God is Your Shepherd

Rev Ronald Ooi

Always a pleasure to step onto this island as it's the land of my ancestors. My parents and my children were born in Penang. Except for me. I grew up eating Penang food. My mom cooks good Penang food. All our children have left the nest so it's our second honeymoon, say amen Jasmine.

We've been in ministry 40 years and 35 years ago we stepped in to Penang for ministry. We went up to Penang hill and looked down a dark Penang except for the little lights twinkling in George Town. I remember how Jesus wept over Jerusalem up on the mountain. It was a similar experience for us and that evening the Holy Spirit overwhelmed our hearts and we just prayed and prayed and prayed and how he loves this island. Dark as it was but there are these twinkling lights. We are that twinkling lights. The whole church of Penang are also these twinkling lights.

We the church lives in the city and Jesus went into the cities and villages and towns to preach the kingdom of God. He brought the kingdom of God and he confronted the powers of the day. Setting people free and turned their lives right side up. He came because he loved us and he prayed at the garden knowing it's a difficult journey. It was not an easy assignment. I call it the inconvenient gospel.

Only when it's convenient we serve. Jesus came when it was inconvenient. When we do that we become strong. A weak church will not turn a world that is in trouble right side up. When we are strong and healthy we can help someone else.  When we are strong physically and mentally and emotionally we can help others.

That strength comes with a relationship with God. That walk with God is a walk that will experience the power of God.

Let's look at this passage. I call it the prayer of Israel.

There are several prayers in the Bible like the Lord's Prayer. How Jesus established the kingdom of God here on earth. We have Jehoshaphat's prayer. The battle is not yours but the Lord's.

So now I want to look at the Prayer of Israel.

Genesis 48:15-16

15 Then he blessed Joseph and said,

“May the God before whom my fathers

Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,

the God who has been my shepherd

all my life to this day,

16 the Angel who has delivered me from all harm

—may he bless these boys.

May they be called by my name

and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,

and may they increase greatly

on the earth.”

Genesis 49:22-26

22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine,

a fruitful vine near a spring,

whose branches climb over a wall.

23 With bitterness archers attacked him;

they shot at him with hostility.

24 But his bow remained steady,

his strong arms stayed limber,

because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,

because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25 because of your father’s God, who helps you,

because of the Almighty, who blesses you

with blessings of the skies above,

blessings of the deep springs below,

blessings of the breast and womb.

26 Your father’s blessings are greater

than the blessings of the ancient mountains,

than the bounty of the age-old hills.

Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

Joseph received a double portion of the blessings.

Let me take you on a journey. These were the words of a dying man. There was once someone told me to preach as if you are a dying man. Preach like it's your last. And that's how I've been, never taking life for granted. That's how Israel wanted to bless his son. That Ephraim and Manasseh is blessed properly. He wants to make sure his grandchildren gets his blessings not by deception but by divine revelation.

Jacob now learns his lesson that blessings are not by deception but by prophetic revelation. For the first time in scripture Joseph was a bit upset because he favoured the younger one than the older one. And he said father, you should bless Manasseh, but the father said I know my sons and he blessed Ephraim more than Manasseh. He said I know.

Jacob understand that God has worked in the past, he is working in the present and he will work in the future. He understands the workings of God. He used the word walked when he said the God of my fathers. Abraham and Isaac walked with them. Life is not about what you get or don't get, but about a walk with God. We were made by God and made for God. Imperfect as we are he came to walk with us. He died for us so that we can come to him. When he said I AM, it means there is no other. He chooses to come so that we are re-connected so that we can walk with God and God walk with us.

It is not about what we want, to satisfy our appetite all the time. We come to God not because we want this and that. It is about us wanting to walk with him. Just like how he went into the garden to fellowship with Adam. He is not a shopping mall with all the goodies there. The reason is we are here to want to be with God. When we enjoy his presence first.

Our encounters with God happens again and again and again like how Abraham was unsure if he'll have a son, God appeared to him again. It's a journey. Growing deeper and deeper into knowing who God is. In Genesis 17, God appeared to Abraham again and said walk before me and be blameless and God affirmed him of his promise.

God is the promise keeper, the covenant keeper. You come to him. The shepherd walks with the sheep. Jacob was a shepherd. Joseph was a shepherd. David was a shepherd. Moses was a shepherd. They were all shepherds and they had to learn what is in the shepherd's heart. The rod and the staff. He protects with the rod against predators and the staff is to nudge the sheep. To keep them save.

The good shepherd lay down his life for his sheep. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. God walked and wrestled with Jacob. Because he was running away from cheating. Our walk includes wrestling with God. We have to do it God's way to bring the destiny of Jacob's life to pass. He was always trying his own way but at Genesis 22 he was alone, and cornered in a desperate situation. Trouble bring us to a point where man's extremity is also man's opportunity.

Finally he wrestled until daybreak. He wanted God to bless him and the amazing thing is that for once in his life he lost to God and he never walked the same again. He was a transformed man. It was a very practical transformation of his life.

This wrestling match gives us another revelation. God appeared as an angel. He was called a redeemer and it means in the literal sense someone who steps in and rescued him.

I grew up in a family with 5 boys 1 girl. When you have 5 boys it's never quiet. They call it sibling rivalry. I am the youngest and though we sometimes fight but when someone else outside touched me, my brothers will come to defend me.

Finally after the wrestling came the wonder of a nation formed. Genesis talked about the blessing.

Have you all seen a vineyard? When we were at Melbourne, we loved being at the vineyards. There are these clusters of grapes. My son will just ask me what I want. I used to wrestle with him and I always win but now, I cannot wrestle with him anymore. I wrestle instead with my grand daughter.

Walking with God is anytime. Not just good times. Good times and bad times walk with God. Wrestle so that we become more like him. He purifies his bride. He's coming soon. The whole world is in trouble. It's not a safe place anymore. He's preparing his bride. If we will just align ourselves with him and we too will be a fruitful vine.

I want to end with this thought.

Genesis 49:23-24

23 With bitterness archers attacked him;

they shot at him with hostility.

24 But his bow remained steady,

his strong arms stayed limber,

because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,

because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

I like these verses because. There are so many because.

Genesis 49:24-25

24 But his bow remained steady,

his strong arms stayed limber,

because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,

because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25 because of your father’s God, who helps you,

because of the Almighty, who blesses you

with blessings of the skies above,

blessings of the deep springs below,

blessings of the breast and womb.

We will make it because our God is a blesser.