33 BUT SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED TO YOU AS WELL. 34 THEREFORE DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6
We saw last week that Rebecca had sought the Lord about the two babies jostling in her womb and God showed her what was going on;
23 The Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” Genesis 25
Israel then spoke a similar blessing over Ephraim when he reversed the cultural norm and put him ahead of his older brother Manasseh. This was confirmed again when Moses blessed the tribes;
Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim;
such are the thousands of Manasseh.” Deuteronomy 33:17
God had blessings spoken over the individual tribes by both Israel and Moses, speaking His will into and over their futures.
Israel/Jacob blessed his twelve sons in Genesis 49 after speaking to Ephraim and Manasseh alone with their father. The words he spoke over Joseph, (who had no recorded sin) were longer and more favourable than most of his brothers. (Judah (Praise) had a similarly powerful word, pointing to the Messiah)
22 “Josephis a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility.
Joseph is pictured as a vine (Jesus said, ‘I am the true vine’ in John 15) with a good water supply and a wall to climb upon, support. But he’d been attacked (as would Jesus be attacked) and prevailed.
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25 because of your father’s God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty, who blesses you Genesis 49
The reason he’d prevailed was BECAUSE (X4) of ‘the Mighty One of Jacob‘; ‘the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel’; ‘your father’s God, who helps you’; ‘because of the Almighty, who blesses you’. God kept Joseph (and later Christ) in the midst of their enemies.
25 because of your father’s God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty, who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,
blessings of the breast and womb.
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.
This was a mighty blessing spoken over Joseph’s life, ending with the word, ‘let all these REST ON THE HEAD OF JOSEPH’. Joseph didn’t have to strive or show himself worthy, all the blessings were given him. Again, the second youngest was proclaimed the Prince among his brothers, God’s Choice.
God’s Blessing doesn’t come by striving, but by resting in His good choices for our lives.
22 The blessing of the Lord brings wealth,
without painful toil for it, or He adds no trouble to it. Proverbs 10
Both Israel and Moses spoke over all the tribes and we as God’s Children should also expect our Father’s Favour and Blessing today. Amen