John 16:1-16. Jesus continued his instructions to his disciples, telling why it is good he leaves and sends the Holy Spirit. He also promised they would be persecuted for following Jesus.
Genesis 48 describes how Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh. He blessed Ephraim ahead of Manasseh, even though Manasseh was the older of Joseph’s sons.
In Genesis 49 Jacob blessed all his sons with a different blessing for each of them.
And finally, Genesis 50 tells how Jacob was buried back in Canaan near Mamre where Sarah, Abraham and Rebecca also were buried. Joseph forgave his brothers; “Ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good”. Finally even Joseph dies, and he wills that his bones will be carried out when they depart Egypt and enter into the promised land.
The reading for today is all about final instructions. Jesus gives his final instructions to his believers. He will send the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, the advocate, the Spirit of Truth, and he will lead them into all truth. The promise is that the Holy Spirit will be in us, whereas in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit came upon the people from time to time; they did not even have Law to lean on yet. But what was revealed pointed to the promised land and to a future redeemer.
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