This Sunday, we continued our Sketches of Redemption series in Genesis 46–50, tracing the final chapters of Jacob’s life as God’s people entered exile in Egypt. Faced with comfort, security, and the pull of empire, Jacob charted a different path — one shaped not by fear, but by faith in God’s promises.

The Path of Promise: Though weak and displaced, Jacob refused to bow to Pharaoh. Instead, he blessed him — a quiet but powerful reminder that God’s promises outweigh any empire’s power. Even in exile, God’s people belong first to His kingdom.

The Path of Grace: When Jacob crossed his hands to bless the younger over the older, he embodied the upside-down logic of God’s grace. Blessing is not earned by status or strength, but given freely. Throughout Genesis, and ultimately in Jesus, we see that grace flows toward the weak and the undeserving.

The Path of the King: In his final blessing over Judah, Jacob looked ahead to a coming Lion — a forever King whose reign would bring peace and restoration. Egypt was not the end of the story. God’s people were living in exile, but their hope rested in a promised King who would one day make all things new.

Genesis closes with a tension we still feel today: will we let the empires around us shape us, or will we walk the path of promise, grace, and allegiance to the true King? Like Jacob, we are called to live in the world without letting it live in us — trusting that God is faithful to His promises, even in exile.