What is important to you? What do you look forward to? What do you hope will happen next week, next month, or next year? What gets you out of bed in the morning? As an athlete willingly endures difficult workouts for a finite prize, we are willing to work hard for what we value. However, when life doesn’t go the way we thought, our hopes can be shattered.
When Jacob first arrived in Egypt in chapter 47, he was in that shattered phase. (47:9) Life was hard. Life was horrible. Life was evil. Life had not gone as he had planned. But here in chapter 48, after living in Egypt for 17 years, Jacob was full of hope, thanksgiving, and worship. (Heb. 11:21) How do we explain this transformation in Jacob?
When you go to a funeral, you stare death in the face. It clarifies what is really important in life. (Ecc. 7:2) As Jacob lay on his own death bed, he had gained perspective. This set him free. He understood who was ready to receive God’s blessing.
Sermon Outline
1. The benefit of weakness vs. 1 – 13
2. Hands that bless vs. 14-22
