Blessings from Brokenness

Good morning, everyone! Whether you're here with us in the room or joining online—listening live or later—we’re truly glad you're here. You're part of our extended spiritual family, and we're thankful for you.

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For the rest of us, grab your Bible, get comfortable, and get ready for what God has for you today.

Last week we looked at one of Jacob’s final moments where he lead in worship. Today we are looking at another final moment in Jacob’s life, then in a couple of weeks we will see how Joseph will confront his brothers after all of the evil that they did to him in his younger yearss. This is what he will tell them…”As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose." —(Joseph) . In other words. What man means for evil…God means for good!

Now, for a moment Imagine pulling out an old family photo album. You flip through the pages, and you don’t just see smiling faces. You see stories. You see the uncle who always pelted everyone with water balloons, the cousin who always made terrible choices and caused trouble. The sibling who drifted away from the family. For most of us, our family albums are filled with both love and brokenness.

When we open Genesis 49, it’s like looking at Jacob’s family album. Twelve sons — some noble, many deeply flawed. And yet through this messy, sinful family, God speaks words of prophecy and blessing that point straight to the coming of Savior. That’s how God brings blessings from brokenness.

Prayer: asking God to open our eyes to His grace through Christ.

Now, here’s a picture of what we’re going to see today. Jacob’s words are a revelation of human character and conduct as well as of divine purpose. You see, three of the sons will learn that their past conduct had cost them their future inheritance because we always reap what we sow. But something else is seen: Jacob’s prophetic words gave great encouragement to his descendants during their time of suffering in Egypt, as well as during their years wandering in the wilderness. Jacob shares that every tribe have a future place in the Promised Land.

o, let’s go ahead and dive into some Scripture and see what God did in the midst of Jacob blessing his children.

Genesis 49:1–2 ESV

Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come. “Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.

These aren’t just farewell words—pay attention to these prophetic words of Jacob. You see God is revealing His plan through this broken family. Let’s see how…

Sinful Brokenness Cannot Inherit Blessing (vv. 3–7)

Let’s keep reading…

Genesis 49:3–7 ESV

“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch! “Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

First of all Jacob is speaking directly to Reuben and tells him that his sin has disqualified him as the first born.

Reuben: Sin disqualifies the firstborn

The thing is as Jacob’s firstborn son, Reuben should have been a strong man with dignity, who brought honor to his father and family, but he turned out to be a weak man, who disgraced his family by defiling his father’s bed and sleeping with Jacob’s wife. Reuben’s immorality forfeited his right as firstborn.

Unstable as water refers both to being erratic and weak. Reuben’s arrogant attitude and reckless way of life weren’t fitting for a firstborn son. Water is certainly weak in itself, but erratic water can be very destructive, and that was Rueben…as well as his descendants. You’re gonna be hard pressed to find a member of the tribe of Reuben who is a righteous leader.

Rueben should have been stronger, and so we see that privilege cannot secure a blessing when sin is ruling your heart.

Next Jacob speaks to Simeon and Levi and shows them that their violence only led to scattering.

Simeon and Levi: Violence leads to scattering

Remember when Dinah, Simeon and Levi’s sister was assaulted in Shechem. They did not respond in a Godly manner. It was right to avenge the raping of their sister Dinah, but it wasn’t necessary to wipe out innocent people just to gratify their own desire for revenge

Jacob says, “I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.” In other words, their cruelty will have lasting consequences.

Sinful brokenness leaves us empty. But this is where grace steps in: God brings blessing not through sin, but in spite of it.

Grace Raises Up the Unworthy (vv. 8–21)

Let’s read

Genesis 49:8–12 ESV

“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

Jacob had pointed out the sins of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, but he didn’t say anything about Judah’s idea that the brothers sell Joseph as a slave. Jacob knows that what Judah did at least saved Joseph’s life and got him to Egypt, where God had a work for him to do. Jacob also didn’t mention Judah’s sin with Tamar. So let’s look at how Judah is the unworthy son who receives the promise.

Judah: The unworthy receives the promise (vv. 8–12).

There’s a big difference in what Judah did than what the others did…You see, Judah repented and changed, and is associated with the lion. Judah became the leader that set his life aside for Benjamin and Judah is the one that Jacob trusted to go ahead in Egypt and get things ready. Judah sinned…but then he made things right, and that is the difference between the 4 brothers.

However, what is truly amazing is that Judah, who was once shameful, is now the royal line of Christ. Look at

Hebrews 7:14a ESV

For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah…

So from this deeply flawed man comes the Messiah. The Lion of Judah. But that’s not all. The other tribes will all have a role as well.

Other tribes: Each blessed with a role (vv. 13–21).

Now the next six tribes don’t have quite the same weight, but they are still important sons whom God will use in various ways.

We see Zebulun was given land on the trade routes and will be known for trade.

Issachar was given the task of laborer. They have been associated with Donkey because they will carry the burden of many, but their larger task as a tribe was to be known as hard workers.

Dan has a name that literally means judge. That’s not all though, Jacob revealed Dan’s crafty nature and his habit of making sudden attacks on his enemies made him be associated with serpent.

Gad is known as warriors….and he kind of has to be. Due to the location of the land that was given to Gad, this tribe will be attacked by others. However, they will stand strong and not give up.

Next we have Asher. Asher is known as blessed, and has land that produces rich delicacies.

Finally we have Naphtali. Now, first its a bit strange that Moses waited to talk about Naphtali until after Asher. Logic would have placed him up after Dan. However, Naphtali would be known to be graceful, and associated with the doe.

You see, evveryone in the family has a purpose and it takes al of these men to fulfill the purposes that God has for Israel. God distributes His blessings as he wills.

The same thing is true today of the church. Just like Jacob blessed each of his children in a different and complimentary way, God blesses us all in different but complimentary ways. Just as it takes all of the tribes to be Israel…it takes all of us to be the church here in Leaf River.

I’ll prove it to you

1 Corinthians 12:4–7 ESV

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

We all have different blessings from God, but we are called to work together to fulfill what God has chosen to place us here in Leaf River to accomplish. This allows us to see how…

Covenant Hope Shines in God’s Chosen (vv. 22–28)

Let’s go ahead and read this next section together.

Genesis 49:22–28 ESV

“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers. “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.” All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.

We’ve talked about the other 10 children who will be tribes of Israel…now it’s time to talk about Rachels sons. First,

Joseph: Fruitful in suffering (vv. 22–26).

Jacob used the word “bless” at least six times in his speech to and about Joseph. Joseph is compared to a strong vibrant vine that is able to grow up and over a wall. This is due to those that came against Joseph, beginning with his brothers. Many came against Joseph, but he never responded by doing the same to them. Instead, God strengthened him so that his words were always true, and it was that integrity that eventually led to his release from prison and his elevation to being second ruler of the land

Joseph’s rejection led to the salvation for his family, a picture of Christ whose rejection led to the salvation of all who would repent.

That leaves us with Benjamin, who is associated with the wolf as Jacob calls him a ravonous wolf…but why? We see an unrealized strength in Benjamin that will come out.

Benjamin: Unrealized Strength (v. 27).

You would expect Jacob to say more, since he loved Benjamin so much, but this is what he gives: a picture of raw, untamed strength. And when you trace Benjamin’s descendants, you see this play out. King Saul, from Benjamin, used his power to destroy — hunting David and even slaughtering an entire city of priests. Centuries later another Benjamite, Saul of Tarsus, did the same. His passion drove him to ravage the church, dragging believers to prison.

But here’s the glory of God’s grace: Christ redeemed the zeal. Saul of Tarsus became Paul the Apostle, no longer destroying the church but building it up. His natural strength, once used for sin, was redirected by God for the gospel. That’s the lesson of Benjamin: our strength, left to ourselves, will destroy — but in Christ, even the hardest heart can be redeemed for His glory.”

Natural strength can destroy, but God redeems it. Remember, Paul from Benjamin, became Christ’s apostle and went on to write half of the New Testament.

I love how God takes even destructive passion and turns it for His glory. He took an angry druken sinner andused him to tell others about him.

You see…that’s the whole point though.

Christ is the Blessing from Brokenness

Joseph points us Christ the Savior. Joseph was rejected, abandoned, put in chains, thrown in prison…yet that wasn’t the end. Just like Joseph was exalted in Egypt to save everyone from a famine…Jesus was exalted to the cross to save you and I from ourselves.

Listen, when we looked at Judah, we saw that from his line comes Christ the King — the Lion of Judah who reigns forever. But here’s the real truth: just because Christ reigns does not mean you are in His kingdom. You must repent and believe in Him. Reuben, Simeon, and Levi show us that walking near the covenant family is not the same thing as receiving God’s blessing. Judah, however, shows us what grace does — it humbles a sinner to repentance and brings fruit of change.

Folks, don’t mistake outward religion for inward repentance. Maybe you’ve been going through the motions. Maybe you’ve traded the truth of Christ for the lies of the enemy. Today is the day to turn. Turn from your sin, and yourself. Put your faith in Jesus Christ, who was rejected and crucified to save sinners, and exalted to reign as Lord. When you repent and trust Him, you are sealed by the Spirit, forgiven, and safe forever in His kingdom. And that’s when the real fun starts…

Now, let me also speak to those of you who are in Christ, but you’ve been living on the sidelines. You’ve trusted Jesus, but you’ve settled for a Christian life that’s mostly about sitting in a chair, listening, and then going home unchanged.

That’s not what God saved you for. Judah was not blessed so he could sit back and do nothing — he was blessed to lead. Joseph wasn’t exalted so he could live for himself — he was exalted to save many. And folks, Christ didn’t redeem you just so you could read about the gospel; He redeemed you so you could live it, share it, and serve in it.

So let me ask you: where do you need to repent of passivity? Maybe it’s silence when you should speak about Jesus. Maybe it’s sitting when you should be serving. Maybe it’s being a consumer instead of a contributor in Christ’s body. Whatever it is, acknowledge it before the Lord, and then step forward in faith.

Closing

You’re not saved by serving, but you were saved for serving. You were blessed so you could be a blessing. Don’t waste the grace God has poured out on you. Get off the sidelines, and step into the life Christ died to give you.

As we close, let me invite you to reflect for a moment:

My family has brokenness… your family has brokenness… every family does. So did Jacob’s. But God used even their sins and failures to display His amazing grace.

Out of Judah — the failed brother — came Christ the King. Out of Joseph’s suffering came a picture of salvation. And through our own brokenness, God still brings blessing — through Jesus.

Listen, Genesis 49 isn’t a chapter full of polished heroes — it’s a family portrait of failure.

Reuben couldn’t control his passions. Simeon and Levi couldn’t control their anger. Judah betrayed his brother. Joseph was hated and rejected. Every line of that story is bent and broken… and honestly, maybe it even sounds a bit too familiar.

But the first step isn’t to hide it. And it’s not to fix yourself. It’s to come to God and say: “Lord, I am Reuben. I am Simeon. I am Judah. My heart is broken by sin, and I cannot inherit your blessing on my own.”

Acknowledging your brokenness before God is the most powerful thing you can do — and it’s the first step toward healing.

Because the good news of the gospel is this: God has already written blessing into the story of brokenness.

From Judah’s line comes the Lion of Judah — Jesus Christ. From Joseph’s rejection comes a picture of the cross — where the world meant evil, but God meant good.

So don’t leave here pretending to be whole. Don’t walk out thinking your sin disqualifies you forever.

Bring your brokenness to Christ. Acknowledge it. Confess it. because you will find no shame there — you’ll find grace. You’ll find forgiveness, hope, and eternal life.

Because the story of Jacob’s sons is really the story of us all. And the story of Christ is this: God delights to bring blessing from brokenness.