The Psalms are the very heart of Holy Scripture. The Book of Psalms has been called “The Prayer and Praise Book of Israel”, but, of course, the Psalms are not the exclusive property of that favoured nation. Believers of all ages have sung them and have revelled in the sweetness of these inspired songs. It seems as though every human emotion and every spiritual ambition finds expression in the poetry of the Psalms…The Saviour Himself, however, has provided the key to the most profitable of all meditations, that is to find Christ in the Psalms. Here we may find His sufferings and His glory, His feelings and His tender inner experiences. On that memorable first day of the week on the way to Emmaus, and later in Jerusalem in the midst of His disciples, He showed those early believers that He was in all the Scriptures, and He made special reference to the Psalms (Lk 24:27, 44). Indeed certain Psalms are called “Messianic” because, apart from Himself, the Messiah, there can be no ultimate understanding or fulfilment of those particular Psalms.
The Psalms are many believers’ favorite book of the Bible, and for good reason. But have you ever thought about how even songs of praise can point and lead to Jesus?
Read More – And What of Joseph’s Faith?
“But like his father Jacob, Joseph believed the word of promise—that God was building a great people who would one day return to the land of promise.”
In Genesis 48, Jacob blesses his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh. It might seem like just a nice moment between family, but the Preaching the Word Commentary on Genesis brings this passage to life.
Following along with the verses, the commentary explains the background information and meaning that might not immediately come to mind. For example, the author Hughes explains that by bringing his sons to be blessed by Jacob, Joseph was identifying himself with God’s people, thereby losing their Egyptian prominence. Why does that matter? Joseph was trusting God’s promise, even if it seemed crazy to outsiders. Understanding this can help bring to light the significance of Jacob’s blessing to Joseph.
Read the rest of the commentary on Genesis 48 below. The Preaching the Word Series is an award-winning commentary specifically written to serve those who preach.
We hope you’ll be blessed and inspired by the content in this commentary, and if you love this sample, the entire series is on sale for your Wordsearch library (much better than a PDF!) for only $149.95 until August 30. Individual volumes are on sale for only $7.95 each.
Read the Sample here.