Exalting God

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).  With the possible exception of “For God so loved the world” (John 3:16), that refrain is likely the most recognizable statement in the Bible.  It is a statement that speaks of trust and dependence.  It is a statement of faith that places David humbly before his God, a place where he could praise him for constantly taking care of him, for guiding him and for protecting him.  Truly, coming to terms with the fact that God is our good shepherd is a watershed moment for any person; it certainly proved to be so for David and as Genesis 48 reveals, it proved to be so for Jacob as well.

By his own admission, Jacob lived a hard life (Genesis 47:9).  The death of his beloved Rachel and the perceived death of Joseph, his favored son, were by far the most difficult events of his 147 years, but there were other events which were traumatic as well.  Being hated by his brother (Genesis 27:41), exiled by his parents (Genesis 28:1-5), and tricked by his uncle Laban (Genesis 29:21-25) stand along side the death of Rachel and the perceived death of Joseph as notably distressing events.  Such events would likely lead many people to summarize their life as short and evil.  However, it is important to view the hatred, exile, and trickery in light of Jacob’s own character and actions.  By calling to mind the fact that each of those things happened as a direct result of Jacob’s attempt to deceive his father out of Esau’s blessing, we cannot help but sigh at Jacob’s lamentation to the Pharaoh.

We want to say to Jacob, “Oh come on, you know that you deserved everything you got!”  It does not help when we consider how self-trusting he was as he faced difficult decisions.  Clearly, the testimony of Jacob’s life reveals a tough man whose first reaction to any problem was to pull himself up by his own boot-straps and trust his gut.  Yet, by the end of his life things had changed.

For seventeen years Jacob had lived peaceably in Egypt, likely enjoying the fertile land and most certainly his time with Joseph and his family at large.  He had been reunited with Joseph and was at peace with himself; he even declared publicly his readiness to die: “Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive” (Genesis 46:30).  He had even planned his funeral (Genesis 47:29-31).  However, as the hour of his death drew near, Jacob began to come to terms with what he was leaving behind.  Based upon his actions and words, it seems safe to say that at the end of his life Jacob became concerned about the type of legacy he was going to leave.

He knew the actions of his life better than we, so he was naturally concerned about the caliber of life-lessons his posterity would take away from his life.  Moreover, Jacob made it clear that he was concerned about how they would relate to God based on his life.  The reality for Jacob was this, he did not want to be remembered as Jacob; he wanted to be remembered as Israel, a man of faith in God.

Although physically the same man, Israel was meant to be a far better man than Jacob.  Jacob is a name which means he takes by the heel or he cheats, a name which definitely foreshadowed his character, but Israel was a much different name.  Following his wrestling match with God (Genesis 32:22-32), Jacob was given his new name, a name which literally means he strives with God or God strives.  This new name was meant to serve as a constant reminder to Jacob that he had fought with God and had been spared.  We could easily surmise that God rewarded Jacob with this new name for being so strong and persistent, but that is not the case.

Yes, he fought with God, but the most important persistence present that night near the Jabbok was not Jacob’s but God’s, for it was by God’s grace that young Jacob was pursued and finally broken.  Jacob realized this at the time.  He said quite honestly, “I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered” (Genesis 32:30).  Having been delivered he was meant to be different and it was this difference that Jacob desired for his descendents to model.

So with darkening eyes and an increasingly weakening body, Jacob sat up in his bed and spoke to his son Joseph along with his two sons.  Through this address, which encompasses the entirety of Genesis 48, we are challenged to leave a God-saturated legacy by a man who had finally come to terms with what it means to have God as ones shepherd.  Jacob had learned many things about God during his life and he wanted his descendents to know four important truths that could change their lives for ever.  He taught them that God was all-powerful, constantly at work, faithful, and forgiving.  In short we can say that Jacob wanted those after him to see God and not himself.

Our All-Powerful Shepherd

When it comes to establishing a God-saturated legacy, Jacob began where every Christian should begin, with God.  He looked at Joseph and said, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me” (48:3).  The first and most important truth he wanted to communicate to his posterity is the fact God is an all-powerful, sovereign being.  There are at least six times in Genesis where this word rendered as almighty is used.  One of those instances is found in Genesis 28 where Isaac, Jacob’s father, blessed Jacob as he departed for Haran.  Isaac prayed, “God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples” (28:3).  Like his father before him, Jacob wanted his sons to know that there was no river too wide, no mountain too high, and no desert too dry; regardless of what direction life took them they could depend upon their almighty God, for nothing can stay his hand (Daniel 4:35).

Our Constantly Working Shepherd

Not long after Isaac prayed this blessing over his son, God spoke to Jacob in a dream and reiterated his power as he promised to give him the land and multiply his offspring:

Genesis 28:13-15 – “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. ¹⁴Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ¹⁵Behold, 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.”

Looking back upon his life, Jacob recalled this promise and realized just how vital it was to his life and certainly his faith.  In spite of near blindness (48:8), from his death bed he was able to see the constantly working hand of God with sparkling clarity.  From there he could see that God had caused him to become fruitful and he had multiplied him.  Furthermore, God had remained with him; he had never abandoned Jacob even when Jacob had forsaken him.  God’s providence had become clear to Jacob.  Therefore, the legacy he desired to leave was one that emphasized both God’s ability and willingness to work all things together for the good (Romans 8:28), not a narcissistic tendency to live by one’s own strength and perceived wisdom.

With these two truths expressed, Jacob turned his attention to Joseph’s sons.  As he expressed to Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim would become his sons, for he was going to adopt them and convey a paternal blessing upon them.  Jacob, as Israel, wanted his name to be carried on through them; he desired for them to carry the same blessing that not only he had received, but also his father and grandfather.  Surely he wanted his sons to carry this blessing, but because of Reuben and Simeon’s sin (Genesis 35:22) Jacob awarded his birthright to Joseph’s sons.[1] Once again there is an emphasis upon forsaking sin and clinging to righteousness.  There was enough sin in his legacy, as God continued to unfold his promise to Jacob and multiply his offspring; he desperately wanted them to see a man of faith, a man who walked with God.