Joel M Bradshaw

22“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. 23The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, 24yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), 25by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.–Genesis 49

Father Jacob was handing out end-of-life blessings and curses to his sons. It was an ancient practice that formed the backdrop of the earlier drama between him and his brother Esau. Normally Christians read chapter 49 and focus on the blessing given to Judah. It has a commonly held Messianic prophecy. I thought today to focus on Joseph’s blessing.

1. SET APART. Joseph was put on a different path than his brothers and this path led to their continued existence during a famine. This being set apart was dramatic and at times horrible. It even involved multiple deceptions and a depressing season for Jacob.
2. FRUITFUL. Joseph’s life bore fruit in a way that was unmatched. Jacob here acknowledges the blessing that his son was.
3. ATTACKED YET UNMOVED. Joseph’s life was one of a victim. He didn’t deserve any of the bad things that happened to him. He was attacked right up until his promotion by Pharaoh. Yet Joseph held strong not only in faith but in his mental health journey. We would have expected Joseph to come out of prison riddled with anxiety, depression, and bitterness. As we will see tomorrow, this was not at all the case. Joseph didn’t see himself ultimately as the victim in life.
4. GOD’S HELP AND BLESSINGS. We who read Joseph’s story see God with him and blessing his every move. It’s great to see Jacob also recognizing the direct hand of God after the fact as God moved in and through Joseph’s story. Jacob thought Joseph was dead all this time, but had Joseph simply been traveling to buy grain, we could imagine Jacob praying these blessings as a prayer for him.

Take one step back from your immediate situation and see how God has used the events of your life. How has God been faithful as he has led you?–JMB