Events
Sermon
This week’s Bible study comes from Genesis 26-50. This narrative picks up after the creation story. Our last readings ended with Abraham’s servant escorting a wife for his son Isaac. Later, Abraham died. This then followed with God (YHWH) blessing Isaac. You will see as we discuss passages tonight that “blessings” are a central theme in the second half of Genesis. However, it parallels something else.
You see, chapter 26 opens with Isaac commiting deceit. He had his wife Rebekah portrayed as his sister because, “…he was afraid to say ‘my wife,’ thinking ‘or else the men of the place might kill me for the sake of Rebekah, because she is attractive in appearance.'” This followed by God intervening. Then, God bestowed a blessing, a reminder of the covenant He made with Abraham. But, what I find interesting is that between the deception and the blessing there was a taking of blame.
What does the term “blame” mean to you? What about in a biblical context? Let us know in the comments below.
Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father say to your brother Esau, ‘Bring me game, and prepare for me savory food to eat, that I may bless you before the LORD before I die.’ Now therefore, my son, obey my word as I command you. Go to the flock, and get me two choice kids, so that I may prepare from them savory food for your father, such as he likes, and you shall take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.” But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a man of smooth skin. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.” His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my word, and go, get them for me.” – Genesis 27:6-13
Isaac had two sons who quarreled over their birthright since the womb. In this scene, Rebekah, their mother wanted her favored son Jacob to receive the blessing over the elder twin Esau. Deception. She planned to trick her husband. But, Jacob was worried about a curse if found out. What does his mother say? “Let your curse be on me, my son…” Blame.
The concept of taking on blame appears more than once in this narrative . It happens again in Genesis 49:9. Judah pleads with his father Jacob to let Benjamin go with them to Egypt to buy food. The brothers had deceitfully sold their other brother Joseph into slavery and made their father believe him to be dead. However, Joseph ended up rising in ranks in Egypt to be second in power only to Pharaoh. When a famine had hit the land, the brothers journeyed to Egypt to find food. Joseph, thanks to the girlfriend dream interpretation by God, was able to prepare for this famine. So much so that the Egyptian store houses were able to sustain everyone for 7 years.
When the brothers came, Joseph recognized them but the men did not know him. Joseph accused them of being spies. He arrested them. But, he told them that to prove they were innocent, they had to bring their younger brother back. Joseph’s full-blooded brother. As collateral they had to leave behind one amongst themselves. Deception. So, when it was time to bring Benjamin to Egypt we see Judah begging.
I myself will be surety for him; you can hold me accountable for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. – Genesis 43:9
Blame.
In this narrative , what have we learned that follows deception then blame?
Blessing.
Why do you think that is?
The story ends on a high note. Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. They beg for forgiveness. Joseph has his whole extended family move to Egypt to live in prosperity. After many years, Jacob their father is approaching his end of life. So, he blesses his sons. He includes Joseph’s two boys as if they were his own. However, he places the youngest over the elder. This is a family trait it seems.
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, blessing each one of them with a suitable blessing. – Genesis 49:28
Blessing.
After Jacob’s death, Joseph’s brothers were afraid. They worried that Joseph held a grudge for what they did to him. They approached Joseph about it. About their “what if.” Despite the years they communed together in the blessing they still feared the blame. They even expected it.
Have you ever felt like that?
Have you lived in a time of joy, prosperity , and ease but you just couldn’t enjoy it? You couldn’t trust it? You were perpetually waiting for the other shoe to drop? I know I have. How about you? Tell me about a situation?
Sometimes we live in the “what if”, the old ways. We sometimes bare the blame. Even if the shame, the guilt, the anger, or any other emotion doesn’t belong to us. We hold onto our past choices as if we are that same person. We are no longer in our yesterday’s. We are in our today’s living for our tomorrow’s. Our blessings.
Blessings.
When Joseph’s brothers were sent to retrieve their father Jacob he told them, “Do not quarrel along the way ” In other translations “quarrel” is “be agitated.” Frustrated. You see, in order for the whole line of Jacob to live in prosperity, they had to go on a journey. It wouldn’t be easy. It was long. On foot. Potential robbers of their peace would pop-up. Are you following? Their journey…our journey won’t be easy to get to the blessing.
Blessing.
Going back to that “what if.” We’ve all been there. We know God provides but we still fear the storms. I want us to look at what Joseph said to his brothers’ “what if’s.”
But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them. – Genesis 50:19-21
This sounds a lot like what Joseph told his brothers when he revealed himself after deception.
“God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here but God…” – Genesis 45:7-8
We are meant for a blessing. To live in it. Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus Christ, has paid the cost of our deception. Our blame. Or any blame we had to take on. Be it from parents and their behaviors. Trauma. Mistakes. He wiped it all away. We are no longer the bearers. We are no longer to blame. To carry what isn’t ours. We are meant for a blessing.
Like Joseph, we walk paths for a reason. Or a reason is created from it. We are preserved through it. Preservation of life to help others. A remnant. We can testify of our own experiences in the pit of blame. Testify as to how we escaped. And that can be where we find our blessing.
Amen.
Weekly Scripture Readings
➡️ Up next
Week 3 (08/03/2026–08/09/2026):
Book of Jubilees (The creation and patriarchal secrets)