A Work in Progress….

Genesis 50:1 Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. 

We have seen Israel from the very beginning, from the time Jacob came out clutching his brother’s heel. He lived a long and storied life, with many positive steps in the service of God. He also had many, many mistakes and missteps along the way. 

Genesis 50:2-3 Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

Just like with everyone, we have to look at his life as a whole. We can’t discount him because of the rocky bits. It’s important to remember how powerfully God used him–warts and all, human messiness and all, mistakes, missteps, and all.

Genesis 50:4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him,

God of second chances, Thank You for this look at the full range of human messiness and divine grace. Thank You that You can and will and do use us, even in spite of our failings and mistakes. Help us not to discount ourselves or each other because of that messy humanity. Help us to love as You love–deeply, fiercely, completely. Amen.

Genesis 50:5 ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’ ”

Have a blessed day. 

Genesis 49:26 Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

Yesterday’s reflection may have seemed a bit of a non sequitur, as it veered wildly from the scripture, but yesterday was the end of a three-day hike for me & the hubs, and I have been dealing with a painful running spill, so pain and moving forward through it, in spite of it, had been on my mind.

Genesis 49:27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”

I am not some expert on moving forward. I am in no way trying to downplay the pain of loss. My injuries, though mild in the grand scheme of things, hurt. A lot. As I was hiking, I was reflecting on the fact that they hurt less now than when they happened, how painful they were initially, and how gradual that healing, that moving forward happened, but it did happen. Painfully slow, yet absolutely true.

Genesis 49:28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.

God of the Wilderness, Thank You for the beauty of Your creation, for the introspection that comes as I hike in that beauty. Thank You for the healing that happens, albeit so incredibly slowly that it’s easy to miss sometimes. Help us to hold on to hope, hold on to You, always. Amen.

Genesis 49:29 Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 49:17 Dan will be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.

Jacob, Israel, seems almost dispassionate, disconnected as he is reciting these prophecies. Maybe matter of fact is a better description. “This is the way life shakes out for them. This is the legacy they created.”

Genesis 49:18 “I look for your deliverance, Lord.

The phrase “It is what it is“ comes to mind, which is a phrase that has been rattling in my head since yesterday, but there’s another part to this expression: “It is what it is, but it will be what you make it.”

Genesis 49:19 “Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.

Precious Savior, Thank you for the hope that comes with possibility. Life if what it is, but we’re not just stuck with it. We get to decide what to make it. Thank you. Amen.

Genesis 49:20 “Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 49:13 “Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.

These words of Jacob are prophecy. Commentary describes them in terms of how they describe the legacy of each son’s descendants. The tribe of Zebulun settles on a strip of land between two sea shores, becoming a safe place for folks on the sea.

Genesis 49:14 “Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens.

The tribe of Issachar is big, muscular, and very lazy, easily led. His descendants, according to commentary, are often targeted by others because of their size and pressed into service, which they submit to without much fuss.

Genesis 49:15 When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.

Precious Savior, Thank You that we are not slaves to prophecy, not locked into a path that we have no free will to get out of. Thank You that You made us all unique and creative so we can serve You with purpose. Thank You that we have choices in this life. Help us to choose well. Help us to choose You. Help us, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 49:16 “Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 49:5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers—their swords are weapons of violence.

Reading commentary for these verses reminds me of all that occurred earlier in Genesis. All the brothers have had mistakes and missteps, even Judah, whose line will eventually lead to Jesus. What that tells me, personally, is: Don’t be too quick to give up on people (or on yourself).

Genesis 49:6 Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.

It’s easy to give up on others, to judge them because of their mistakes. Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t write us off. I won’t lie–I still struggle with how to deal with this. My trust, once broken, isn’t easily restored. Jesus, help me to love Your children (myself included) regardless of mistakes and missteps.

Genesis 49:7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.

Precious Savior, I know that we are all precious to You, that You want us each to return to You, that we are never so far gone that You don’t rejoice when we find our way back to You. Help me know how to love and pray for others who are struggling. Help me to love myself when I am struggling, too. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 49:8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 49:1 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

Jacob’s/Israel’s words in verse 2 got me thinking about something my preacher said to me the other day. (I’m paraphrasing here): “When things go well, we are quick to give the credit to God. When things go poorly, we are quick to take the blame. I wonder why that is.” That really got me thinking.

Genesis 49:2 “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.

I think sometimes, when our efforts are unsuccessful, that is God’s way of drawing us closer to Him. Like if I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and taking a risk that fails miserably, maybe I can only draw closer to Him through my failure in that task. Maybe, only then am I in a place to listen, to hear His voice. Verse 2, specifically, has me thinking about that balance between the human and the divine.

Genesis 49:3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.

Precious Savior, I’ve said for years that anything good that comes from me is all You. The rest, the human messiness, I claim as my own. But the truth is You created me exactly as I am. You call me. You equip me. You use all things, even my failures, to draw me closer to You. Thank You….for all of it, but most especially for drawing me closer. Always. Amen.

Genesis 49:4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it.

Have a blessed day.