Hebrews 12:5-11 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
 
HEBREWS is encouraging the church to persevere, to fix their eyes on Jesus, so they will remain faithful to their Savior and the church’s mission. He wants them to understand the wondrous gift God has given to them. But economic, religious, social and political opposition threaten the new church and the hearts of each new believer. Where’s the joy in our salvation when so many people oppose you? Hebrews answer is the joy is knowing God loves you enough to strengthen you.
   The Hebrews author teaches that hardship is an effective tool of God’s discipline. He proves it with a wisdom teaching from Proverbs 3:11-12 do not despise the Lord's discipline…the Lord disciplines those he loves.  
   But was the church then and is the church now persecuted because God was correcting them? Do challenges in our personal life today indicate God is disciplining us?
   Again, the answer is found in our faith life. Are we faithful to God’s Word? A lack of faith will lead us away from God. And the Bible tells us God, the Father, will discipline his disobedient church.
   One place we can read this is in the seven letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3. Jesus says specifically to the churches in Ephesus, Pergamum and Thyatira that they must repent, or God will correct them. Also, 1 Corinthians is Paul’s letter to discipline the church in Corinth because of its several public sins and division. The Lord disciplines his church and each of us with rebukes and correction from pastors, teachers and his Holy Word. When we hear or read something that disturbs our hearts and awakens us to aa sin, it’s a good indication the Lord is teaching you to reject your sin and turn to him.
   We don’t like being wrong. People have said they don’t like coming to church to hear about sin. That means they don’t want correction and discipline. They are rejecting God’s love.      Yes, God loves us enough to tell us what is right, so we will can be in true fellowship with him.
   Hardships will also come from events or circumstances that have nothing to do with our Christian life. Hard things happen to us because the world is under sin’s curse. Yet we must respond to these challenges with a steadfast faith. In frustration we can say, “This is too much for me.” And let go of our commitment to Christ and his church. Or in faith we can say, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Hardships will still bring pain and loss. But God wants us to respond to turn to him in these difficulties with a greater faith in his immediate and eternal care over us.
   Life is a journey toward God. Be aware of how he may be correcting you to love him more deeply. This will lead to a greater joy and confidence in your salvation.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  
 
WHAT is happening in your church and in your own spiritual life? Do you see signs of anything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles? Without faith, a church quickly becomes a worldly organization separated from God’s purpose. Without faith, our lives become empty vessels instead of the full life God has designed for us. Church traditions, personal preferences, indifference and doubt entangle and disrupt Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19)
   One way to untangle the sin is to remember the great cloud of witnesses – the people of faith – as written in Hebrews 11. And we have many more faith witnesses to consider in the history of the Christian church. Cloud of witnesses is the Greek image of rows and rows of spectators urging athletes to their highest performance. These saints of the past are not spectators watching from heaven. But they are a multitude whose faith legacy makes them active participants in our faith today. When we know their stories in the Bible and in the church’s history, their lives become a constant witness of faith’s power to accomplish God’s purposes against all opposition.
    With such a history and support, you and your church can be confident to run with perseverance the race marked out for us. These people of God have shown the way, and we know where we must go.
   The best way to persevere in your faith is to join with Hebrews to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
   What is the joy set before Jesus? It is your salvation. He knew what would happen when he endured the cross. Victory would come to the world as Jesus untangled sin’s web that had trapped his creation in death. Jesus knew the cross’ shame would become the King’s glory.
   And the cross becomes your glory when you fix your eyes on the Savior. He has come in love to remove the traditions, doubt and disunity that keep you from knowing God.
   The Savior is on your side. Jesus endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:3) Know Jesus’ struggled with worldly opposition. Know he endured and won the battle. When the Lord of heaven and earth is on your side, how can we be dismayed?
   After all, Jesus suffered much more than we did. We’re reminded in Hebrews 12:4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. There are many in our history and many today who have shed blood for Jesus’ sake. Are you prepared for such a purpose?
   Consider the cost of your faith. Take hold of faith’s power. Run with joy. Your Savior rejoices that you belong to him. Be a witness.  

Hebrews 11:35-38 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
 
AFTER the first sentence, this is a hard read, isn’t it? Who are the people of this passage? 
   Hebrews is still pointing to the Old Testament history. In Elijah’s’ ministry, the widow from Zarephath received her son back from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24). And in Elisha’s ministry, the Shunammite woman’s son was restored to life (2 Kings 4:8-37). The women were not Jews. Still God revealed his mercy for all to know.
   Then comes the list of 13 persecutions. There were many unnamed prophets who suffered persecution and death at the hands of evil rulers. One account is of the hateful Jezebel: 1 Kings 18:4 While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water. Men of God hid in caves, destitute and reliant on Obadiah’s provision. Also, Jeremiah was put in prison, deep in a well of mud left to die. Others were abused for their faithful testimony of God’s Word.
   And Jesus mourned Jerusalem’s history when he exclaimed: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” (Matthew 23:37) Other histories of the Jews describe some of the horrible violence Hebrews lists.
   Then the Hebrews writer points to the church’s unity with these faithful servants of God: Hebrews 11:39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. In faith, the persecuted understood the eternal glory that awaited them.
   As we close Hebrews 11 – the “Faith Hall of Fame”, we should have a greater understanding of God’s faith gift to mankind since the Garden of Eden. Each of us who have believed in God and believed his Word throughout the generations is confidently looking forward to something we have not seen. We have glimpses of the New Heaven and earth because of the transforming work God has done.
   We Christians can witness the hope of things not yet seen because Jesus is risen. One day the faith God has given us will unite with the faithful from ages past and ages future. Living in faith, we are sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
   Rejoice. Be at peace. Be glad. 

Hebrews 11:32-34 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
 
SOME people write a list of tasks they need to do in the coming days. It helps them get things done. But does anyone writes a list of tasks completed? What would you learn if you sat down to consider what you have done in the regular course of life in just two or three days, five years, 10 years or more? This is a good way to understand how God has shaped your life. You would likely learn you have accomplished much. Perhaps the list of what you’ve done will encourage you to keep doing what you do. Maybe the list will help you be more effective in your daily tasks.
   Do you see Hebrews’ list in this passage? In one long, complex sentence, the writer lists many testimonies of God’s work through the faith heroes of the Old Testament. Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah are judges who God empowered to overthrow Israel’s enemies. We must note the judge Deborah was also God’s tool to influence Barak into action.
   David was the giant killer and mighty warrior, the shepherd boy who became Israel’s greatest king in its history. Samuel was the last judge and a prophet whose wisdom and strength helped transform Israel into a more faithful nation.
   Hebrews also refers to others by their deeds. Daniel shut the mouths of lions. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego quenched the fury of the flames (Daniel 3). Elijah, the prophet, and other prophets escaped the edge of the sword. There were many men such as Jonah, Isaiah and Jeremiah whose weakness was turned to strength. And 1 Chronicles 11 records a series of warriors who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies against overwhelming odds. 
   If we make a list of what the church has done since the Day of Pentecost, we will see a church composed of faithful people working in the Spirit’s supernatural strength against overwhelming odds. Faithful Christian warriors have stood against the fiery flames and the roaring lions of persecution. Countless people have entered the Kingdom of God because his faithful church has faithfully done the work required.
   Perhaps it would be good for your church to list what the church has done. Hopefully it will encourage everyone to continue on in faith, being sure of what we hope for and confident of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1)  This would be good for your individual walk, too. Take a few minutes to make a list. How have you served the church? What is your spiritual life like? Do you pray, read Scripture, attend church and serve God? Where have you seen God working in you rife? What is he urging you to do next? You will see where the Spirit has empowered you to victory. In faith you know you can continue to follow the Lord because you are sure the Lord is leading you.  

Hebrews 11:30-31 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
 
FORTY years had passed since Israel’s walk through the Red Sea. They entered the Promised Land when they in faith they walked through the flooded Jordan River, held back for their safe passage. (Joshua 4) We note this second walk  through water was “headlines news” among other leaders: Joshua 5:1 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.
   Rahab knew about God’s people, too: Joshua 2:9 Rahab said to the spies, “I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.” In faith Rahab knew God’s power and his plan. She knew she had to turn from her old life to be safe under God’s care. By faith, Rahab knew life is believing God.    
   By faith Joshua and his soldiers followed the Lord’s most unusual strategy reported in Joshua 6. As soldiers trained for war, it would be very difficult to understand God’s orders to walk around the city once each day for six days and seven times on the seventh day. How could the conquest occur when the main weapon was the priests’ trumpets and shouts from the army? When did a loud sound win a war?
   It did the day Israel faithfully followed God’s commands. Again, the Lord glorified his name. God commanded. Israel obeyed. Because the army completely relied on God’s orders, the LORD God Almighty added to Israel’s faith.
   God didn’t need the nation Israel to fulfill his redemptive promise. But he formed the nation to faithfully fulfill God’s laws, so they would testify of God’s righteousness, mercy and love to the other nations. God’s will was to use Israel to glorify his Name over all the earth.
   Now the Spirit has formed the church to faithfully testify of God’s righteousness, mercy and love. Words do conquer. We are called and commanded to shout for the Lord. God’s Word collapses sin’s walls. Satan’s kingdom will not withstand God’s faithful church on the march, sounding the trumpet of salvation in Jesus Christ. You, too, can be a conqueror for Christ.
 
Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
 

Exodus 14:10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord…22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
 
Hebrews 11:29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
 
THIS is an amazing faith walk, isn’t it? Take a few minutes to read Exodus 14. You will discover God was very intentional to move Israel to camp near the sea (Exodus 14:2). Then he moved Pharaoh to pursue Israel. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. Here’s a good place to ask, “Why, God, did you bring this challenge on your people, especially when they have just come out of Egypt’s bondage?”
   God answers the question: “But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” God would not only be known to Egypt, but his work to free his people would be known to Israel’s enemies for centuries.
   We cannot imagine the fear that gripped Israel through the long night as God’s wind parted the sea even as the Angel of the LORD was protecting them from Egypt. Did they believe this protection would last through the night? And where were they going – into the sea? How could that be the right way?
   Imagine, too, if you can, the fear of going through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left (Exodus 14:2) A million – plus nation walking through a sea is beyond our understanding. But it is not beyond God’s protection, power and patience. God could have swiftly removed Israel from Egypt without plagues and the Passover. He could have easily directed them safely around the sea. But God chose to take them into one more test through the valley of the shadow of death. God’s purpose was twofold: to glorify his name before the world and to grow Israel’s faith. God wanted Israel to confess to him, “You are with me.” The Lord’s will was that his people would fear no evil. God wanted his people to know that his rod of judgment and his staff of guidance would be a comfort to them all the days of their lives as they dwelled in the land God promised and prepared for them.
   Our hearts are very stubborn. We want to hold onto what we know, even if it harms us and keeps us from God’s blessings. At the first sign of trouble, Israel feared they would all die, even after God protected them in the plagues. And a few days after this miracle, Israel again challenged Moses’ leadership and God’s authority.
   Faith is God’s fuel to move us forward. Sometimes we sip it, wondering what it tastes like or what it will do to us. But the good Lord lovingly wants to fill your cup to overflowing with his wondrous gift. Are you prepared to drink it?
   When threats seem too large, be energized with this power from heaven’s throne. Faith will strengthen, comfort and keep you safe in God’s goodness and mercy all the days of your life. By faith you confidently know you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Non referenced italics from Psalm 23)
 

Hebrews 11:27-28 By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
 
HEBREWS now refers to Moses leading Israel from Egypt. Moses’ life dramatically changed in the 40 years after he left Egypt to escape death for killing an Egyptian. Exodus 3 tells us Moses tried to reject God’s command to go to Egypt. Still, God had chosen Moses, and in a most dramatic fashion the LORD God forced Moses to obey his commands.
    Moses needed to be more faithful. So God made him more faithful. Moses and his older brother Aaron became God’s ambassadors to declare God’s mastery over Egypt’s natural and spiritual world. Their words called down 10 plagues from heaven to exhibit God’s control over his creation. Moses learned God would do as he said. Moses became a prophet. He spoke to Pharaoh the direct messages from heaven. God’s servant watched God fulfill his Word. He saw God protect his people when the plagues did not affect the Hebrews. Moses watched God’s specific power accomplish his defined purpose. God judged Egypt, and he revealed himself to Israel.
    Moses then had faith to trust the Lord in the first Passover. God warned he would bring death to the firstborn of Egypt. And God promised Israel would escape the curse only if they put the blood of a lamb on the doorposts of their homes. Exodus 12:22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. Not one of you shall go out the door of his house until morning. 23 When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. In response the people bowed down and worshiped. The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. (Exodus 12:27b-28)  
    By faith Moses knew the Lord would not permit destruction on Israel. By faith Moses and the nation obeyed God’s command. With blood on the doorposts, by faith Israel waited through the dark and terrible night, knowing the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would deliver them from judgment.
    God not only saved Israel that night, he enriched them. God moved the Egyptians to aid Israel in their departure. Exodus 12:35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.
    We mention this because God told Abraham this would happen: Genesis 15:13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.
    Know God. He knows you. He knows your future trials and triumphs. He calls you to faith, so you will trust him to prosper your soul in the fullness of his grace even through the dark nights.
   

Exodus 2:11-12 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
 
Exodus 2:14-15 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?’ Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. 
 
Hebrews 11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
 
FROM Exodus it seems Moses’ impulse was to violence. He became a fugitive from Egypt’s justice. But Hebrews says Moses acted in faith. How do we correlate these two accounts?
    Moses is as each man we have seen in Hebrews’ record of faith. The chosen Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, called to be God’s leaders toward the Christ, had flaws that threatened their purpose. God had protected Moses and put him into Pharaoh’s court, where he learned much about the world and about being a leader. Other histories of this era tell us Moses was a conquering commander in Pharaoh’s army.
    And God had put a faith in Moses to direct him toward the Hebrews, his people. Moses went to his own people because he was discontent with Egypt’s ways. The Holy Spirit was moving Moses into a relationship with his people to prepare Moses to be God’s Deliverer. It is by faith Moses was discontent as an Egyptian. It is by faith Moses went to his people, believing he could lead Israel. But he went in his own timing and method. Acts tells us Moses killed the Egyptian because Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t. (Acts 7:25) It was too soon for Moses to fulfill God’s exodus plan.
    As a result Moses was forced to work 40 years in the desert. Did he know he was suffering for Jesus’ Kingdom? It’s not likely Moses saw God’s plan into the future. Moses’ response to God’s call in Exodus 3 tells us Moses was entirely unprepared for the work God called him to do. But Hebrews point is that God had directed Moses, so Moses would ultimately see the Christ. He prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.  
    What is stirring in your heart? Is God speaking to you? Do you believe you are to do something new? Are you reluctant and unsure? Do you feel unqualified? Or are you moving more quickly than God’s purpose? You can hear God’s voice when you listen while you pray. God will use others to speak to you about his plans for you. He will stir in your heart to know the direction he wants you to go.
    It is by faith that Moses became the Lawgiver and Deliverer. God created and shaped Moses to move God’s redemptive promise to the Promised Land.
    As individuals and the church, we must learn how God wants us to continue the gospel’s redemptive message.  
 

Exodus 1:22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
 
Hebrews 11:23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
 
WE have seen how Abraham, Isaac and Jacob struggled within God’s promise, “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.” (Genesis 22:17) But then God began to bountifully expand his people in Egypt, even as the Egyptians severely oppressed them. Pharoah became afraid of the growing nation, and he ordered every baby boy killed. How is it that the newborn would threaten Pharoah? Centuries later, Herod’s evil killed the infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2). Evil’s intent is to destroy God’s life-giving purpose.
    Into the darkness of infanticide God delivered and protected Moses, the Deliverer. He would grow to guide Israel to the land God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
    Moses’ faith-filled parents, Amram and Jochebed (Exodus 6:20), feared God more than Pharaoh. They refused to obey Pharaoh’s ghastly command. By faith, they recognized a special quality in Moses that demanded even more that they reject death and choose life. Amram and Jochebed were not afraid of the law because life is more powerful than death.
    We also learn of faithful midwives who feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do. (Exodus 1:17) God blessed these righteous women with their own families. And God surely protected Moses and his parents from evil’s murderous intent.
    About 120 years later near the end of his life, Moses spoke perhaps one of Scripture’s most personal and life-giving blessings to Israel as they prepared to enter God’s Promised Land. Read this carefully: Deuteronomy 30:19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  
    Moses called Israel into a living relationship with God. Obedience to God’s law would bless them to faithful relationships with each other and with God. They would multiply as a nation to establish a visible example of God’s kingdom on earth. This was the mandate God gave to Adam and Eve – be fruitful and multiply – for the purpose of expanding God’s voice throughout his creation. The first couple decided to reject God’s law, and they died in the wilderness. God wants us to live in the Promised Land – the place of blessing and union with him.
    Our world is full of deadly laws – laws that turn us away from God’s commands toward a prideful exhibition of death and self-worship. Laws permit infanticide and mutilation of children’s bodies. Governments since the day of Babel (Genesis 11) have believed they could replace God’s commands with their own laws and ideas. And all have failed. World population is declining because we have replaced be fruitful and multiply with “be childless and ‘free’”. Only the Kingdom of God filled with those who have chosen life will remain when world history is complete.
    Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6-7) This is what God told the first couple. This is what Moses told Israel. This is the message Hebrews gives to the church. Know the right way to blessing is God’s way. Have faith to live it. Fear God more than you fear the evil that threatens life. Choose life. Choose God. What other choice is there? 

Hebrews 11:21-22 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
 
JACOB’S father Isaac had blessed him to become a man of wealth who would rule nations. He had become wealthy, but he spoke his last words in Egypt. His family of 12 sons was living there to protect them from drought and hunger. Jacob ruled no one. Still, with his dying breath, Jacob spoke the future to each of his 12 sons.
    The most far-reaching prophecy is to his son Judah in Genesis 49:8-12. The blessing points to Jesus, particularly Genesis 49:10-11 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. Jesus is the Lion of Judah. He is the descendant fo the tribe of Judah through David’s line.
    He spoke to Joseph speaking about the exodus is his specific instructions to his brothers: Gen 50:24-25 “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”  Joseph knew  that one day his people would leave Egypt to return to Canaan. His descendants listened to Jospeh’s words. When Israel entered the Promised Land about 440 years later, it is recorded in Joshua 24:32a And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem. 
    It requires faith to speak what God tells us, doesn’t it? When Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph heard from heaven, they could not keep God’s messages to themselves. They needed to respond in faith to declare God’s promises and commands to the next generations. People needed to know the LORD God was guiding their destiny. In the most difficult days under Egypt’s bondage, the Lord’s promises could have seemed a mistake, even a lie from deceiving men. But if Israel closely examined Abraham’s, Isaac’s, Jacob’s and Joseph’s lives, they would have seen how God’s power protected them from their enemies. God’s promises come true through long years of difficult circumstances. Knowing God’s presence, power and patience in the past, would give the faithful in Israel the wisdom to know faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
    Are you sure of God’s future for the church? Do you see what he has told you? Even in days when it seems the church is shrinking and losing its influence, do you know God’s promises are true?