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Seeds of Victory

Words of Faith Final

Seeds of Victory
Words of Faith 8-25-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 49
[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 heavens above,
blessings of the deep that lies below,
blessings of the breast and womb.
[26] Your father's blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than the 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.

As we read the blessing of the last two boys there is a rather dramatic contrast! Both Joseph and Benjamin were "favored" brothers because they were the only children of Jacob's favorite wife, Rachel. Yet Joseph received a lengthy blessing and Benjamin only a brief and ominous prediction.
Jacob pronounced upon Joseph the lavish promise of great victory and prosperity. All this came to pass in Joshua, Deborah, and Samuel, all of the tribe of Ephraim. Similarly, there were significant victories won by Gideon and Jephthah, both of Manasseh's tribe. Those who descended from Joseph would surely be winners by the mighty hand of the Lord!
Benjamin, on the other hand, was simply described as a violent tribe. The word about Benjamin describes a tribe violent in spirit-- a ravenous, devouring wolf. There is a vast difference between "victory" and "violence ."The future would hold to this as the Benjamites ended up to be very cruel in Judges 20. We also see that Saul, a Benjamite, was very cruel as recorded in 1 Samuel.
Why such a difference?
The answer may be apparent in another difference we see in these blessings. The blessing uttered upon Joseph includes several marvelous titles for God: the Mighty One of Jacob, the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, your father's God, the Almighty, the One who ensures blessings from the heavens above and from the deep below.
The one key difference between Joseph and all of his brothers, even Benjamin, was that he walked with God, the One who can give victory in the most painful of situations. The most critical difference in the life of Joseph was that he trusted God no matter what. He had a relationship with the One who was in charge of all these details and circumstances. This legacy was passed on for generations.
A good question to ask ourselves is exactly what legacy are we passing on to the generations that will follow us? It is not so much a matter of the way we talk as the way we walk. Joseph lived a life centered on hearing and trusting God. Joseph lived a victorious life in God no matter what circumstances befell him. These seeds of deep faith were planted for generations to come.
What legacy are you passing to those who will follow you? Fear? Anxiety? Anger? Violence? Or victory? Will it be a deep trust in the Mighty One of Jacob, the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel-- the Almighty One who gives blessings from the heavens above and from the deep?

Lord God Almighty, build into my life a walk with You that will last for generations. Help me to see, even in the difficult circumstance, that You are my strength, my Rock and my Redeemer. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.