Isaiah 42:10-18 ~ Listen, you that are deaf; and you that are blind, look up and see!

Isaiah 42:10-18  ~  New Revised Standard Version

Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth!

Let the sea roar and all that fills it,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.
Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar inhabits;
let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy,
let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the LORD,
and declare his praise in the coastlands.

The LORD goes forth like a soldier,
like a warrior he stirs up his fury;
he cries out, he shouts aloud,
he shows himself mighty against his foes.

For a long time I have held my peace,
I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out like a woman in labor,
I will gasp and pant.

I will lay waste mountains and hills,
and dry up all their herbage;
I will turn the rivers into islands,
and dry up the pools.

I will lead the blind
by a road they do not know,
by paths they have not known
I will guide them.

I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do,
and I will not forsake them.

They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame -—
those who trust in carved images,
who say to cast images,
"You are our gods."
Listen, you that are deaf;
and you that are blind, look up and see!






Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth!

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased!"


Sing for joy,
let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the LORD,
and declare his praise

And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this

And when they saw it, they made known
by a road they do not know,
by paths they have not known
I will guide them.

Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.


They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame -—those who trust in carved images, who say to cast images, "You are our gods."

And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”

Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

I will turn the darkness before them into Light.

There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world.

These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” Which means, God with us!

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

The early Church knew something we do not often speak of, or think of. In the days before electricity, how did these fortunate ones travel by night. What are halos.

The Light of the world. This is phenomena discussed still today. Catherine Marshall reported her husband Peter Marshall, Presbyterian Minister, Chaplin of the United States Senate, radiated light from his body, actually his soul, as he departed this life.

Jesus Christ, as an infant, radiated Light.


Acts 2:2-4
And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit



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Scripture for Today: John 1:29-34 ~ I have seen

John 1:29-34 ~ (Revised Standard Version)

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

This is he of whom I said, `After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."

And John bore witness, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, `He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' "

And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."



Recently I watched a special on the 2,500 to 3,000 year old mummies found scattered in China. It was really well done, they documented the success and failure to obtain DNA from each mummy and told about the known history of each person. One was a 5 year old boy buried with beautiful blankets, woven with great care. The loss of the blankets to the family indicated how much the child was held in esteem. Another a young woman with beautiful skin clothing and jewelry. A man they thought might have been a king, buried with a horse. Everyone was surprised to find the DNA indicated a high level of travel, there was Eastern European, India and a blend of DNA from around the world.

It is human nature to come from the beautiful miracles of John the Baptist's birth and Jesus' to wonder how John can say, twice, he didn't know Jesus. Or Jesus came before John, when John is older.

Proverbs tells us there are men who knew Heaven before being born on earth. Jesus isn't part of that select group. Jesus is the Word of God, with God, in the beginning of creation. Proverbs also tells us about the joy Jesus found in Creation. Jesus was... before John.

How and why didn't John the Baptist know Jesus - his cousin? Why can't we be more surprised by the rest of the 1st Chapter of John. Men meeting Jesus for the first time declared to each other "this is the Son of God" in both verse 41 and verse 49 of John 1. This is far more astonishing - Jesus has men leaving their way of life behind to become His disciples in a mere afternoon of listening to Jesus.

So why, why doesn't John recognize his cousin Jesus? It's pretty obvious when we add up what we know. It seems we must look at this question. John's parents were old when he was born. As people become very aged, they do not travel greatly. Traveling was difficult even for the young. John's parents lived 90 miles from Jesus. John surely heard, in his youth, about Jesus and the "funny circumstances" surrounding the quick wedding of pregnant, un-wed cousin Mary. When we see the Gospels record only cousin Elizabeth's support for Mary, we must also remember John the Baptist probably heard more of the rumors from more of the family - who are not remembered in the Scriptures.

So .... why didn't John recognize Jesus??? For the same reasons we didn't recognize Jesus until we invited Him to be part of us. Before we really knew Him: we heard about Jesus from other sources. Not all the sources were credible. Family (Church) is sometimes boring and the time it takes to get there and back is too long. Why put the effort into going when people aren't always nice? We missed the family get-togethers (Church) for so long, people hassle us about That too. If you don't remember the family stories correctly there is mocking. It's all a big tangle to sort out and we have other things to do.

Then, more importantly, it comes to the decision time. As John grew spiritually into God's plan for him, Jesus became important to him. John took the time to dwell and think about who Jesus is. God revealed not just family, a good man, but a Savior. John, bravely, and with certainty says, "And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."



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Luke 2:14 ~ Glory to God in the highest

Luke 2:14


New International Version
 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

New Living Translation
"Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

English Standard Version
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

New American Standard Bible
 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

Holman Christian Standard Bible
 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!

International Standard Version
 "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to people who enjoy his favor!"

King James Bible
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.



Luke 2

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Just as we celebrate the birth of Jesus our King each year, Father God teaches many of the same things to our generation, and those before us, in repeating events. The picture is not shepherds abiding in the field, this is Jesus in Victory. Paul proclaims he was the last of the disciples to see Jesus.

Acts 9:3-6

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”


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1 Corinthians 15 ~ then Christ has not been raised either

1 Corinthians 15

David Cochran Audio, English Standard Version 

Now I would remind you, brothers,^{[brothers and sisters]} of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. ¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

¹² Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. ¹⁵ We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

²⁰ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. ²⁸ When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

²⁹ Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? ³⁰ Why are we in danger every hour? ³¹ I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! ³² What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” ³³ Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”^{] 34} Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

³⁵ But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” ³⁶ You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. ³⁷ And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. ³⁹ For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. ⁴⁰ There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. ⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

⁴² So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

⁵⁰ I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
⁵⁵ “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Have you ever wondered why religions labeled as cults seem to be more supportive? Why Star Trek Landru functions so well, seemingly. Some of the cults do not support the young men as they get to be competition for older men. Cults work like dating. Arranged to look great, at a certain angle. The Truth is not supported in cults, so major effort goes into making life arranged to be becoming.

This unorthodox song of Willie Nelson's "Turn Out the Lights, the Party's Over" hits this passage square to rights. This is the Holy Spirit saying through Paul,  "If you don't believe the bottom line, whatdaja here for ?

" Christ died for our sins He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time Why are we in danger every hour? if Christ has not been raised - our faith is in vain - your faith is futile “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”

Paul answers this for a good reason, there are denominations - today - saying why would GOD want HIS Own Son to die. And maybe this is a ghost story. Paul says no. This is the bottom line. If the line is drawn, where will you - Stand?

 

1 Corinthians 16:13

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  

Isaiah 7:9b 

If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.

Dandy Don Meredith shortens Willie Nelson's song. And sings, next year we will do this All over. Well, we could say the only things inevitable are death and taxes, however, if you pass on, you aren't paying taxes personally. So, some flawed logic there.

 

What does the image of the man of Heaven look like? We will rely upon HIS descriptions. The glory of the heavenly puts on immortality, in glory, in power, in the twinkling of an eye we are forever changed. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Luke 24:39

 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

John 20:14-25

Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

 Jesus adopts Mary Magdalene, a characteristic of our hero, Jesus.

 

17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

 Luke 24: 15

While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 8 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?"

 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

 

Did Jesus stay unrecognizable to his chosen friends?

 John 21 6

 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.

 Peter became so comfortable with the living and glorious Jesus:

 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

 Acts 1

Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Not Père Noël, not Santa Claus, not Morocco's Black Peter, not Shengdan Laoren, not even Saint Nikolaus, this is the twinkling of an eye:

 
~ in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
 

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Genesis 49 ~ Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.

Jacob Blesses his Sons, painted by Dr. Harry Anderson

 


Genesis 49 ~    New International Version


Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

2 “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel.

3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, the first sign of my strength,
excelling in honor, excelling in power.
4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.

5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers—
their swords are weapons of violence.
6 Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,
for they have killed men in their anger
and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.

8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
11 He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.

13 “Zebulun will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.

14 “Issachar is a rawboned donkey
lying down among the sheep pens.
15 When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and submit to forced labor.

16 “Dan will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan will be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backward.

18 “I look for your deliverance, Lord.

19 “Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders,
but he will attack them at their heels.

20 “Asher’s food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.

21 “Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.

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 skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,
blessings of the breast and womb.

26 Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
thanthe bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.


29 Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.”

33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.


Attitudes and Blessings of Christmas

Jacob believed he was the descendant carrying Abraham's blessing. "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” He seems, to me, to be very positive as he wants to bless his children. This is not a man fading away, but relinquishing his spirit in gratitude and verve. The Blessings Thief, interestingly enough, wants all his 12 sons to be blessed.

This summer I was having a emotional day. I went to the grocery store with my son and the clerk said to me, with great enthusiasm and sparkling eyes, "God Gives You What you Need for Each Day, hang on to that." Jacob lived this.

Psalm 68:19
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah
and/or King James Bible
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

Jacob is telling us of his life remembrances ~ as a father, as a child of God, and as - Father God.

Jacob is gathering his life together - to go on. Look at this with me a unique way; not as a man with 11 children, but a lifetime of memories.


Biblical illustrations by Balage Balogh

Reuben ~ recall with me, tried to save Joseph. In personality, Rueben stands out in Scripture, however Reuben has laid to waste his relationship with his father over Jacob's concubine, Bilhah. Jacob and Bilhah had two sons, Dan and Naphtali. God is telling us sexual sin can cross boundaries and cause irreparable harm.

Simeon and Levi ~  have astonished Jacob with the ability to have supreme violence towards mankind and animals. How quickly humanity can destroy. Here is Jacob, called Israel, telling us families can have moments that stun and take the breathe away. We can see this two ways, a depressing event in the middle of our Disney 2012 Christmas or we can recall things in our family we would like to have improved, with merely a thought. Even God's chosen saints have these events. Newtown, Connecticut for some of us, has become our town.

Judah ~  The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, is of course, JESUS. And we are celebrating a birthday each year of God willing to come to us. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. We Rejoice in the Days God has blessed us. God is in His Heaven and all is right with the world. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch. Palm Sunday Events. 

Zebulun ~ a haven. Life forces compel us like the Mighty Mississippi river. We rejoice in the times of haven, days stretching before us like sunlight on water.

Psalm 107:30
They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven

Issachar ~ a work in progress, a work horse.

How good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land. In Ecclesiastes 5 we learn about this. Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

Dan ~  providing justice for his people. Dan's verse is inspiring, a man of valor. For the days of our lives when we have so much appreciation for being protected and spoken up for.

Proverbs 29:4
By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts tears it down.

Matthew 5:25
"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison."

Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

Gad ~ can be relied upon to give all that back.

James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Asher ~ is gifted. Don't we love to see the gifts our children have.


Proverbs 18:16
A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before the great.

1 Corinthians 12:4
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.

Deer lithograph by Samuel Howell

Naphtali ~ is a doe set free, that bears beautiful fawns. We are, obviously, treated to a moment in Jacob's memories of Naphtali's mercy. And the reward of seeing the unusual and appreciated fawns the next year.

Ephesians 2:4-6
God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Benjamin  ~ Jacob's treasured son with his wife Rachael, this passage seems to suggest Benjamin is a yuppie with determination and skill.  As Benjamin's  life develops - he gives back blessings to others.

Ephesians 4:13
Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Of all the gifts we could possibly give our children, this Christmas or always, what we would provide for them......

Joseph~ here we reach the crux of this passage. Forgiveness. Trust. Blessings.  Jacob, Israel, wrestler of blessings, believed Joseph was killed by a wild animal. His sons are never recorded asking for forgiveness. And yet, importantly, Jacob wishes to bless his sons. An example of Father God.

Jacob had a life with misery, upon occasion, yet he believes himself to be the bearer of Almighty God's blessing. Jacob has joy in discovering, God has raised his beloved son. What has Jacob enjoyed about learning about Joseph, the man? 

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,

because of your father’s God,

who helps you,
because of the Almighty,

who blesses you
with blessings



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