Genesis 49:22–26

Jacob is dying. One by one, he blesses his sons, speaking prophetically about their future. When he comes to Joseph, the son once despised, betrayed, and sold into slavery, the tone shifts. Of all the blessings given, Joseph’s is the richest and longest.

Judah will carry the line of the Messiah—but Joseph, at this point in history, stands as the most visibly blessed. His life testifies that the favor of God can rest even on those who suffer deeply.

A Fruitful Branch

Jacob begins,

“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring;

his branches run over the wall.”

The picture is of a tree so nourished that its branches spill over boundaries—overflowing, abundant, and unstoppable. Joseph’s life bore fruit in every circumstance. Betrayed by brothers, enslaved in Egypt, imprisoned unjustly—yet everywhere he went, blessing followed. Not because the soil was easy, but because the spring was deep.

Joseph’s life was rooted in God, and that made him fruitful even in drought.

The Source of Every Blessing

Jacob continues:

“By the God of your father who will help you,

by the Almighty who will bless you

with blessings of heaven above,

blessings of the deep that crouches beneath…”

The language rises in a crescendo of praise. Jacob piles word upon word—heaven’s blessings, earthly blessings, generational blessings—all flowing from one Source.

That is the point of this passage: God is the fount of every blessing. Every good and perfect gift, as James writes, “comes down from above, from the Father of lights.”

The world offers counterfeits—shortcuts that promise pleasure, power, or prosperity. But apart from God, those gifts rot. Blessings severed from their source become curses.

The Danger of Forgetting the Fount

Israel’s later history proves it. The descendants of Joseph—Ephraim and Manasseh—became large, wealthy tribes. But when comfort came, they forgot the Giver. They forsook the spring for broken cisterns that could hold no water.

The same temptation faces every believer. When life goes well, we begin to think the fruit is of our own making. We chase “blessings” that don’t come from God—relationships outside His will, wealth gained without integrity, success purchased at the cost of holiness.

But a true blessing never requires disobedience to obtain.

The Wise and the Foolish

The sermon’s title comes from the hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. The hymn writer understood this truth: all good comes from God’s hand, and even the best heart is “prone to wander.”

Fools look elsewhere for blessing. They drink salt water, hoping to quench thirst. But the wise look upward and say, “If it doesn’t come from Him, I don’t want it.”

God’s blessings may come wrapped in hardship—Joseph’s did—but they are real, lasting, sanctifying blessings. And just as every good gift flows from Him, every trial He allows flows toward His ultimate good for those who love Him.

The Fount Still Flows

Joseph’s story ends in triumph not because life was easy, but because God was faithful. The same God who blessed Joseph is still the Fount today—pouring out grace through Christ, the true Son who was betrayed by His brothers, yet raised to rule.

For those rooted in Him, there will be fruit—even in famine.

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