Jacob passes on God’s plan to bless the world

MAIN ARGUMENT: Faith allows us to see God’s kind hand and faithfulness to His promises and so pass on His plan to bless the world.

How does Jacob’s testimony that God has been his shepherd all his life and has redeemed him from all evil (Gen. 48:15-16) reinforce God’s kind providence in Jacob’s life? What does it mean that God can redeem us from all evil? How does hearing Jacob’s testimony (48:15-16) encourage us to trust God even when life is hard and we face consequences for sin?

How does the fact that Jacob’s predictions for his sons came to pass encourage us that God holds (our) future in His hands?

How does Jacob’s prediction of the Messiah (Gen. 49:10) fit into God’s design (Gen. 1:26), God’s promise (Gen. 3:15), and God’s plan (Gen. 12:1-3)? How does this give us hope?

What do we learn about God’s design for His people to be channels of blessing to the world in this section?