Summary

One day, God the Father would reach out his hands of blessing as two of his sons, so to speak, stood before him--one of those sons was Jesus, the perfect Son of God, fully God and fully man, and the other was us, the fallen sons and daughters of Adam; and just as God’s hands of blessing reached out to us, God the Father crossed his arms, and God laid his right hand of blessing on us and the hand of cursing on Jesus. Jesus deserved the blessing; he was perfect, he’d always obeyed; I deserved the curse.

Sermon Questions

1. What does it mean that Jacob “blessed each of Joseph’s sons” by faith? How does this act reveal a trust in God’s promises that extended beyond his own lifetime?
2. How did Jacob’s earlier life of striving, deceit, and struggle prepare him for this final act of faith and worship? What does this tell us about God’s ability to transform our hearts over time?
3. The verse says Jacob “worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” What does this posture symbolize about his dependence on God in his later years?
4. How does Jacob’s story remind us that faith is not about perfection, but perseverance and trust in God’s faithfulness?
5. When you reflect on your own life, where do you see God shaping your story from self-reliance to worshipful dependence like Jacob’s?