The Shepherd and Redeemer
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: The Joseph Stories
Genesis 48 (ESV)
1 After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. 3 And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
8 When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” 12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15 And he blessed Joseph and said,
“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;
and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying,
‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’”
Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
Sermon Outline
Jacob pursues, takes hold of, and passes on the blessing of God, whom he has come to know as a shepherd and redeemer.
1. Shepherd (v15)
vv2-3 “God almighty appeared to me… blessed me… said to me… ‘I will…’”
vv5-6 “your two sons… called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance”
v7 “to my sorrow, Rachel died”; v11 “I never expected…”
v15 “before whom my fathers… walked… who has been my shepherd all my life”
2. Redeemer (v16)
v11 “behold, God has let me see your offspring also”
v16 “the angel who has redeemed me from evil”
v10 “now the eyes of Israel were dim”; v14 “crossing his hands”; v19 “I know my son”
v21 “but God will be with you”
Prayer of Confession
Our great shepherd and redeemer, we look to you with hope, and seek you as Jesus instructed and invited us to. We have wandered. We have resisted. We continually seek a blessing apart from you, and often contrary to your ways. We recognize our folly and the offense of our sin. Father, we need forgiveness. Give us eyes to see and discern what is true. Grant us an inheritance in Christ. Lead us. Heal us. For the sake of Jesus, who subjected himself to the curse of suffering so that your blessing might come to us, bless us today. We pray this in his name. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
How would you describe the way you make your way through life? Are you independent? Following anyone (or anything)? Drawing from multiple sources?
What is the best way to step into an unknown future? How do you navigate uncertainty? What does it look like to walk with God?
What does Jesus teach or demonstrate that helps us make sense of our circumstances? What kinds of things can we know about what happens to us? What can’t we know?
What do you hope God will fix?
Why is faith important for discernment? How does faith in God (who He is, what He has promised, how He has instructed us) help us to understand in deeper ways?
Where is your hope? What specific things do you look to that help you move forward?
How does Jesus bring God’s promised blessing to us?
Why can we trust Jesus for all things? How does he function as a “good shepherd”? Why is he the true redeemer?