Genesis

[0:00] As the Lord may help, I will direct your attention to the book of Genesis, the 48th chapter, verse 15, and the first part of verse 16.

[0:14] The book of Genesis, chapter 48, the 15th verse, and the first part of the 16th verse.

[0:27] And he blessed Joseph and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads.

[0:57] And he blessed Joseph and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads.

[1:22] In these few words, we have revealed to us the deep affection which Jacob had for Joseph and for his grandchildren.

[1:52] perhaps these children, Abraham and Manasseh, were a little aware of the deep desire that was found in the heart of Jacob, of Jacob, their grandfather.

[2:21] No doubt, there have been similar blessings by people in similar relationships throughout generations.

[2:36] how good it will be if the terms of blessing, the basis of blessing should be on the same sure and solid foundation that Jacob's blessing was toward Joseph, toward Ephraim and Manasseh.

[3:08] And he blessed Jacob, Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk.

[3:22] what a meditation. How sweet and blessed to be able to reflect. Not all can.

[3:33] Some are favored too. Reflect upon previous generations and how those generations walked before God.

[3:46] But whether it is our favored lot to be able to do so or not, it will not remove our thoughts from the sweetness and blessedness of such a condition of things and the foundation upon which this blessing was laid.

[4:11] And God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk. We may recall that they walked in this way because God was working in them.

[4:37] The Lord commanded Abraham, walk before me and be and be they'll perfect. Perfect independence.

[4:51] Perfect in keeping thy eye upon me. Perfect in looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of your faith.

[5:04] before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk. And therefore Jacob was favored with this good example of godliness in the case of Abraham and Isaac.

[5:28] let us not lose sight of the fact however that Isaac and Abraham both fell in a similar way.

[5:49] They both therefore had weaknesses. They looked at their wives who were evidently fair to look upon and therefore they suggested that instead of professing them to be such that they should say that this is my sister.

[6:20] father. But God was with them even so. God troubled the household of Abimelech and through Abimelech a solemn rebuke was administered to Abraham.

[6:44] but in the main this was true before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk.

[7:05] It was true completely when we consider that the eye of the Lord was continually upon them. And in our lives have we found the same thing that God's eye has been upon us.

[7:27] God's eye has been upon us in this way be sure your sin will find you out. Nobody has said a word but God's eye eye has been upon us.

[7:43] And therefore this has been made known to us sometimes in the most unexpected circumstances and we find this in the life of Abraham and the life of Isaac.

[7:58] God's eye was upon them and therefore even when they were overcome with the spirit of deception yet it didn't escape God's eye.

[8:16] Before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk. But let us come more particularly to the personal knowledge which Jacob had of God.

[8:31] the God which fed me all my life long unto this day. Feeding is necessarily connected with living.

[8:51] If we had no food if we were without water then our life would soon depart from us. One is so dependent upon the other at least the meaning being that we are dependent upon food and drink in order that life may be sustained.

[9:22] It's a wonderful favour from God when we can acknowledge God the word of God commands it to us acknowledge him in all your ways our ways are many every day our ways are many is grace given to obey the gracious instruction that we should acknowledge God may we come to today may we say in respect to to this day the God which fed me all this day let alone all my life long and to this day the words of the hymn writer aggressively touch upon the point tis sovereign mercy gives us food and we are clothed with love as grace is given the people of God can go back to the very moment that they were born they cannot remember the moment that they were born but they can go back to that moment and they know this that

[10:48] God has wonderfully provided for them God has fed them day by day the Lord has fed Israel the Lord has watched over him the Lord has been merciful to him whilst we will be thankful for temporal blessings we will also have an interest because this is so essential to us in spiritual blessings so we read in Deuteronomy that the Lord led his people about and the way in which he led them should ever be in remembrance and that way included a way in which he had proved them that they might know what was in their heart and that he might make them know that man doth not live by bread only but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of

[12:14] God well we have a choice portion if God has given us that kind of feeding so that we should be able to say which fed me all my life long unto this day not only with natural food but with spiritual food all our life long truly with natural food all our life long with spiritual food since we have been born again of the spirit no spiritual food can be given before it could never be entertained it could never be appreciated no benefit could accrue to a person that is dead but from the moment that a person is born again of the spirit then

[13:23] God begins to feed that person which fed me all my life long unto this day and what does God give to his people for food well in thinking about things natural we sometimes hear of the necessity of a balanced diet diet and we are assured that God will grant to his people a balanced diet and so we read in the prophecy of

[14:26] Isaiah reference to the diet which God gives to his people sometimes it is not what we expected at all but it is referred to as the bread of adversity and the water of affliction adversity and affliction how can we expect to benefit from this if you look at Jacob's life you will find that God fed him with both these with this bread of adversity and this water of affliction and what was the benefit by these things he grew by this food he grew did he well the word of

[15:52] God tells us concerning the children of Israel when they were under the task masters in Egypt the more they were afflicted the more they grew well they couldn't grow without good food no child could grow without good food how strange is the work of God how strange is the food that God gives the more they were afflicted the more they grew what is the growth which is evidenced in the people of God grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ this is the growth which is important to us we can look at it even in the life of

[17:00] Jacob growth oh how important growth is there can be no growth without right feeding but if there was only the bread of the bread of adversity and the water of picture then the food might be so harsh so scouring that it may be too much but we mentioned balanced diet and so there is that precious food which is conveyed to the soul of his word I will satisfy my people with bread the word of the

[18:09] Lord speaks of Jesus Christ as being the bread of life and so the people of God are fed with this diet of adversity but also of Christ in the adversity therefore the apostle says I glory in infirmity that Christ's own grace may rest on me and then there is the water of affliction is this to be truly beneficial on its own there is a mixture and the cup is in the hand of the Lord and that mixture is with the water of affliction and the

[19:14] Lord Jesus Christ of whom it is written in all their afflictions he was affected the God which fed me all my life long unto this day oh it is good for us if we can look back over the days or months or years and see how God has fed us sometimes perhaps it has been the bread of sorrows wherein have we derived comfort when our path has been cast in such a place that we have eaten the bread of sorrows we have felt some fellowship with the Lord Jesus

[20:14] Christ of whom it is written that he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief the God which fed me all my life long unto this day let us not forget the hand that gives us how easily we may forget the hand being so taken up with the food but what is the hand oh the hand is God's shall we lift up our hearts in thanksgiving this evening because God has fed us all our life long unto this day sometimes we look back to certain experiences perhaps years ago in some cases and upon reflection we remember the bitterness in the bread of adversity that was then given but we also remember the sweet consolation that Christ gave to us fulfilling that word my grace is sufficient for thee my strength is made perfect in weakness now the bread of adversity and the water of reflection gives works in the body as it were the spiritual body and activity the same as coarse food might do naturally and yet there is this difference adversity and affection will exercise our souls unto godliness hezekiah hezekiah said that it was a good thing indeed he declares by these things men live and in all these things peace is the life of my spirit so will thou recover me and make me to live behold for peace

[23:18] I had great bitterness but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back and then we hear the testimony of David who said it is good that I have been afflicted for before I was afflicted I went astray so this bread of adversity and this water of affliction will only serve to increase our appetite for that which is sweet because bitter and sweet are mixed together therefore then there is an agreeable mixture all bitter are intolerable all sweet how that might make us sick but

[24:35] God has wonderfully blended bitter and sweet into the experience of the people of God by these things man live and in all these things is the life of my spirit which fed me all my life well afflictions make us see what else would escape our sight how very vile and base are we and God how pure and bright how bitter an experience it is to feel our inward corruptions to feel that it is true the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it what bitterness is felt in the soul as this bread of adversity and this water of affliction is given but how sweet is

[25:56] Christ to the soul under these circumstances you will remember that in the path of the children of Israel they came under some waters oh how glad they were to come to some water because they were in a desert land those waters were most bitter mara but God sweet even even the waters of mara and causes that to be cast in which will make your bitterest pathway to be sweetly blessed so there is no complaining about this balanced diet which

[26:58] God overlooks overseas distributes according to his own recipe in order that his children may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is this bread and water indeed well it is because if on the one hand you feel the affliction of corruption within and the adversity with which you have to combat day in and day out because of the old man of sin with the new man of grace how blessedly comforting and soothing to the tongue will it be when

[28:06] Jesus Christ is presented to your faith as being so suitable he hath cast our sins into the depths of the sea and will remember them no more forever and then if we are troubled with the water of affliction may we say this in respect to that sin seems to course through our veins move in our members how shall this be sweetened is it not as Christ's blood is set before us the blood of Jesus Christ is able to cleanse from all sin oh what a balancing of the diet when

[29:12] God does this for us no doubt each of you perhaps or some of you will be able to tell forth the various ways in which God has fed you in the wilderness and not only so but he has led you to certain watering places certain places where food is in the book of numbers we read such a solemn situation in the lives of the children of Israel they murmured oh what did they murmur about did they murmur about the fact that they were wandering about that they couldn't find any settled dwelling place no they murmured about about the food and they refer to it as light bread well now if we murmur about the food

[30:53] God doesn't pass it by he didn't pass it by with the children of Israel with the result that it was necessary for God to set before them that great and blessed revelation of the gospel in the Old Testament of the serpent being raised up upon the pole and yet we can see that there was teaching that these people in the wilderness they were being taught they journeyed from Mount Hoa by the way of the

[31:53] Red Sea to compass the land of Edom and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way and how does that fit our case sometimes the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way God's God's provision God heard it or how we need to be beware of complaining of

[32:55] God's provision even though we may be discouraged even though we may say this is hard thou hast shown thy people hard things thou hast made them to drink the wine of astonishment thou hast given them a banner that they should display it because of the truth the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people and much people of Israel died how effectual death can be I know we can be very hardened but sometimes death will be very salutary and at least make people think it'll be a good thing if it makes us confess therefore the people came to Moses and said we have sinned we have spoken against the

[33:59] Lord and against thee pray unto the Lord that he take away the serpents from us and Moses prayed for the people and then there was this gracious direction given to Moses that he should set up this emblem of Jesus Christ for it is referred to in the New Testament as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the son of man be lifted up and I if I be lifted up will draw all men unto me the God which fed me all my life long unto this day Jacob had known what it was to be fed with the bread of adversity oh how adverse it was when the brethren of Joseph brought the coat of many colors and the coat was dipped in blood and they said is this your son's coat and he recognized him he said surely some evil beast hath devoured him what was this to do what was the benefit of this food what had

[35:32] Joseph what had Jacob done to Joseph or how did Joseph stand in Jacob's eyes was he not the favourite of his father therefore had not Jacob made an idol of his son well it was necessary that that food should be given that would purge away that idol in order that God might be worshipped and then as the years passed by the time came when the famine came that is a day of adversity having no bread to eat or it would be a day of adversity for us would it not even naturally if we had no bread to eat then

[36:42] Simeon was lost and so far that he had to remain in Egypt Jacob in the bitterness of his spirit says all these things are against me and yet all these things were benefiting Jacob he could not see it no more can you see it sometimes and then Benjamin had to go and here was another one that he had set his affections apart Benjamin had to go and you see God ordered it God orders our bread of adversity and our water of affliction it is somewhat pitiful to read of

[38:02] Joseph saying to his his children for the famine was sore in the land there was no question you see they waited to the last minute and they could wait no longer and Jacob said to his son why did you tell the man that you had a younger brother and of course the reply was how could we know that that the man would ask us the questions that he did oh God orders the bread of adversity and the water of affliction and we can't sidestep it we can't get out of it it was to do good what good did it do for

[39:05] Jacob well I believe we can say this that it exercised his faith it exercised his hope and it exercised his love to God can ever God before me it was separating all things from Jacob except God himself in the Romans we read that wonderful testimony for the end of the eighth chapter who shall separate us from the love of Christ for I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of

[40:13] God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord and then in due time the wagons came to fetch Jacob down into Egypt to see his beloved Joseph again he said it is enough and there's a lot in those few words it is enough all the bitterness had suddenly gone and had been replaced with the sweetness of the revelation of God's faithfulness faithful is he who calleth you who also will do it God which fed me all my life long unto this day it wasn't a day when

[41:14] God wasn't working out something there's not been a day in your life and mine if we're the people of God when God hasn't been working out something you see sometimes medicine is food since all that I meet shall work for my good the bitter is sweet the medicine is food may we consider that though painful at present will cease before long and then oh how pleasant the conqueror song in other words how pleasant that we have received strength out of weakness the apostles path of adversity and affliction was because he had a thorn in the flesh but

[42:30] God said to him and how this balanced his diet put strength into him my grace is sufficient for thee my strength is made perfect in weakness with God which fed me all my life long unto this day now Jacob was nearing the end of his days in the next chapter we read of the blessings he pronounced upon his children and then we read that he gathered up his feet into the bed and healed it up the ghost and was gathered unto his people so this was his dying testimony it is good if we can bless our children or our grandchildren as the case may be with a dying testimony like this

[43:34] God which fed me all my life long I'm now in the place where I can bear a good testimony for God's faithfulness I can bear this testimony that all things do work together for good to them that love God and to them who are called according to his purpose I can say that he hath done all things well the food the diet has been good the angel which redeemed me from all evil the angel of the covenant Jesus Christ oh surely Jacob had faith in

[44:34] Jesus Christ concerning Abraham the Lord said he saw my day and he rejoiced he was glad the angel which redeemed me from all evil evil without indeed and also evil within evil thinking evil acting evil pursuing all proceeding from an evil heart the angel which redeemed me from all evil or what power is needed in order that we might be redeemed from all evil especially the evil which is within in the next chapter as

[45:44] Jacob is blessing his sons he seems to stop and makes his final testimony of faith I have waited for thy salvation I have waited for thy salvation here there is a similar reference made the angel which redeemed me from all evil had Jacob been in an extremity what about the extremity that his evil heart had brought him to when Esau was deprived of his birthright what about the extremity of the evil in which he was in when Esau was deprived of the blessing deceitful we can't understand it can we well

[46:54] God giveth no account of his matters but there's one thing that's very necessary and that is this those deceitful actions have got to be atoned for and those deceitful actions will not be overlooked there was surely a recompense in Jacob's life perhaps we've been in great fear sometimes lest the sins of our youth should have their repercussions upon us in later life what can we say if they do and when they do I remember a few years ago a godly man said to me my boys sometimes say things to me that I said to my father he said

[48:07] I'm done god has dealt me with me for my misbehavior in time past god has brought those sins to remembrance let us not think that god will bury them except that he put them away which he will do and once god has recompense them into your heart so that you have said lord I'm verily guilty then the matter has been accomplished if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness the angel none less than the angel of the covenant none less than jesus christ would be sufficient to redeem jacob none less than jesus christ will be sufficient to save any of us but to come down to our dying day and to have this sweet persuasion in the soul that jacob was favored to have the angel which redeemed me from all evil as though he was saying i'm free from it all now i'm almost about to pass over jordan to enter into the promised land the land that i've been looking for over so many years the fears which have come into my heart that i would never reach it but now i'm in sight of it the angel which redeemed me from all evil bless the lads you know it was a great blessing surely that the lord gave to his disciples on mount olivet and he lifted up his hands and blessed them and as he blessed them he was taken up from them and a cloud received him out of their sight and then there were those standing by who said this same jesus which you have seen going up into heaven shall in like one manner come again as ye have seen him go up the blessing of jacob by comparison does not compare but can we see this situation do we bring our children to the lord to bless the lads you see it wasn't joseph blessing the lads joseph's children were blessed by mother do we seek unto god that our children may be blessed by jesus christ the god that fed me the god that has redeemed me bless the lads oh we need our children to be blessed and there's only one blessing worthwhile and that is the blessing which comes from god oh then may we be favoured this evening with god's spirit for he shall bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever i have spoken to you and in the acts of the apostles we read this they rehearsed what god had done with them and it's good where we can rehearse what god has done with us as well as what god has done in us and what god has done for us what has god done with us has he turned our heart brought us into zion's ways has he bent our knees in prayer when we were impenitent has he caused us to look up when the rebellion of our heart said you must not and thus god did something with that young man the father had two sons you will remember and he said to this one go work today my vineyard and the son said

[53:14] I will not but afterward he repented and went and then there was the other son that said I go sir and he went not which did the will of his father or the father may have many anxieties of the son that said I will not but do remember this afterwards he repented and went because god had done something with him if he has done something with us may we not hope that he would do something with others the lord be gracious to us for law and so will be have long long long long long going the long long