April 24, 2024, Day 4 of Week 4 Daily Dose of Hope

Daily Dose of Hope
April 24, 2024
Day 4 of Week 4
 
Scripture – Genesis 47-48, Psalm 25, Galatians 3
 
Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope!  I want to take a moment for a quick announcement.  It’s Wednesday so I hope you will consider attending New Hope’s Recharge tonight at 6:30 in the Garage.  It’s a wonderful time of worship, followed by small groups.  I lead a prayer group at that time that you are all welcome to attend.  We also have some great topical groups that you can join.  Okay, with that, let’s get into our Scripture for today.
 
We are nearing the end of Genesis and Jacob is now on his deathbed.  He summons his youngest son, Joseph, and Joseph’s two oldest sons for their deathbed blessing.  By doing this, Joseph and his boys are getting double blessing, which means double inheritance.  This places Joseph’s sons higher in the pecking order than Reuben and Simeon, Jacob’s two firstborn sons.  Considering the horrific treatment of Joseph by his brothers (you know, the whole selling him into slavery thing), it’s not surprising that Jacob wants to give this blessing to his second youngest son.  If you recall, Jacob always favored Joseph as well. 
 
In kind of an ironic twist, Jacob decides to give the primary blessing to Joseph’s younger son, Ephraim, rather than the oldest son, Manasseh.  Remember, Jacob himself managed through some conniving to “steal” his father’s deathbed blessing from his older brother, Esau.  Joseph isn’t too happy about this, as evidenced in the Scripture, and tries to correct his father but Jacob wasn’t having any of it.  He wanted Ephraim to have the bigger blessing.  The blessing itself consists of a prayer for these two men to experience the same blessings Jacob has received from God during his lifetime. Jacob asks God to continue the legacy of Abraham and Isaac through them.  The chapter concludes with Jacob giving Joseph and his two boys a specific piece of land in Canaan.
 
One thing to notice here is that Jacob is making sure that Joseph and his sons understand that Egypt is not the end for them.  Jacob has told his sons to bury him in Canaan, not Egypt.  He also tells Joseph that God will be with him and will bring him back to the land of his fathers.  He gives Joseph a double portion of the land.  All of this is intentional.  He wants them to understand that Egypt is not their home.  God has promised them more.
 
In chapter 49, which we read tomorrow, we will find Jacob giving both blessings and prophecies to the older brothers.  They aren’t nearly as positive.
 
Let’s move on to Psalm 25.  This is a psalm of David, probably written a little later in his life.  It’s a psalm about trusting in God, even when circumstances are really tough.  More specifically, David asks God for instruction on how to avoid shame and disgrace and then provides instruction of those who wait on the Lord.  His plan, summarized, is to pray to God, actively acknowledging the utter dependence upon God, receiving the help that comes with God’s instruction, and exhorting God to selective remembering, meaning to forget his sins and remember the times he was faithful.  How many of you today are struggling with shame, disgrace, or embarrassment?  How might this wisdom from David help you right now?
 
Galatians 3 is our New Testament reading today.  Paul is discussing with the Galatian church about the role of the law.  Remember, he is very frustrated with them, as they are now placing more emphasis on the law than they are on faith.  This is alienating their Gentile brothers and sisters.  As you read through this, don’t worry if it feels repetitive because it is.  Paul is making his point strongly.
 
I want to focus mainly on the last portion of the chapter.  Paul speaks of the law being our guardian until Jesus arrived.  The promise was given to Abraham but the people needed more boundaries so God g