Life in Christ

DEVOTION

GENESIS

LIFE IN CHRIST

Gen 49:22-26

22 "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, Whose branches climb over a wall.  23 With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. 24 But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25 because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb. 26 Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

NIV

No doubt, by the language of this blessing, it is clear Joseph was and still is Jacob’s favorite son. Our scholars have left nothing unturned to expose all the history of Joseph’s life described in this blessing, including the future of his descendants. This would not serve us to regurgitate that which they so eloquently elaborated upon. In past glimpses into the life of Joseph we have seen pictures of Jesus. This blessing seems to carry that same thread which perhaps our scholars either overlooked, ignored or completely disagree with. Joseph might have been seen as a fruitful vine, as he was the one who provided food for all of Egypt and Israel in the years of the famine. But the true fruitful vine is Jesus and we are the branches that climb over the wall.

John 15:5-8

5 "I am the vine ; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

NIV

When we are in Christ, when we remain in the true vine, we climb over the wall. Grape vines require support, the branches climb upwards being supported either on a trellis or a wall. The wall we climb over is from the city of sin into the city of light. We climb over the wall of doubt and find on the other side we can ask whatever we wish and it will be given to us so that it will bring glory to the Father. We will bear much fruit, that is the fruit of the Spirit, which surely shows we are his disciples.

Does not the picture of the archers firing their arrows bring us to think about the flaming arrows of the evil one? That we can take up our shield of faith to extinguish them. Our faith in the mighty one of Israel, because of the Shephard, the Rock of Israel, this is none other than Jesus. Back to the same words of Jesus, when we think about the blessing of God, because he is the Almighty who blesses us from heaven above and from the deep that lies below and from the breast and the womb. This is all about Jesus. He came from heaven, he descended into the grave, and he was blessed even in the womb of Mary. Elizabeth exclaimed: “Blessed is the fruit of your womb”. The blessings of God are so much greater than anything the ancient mountains or the age old hills could provide, which is a picture of the world. God’s blessings upon us overshadow anything the world could provide for us. In fact, in all reality the world represents:

Rev 12:8-9

 9 The great dragon was hurled down — that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

NIV

All the blessings of God rest upon the head of Jesus, in him we find rest, we find peace, we find salvation and all the blessings of the Father. How great is life in Christ!