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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Saturday, November 14, 2020
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Jacob Blesses His Sons [2] Bible Verse:Genesis 49:14-27 (ESV) "“Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor. “Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that his rider falls backward. I wait for your salvation, O Lord. “Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels. “Asher's food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies. “Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns. “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, yet 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), by 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. The 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. “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.”" Message:
This is the second half of Jacob's deathbed blessing on his twelve sons. (See the first part here.) He gives a blunt but succinct description of each. Even those who only get one line have their character, and their future, summed up.
The critical point of the chapter is the phrase "giving one's blessing" has a special meaning for the early Hebrews. A father might bless all of his sons, but one son will "get his blessing"; this is the son who is designated as the heir to both the father's property and his power. The blessed son becomes the head of the family.
Normally, this will go to the eldest son, but not necessarily. Jacob himself was a younger son, and defrauded his older brother Esau of his blessing. Also, although the early Hebrews might have multiple wives and concubines as well, and although the children of the concubines would be called "sons", almost always the blessing went to the son by a wife.
Jacob had two wives. Remember, he was in love with Rachel but was forced to marry her older sister, Leah; but he later managed to marry Rachel, as well. The two concubines were his wives' handmaids, practically slaves, who were offered to him by his wives so that the tribe might increase. Quite a bit different from today! But the knowledge that these sons would not supplant their own children as heirs was, without doubt, a critical factor in Leah and Rachel's enthusiasm for the scheme.
It is Joseph, a younger son by Rachel who has become a mighty prince of Egypt (and probably saved many of the tribe from starvation) who gets Jacob's blessing. Reuben, who was the eldest, was unlikely to inherit in any case, for he had offended Jacob by sleeping with one of his concubines, an act bordering on incest to the Hebrews.
Meditation : Prayer : Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted me as a living member of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have blessed me with the grace of forgiveness through the sacrifice He made for me and for all people. Send me now into the world in peace, and grant me strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord........Amen |
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