And of Joseph he said: “Blessed of the Lord is his land, with the precious things of heaven, with the dew, and the deep lying beneath, with the precious fruits of the sun, with the precious produce of the moon.” (Deuteronomy 33:13-14)
Following the blessing pronounced upon Benjamin, Moses’ next blessing was for the tribe of Joseph — the tribe highly favored of God and promised great and extensive prosperity. In many ways, Moses’ blessing of Joseph parallels that of Jacob who had said of Joseph, “The blessings of your father have excelled the blessings of my ancestors … they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers” (Genesis 49:26). As wonderfully as Jacob had been blessed, surpassing even that bestowed upon Abraham and Isaac, more was to come upon Joseph.
Moses’ blessing upon Joseph indicated that the tribe would be given fertile land for growing along with the promise of abundant rain and subterranean springs. This would be needed in order to bring about the other component of the blessing — “precious fruits of the sun and precious produce of the moon.” In other words, Joseph would enjoy those things that are warmed by the sun and those things that grow at night, indicating that some things, like melons and cucumbers, tend to grow when it is dark. So in considering this notion in spiritual terms, God’s people tend to mature and produce fruit in the midst of darkness, which is to say, we are not to be stymied by the darkness — it is necessary for our growth.
For years I have trumpeted the idea that our light shines brighter the darker it gets. I’d go so far as to say that most people don’t notice our light when its bright outside; it needs to get dark if they are to notice the light. In other words, the bleaker things in this world become the more noticeable our light becomes. The prophecy given to Joseph suggests that, as our light shines brighter, we grow more mature and produce more fruit. Difficulty should not stymie the work of God in our lives, it should provoke it. Darkness is something that God uses to bring about His purpose in our lives and for that we should be grateful. So let’s close with this thought from Isaiah:
“Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1-2)
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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