Jacob's Flaws, God's Faithfulness: Lessons from Genesis

as such this evening, but please do be ready to open your Bibles at a number of places towards the end of the book of Genesis. As I said before Christmas, the story of Jacob runs from chapter 25 to chapter 35. But from chapter 37, the focus shifts from Jacob to Joseph, and we might say his brothers and how the Lord deals with him.

But chapter 35 is not the last we hear of Jacob. He continues, doesn't he, to appear from time to time in the chapters that follow. And I thought there would be value this evening to look at some of these verses, and this really will be a concluding sermon or message on the life of Jacob. Well, I want to highlight three things about Jacob, and the first is found in chapter 42 and verse 38.

Genesis chapter 42 and verse 38. And what I want to emphasise is that Jacob still retains flaws in later life. He still retains flaws in later life. Now, I think it's fair to say that we have seen, as we have looked at the life of Jacob, quite a number of flaws.

We've seen something of his deceitfulness. We've seen something of his unwillingness to wholly trust in God when he faces danger. We've seen his slowness in getting rid of some of the family's idols or gods. But throughout the story, we have seen God work in this man's life to mould him and make him into the kind of person that God wants him to be.

And yet, here in chapter 42 and verse 38, we still see that he is not the perfect man. There is still, at the very least, one lingering flaw in his character. And what is this lingering flaw? It is that of favoritism. As we have seen in our studies, Jacob loved Rachel more than he loved Leah. We haven't quite got this far, but we know that Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons. I suppose I need to remind any of us that Joseph was given a multi-colored coat. But just think of all the pain and the jealousy and the trouble that arose as a result, a direct result, of Jacob's favoritism.

And now here in chapter 42 and verse 38, we see him showing favoritism towards not Joseph, but Benjamin, his other son, born to him through his favorite wife, Rachel. Now before we read verse 38 of chapter 42, let me just put the verse into context.

Jacob's sons have returned to the land of Canaan, to him, we might say, from Egypt, having been told by the second-in-command, that's Joseph, that Simeon would not be released until the youngest son, namely Benjamin, was brought to him. When the brothers told Jacob about this, what was Jacob's reply? Let's read it. Chapter 42 and verse 38, but Jacob said, my son will not go down there with you.

His brother is dead, that's a reference to Joseph, he of course still thinks he's dead, and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my grey head down to the grave in sorrow. In other words, says Jacob, there is no way, not a chance in a million, that you're going to take Benjamin down to Egypt with you. He is the only one left. We struck by those words, I was when I read them earlier on this week, he is the only one left. Now we might want to say, hang on a minute Jacob, he's not the only one left, you've got all of these sons, look how big your family is.

Benjamin, down to Egypt with you. He is the only one left. We struck by what those words I was when I read them earlier on this week. He is the only one left. Now we might want to say, hang on a minute Jacob, he's not the only one left.

You've got all of these sons. Look how big your family is. So what did Jacob mean when he said he is the only one left, referring of course to Benjamin?

What I think he meant was this, he's the only one left that really matters. Can you see how that would have really hurt the other sons? But Jacob still retained this awful flaw of favoritism.

He's made progress. God has moulded him and made him into a better man we might say, but he still retains flaws. He still retains this particular flaw. God works in us doesn't he, to make us more like his son. He begins that work when we become Christians. And we do make progress in sanctification, but there are often, even towards the end of our days, these flaws that sadly still remain. Maybe they remain because we don't see them. We're blind to them.

Or maybe it's because we don't think they're that bad and therefore we don't address them with God's help. But thank God, praise God, one day he will address all of our flaws and get rid of them and we will become like him.

Will we become like the Lord Jesus as we were saying only this morning. But secondly this evening, and here we're looking at chapter 46 verses 1 to 4, Jacob still needs God's reassurance in later years.

He still needs God's reassurance in later years. Now let me just provide us with the context of chapter 46 verses 1 to 4.

Jacob has just learnt from his sons that Joseph is not dead, rather he is alive and living in Egypt. And so he plans to go down to Egypt, but it seems that he is afraid.

We might wonder what he's afraid of. It might be you know that he's afraid of going down to Egypt because God said to his father Isaac that he was not to go and live in Egypt, rather he was to dwell in the land of Canaan and there he would know God's blessing. Maybe if that was God's will for his father, maybe it was God's will for him too. Or it may be that he was afraid to go down to Egypt because of the possibility of there being trouble along the way, or the possibility of there being trouble in Egypt. He was afraid. But as we see in these verses, God came to him and reassured him.

Chapter 46 verses 2 to 4, and God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, Jacob, Jacob, here I am. He replied, I am God, the God of your father, he said. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I wonder whether Jacob was a little taken back by that. I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you and I will surely bring you back again and Joseph's own hand will close your eyes. Jacob is getting on in years but he still needs God's reassurance. I guess that's probably true of us too.

No matter how many years we have been living the Christian life, we're anxious, are we not, to know God's will for our lives, but also to know that whatever he calls us to do, wherever he calls us to go, that he is with us and will watch over us and protect us. But then thirdly and lastly, we see that Jacob is able to testify to God's goodness and faithfulness in his latter years.

Jacob is able to testify to God's goodness and faithfulness in his later years. And here we're looking at chapter 48 and verse 11 along with verses 15 and 16. I will read the verses in just a moment or two, but firstly we see in verse 11 that he's able to testify to God's goodness. How had God been good to him? Well, enabling him to see the face of Joseph.

You can imagine how wonderful that must have been for him. But not only Joseph's face, the faces of Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

Verse 11, Israel, Jacob, said to Joseph, I never expected to see your face again. Now God has allowed me to see your children too.

He testifies to God's goodness, but he also testifies to God's. Wonderful, that must have been for him. But not only Joseph's face, the faces of Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

Verse 11, Israel, Jacob, said to Joseph, I never expected to see your face again. Now God has allowed me to see your children too.

He testifies to God's goodness, but he also testifies to God's faithfulness. Just cast your eyes at verses 15 and 16 of this chapter where we see Jacob blessing Joseph along with Joseph's two sons. And what I find particularly interesting is the way that he speaks about God. Then he blessed Joseph and said, May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the angel who has delivered me from all harm, may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name, the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth. I think it's fair to say that Jacob's life largely amounted to difficulty and trouble. Just glance at chapter 47 and verse 9. This is what Jacob says to Pharaoh when he meets him.

Verse 9 of chapter 47, And Jacob said to Pharaoh, The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult. They'd been difficult. They had been full of trouble of one kind or another. Let me just remind us something of his life.

He was forced to run away, wasn't he? From his brother Esau who was full of murderous intent toward him. He had to work 14 years in order to acquire the girl he loved, namely Rachel. He'd had his hip put out of joint that caused him to limp for the rest of his life. His daughter Dinah was violated. His family had come under threat from the Canaanites as a result of his sons murdering the men of Shechem. His beloved wife Rachel had died in childbirth. And his favorite son Joseph had been killed by a wide, a wide, a wild animal.

Or at least so he thought for quite a number of years. Jacob's life had not been easy. It had been full of difficulty and trouble. And yet here, interestingly, towards the end of his life he acknowledges the faithfulness of God. God had been his shepherd all the days of his life. The angel of God had delivered him from all harm. Indeed, throughout the years God had been with him and watched over him and protected him and blessed him in various ways. And what a delightful testimony this is to God's faithfulness.

To one whom Dale Ralph Davis describes, and I think accurately, as God's rascal. If you haven't got the book you ought to purchase it. It's just a little paperback but a very interesting little book, commentary on the Old Testament to read. What a rascal he was and yet God had been faithful to his servant. Life is often tough, isn't it? Jesus doesn't promise us an easy ride through this life on earth. He tells us that we can expect trouble of one kind or another. But what we can be reassured of is that whatever we experience in life, God remains good and God will remain faithful.

Faithful to those whom he loves, those who have been called according to his purpose. Well, just one little thought by way of conclusion.

As we finish this series on the life of Jacob, I want to remind us that Jacob was indeed very much part and parcel of God's purposes and plans to bring his son, the Lord Jesus, into the world. God, you may remember in chapter 28 said to Jacob, that is to Jacob, yes to Jacob and not to Esau, the youngest and not to the oldest. Chapter 28 and verse 14, all peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

The promise was given to Jacob and in the fullness of time, Jesus did indeed come from the line of Jacob. And how thankful we are as Christians this evening that he did indeed come in accordance with the promise of God's word. Shall we pray together before we sing? Okay, let's pray. Lord, we want to thank you for your word. We thank you for both Old and New Testaments.... of time, Jesus did indeed come from the line of Jacob. And how thankful we are as Christians this evening that he did indeed, in accordance with the promise of God's word. Can we pray together before we sing?

Okay, let's pray. Lord, we want to thank you for your word. We thank you for both Old and New Testaments. We thank you for the book of Genesis and Lord, how it shows us how this world came into being and why the world is as it is today, but also how you promised a deliverer, a saviour, one who would be the seed of the woman, one who would come from the line of Abraham, one who would come from the line of Isaac, one who would come from the line of Jacob. And in the fullness of time, Jesus was born of a woman into this world, a descendant of these patriarchs, a descendant of David, the son of Joseph, not the natural son, but the legal son of Joseph who came from the line of David. Lord, you are a faithful God. You're faithful to your people. You're faithful to your promises.

And we thank you again this day for the indescribable gift of your son, the Lord Jesus, whose table we shall meet around in just a few moments' time so that we might remember not only him but his death for us upon the cross. Help us as we do this, we pray. In Jesus' name we ask. Amen. Well, let's sing again, shall we?

We've been thinking about God's faithfulness. Let's sing about God's faithfulness. Number 258, Great is Thy Faithfulness.