Jacob's Family Part 4

To begin our time together this morning, I would invite you to turn with me to the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Luke. We're going to continue our study in Jacob's family by examining each of the boys and their name and the significance on how they were used to provide for us the pathway of redemption. There are so many things that come into our lives, so many things that happen to us in our lives. In Luke chapter 2, there was a man who went to the temple along with thousands of other people who went to the temple, but he was the only one who saw the Messiah.

Everybody else was into their religion. They were into doing the religious thing. They were into doing the religious sacrifice. They were into doing the religious rituals of the day. They were into doing the singing, doing the giving, doing the praying kind of thing because that's what they always do. So much so that they miss the one who came that day. Simeon? He didn't miss him. No. He took the Lord God in his arms and said, Now Lord, thou dost let thy bondservant depart in peace according to thy word, for my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people, Israel.

Simeon did not miss the Son. Simeon understood the significance of the birth of the Christ child. And although there were many people in the temple that day, there are many, many more people in churches today. All across America. All around the world. Who are into religious rituals. And that's a sad thing, isn't it? I mean, after all, if anybody should focus in on the Lord Jesus Christ, it's those of us who call him Lord. But it's easy to be sidetracked, isn't it? Because of activity. Because of religiosity.

But for us, probably more importantly, because of familiarity. We are so familiar with the story. We've read it thousands of times. I say all that because what we're saying in the book of Genesis, about the boys and the significance of their names, is familiar to a lot of you. And you've got to be careful that that familiarity does not hinder you coming to know the one of whom we speak, the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to be able to examine the text and understand the text and glean from the text those things that will change our lives.

So with that as an introduction, go back with me, if you would, to Genesis chapter 29 and chapter 30. As we look, once again, at the family of Jacob. We began looking at the first son, Reuben, whose name means see, a son.

And saw how that was indication of the person of redemption. That the son of God would be given to man. You'll note that in Isaiah 9, verse number 6, it would be the child who was born and the son that was given. The son was not born. The child was born. But the son was given because the son always existed. That's important for us to grasp, right? The son wasn't born. The son is God. The son is eternal. The son always is because the son always was. So the son would be given. And so we need to see that son.

And Reuben, his name, see a son, prefigures the person of redemption. When Leah and Rachel named their boys, they had no idea that each of their names would help us understand God's plan of redemption. And it all begins with the person. The person of Jesus Christ, our Lord. And all throughout the gospels. And then all through the epistles. It's all about seeing the son of God for who he truly is. So Reuben prefigures for us the person of redemption. We move from him to look at Simeon, whose name means hearing or to hear.

And that signifies to us the preaching of redemption. How shall they hear without a preacher? And if man is going to come to saving faith, then we need to be faithful to preach the word of God to people. And last week we took you to the book of Revelation to help you understand that in the very end of time, the last seven years, before Christ comes back to set up his earthly kingdom, God is going to restore the nation of Israel. He's going to do that by using the nation of Israel, the 12,000 men from every tribe.

And that's why the significance of the boys in Genesis 29 and 30 plays a major part in the end in Revelation chapter 7 as God chooses 12,000 from every tribe to be his witnesses and protects them throughout the tribulation. Because God's not done with Israel. God's going to use them to preach the truth. So that people will hear the truth about who the Son is. So Simeon signifies for us the preaching of redemption. Reuben, the person of redemption. And then we went and looked at Levi. Levi's name means to be joined to, to be attached.

And his name signifies the peace of redemption. Why? Because whenever you are joined to God, you are at peace with God. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5.1 Jesus Christ becomes the avenue by which we obtain peace with God. There is one mediator between God and man. Who is that? The man, Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2.5 tells us. So therefore, we are able to have peace with God because of who Jesus Christ himself is. That's why when the angels came, what did they say?

Glory to God in the highest. Peace on earth. Peace has come to earth. In the form of a child who's called the prince of peace. Zacharias understood that. In his benedictus, he said this. That when the sun rise from on high, so visit us to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace. We of all people need to look for ways to help people who have no peace understand the prince of peace. Understand why he came, who he is. You see, the peace comes only to those in whom God is pleased with.

That's it. It doesn't come to those who don't please God. Isaiah 57.21 says there is no peace for the wicked. None. No peace. And so Levi signifies for us the peace of redemption. Peace comes to those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. I love how Paul closes his letter to those in Thessalonica. 2 Thessalonians 3.16 Now may the Lord of peace himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. Isn't that good? May the Lord of peace himself grant you his peace in every circumstance.

We need to have that. And that only comes through being joined together with the Lord God of the universe. The world is at enmity with God. The world is alienated from God. The world is in darkness. And so God sent forth his Son, who is the light, to shine in the dark hearts of man, that somehow man will respond in a way to be joined to the Savior, joined to God. So as Leah named her first three boys, she had no idea the significance of those names.

The fourth son. Remember, Leah had tried to obtain favor with Jacob. She so badly wanted to have a relationship with him. But she did not have one. She thought that Simeon would. She thought for certain that Levi would. But she still was not joined to Jacob in the way that she wanted to be joined to him. Then she had a fourth son. And that boy's name was Judah. For Leah was finally learning that no matter what happens around about her, she needed to praise her God.

So she named her fourth son Judah, which means to praise. Praise. And this is so good. Why? Because this son signifies the praise of the redeemed. Simple as that. The praise of the redeemed. It would be this son, through this tribe, that would come the Messiah, whose name is greatly to be praised. Right? The Lord Jesus Christ. So you have the praise of the redeemed. Psalm 40 records it this way. I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, making my footsteps firm.

And he put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord. Listen.

When a man or woman is redeemed, they become a person of praise. And they praise the name of God for what God himself has done in their lives. Because they were unable to do anything. It was the Lord God who brings you up out of the miry clay. It's the Lord God who takes you and redeems you back from the slave market of sin. It's God who does all those things. And therefore, the response of the believer is to praise the name of God. God has given us a heart of praise to praise him for what he's done.

And as Leah would learn to praise God for giving her the boys and recognizing that it's God who's in control and recognizing that God rules and that her heart and mind should be focused on God, that should be us because his name Judah signifies the praise of the redeemed. Hebrews 13 tells us in verses 15 and 16 that the sacrifice of praise offered to God is well-pleasing to him. He wants us to praise him. Psalm 50 tells us that whoso offereth praise glorifies the name of God. And so we understand that God is to be praised.

So when you get to heaven, what do you have? You have the great praise orchestra. That's why we praise him because of what he did, because of who he is. He is the Savior who is Christ the Lord, so important. So Judah teaches us about the praise of the redeemed. The fifth son was born through the maidservant Bilhah, which was Rachel's maidservant. As you recall the story, she was bitter, she was jealous. Give me children or I die, she said to Jacob. So she decided to have her maidservant go into Jacob and bear children.

And the first son that was born was named what? It's in your notes. Dan. You guys taking notes? You guys awake out there? That's why we keep it cold in here so you guys stay awake. You know what I'm saying? It's Dan. His name means judgment. His name means judgment. God has judged me. Rachel looked at it as a vindication. In her mind it was. And so when we look at Dan's name, we begin to understand the pardon of the redeemed.

How is a man pardoned? Because he is justified by God. He is declared right by God. And so we understand that his name helps us see the plan of redemption by helping us see the pardon of the redeemed. The one whose soul is full of sin is now pardoned. So what do we have? We have our judgment taking place at Calvary's cross. And that's where our sins were judged. Because it was a son of God who bore in his body our sins. Right? 1 Peter 2.24 On the tree the prophet Isaiah said it this way. Isaiah 53 verse number 4 Surely our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried.

Yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening of our well-being fell upon him. And by his scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way. But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. The iniquity of us all fell upon him there at Calvary. And there our sins were judged. God treated his son as if his son was us.

For all his wrath was poured out on his son on that day. And the son bore the wrath of God upon himself so that you wouldn't have to. And that's why it says over in John chapter 3 the very familiar verse. Verse number 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And then it says this, verse 17 For God did not send his son into the world to do what? To judge the world. When Christ came, he came as a savior.

He didn't come as a judge. He came to save man from his sins. So the Bible says he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

So Dan signifies the pardon of redemption. The second son through Bill Hall, the maidservant. His name was Naphtali, which means to wrestle, which means to struggle. This is the pathway of the redeemed. This is the pathway of the redeemed. Let me explain it to you.

Turn, if you would, in your Bible to Luke chapter 13. This is the pathway of the redeemed. Remember, Rachel had struggled with Leah for the affection of Jacob. Struggled with Leah over the prominence in the family. And this son, Naphtali, would signify the struggle that they had in their relationship. Not knowing that what the son prefigured was the pathway of the redeemed. The pathway of a constant struggle. The Bible says in Ephesians 6 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against what?

The principalities and powers of darkness. The evil forces of wickedness. The pathway of the redeemed is a pathway of struggle. A pathway of wrestling that begins the moment you decide to follow Christ. Let me illustrate it for you through looking at several passages of Scripture.

Luke 13, verse 22. And he was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching and proceeding on his way to Jerusalem. And someone said to him, Lord, are there just a few who are being saved? Now what would prompt that question? What would prompt that question is that the longer Christ went in his ministry, the less people he had following him. When he began the ministry, everybody was excited. Everybody was in the Jesus movement. But the longer he went in his ministry, the less people he had following him.

And so someone, smart enough, what's the word I want to use? Coherent enough, said, Lord, are there only a few who are going to follow you? Because that's all that's happening. I mean, it's getting fewer as the days go on. And Christ said these words. Strive to enter by the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Oh, strive to enter. The word agonizomai, which means to wrestle violently. Interesting word. Same word used over in 1 Corinthians 9.25 of an athlete who battles and wrestles for victory.

An athlete just doesn't go out in the field and say, okay, I'm the winner today. I'm bigger. I'm prettier. I'm stronger. I win. You lose. That's not the way it works. He's got to battle for victory. It's a struggle. Same word used. Colossians 4.12, it talks about Epaphras who wrestles fervently in prayer for those whom he loves. Same word used over in 1 Timothy 6.12 of a man of God who fights the good fight of faith. Christ says, strive to enter.

Fight to enter. Because many will seek. They will not be able to. Let me tell you something. We have made it so easy for people to believe in Jesus. That we have perverted the gospel. The Bible says that those who enter have to strive to enter.

And those who want to enter the kingdom of God are violent kind of men. Because the kingdom of God suffers violence. That's why Paul said, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of wickedness. You see, we forget that when someone comes to saving faith, listen carefully, all hell is against them. Satan doesn't want people to come to Christ. So he prevents, in any way he possibly can, for that to happen. Now before I go any further, let me explain it to you this way.

Turn with me to Revelation chapter 12. Someone said last week, you know, you were in Revelation more than you were in Genesis. I said, yep, I know. Just bear with me. If you know the end, you know everything. So you better know the end. Know how it all comes out. Revelation 12 gives us the history of the world. Let me tell you how the kingdom of God suffers violence, and those who enter it are violent.

Those who enter it are forcing their way into it. They are striving, they are agonizing to get in, because all hell is against them. Listen to what it says. And a great sign appeared in heaven. Mega sign. Great sign. For those of you who are with us in our study of Revelation, you know that that word is the key word in Revelation. 84 times it's used. Great sign. Revelation is the great book, because it's about the great God. It says, a great sign appeared in heaven, and a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars, and she was with child, and she cried out, being in labor and in pain, to give birth.

You say, what is that? John gets his vision. A great sign in heaven. And there is this woman. Now, there is several women in the book of Revelation. There is the woman Jezebel in Revelation 2. That's not her. There is a scarlet woman in Revelation 17. That's not her. But the woman signifies Israel. Israel. But as you recall, Joseph's vision of everyone bowing down to him, the parallels here speak of the nation of Israel. And this is the woman, Israel. And this woman has a crown of twelve stars on her head.

Stephanos. Crowns that come through great suffering, great hardship. And it says, she was with child, and she cried out, being in labor. Who was crying out when the Messiah was born? It was Israel. People say, well, the woman's Mary. No, the woman's not Mary. The woman is Israel. And all Israel was crying out for the promised Messiah. There had been 400 silent years since Malachi chapter 4, when Malachi the prophet promised that the day star would arise and shine in the hearts of man. And there was nothing for 400 years.

And ever since Genesis 3.15, there was a promise of a seed that would come. For 4000 years, they had anticipated the promise. And they were crying out, Israel was, for the Messiah to come, because they were under the rulership of Rome. And Rome was beating down upon them. And they were under their authority. And they were tired of it. And they wanted their Messiah to come. And so the woman cried aloud in child Mary. Verse three, and another sign appeared in heaven. And behold, a great red dragon.

Who's the dragon? Look at verse number nine. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old, who was called the devil, Satan. So John sees another sign in the heavens. And a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns. Horns symbolizing authority and power and strength. Seven heads representing all the empires of the world. All the empires in the past, and all the empires in the future. This dragon is in control of all the world empires. On his head, there were seven diadems. His tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth.

And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth. So that when she gave birth, he might devour her child. Now did that come true or not? Sure it did. Remember, this is the history of the world. When Satan would take a third of the angels with him when he fell from glory.

And he had always been trying to make sure the child was never born. So what did he use? He used Herod the king to destroy all the babies in Judea. So that that child would not be born. And if born, would not live. Now you understand? Those who enter, strive to enter. Though the kingdom of God suffers violence, because the red dragon, Satan himself, is against the redemptive plan of God. He is doing all he can to stop that, so much so that he stood over the child when the child was born in Bethlehem that night, looking for a way to devour the child, to kill the child.

And ever since then, that's been his plan. And it says in verse number five, And she gave birth to a son, a male child. That's the incarnation. Who is to rule the nations with a rod of iron. That's his coronation. And her child was caught up to God and to his throne. That is his exaltation. That's the history of the world in five verses. It talks about the world war, the celestial conflict. Now you understand the pathway of the redeemed? It's full of violence. It's full of suffering. Why? Because it's against the spiritual forces of wickedness.

Satan has always been against the plan of God. Will do all he can to stop the plan of God, to thwart the plan of God. And if it wasn't for the grace of God and the mercy of God, that would open the heart of an individual to let them in. They would never be a part of God's kingdom. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. So you can be sure that if God wants that individual saved, they'll get saved. They'll get saved. You be faithful. You preach the word. You give the word. And let God do his work through his word.

But the pathway of the redeemed is one of wrestling, is one of struggling. From the time he begins to enter the kingdom until the time he goes home to be with the Lord. Now that's a perception of the Christian life that most churches don't teach on. But that's the truth. That's what the word of God teaches. And we need to understand that. There came another son. Our time is fleeing. But let me give you this one last son.

As you recall, Leah would do what Rachel did and she would send her maidservant, Zilpah, in to Jacob. She would give birth to a son. His name was Gad. His name means good fortune. This is the pleasure of the redeemed. I didn't want to end on the last point because it was so gruesome and so harsh and then we'll leave you with a downer this morning. So when we look at the son Gad, his name means good fortune.

Good fortune. The pleasure of the redeemed. How fortunate are we? We are the most fortunate people in the world because Jesus is our Savior. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you, through his poverty, might become rich. Paul would talk about it over in the book of Galatians when he said this in Galatians chapter 3, verse number 26, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Isn't that good? Sons of God.

The gospel produces joy. What kind of joy? Ecstatic joy. Thanks be unto God for his indescribable gift, for his inscrutable gift, for his unexplainable gift. 2 Corinthians 9, 15, Paul says there is no way I can begin to explain to you the gift of God, but we are so fortunate to have it. We are so fortunate to have received it that we should be the people who are willing to give it away to somebody else. That they might be as blessed as we ourselves are blessed. We are fortunate. We've experienced the pleasure of redemption because we are set free from our sin.

We are set free from the enslavement of Satan to rule and reign with Jesus Christ our Lord forever because we are his sons. Let's pray.