By the power of the Mighty God of Jacob, By the Shepherd, the Protector of Israel.” (Genesis 49:24)
This was part of Jacob’s blessing to Joseph when he blessed each one of his sons before he died. Jacob blessed Joseph in his ability to conquer his enemies because of his character. He was not rash but had a steady character that could not be changed in spite of all the things he went through after his brothers sold him to the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders. They in turn sold him to Potiphar in Egypt, where he was a slave and was elevated to second in charge of Potiphar’s house.
Joseph remained faithful to God. He made the best of every situation and was repeatedly found to be trustworthy, opening the door to eventually becoming powerful, second to the pharaoh of Egypt. As John Gill, the Bible commentator puts it, Joseph’s character, “innocence and integrity, chastity, fortitude, wisdom, prudence and patience, faith and hope” never changed no matter the circumstances and situation; whether he was a slave or second in command in Egypt or whether he was esteemed at the bottom in social position or at the top of it.
We can learn much from Joseph. How quickly we get offended when someone insults us. We think that we should be esteemed better. And we let everyone know just how offended we are. Yes, we’re the children of God. But how much better to let God show His power and grace in us when we are obedient to the Word. “Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3) This is a hard one for us. How much better would it be to let the Lord exalt Himself when we allow Him to show His strength in us.
Joseph allowed his might, power and strength to come from the Mighty God of Jacob. He was the God of Abraham and Isaac. He was the Covenant Keeper Who said to Jacob, “I will give you the land which I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, and I will also give it to your descendants after you." (Genesis 35:12)
In the difficulties of his life, Joseph was kept by God the Shepherd who spoke to him and reassured him so that his heart had knowledge of Psalms 23 before David penned it. “The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in fields of green grass and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water. He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths, as He has promised. Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, LORD, for You are with me. Your shepherd's rod and staff protect me. You prepare a banquet for me, where all my enemies can see me; You welcome me as an honored guest and fill my cup to the brim. I know that Your goodness and love will be with me all my life; and Your house will be my home as long as I live.” (Psalm 23:1-6)
And when Joseph was in danger, he trusted on God the Protector of Israel. “The protector of Israel never dozes or sleeps. The LORD will guard you; He is by your side to protect you. The sun will not hurt you during the day, nor the moon during the night. The LORD will protect you from all danger; He will keep you safe. He will protect you as you come and go now and forever.” (Psalms 121:4-8)
The blessings of the covenant God made with Abraham were to his descendants. These blessings are not made void by time, by culture change nor world politics. And they are ours. “If you belong to Christ, then you are the descendants of Abraham and will receive what God has promised.” (Galatians 3:29) Abraham believed God. His faith in God made him righteous. “You should realize, then, that the real descendants of Abraham are the people who have faith.” (Galatians 3:7) What are these blessings? “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2-3 KJV)
THE BLESSINGS OF THE LAW
Since we are learning about blessings, this added lesson is a bonus.
These are the blessings for following the Law. But no one could keep all the Law. Disobeying one part was the same as disobeying all of it. Jesus was the only One who kept the Law. He did it for us. And because we are in Jesus, the blessings of the Law are ours also. As you will see, their work was growing crops and raising animals. Their bank was in their barns. In today’s language our work and financial gains will be blessed. Their barns are our bank accounts and investments.
“Obey the LORD your God and all these blessings will be yours: "The LORD will bless your towns and your fields. "The LORD will bless you with many children, with abundant crops, and with many cattle and sheep. "The LORD will bless your grain crops and the food you prepare from them. "The LORD will bless everything you do. "The LORD will defeat your enemies when they attack you. They will attack from one direction, but they will run from you in all directions. "The LORD your God will bless your work and fill your barns with grain. He will bless you in the land that he is giving you. "If you obey the LORD your God and do everything He commands, He will make you His own people, as He has promised. Then all the peoples on earth will see that the LORD has chosen you to be His own people, and they will be afraid of you. The LORD will give you many children, many cattle, and abundant crops in the land that He promised your ancestors to give you. He will send rain in season from His rich storehouse in the sky and bless all your work, so that you will lend to many nations, but you will not have to borrow from any. The LORD your God will make you the leader among the nations and not a follower; you will always prosper and never fail if you obey faithfully all His commands that I am giving you today. (Deuteronomy 28:2-13) And Jesus did just that. He obeyed faithfully all of God’s commands.
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