Parasha Vayechi 5784

Me

This week we read Parasha Vayechi, Genesis 47:28-50:26, which is also the final parasha of Bereshit.

The parasha opens with Jacob telling Joseph that when he dies he wants his bones carried out of Egypt and buried in the Promised Land. Then we read about Jacob speaking a special blessing over Ephraim and Menasseh.

In chapter 49 Jacob then blesses all 12 sons in order of their birth, some seemingly get better blessings than others. But the reality is each and everyone is in consideration of their strengths and weaknesses.

Lastly, in chapter 50 Jacob dies and all Egypt morns for him and a tremendous procession leaves Egypt to bury him in Canaan. Then Joseph reassures his brothers that he has absolutely no intention of retaliating against them.

(Talk about high school me and how my friends would have never pictured me then being a rabbi now…)

We

God

Now, there’s a lot packed into this one parasha… In fact, studying for the sermon this week, I came up with at least five or six really powerful concepts from a cursory perusing of Parasha Vayechi. However, and especially in light of Rabbi Toby’s sermon last week, I felt the L-rd directing in one specific route, and there is a powerful principle I want us to keep in mind as we progress through this sermon today.

Principle: Once we are redeemed in Messiah, we can never again allow our mistakes and failures of the past to define who we are going forward.

(Repeat)

Parasha Vayechi

Genesis 49:8–12 TLV

Judah, so you are— your brothers will praise you: Your hand will be on your enemies’ neck. Your father’s sons will bow down to you. A lion’s cub is Judah— from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches, lies down like a lion, or like a lioness— who would rouse him? The scepter will not pass from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs will come. To him will be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he washes his garments in wine, and in the blood of grapes his robe. His eyes are darker than wine, and teeth that are whiter than milk.

Parasha Vayechi

Talk about firstborn rights going from Reuben (the actual firstborn) passed Simeon, and ultimately being split between Levi (priesthood), Judah (leadership/kingship), and Joseph (double portion inheritance to Ephraim and Manasseh).

Talk about Parasha Vayeshev and Joseph being Jacob’s favorite and bad blood developed… Joseph shares dreams and brothers (including Judah) getting ticked at Joseph… Followed by the plot to kill Joseph, Reuben attempting to get back in pop’s good graces talks them out of killing Joseph.

Refer to Genesis 37 and Judah suggesting selling Joseph and them lying to Jacob about his death…

Talk about Judah getting schooled by Tamar…

Talk about Parasha Vayigash when Judah offers his own life for Benjamin’s when Joseph tricked them with the goblet

Genesis 49:8–12 TLV

Judah, so you are— your brothers will praise you: Your hand will be on your enemies’ neck. Your father’s sons will bow down to you. A lion’s cub is Judah— from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches, lies down like a lion, or like a lioness— who would rouse him? The scepter will not pass from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs will come. To him will be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he washes his garments in wine, and in the blood of grapes his robe. His eyes are darker than wine, and teeth that are whiter than milk.

Parasha Vayechi

Principle: Once we are redeemed in Messiah, we can never again allow our mistakes and failures of the past to define who we are going forward.

Parasha Vayechi

Isaiah 43:18–19 TLV

“Do not remember former things, nor consider things of the past. Here I am, doing a new thing; Now it is springing up— do you not know about it? I will surely make a way in the desert, rivers in the wasteland.

Parasha Vayechi

Isaiah 43:25 TLV

I, I am the One who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and will not remember your sins.

Parasha Vayechi

Philippians 3:10–14 TLV

My aim is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death— if somehow I might arrive at the resurrection from among the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or been perfected, but I press on if only I might take hold of that for which Messiah Yeshua took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself as having taken hold of this. But this one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal for the reward of the upward calling of God in Messiah Yeshua.

Parasha Vayechi

Principle: Once we are redeemed in Messiah, we can never again allow our mistakes and failures of the past to define who we are going forward.

Parasha Vayechi

2 Corinthians 5:16–21 TLV

So from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Messiah according to the flesh, yet now we no longer know Him this way. Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Messiah and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Messiah God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them; and He has entrusted the message of reconciliation to us. We are therefore ambassadors for Messiah, as though God were making His appeal through us. We beg you on behalf of Messiah, be reconciled to God. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Parasha Vayechi

Abraham- jumped ahead of G-d plan with Ishmael, lied about his wife, and more

Moses- Killed an Egyptian slave-master in cold blood

David- killed many, broke nearly every command in Deut 17 for a king, committed adultery with another man’s wife and had him killed to cover his tracks, and more

Matthew- was a tax collector

Peter- bad temper, reckless behavior, denied Yeshua just before Yeshua’s death

Miriam of Magdala- was a demoniac

Samaritan woman at the well- many past husbands, adulteress

Jacob (James)- brother of Yeshua who didn’t believe in His Messiahship and poked fun at Him because of it

The thief on the cross

Paul- was responsible for the torture and slaughter of countless followers of Yeshua

And the list could go on and on…

What makes us think our pasts could possibly eliminate us from a powerful redeemed future?

Principle: Once we are redeemed in Messiah, we can never again allow our mistakes and failures of the past to define who we are going forward.

Parasha Vayechi

You

(Call Worship team back and unmute)

We