Jacob's Last Words — Chuck Smith

Welcome to the Word for Today, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California. Pastor Chuck is currently leading us on a verse-by-verse study through the entire Bible.

And on today's edition of the Word for Today, we'll be picking up with Jacob's last words regarding Joseph. So let's turn in our Bibles to Genesis, Chapter 49, verse 22, as Pastor Chuck Smith provides us with the details.

Joseph as a Fruitful Bough

Now he comes to Joseph,.

The son that he loved and the son that he had in his mind established as the heir, the one to whom he gave the double portion by claiming his two sons as his own, Ephraim and Manasseh. And thus, by dividing the portions and giving portions to both Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph received the double portion.

And Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well. His branches run over the wall. Here is a tree that is planted by a well. Its roots go down and draw from the subterranean water source. And thus, it's a tree that is green and a tree that produces abundantly.

Joseph, a tree that's loaded with fruit, probably the reference to the opulent style of life that he enjoyed as second in Egypt, only under the pharaoh. He had his own physicians, and he had no doubt multitudes of servants, and he lived in a very opulent style.

And thus, he is called a fruitful bough. His life bears abundance of fruit. But his branches run over the wall. What that means is that he doesn't hoard it all to himself. He's willing to share that which God has blessed him with with others.

The branch runs over the wall. Others also can partake of the benefit and the blessing that God has bestowed upon him. And this is always the purpose of God. If he has blessed your life, it is that you might share those blessings with others.

Never blesses us just that we might hoard it for ourselves, but blesses us in order that we might share those blessings. The fruitful bough whose branch hangs over the wall, thus others are benefited and blessed by what God has done in my life, so should it always be.

The archers have bitterly grieved him. Though he was prospered abundantly, though he had the great wealth of Egypt at his fingertips, he had gone through some really heavy trials. Life was not always easy for Joseph.

He had experienced a lot of grief in his lifetime. The archers have sorely grieved thee and they have shot at him and they hated him. There was a deep hatred in the brother's hearts concerning Joseph.

It says that they hated him and then he told the dreams and they hated him all the more. Hatred so great that they actually conspired to kill him and then opted later to just sell him as a slave. He's been shot at.

Arrows of jealousy, arrows of envy, arrows of hatred from his brothers, lies from Potiphar's wife, forgetfulness from the butler. Oh, the arrows that have gone his way, but his bow remained in strength.

That is, he did not retaliate and take revenge against the wrongs that were done to him, though it was in his power to do so. So many times when I'm shot, an arrow sticks in my side. I turn and I let fly with everything I have before I even find out who shot it.

I've been wounded. I'm hurt. I want revenge. I want to get even. Who did that? And I just start shooting at anything that's moving. It's a part of our nature to desire revenge to get even. You push me, I'll push you.

You shoot me, I'll shoot you. I'll get even with you. It takes great strength not to get even when it's in your capacity to do so. His brothers had sold him as a slave. He had the capacity now to make them his slaves.

He doesn't do it. He doesn't get even. His bow abides in strength. That is, it's there. It's ready. He could release the arrow. He could destroy those that had sought to destroy him, but he doesn't. His bow remains in strength.

God as Shepherd and Rock

The secret of that strength is the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. God was the one that was the restraining power in his life. God is a restraining power in our lives.

God is able to help us if we have a flash temper, if we have that habit of just sort of flying off. God can be a restraining force in your life. You can know the power of God. He will hold the arms of your hands so that you will not just strike back.

From there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel. God in the figure of a shepherd. It's something that becomes quite common as we move through the scriptures. This is the first direct reference to God as a shepherd.

In the 48th chapter, the 15th verse, he declares that God who has fed me all the days of my life until now. The word fed there is the word shepherd, ruach, and could be translated the God who has shepherded me.

And that is possibly the first reference to shepherd, but it's translated the God who has fed me, the God who has tended me, and it's equivalent to the Greek word tend, which Jesus said to Peter, tend my sheep, shepherd my sheep.

God who has shepherded me. And from thence is the shepherd. God is a shepherd. Then the stone, and the first reference to God is a rock or God is a stone. And again, through the Psalms, this symbolism for God is used over and over.

The Lord is my rock, my strong defense. Actually, even in the song of Moses, Deuteronomy 32, their rock is not as our rock. And the many references to God as a rock in in the song of Moses. The rock was a symbol of strength, the symbol of protection.

Hide me in the rock that is higher than I. And so the place of defense, the place of protection, the place of safety, and that is what God becomes to us, the place of safety, the place of defense. Sheltered in the rock.

The Rock as Christ and the Coming Kingdom

But for Israel, there came a special symbolism of the rock. Of course, in the book of Daniel, you have that classic dream of Nebuchadnezzar seeing the progressive kingdoms that would rule over the world until he came to the ten toes, which are ten kings.

And during the reign of these ten kings, I saw a rock out of the mountain, not cut with hands. It hit the great image in the feet so that the whole image crumbled and the rock grew into a mountain that covered the world.

And in the interpretation of Daniel for that dream, that rock was the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to establish God's reign over the earth. And in the time of those ten kings shall the Lord come and establish a kingdom that shall never end, the rock.

Moses and the Rock in the Wilderness

But for the children of Israel, when they were in the wilderness and were perishing because of thirst, and they came to Moses and they said to Moses, you know, you've brought us out here to die. Our children, we're dying of thirst.

We're going to die soon if you don't give us water. And Moses said, you know, who am I that I can give you water? He went in before the Lord and said, Lord, they're out there complaining they need water.

And God said, take your rod and strike the rock and water will come forth. And Moses went out and he took his rod and he smote the rock and the water came flowing forth and the people drank and they were saved.

In Corinthians, Paul said, and there was that rock with them in the wilderness and that rock was Jesus. He is the rock from which the water of life flows. The rock that was smitten, smitten for your sins and for my sins, but in the smiting of Christ, the water of life flows to us today.

And thus in the New Testament, the beautiful invitation, ho, everyone that is thirsty, let him come to the water and drink. A sort of a repetition of Isaiah's call to the thirsty souls. Jesus, the final invitation of the book of Revelation, he that is a thirst, let him drink of the water of life freely.

Jesus said, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. And if you'll drink of the water that I give out of your innermost being, there will just flow rivers of living waters. And so Jesus, the rock from which the water of life flows.

Moses' Anger and the Rock Struck Twice

That's why the second time when they came to Moses saying, we're thirsty, we're going to die. And they've been in the wilderness now for 40 years. They said, and you haven't even brought us into the land like you said you were going to.

And Moses went in before God and said, God, I can't take it. I've had it. I'm up to here, Lord, these people, nothing but complaining for 40 years. And I've just had it, Lord. I can't stand it anymore.

And God says, well, Moses, they're thirsty. Go out and speak to the rock that it might give forth water. But Moses was angry. He didn't want to just go out and speak to the rock. He's mad at the people.

He went out and said, you bunch of hypocrites, how long do I have to put up with you? Tired of all your complaining. Must I hit this rock again and give you water? And he smote the rock the second time.

The water came forth. God said, Moses, come here, son. What did I tell you to do? He said, speak to the rock. Yeah, Moses, but you hit it. Yeah, Lord, I was really mad. Wait a minute, Moses. You can't lead the children of Israel into the promised land.

What do you mean? You've got to be kidding. What do you think I've been out here 40 years for? No, Moses can't do it. Lord, that isn't fair. Moses, don't talk to me anymore about it. It's settled. You failed to represent me before the people there at the waters of Meribah, the waters of strife.

But what happened? You see, the rock Jesus, once he was smitten, needs never be smitten again. He suffered once and for all. Once. Jesus was that rock. Moses, in smiting the rock the second time, destroyed the beautiful symbol that God was setting up.

For you see, all you need to do to receive the water of life is to speak to the rock. All you have to do is ask. Come to Jesus and ask, and you will receive the water of life freely. The rock doesn't need to be smitten again.

And so Moses paid heavily for that little outburst where he let his arrows fly, did not hold his bow in strength. By the God of your Father who will help you, and by the Almighty who will bless you, your hands are being held by the mighty God.

Blessing, Consecration, and the Tribes of Israel

God holding your hand makes you strong. Your hand is being held by the God of your fathers, or your Father, singular Jacob, who will help you, the Almighty who will bless you. And so the blessings that were to come upon Joseph, the blessings of heaven above, the rain that shall come down, the blessings of the deep that lies beneath, a reference to the subterranean water, the wells of water, the blessings of the breast and of the womb, the multiplying of the tribe, the people, large tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh.

Ephraim became a dominant tribe. The blessings of your Father have excelled the blessings of my ancestors. And unto the utmost bound of the everlasting or the ancient hills, and so the establishing of the boundaries to the ancient hills, they shall be on the head of Joseph.

All of these blessings that God has bestowed on me, they're going to be bestowed now upon Joseph. You know, sometimes I think that I have to be one of the most blessed men alive, and that's only because of the grace of God, surely not because I deserve it.

But I look around at what God has done, the blessed privilege of being able to minister God's Word and God's truth to so many hungry people. And I look at the pictures of all my grandkids, blessed to have such a marvelous wife.

I don't deserve her. Blessed to have such beautiful kids. Oh, the blessings of God upon those who he holds in his hand, the strength of God, the abundance. Actually, you're the fruitful bough. God as a shepherd is related to the fruitful bough concept.

The obligation of the shepherd really was that of providing good pasture for the sheep, that the sheep might grow and be strong. The ability to be strong in the face of the temptation to take revenge.

God the stone, the rock. He is my defense. I don't need to defend myself. He will defend me. And so the beautiful blessings that Jacob pronounces upon Joseph, the crown of the head of him who was separate.

The word is Nazarite in Hebrew, from which later came the Nazarite vow, which was the vow of separation or consecration unto God. Now, interestingly enough, Benjamin, who was another favorite of Jacob, because he also was the son of Rachel.

Benjamin doesn't really come in for much. In fact, very little. Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he will divide the spoil. Not much for Benjamin, is there?

He's a ravenous wolf. In the morning he'll devour the prey, at night he'll divide the spoil. Benjamin produced the tough fellows. He didn't want to tangle with the Benjamite. They were tough. As the history will unfold, the tribe of Benjamin and these guys were fierce in battle.

The first king of Israel came from the tribe of Benjamin Saul, and there were a group of Benjamites who were fighting with David, and these fellows were skillful with the slings. Tremendous, all of them left-handed sling throwers.

The Benjamites, but not much for them. Now, these all are the 12 tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them, and he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

Jacob's Burial Instructions and Final Words

Then he charged them and said to them, I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite. In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place.

So they buried Abraham, and there they buried Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and I buried Leah, the field and the cave that was purchased from the sons of Heth. And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into his bed, he breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

So this was his final action, looking around, pronouncing these prophecies, and then the commanding of the sons, look, take me back and bury me in the cave there at Machpelah. And he pulls his feet up in the bed, and that's it.

We'll return with more of our verse-by-verse study of Genesis in our next lesson, as we continue with the death and burial of Jacob. And we do hope you'll make plans to join us. But right now, I'd like to remind you that if you missed any part of today's message, or perhaps you'd like to order a copy for that special friend or loved one, you can do so by simply contacting one of our customer service representatives, and they'd be more than happy to assist you with the ordering details.

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That's right here, on the next edition of The Word for Today. Now, once again, here's Pastor Chuck Smith.

May the Lord be with you now and watch over you this week. May He fill you with His Spirit. May the love of Jesus Christ just abound in all things towards you. And may you be blessed of God as you walk in fellowship with Him.

May God, by His Spirit, increase your faith as you study the Word. And may you grow up in all things in Christ, come into a real maturity in your walk with Him, beginning to experience the fullness of God's power, love, and blessing upon your life as you live in fellowship with Him.

In Jesus' name.

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