Lows And Highs

by Johnston, Brian, D. | Category: N/a | Jul 2007

As with all of us, Jacob's faith in God was sometimes low, but he did finish his life on a high. The highpoint of his faith, Hebrews 11:21 implies, came when blessing the two sons of Joseph: ‘By faith, Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff’. Frail in body; yet strong in faith: dying, he worshipped. On his death-bed his faith reached out towards the continuation of the divine promise first made to his grandfather Abraham, and personally renewed to him in dramatic circumstances (Gen.28:14). Chapter 48 displays how that sure word of the God of the house of God had been his anchor throughout the ‘few and unpleasant … years of [his] life’ (47:9).

We glimpse a man silhouetted against eternity in a magnificent sunset, giving very definite arrangements for his impending funeral. The irony of seeing Joseph’s sons, when he never thought to see their father, was not lost on Jacob (48:11; cp.37:35).

Jacob's eyesight is by this time poor (48:10), but his faculty of faith more acute than ever. While Joseph was guiding matters according to convention, Jacob crossed his hands over when reaching out to bless the sons, ensuring that his right hand, and thus the blessing, was placed upon the head of the younger (48:14). How could he have failed to have a flashback to when he'd tricked his own blind father into giving him the blessing in place of his elder brother? Now with the confidence which only a mature faith brings, Jacob overrules Joseph's protestations: by faith the blessing was given according to the divine plan. Jacob's days of scheming are far behind him now, as he rests in faith in the divine providence.

Jacob proves there is no ageism in the realm of faith, so press on towards a still brighter faith!

Johnston, Brian, D. | Jul 2007
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