God’s Timeline – Part 55 The 12 Tribes Complete

                                                      God’s Timeline – Part 55

The 12 Tribes Complete

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

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This Document is a Sermon Outline, you may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this, and other Full Sermon Audios.  For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org or Truth Digest on facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on Facebook at House of Faith Church

 

SERMON TIMELINE (2021 A.D. = 5781 Jewish Calendar Year)

 -         Creation Week (Approximately 3700 - 4000 B.C.)

o   Adam, Eve, and the Fall

-         Cain and Abel

o   Evil Fills the World

 

-         Noah Did All God Commanded Him

o   The Flood (2348 B.C.)

o   God’s Covenant with Noah

o   Noah’s Sons and Ham’s Sin

o   Nations of Noah’s Sons

 

-         Tower of Babel (Approximately 2200 B.C.)

 -         God calls Abram (1921 B.C. 75 years old)

o   Abram and Lot part ways (1915 B.C.)

o   Rescue of Lot (1914 B.C.)

 

-         The Lord’s Covenant with Abram for Isaac

o   Hagar and Ishmael Born (1910 B.C.) Abram 86 years old

o   Sarai and Isaac

o   The Three Visitors

o   Abraham Pleads for Sodom

 

-         Birth of Isaac (1897 B.C. Abraham 99 years old Sarah 90-Hagar and Ishmael sent away)

o   The Lord tests Abraham (1876 B.C.)

o   Sarah Dies 127 years old (1860 B.C. Abraham is 136)

 

-         Isaac marries Rebekah (1857 B.C. Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah)

 -         Jacob and Esau are born (1837 B.C. Isaac was 60 Abraham 159)

o   Abraham dies at 175 (1822 B.C. Isaac was 75)

o   Isaac receives the Birthright and his father’s blessing

o   Esau marries two Hittites at 40 (1857 B.C.)

o   Esau marries a daughter of Ishmael

o   Jacob travels to his grandfather’s family to find a wife (1819 B.C.)

o   Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

o   Jacob marries Leah then Rachel

§  Levi is born (1749 B.C.)

§  Joseph is born (1741 B.C.)

§  Benjamin is born (1731 B.C.)

o   Jacob fled Laban and is pursued

o   Jacob Prepares to meet Esau

o   Jacob Wrestles with God & Becomes Israel

o   Jacob Meets with Esau after 20 Years

o   Jacob’s Daughter Raped by Shechem

o   Jacob Returns to Bethel

o   The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac (1716 B.C. Isaac was 180 years old)

 

-         Joseph’s Dreams (Joseph is seventeen at the time)

o   Joseph Sold by His Brothers (1724 B.C.)

o   Joseph Imprisoned

o   Joseph interprets dreams while in prison

o   Joseph Interprets the Pharaoh’s Dream

o   Joseph enters the service of Pharaoh (1711 B.C. 7 years abundance begins)

o   Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt (Approx. 1704 B.C. begins 7-year famine)

o   Joseph’s Brothers Return Home from Egypt

o   Benjamin’s Silver Cup

o   Joseph reveals himself to his brothers (Approximately 1702 B.C.)

o   Jacob Travels to Egypt

o   Joseph and the Famine

o   The 12 Tribes Complete

 

 INTRODUCTION

Last week we saw Joseph continue to deal with the global famine, as well as how God had Jacob and his family all benefit from Joseph and his position in Egypt.

 

All of Israel’s (Jacob’s) family had food, housing, protection, everything they needed to live and prosper, growing greatly in numbers although there was a global famine taking place at the time.

 

Jacob makes Joseph swear to bury him with his father’s when he dies, not to be buried in Egypt.

 

We are told Jacob would live another 14 years before passing away.

 

Just before his passing, Joseph gets word his father was ill.

 

 

SCRIPTURE READING

Genesis 48

“Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up in bed.

3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty a appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me 4 and told me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’”

 

    I.            THE COVENANT OF GOD CONTINUES

a.      The covenant God made with Abraham focused on faith

                                              i.      Hebrews 11:6-22 “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

 

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

 

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

 

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them (them = those living by faith).

 

17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

 

20    By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

 

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

 

21    By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.

 

 

b.     Jacob Believed God and had faith in His promise

                                              i.      Genesis 48:3-4 “God Almighty a appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me 4 and told me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’”

 

                                           ii.      God reminds Jacob of the covenant in verse 4

                                        iii.      God then instructs Jacob to receive Joseph’s two sons from Egypt to belong to God and have territories named after them (tribes) and they will belong to God as Jacob's other children.

 

                                         iv.      In other words, Joseph’s two sons were being “adopted” by Jacob to replace Joseph and Levi and make up the 12 tribes of God.

 

 

c.      Jacob is once more acting in faith, being called Israel many times in this chapter

                                              i.      Jacob acting in faith (Israel) would bring the 12 tribes together

 

                                           ii.      Why 12?

                                        iii.      Twelve can be found nearly 200 times in scripture.

                                         iv.      Revelation alone has 22 references.

                                            v.      Twelve is considered a perfect number symbolizing God’s power and authority, as well as a perfect governmental foundation. It can also symbolize completeness or the nation of Israel as a whole.

1.      God specified 12 unleavened cakes of bread be placed in the temple every week with frankincense (Leviticus 24)

 

2.      Christ called twelve men to bear witness to what He did and spread the good news of the gospel to the entire world.

 

3.      In Matthew 28, Jesus told the disciples that God had given Him ALL power and authority in both heaven and earth (God’s Divine Authority)

 

4.      The first scripture recording the words of Jesus in Luke 2:42, Jesus was 12 years old.

 

5.      The high priest’s breastplate of decision had 12 stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

 

 

II.            GOD CALLS JACOBS GRANDSONS TO REPLACE JOSEPH AND LEVI

a.      Israel never expected to see Joseph again

                                           i.      Verse 11 “…and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”

 

 

b.     Joseph blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

                                           i.      Joseph took the boys and stood them before him

 

c.      Ephraim before his left hand and Manasseh before his right

                                           i.      Remember, the right hand represents the “special place of honor”

 

                                        ii.      The right hand signifies strength

 

                                     iii.      Sitting to the right of a throne signifies authority

1.      Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father’s throne

 

2.      “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” (Luke 20:42-43)

 

3.      “from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God” (Luke 22:69)

 

4.      James and John once came up to Jesus and asked Him “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory” (Mark 10:37)

 

                                      iv.      It is also the “hand of blessing”

 

                                         v.      It also represents sovereignty, in the Book of Revelation, Jesus held the scroll in His right hand.

 

                                      vi.      In Revelation, Jesus held the seven stars in His right hand, representing the seven churches.

 

                                   vii.      The right hand and the right foot both symbolize sovereignty and authority.
 

 

 

III.            EPHRAIM BEFORE MANASSEH

a.      With Manasseh before Jacob’s right hand, and Ephraim before his left

                                           i.      Placed there by Joseph

 

                                        ii.      Joseph assuming because Manasseh was firstborn, he would receive the right-hand blessing

 

                                     iii.      However, in verse 13 we see “Israel” cross his arms and give the right-hand blessing to Ephraim

 

b.     Israel then blessed them

                                           i.      “May the God before whom my fathers

Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,

the God who has been my shepherd

all my life to this day,

16 the Angel who has delivered me from all harm

—may he bless these boys.

May they be called by my name

and the names of my father’s Abraham and Isaac,

and may they increase greatly

on the earth.”

 

                                        ii.      This was the inclusion of the boys into the covenant reserved for the sons of Jacob

 

                                     iii.      They would officially be considered Jacob’s sons and part of the twelve

 

 

c.      Joseph was displeased

                                              i.      Genesis 48:17-20 “When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

 

19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.” 20 He blessed them that day and said,

 

“In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing:

 ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”

 

So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

 

                                           ii.      Why?

1.      Some say because God chose it

2.      Some say because of prophecy

3.      Some say because God chooses the lesser to be greater to Glorify His power, authority, and sovereignty

4.      Whatever the reason, scripture states “Israel” did it, therefore, Jacob was acting out of faith and guided once again by God’s Holy Spirit

CONCLUSION –

Now that Jacob has “adopted” Ephraim and Manasseh as part of the twelve tribes of his sons, and the continuation of the covenant of God, he will now call them all together to his death bed and prophecy and bless them before his passing.

Next week we will see Jacob bless his sons, the 12-tribes.

 

 

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