[00:00:09] Welcome to Gracious Words.
[00:00:12] Gracious Words is taken from the weekly women's Bible study, taught by Cheryl Brodersen at Calvary Chapel
[00:00:17] Hostamesa, California.
[00:00:35] On today's program we'll see Jacob, nearing death, speak a blessing over his sons.
[00:00:42] His words are deliberately chosen as he speaks prophetically about the future of the tribes.
[00:01:14] And now here is part two of Cheryl's message titled What's a Blessing.
[00:01:20] Here is God's intent, intent his intention was that
[00:01:25] Rubin would excel that he would be mighty and strong and dignified and excellent and power.
[00:01:32] But the object that felt it was his own lust and ambition. Here is a warning, the blessing of a
[00:01:41] warning. You have the potential it's still in you to excel to be dignified, do not give
[00:01:48] you lust in your ambition. Interesting when Joshua gave the land to Israel, Rubin chose to
[00:01:56] settle on the east side of the Jordan and not in the Promised Land, not in the Covenant Land
[00:02:06] because he saw that the land in the east was already settled, already conquered,
[00:02:11] already performing and already had towns in it and buildings that they could take over in
[00:02:20] Assumined Wellen. You have simmined and Levi instruments of cruelty, while that would be
[00:02:26] something to hear at a blessing meeting wouldn't. Their friendship was not healthy and it jeopardized
[00:02:33] the welfare of the nation of Israel. They had already jeopardized the family of Israel not once but twice,
[00:02:40] once and check them the second time when they were party to selling their brother, Joseph,
[00:02:48] to Egypt. They had a problem with anger, fierce, wrath, cruel in their vengeance. They went too far
[00:02:59] to overkill. When they avenged, they went beyond vengeance to plundering the people to
[00:03:09] capturing the wives. It was wrong. It wasn't just it was overkill and so Jacob pronounces
[00:03:18] the blessing you're going to be separated. You two are not healthy for each other, so I'm going to
[00:03:26] separate you. It's interesting because years ago I recognized that I had a problem with gossip.
[00:03:33] This was probably 18 or 19 years ago. I felt the Holy Spirit say, you've been gossiping like late
[00:03:38] and that's really displeasing to me. And I said, Lord, you're right, I repent but there are two
[00:03:45] women in my life that whenever I talk to them it goes from zero to gossip and less than five seconds
[00:03:52] and I don't know how to stop it. I don't know what to do and the Lord took both of those women out
[00:03:58] of my life within three months. Both were removed. Now I had no excuse. Do not gossip. It was
[00:04:06] God separating and it was healthier for them and it was healthier for me. Simeon and Levi were not
[00:04:14] good for each other. They needed to be separated. It's interesting again when it comes to the
[00:04:22] midst of all the tribes. We're going to watch you. You can't do not eat things. You can't let your
[00:04:27] anger grow. In fact, he's tribe was situated in the middle of the tribe of Judah. Levi then
[00:04:34] had no certain jurisdiction. In fact they were scattered throughout the tribes of Israel.
[00:04:42] Interesting that they were the log of her tribe. They were the ones. They were kind of like the police
[00:04:46] God says, I'll put this to good use. We'll make you the police force and you will give people the
[00:04:53] log God in force it in the towns wherever you are but you'll be separated because together
[00:05:00] her little dangerous. It's interesting to note that it was the tribe of Levi that cried for the
[00:05:07] crucifixion of Jesus. They're the ones who said crucify him. El would not be stated with exile
[00:05:13] or anything less not with scourging but with Jesus who had done no evil they wanted crucifixion.
[00:05:21] Judah is the next sign. Now this is the blessing you want. Oh, what a blessing. None of Judah's
[00:05:28] past infractions are mentioned. Don't you love that? Not one. Not well you did this like
[00:05:34] Ruben you, you know you slept with Billha back, Thimian and Levi you were angry. You took too much
[00:05:46] vengeance. Now we know Judah was complicit in the selling of Joseph. We know that Judah had to evil
[00:05:55] sons who God slew. We know that Judah was not honest in his dealings with teamwork and yet none of
[00:06:02] these are mentioned. In fact praise awaits his future there's been such a dramatic change in Judah.
[00:06:13] Probably much like the change that happened to Jacob when he became Israel. Judah now begins
[00:06:20] to live up to his name praise. He is a cause to give God glory. We're told to let victory over
[00:06:28] his enemies. That his fathers children will bow down, his brothers, at some time will all bow down
[00:06:35] to the tribe of Judah that he's like a lion, a lion who is strong, a lion who gets his prey.
[00:06:45] And we're told that the septer, the royal dynasty or a logiver will not depart from Judah until
[00:06:53] Shiloh or the right translation or the one who's right it is to hold the septer. The one who's
[00:07:02] right it is to get the law comes and the Shiloh or the one who's right it is. It's a messianic
[00:07:10] reference that for years has been recognized by rabbis and by scholars. This is speaking of the
[00:07:20] shoot that will come out of Jesse or the tribe of Judah. The one who's right it is to hold the
[00:07:26] septer. To him belongs the obedience of the people. Then we have this image of a donkey being bound to
[00:07:34] the vine. Now a donkey would not be bound to an ordinary grapevine because a donkey would be so strong
[00:07:42] it would just pull it out of the ground because most grapevines are weak. In fact they don't make
[00:07:47] houses out of the wood of grapevines. You might make wicker or returned because it's malleable. But here
[00:07:55] is an image of such prosperity that he will bring such fruitfulness and such strong vines,
[00:08:05] grapevines to Israel that you could even bind a donkey to it because that's how strong the grapevine
[00:08:12] will be. Garments washed in the blood of grapes. Again this is messianic and cannot refer to
[00:08:20] anybody. His eyes darker than wine has to do with his authority and his power. In Revelation
[00:08:29] we're told that Jesus has eyes that burn with fire. His teeth whiter than melt. He's smiling. He's
[00:08:43] as a messianic reference. This is the one, the son through whom the seed of Abraham Maccomme.
[00:08:50] This is the seed according to Genesis 123 that all the nations of the world would be blessed by.
[00:08:57] There's an interesting event that happened in Israel in the year 7AD. And in 7AD the right
[00:09:04] capital punishment was taken away from the religious juice and Israel. They were, they could not,
[00:09:13] they were not to stone. They were not to put anyone to death by their laws. Everything had to come
[00:09:20] under the jurisdiction of Rome. The religious leaders were so upset about this and going back to
[00:09:29] this promise found in Genesis chapter 49. They said the law giver has departed. We've lost
[00:09:38] the septor, the right to capital punishment. God has felt his promises. There's no Shiloh and they
[00:09:44] marched through the streets morning that God had felt his promises. I find that so interesting
[00:09:51] that they'd rather believe that God failed his promises than look around and say where Shiloh.
[00:09:56] He must be here. The Messiah must have come, but remember it was the same religious elites
[00:10:02] when the nowjai came from the east and said where is he who is born king of the Jews? And they
[00:10:08] said go check out Bethlehem, but they didn't go. They didn't check it out. They had lost faith in
[00:10:14] the promises of God rather than look for Messiah. Recently on a trip to Israel we were at a place
[00:10:21] called the Temple Institute. And we were asking the young Jewish girl there about the plans to
[00:10:27] build the temple and we asked her, are you using Solomon's plans? And she said no we're using
[00:10:34] the plans that we find of her it's temple. And we said why would you do her it's temple? She said
[00:10:40] we believe a jinn pile will help us build our temple. That was interesting. But Jesus said that
[00:10:46] Messiah is supposed to be able to temple. She said oh we don't believe in the Messiah anymore.
[00:10:50] He had his chance to come, he's never come. We think that we just misunderstood those passages.
[00:10:55] Is that incredible? Rather than look for Shiloh. They would rather believe that God failed
[00:11:02] his promises. Rather than look for Shiloh or believe that Jesus is the Messiah. The messianic
[00:11:09] promises in the Bible are progressive. They're like clue after clue to help those who are really
[00:11:17] interested and want to know, to recognize the time of their visitation, to recognize their Messiah.
[00:11:24] In John 539 he was Jesus speaking to the religious elite said you search the scripture for in them
[00:11:32] you think you have life. You think you have a blessing in these but these are they which testify of
[00:11:38] me. Jesus is the blessing and when we are under the authority of Jesus, we are under the authority
[00:11:46] of a blessing. When we are not under the authority of Jesus, we don't have a chance for the blessing
[00:11:52] of God. Next we come to Zebulin. His blessing house to do with where he will dwell and where
[00:11:58] he will live and his livelihood. The location of his blessing is to be by the sea. Zebulin's
[00:12:09] a lot meant fell near Galilee and it was believed that the tribe of Zebulin became fisherman.
[00:12:16] Is the car as a strong donkey? Again, is this a blessing to you? You are a strong donkey,
[00:12:21] bearing burdens but you are overly concerned with the work and you will become enslaved to
[00:12:28] it. You will bow down under it great. Isn't that a warning? Don't trust in uncertain
[00:12:34] riches. Don't be overcome by the burdens. Dan, this is the blessing again that I mentioned in the
[00:12:42] beginning that I really, really would not want and yet it's sublusting to Dan to know how lethal
[00:12:48] He could be. Dan is like a poisonous snake at the side of the road that bites the horse and makes
[00:12:54] the writer fall. It's interesting. The tribe of Jan, Dan, according to Judges 18,
[00:13:02] is the only tribe to refuse their allotted parcel and take another one, not a lot it, not
[00:13:10] ordained by God for themselves. They refused to defeat the enemy. They were down in the area
[00:13:16] known as Ashkelon. They refused to defeat the enemy where they were placed and so they went up
[00:13:25] north and they destroyed a peaceful village and took it over and settled in the area north
[00:13:34] on the northern border of Israel. They were the first tribe of Israel to fall to idolatry
[00:13:41] and as a tribe to lead Israel into idolatry, they were the snake that caused Israel to fall backwards.
[00:13:52] Ashkelon. Oh sorry, God. God means a troop comes, remember? And it says,
[00:13:57] God will be like a troop. It will have to fight a troop will trample upon him but he shall
[00:14:05] triumph out last. Then we move on to Ashkelon. This might be some of you would like. Ashkelon
[00:14:12] is going to be rich and they will make royal dainty. Some of you who are cooks, some of you,
[00:14:20] you know who you are, who make that delicious sourdough bread. You are yielding the royal dainty.
[00:14:27] That's for COVID's blessing. Some of you have started making sourdough bread. Would you have
[00:14:31] not without COVID? I think not. Ashkelon. Okay, we're moving on to naftly like a dearly loose with
[00:14:37] goodly words. The idea is that of those running throughout Israel bringing with them goodly
[00:14:46] words, poetry, beauty. It's interesting with naftly because again there's a prophecy in Isaiah about
[00:14:54] the Messiah coming to naftly and bringing light with him. Naftly includes the area of Nazareth
[00:15:03] and Luke 422 where told that when Jesus went to Nazareth they marveled at the gracious words
[00:15:11] with cheese spoke. Again taking those gracious words every place. And then we come to Joseph.
[00:15:19] Here is another great word of blessing. This is the longest blessing that Jacob gives. He tells Joseph
[00:15:26] a fruitful bow like a, like a, oh well. Again this idea of always getting water, always being
[00:15:36] nourished again like someone branches that hang over the wall you outgrow your place, your
[00:15:44] your exceeding your inheritance. You were shot by archers, bitterly grieved, hated, but your bow
[00:15:51] remains strong. In other words he held the bow in place and did not shoot the arrow. This is
[00:15:59] this is a reference to the fact that he did not retaliate and kind against his brothers. There's
[00:16:07] a book that I love. It's called the Tell of Three Kings by a man named Jean Edwards. And it has to
[00:16:14] with how to react to criticism, how to react to bad treatment. And in that book he talks about
[00:16:22] how Saul when he hurled the spirit David the natural response of David would to be pull that
[00:16:28] spirit out and hurl it right back. Isn't that how we are? We want to always give in kind.
[00:16:33] But Joseph does not retaliate in kind. He just holds it steady. He can't. He's got the power to retaliate.
[00:16:41] But he does not shoot the arrow. His bow remains strong. He's resilient against the attacks.
[00:16:49] And he's actually made stronger through the adversities because of God's hand upon him. In his life,
[00:16:56] the care of the shepherd of Israel. And he's taking care of his brothers like a shepherd.
[00:17:02] God's shepherd at him. God stayed with him during the persecution by his brothers. During the
[00:17:10] trip held by the Midianites as a prisoner, as a slave and pot of ours house. As a prisoner again
[00:17:18] in the jail of Pharaoh. He is the stone of Israel or the rock that never moves. This attribute of
[00:17:27] God being so strong and invincible and not moving. Joshua who led the people into the land of
[00:17:37] promise and gave their allotments in the promise land was a descendant of Joseph from the tribe
[00:17:42] of Ephraim. So we see this leadership here as the firstborn, Joshua. And again, we see the leadership
[00:17:51] of the tribe of Judah in the dynasty of David and then in our Messiah. So blessings. God's
[00:17:59] good intentions from the Almighty, from the heaven above of the deep or unseen, from the womb,
[00:18:06] or descendants from the fathers, excellent blessings, abundant blessings up to the utmost
[00:18:12] bound of the everlasting hills on his head and on his crown. I mean, Jacob is saying to Joseph,
[00:18:20] I want you just to swim in the blessings. You know, isn't that interesting when you think of
[00:18:25] the grace of God? The grace of God is such a blessing and God means us to be overwhelmed and just
[00:18:33] swimming in His grace. Just overcome by it that it would fill us and we would be filled with the
[00:18:42] this is the blessings that God wants. And we're told any visions one that all the blessings are
[00:18:49] ours in heavenly places. We are blessed with all blessings. We could live like this if we come
[00:18:57] under the authority of Jesus Christ, even the curses will be turned to blessings. Now when you look
[00:19:04] at Joseph's life, it wasn't one of our mind of blessing after blessing. I mean, think about it.
[00:19:13] He's thrown into a pit. His brothers hate him as Jacob said. He's shot out. He's a slave. He's
[00:19:21] foxy accused. He's placed in prison. But because he kept the Lord always before him,
[00:19:29] all those things were turned into a blessing that the things that Satan meant for evil were all
[00:19:38] turned to good and became a blessing. Then you've got Benjamin. Now I find this fascinating
[00:19:44] because Benjamin is the other favored son. He's the one that Jacob clung to when he thought
[00:19:50] he lost Joseph. And yet he's just a Benjamin who's named me in son of my right hand or it should be
[00:19:57] blessed a blessing place of blessed name. But he says, you're a ravenous wolf. Your dangerous. You go
[00:20:04] hunting in the morning and night. You share your food with others. And you could look at these and say,
[00:20:10] these are blessings? Obviously what is said to Judah and Joseph those joint, patriarchy. We can say,
[00:20:17] now that's a blessing. But these are blessings. It says these were the blessings that were
[00:20:27] protected from their own nature, from their own propincities to safeguard the promises of God
[00:20:34] to them and to their children. I think it's interesting that the ravenous wolf and the biting snake
[00:20:44] these weren't removed from the covenant. They were still under the covenant. But they would not
[00:20:52] experience the blessings or the privilege of being in the covenant if they did not give those
[00:20:59] natures to God. These blessings spoke of their future. They were prophetic. It is what would happen.
[00:21:09] Jacob ended the blessings by charging his sons to bury him in the cave in Machpila, the cave where
[00:21:18] Isaac and Rebecca and Abraham and Sarah were buried. And interestingly enough, it's the place where
[00:21:25] Leah is buried. Not Rachel but Leah is buried because Leah becomes the covenant wife. Why?
[00:21:34] Because Judah, because the lion of the tribe of Judah, because the seed of Abraham, this blessed
[00:21:42] lineage of Jesus, the Messiah, would come through Leah. So she is in the cave of promise.
[00:21:53] This also, this burial of Jacob and Israel at this cave would remind the brothers of the
[00:22:02] beauty of the blessings that they received from their father and that their future was in
[00:22:10] Kainan in the promises of God, not in the kingdoms of this world.
[00:22:16] Jacob had reserved his remaining strength in order to speak these blessings. These words over his sons
[00:22:25] and then he died. It was with everything that he had. He gave these blessings to each one,
[00:22:33] not leaving one out. Before we go into chapter 50 I would like to ask which tribe
[00:22:41] blessing would you want? Isn't it the blessing of Judah or Joseph? Yeah, whatever the word
[00:22:50] that was given, it's important to remember. It was the right word. It was the treasured word.
[00:22:58] It was the expedient word and it was the word that they were to pass down to their children.
[00:23:05] You know, we're all a bunch of ravenous wolves. We better watch out for that.
[00:23:10] You know sometimes we have things in our nature that are just propincities. They are just
[00:23:16] something that you can say, oh my mother was like that. It's it's almost in our DNA,
[00:23:21] but even those things need to be submitted to the Lord and the Lord can take those things
[00:23:27] if they're submitted and take that curse and turn it into a blessing if we give it to the authority
[00:23:36] and put it under the authority of Jesus Christ. Now, Jacob had reserved his greatest blessing
[00:23:42] for Joseph. And Joseph then became a dispensary of blessing. He did not keep the blessings
[00:23:51] for himself, but sought to bless his brothers. This reminds me of my daughter, Kristen,
[00:23:57] whenever we would give her money for a filter, she would come back with something for all of us.
[00:24:03] She always would just buy and she still, she has this one closet that is just filled with gifts
[00:24:08] for people because she'll like all they'd like that I'm going to get this. And so she has
[00:24:13] she's impoverished because she's always fine for other people constantly.
[00:24:21] In his final days, Jacob gathered his sons together to give them his patriarchal blessing. To some
[00:24:27] of the sons, this blessing came in the form of a warning. To Joseph and Judah, it was a great
[00:24:38] thing that we were appropriate to each son. It was what they needed to hear in order to protect
[00:24:43] them from their own nature and their own propensities, and to safeguard the promises of God
[00:24:48] made to them and their children. In the same way Jesus is the blessing of our lives because
[00:24:54] of Jesus we have all the promises of God. May we live a life under the authority of Jesus so we
[00:25:00] will be blessed and be a blessing to others. We hope you have been blessed by today's Bible study
[00:25:06] for more information about the Gracious Words Radio Program and the Teaching Ministry of
[00:25:11] Cheryl Broderson. Please visit our website at GraciousWords.com. Coming up next time on the Gracious
[00:25:17] Words program, we'll look at the blessing of God in our lives as we continue our series, our
[00:25:22] great creator, in the book of Genesis with Cheryl Broderson. We do hope you make plans to join us.
[00:25:29] Again, for more information, please visit our website at GraciousWords.com.
[00:25:37] In Wonder, Wonder, We will fall on our knees and surrender with surrender to you.
[00:25:53] This program is sponsored by Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California.
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