’s Journey By Pastor Dino Skariah

Genesis 49:22-26

We see that the blessing that God gives to Joseph through ’s mouth is the lengthiest of all the blessings spoken over his children. Interestingly, of all the sons, Joseph endured the most troubles in his life. Although you may be facing adversities and attacks against your life – know that God will turn them into your advantage because of His promise upon you. Some of the promises Jacob spoke over Joseph were already being experienced by him – Joseph had already been appointed as the prime minister of Egypt. Jacob pronounces these blessings almost like a declaration of his observances. Prophecy can either be foretelling (declaring what is to come) or forthtelling (declaring what is already there that is noticed). Jacob’s blessing did both!

Joseph had to walk through a process before receiving the blessing.

1. Joseph came from a womb that had experienced barrenness for a period. Barrenness is not meant to stop you and force you to surrender – God’s purpose is to take you forward from the barren place into a place of fruitfulness. Joseph became “a fruitful vine a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall”.

2. He was hated by his brothers who wanted to kill him. However, rather than killing him, they threw him into a pit (Genesis 37). Even though they did not physically beat him, being thrown into a pit would have emotionally wounded him. He was not in the pit for long – there was a caravan coming from (Genesis 37:25). Gilead means “mountain of testimony” or “perpetual fountain.” This caravan was bringing three things: spices, balm, and . The balm from Gilead was famous for its healing properties ( 46:11, :22, Jeremiah 51:8), and the also says that this balm represents Jesus. When you go through the dark places of life, and when you are in the pit, the Balm of Gilead is on His way to help you.

3. He was forgotten by his colleague. When he was in Egypt, he was thrown in prison with Pharaoh’s baker and cupbearer, whose dreams he interpreted. The cupbearer was sent back to the palace while the baker was executed. Although Joseph told the cupbearer to remember him when he returned to Pharaoh’s presence, he forgot. Thank God that the cupbearer forgot Joseph! God used the forgetfulness of the cupbearer to propel Joseph to his purpose! He would not have had any purpose if he had been released from prison earlier. God’s promise to Joseph was to make him prime minister of Egypt – that the sun, moon, and stars would bow down to worship him. We are not called to come out of the prison to be peanut sellers, but to be a royal! God, who created the sun, moon, and stars with a word, will remain true to His promise. In the early days of Joseph’s life, he saw dreams. Then in prison, he graduated to interpreting dreams. Oftentimes, when God puts you in through a transitionary phase, you move from one level to the next level. The prison will not destroy you – God is preparing you to graduate into the next level of using your gifts!

Three practical lessons:

1. When you are in the transitionary phase, do not give up because God is taking you into the next level of your gift. God is moving you closer to His purpose for you.

2. The brothers hated Joseph for many reasons: Jacob’s favor, the colored cloak, the dreams. There was another reason too: Joseph was a man of integrity. He would bring reports of his brothers to Jacob which were not in their favour. When you stand for truth and integrity, you might lose friends and you might suffer, but your reward is from God who will make you fruitful. Salvation, success, victory, breakthrough, and other blessings are not for everyone – they are unique for everyone.

3. Be fruitful even in the time of preparation because there is a metamorphosis that is occurring.

There are also two promises:

1. “Joseph is a fruitful vine… whose branches climb over a wall” Our job is to be fruitful and live according to God’s Word. We do not need to focus on the wall. We simply need to remain faithful to God and we will climb over walls.

2. “…a fruitful vine near a spring” The spring is the Word of God that brings life. It is also a representation of the Holy Spirit and a representation of the church as we are to be planted in the house of God. Those planted by a spring are always nourished. Other plants need to wait for the rain, but those planted by a spring do not need to wait for the favorable conditions of different seasons.