On My Knees

477. "On My Knees"                     March 14, 2012
Hebrews 11-Part 12
By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.  Hebrews 11:21


LET IT GLOW

Review:

Jacob, whose name means catcher, supplanter, following after, deceiver:

•  was the second-born son of Isaac,a twin,  the grandson of Abraham.(Gen. 25:26)
•  was the son whom Abraham was about to kill, offering on an altar to God, when a ram replaced him.(Gen. 22)
•  bribbed his twin bother, Esau, into trading his birthright for a bowl of stew.(Gen. 25)
•  deceived his father into thinking he was Esau when Isaac passed out the family blessings.
•  fled for his life in fear of Esau killing him whenever Esau found out what Jacob had done.
•  reaped what he had sown-fauther inlaw switched girls so instead of marrying Rachel, he actually married her sister Leah.
• worked 14 years for Laban in order to marry Rachael.
• met Jesus in a dream of a ladder. (Gen. 28)
• had 12 sons, who became the "twelve tribes of Israel. (Gen. 30)
• wrestled with the Lord Jesus at Peniel, where his thigh was permanently placed out of joint. (Gen 32:24-32)
• had to admit his name was "deceiver," and had a name change by God to "Israel,"which means "ruling with God." (Gen. 32:28)
• met his Redeemer, Jesus Christ, as his Savior. (Gen. 48:16)

LET IT GLOW

Sometimes in my quiet time of worship, and  prayer, I would be on my knees. Notice I said "sometimes." Well, it took being on my knees, crawling under a fence, while wearing my Sunday clothes, that the Lord showed me He wanted me in that position daily. The reason I was crawling under a fence on Sunday, in my grey suit, hose and sandles, was that I locked myself out of the house and I was going to my son's house to get the key, so I could get my purse, which had the car key, so I could go to church. Yes, I did it again. (If you have followed my postings, I have done this before.)
Am I a slow learner? Thank You Jesus for Your patience.

Looking at our key verse, it was by faith that Jacob did something for which he is remembered. What was it? It was done by faith when he was almost blind and dying, he blessed both sons of Joseph. Now Joseph was his most favorite son of the twelve. Joseph was a chosen patriarch. His two sons were Manaseh, the first-born, and Ephraim, the second-born (Gen. 41:51-52). It was at this time that Joseph took his two sons to his dying father for their inherited blessings of God to the family. (Gen.48)
The unique thing that happened was while blessing them, Jacob switched hands and touched Ephraim's head with his right hand. What was so significant about this act? Ephraim, the second-born,  received the blessing from God, a double inheritance, not the first-born Manaseh. By the way, the same thing had happened to Jacob and his brother Esau.

John Gill said:

This was done in faith, under the direction and inspiration of the Spirit of God, as appears by his setting Ephraim before Manaseh and when he delivered the blessing he firmly believed it would be fulfilled, though they were then in a strange land.
Jacob sat upon his bed, weak, leaned upon the top of his staff, and worshipped God, and gave praise and glory to Him, that he had lived to see not only his Joseph, but his seed also (Gen. 48:2, 11, 20).

Jacob intentionally switched his hands in order to pass the blessings of Abraham and Isaac onto Ephraim. He couldn't distinguish them by sight, yet he could distinguish them by faith.

Liberty Bible Commentary says:

Even though these events of the Book of Genesis 27:1-28:5 seem to involve deceit rather than faith, Isaa's part was in faith in that he was accomplishing God's will. Likewise, Jacob's blessing of both sons of Joseph involved faith, for it also involved the carrying out of God's promise. Both times demonstrated the intimacy between faith and God's will and Word. Probably, Jacob's leaning upon his staff depicted Jacob's dedication and faith dramatically. Jacob's staff was a daily reminder of God's promises, and his life of faith was  best symbolized by his staff.

Jacob never forgot the faithfulness of his father: it was ingrained into his very being. As a result, he relayed it to the two generations that followed.  (Swindoll)



LET IT GROW

Worshipped, in this verse, means to pay homaage shown to men of superior rank; to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence.
Leaning on his staff, Jacob worshipped God.

How do I worship? Since reading the definition of worship I will be on my knees during my quiet time with the Lord. When I wear my grey suit I will remember. Yes, Lord.

LET IT GO

Stay on my knees.

Bless others.