https://esv.literalword.com/?q=genesis+49
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 26 December 2024:
Genesis 49:1-2 — Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come. “Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.
Jacob is now on his deathbed, and it is time for Jacob to pass on the blessing to his sons as Abraham and Isaac had done previously. Jacob will announce the allotment of the future blessing each will receive, in no small part, based on their respective characters. This is more of a prophecy than a blessing (or curse), about which David Guzik comments: “This is the first conscious prophecy spoken by a man in the Bible. There were many prophecies announced by God (such as the promise of the triumph of the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15), and other veiled prophecies by men, but this is the first declared prophecy through a man in the Bible.”
Three-thousand years ago, the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “Character is destiny,” meaning, a person’s moral character ultimately determines that person’s quality of life. Proverbs first said it differently, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) You live your life from your character, and hope is found in Christlike character (Romans 5:4; 8:29). God richly blesses us, but how we choose to use those blessings is up to us, and how we choose matters greatly. We cannot presume upon God’s grace and pray away our responsibilities because what God desires from us is Christlike character, which is built one decision at time for a lifetime. Jacob is about to reveal to his sons how their respective characters have impacted their access to God’s endless blessings. Notice that Jacob says, “Listen… sons of Jacob… listen to Israel your father.” Here he humbly acknowledges his own character struggles (deceitful contentions with God) which have contributed to his failures and those of his family but also acknowledges the greater graces of God which remain available to those who would continue to seek God’s transformational power in their lives to grow in Christlike character and to receive the fullness of the riches of Christ.
You may be burdened by decisions you have made in the past which have caused irreparable damage in your life or the lives of others, and you may be burdened by the lack of character you can see in yourself (not counting what you can’t see in yourself that others can see), but in Christ, every day is a new day, and if you are fully committed to following Him and becoming one with Him, He can turn even your past failures into ultimate blessings in ways you could never imagine (John 17:3, 22-23; Romans 8:28-29). Learn from the past; hope in the future; but obey today, one step at a time, not merely to shape outcomes but rather to become a person of Christlike character.
- Philippians 3:13-14 — Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
- Joel 2:25 — I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.
- Ezekiel 37:1-6 — The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
Listen to this short video message from R.C. Sproul on Jacob’s Blessing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h24ILJCV68
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 26 December 2024: On this day following the traditional day of celebration of the birth of Jesus, recommit to living your life for the one who gave His life for you, but don’t just double-down on your willpower, submit to Him, simply obey in peace which comes from trusting in Him. Don’t wallow in the past or live another minute looking backwards, and don’t be anxious about tomorrow, which is in God’s hands. Trust God with your past and your future, and simply obey Him now, one moment to the next, and honor Him with your joy, which proclaims your confidence in Him. Doesn’t God deserve your love, joy, peace, obedience, contentment and gratitude? Why rob yourself any longer from the blessings of abiding in Him?
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 