{"id":16773,"date":"2021-07-21T22:00:29","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T05:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/genesis_47_1-31-copy\/"},"modified":"2021-07-16T22:24:17","modified_gmt":"2021-07-17T05:24:17","slug":"genesis_48_1-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/genesis_48_1-22\/","title":{"rendered":"God\u2019s Sovereign Choice to Bless You"},"content":{"rendered":"

Genesis 48:1-22Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Genesis 48:1-22.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Genesis 48:1-6 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-6:\u00a0\u00a0Jacob, nearing his death, gets ready to bless the generations that have come after him.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He decides to begin with Joseph and Joseph\u2019s sons.\u00a0\u00a0What does Jacob mean when he says that Joseph\u2019s sons Ephraim and Manasseh will be reckoned as his own \u201cjust as Reuben and Simeon are mine\u201d (v5)?\u00a0\u00a0Jacob means that for inheritance purposes he will treat Ephraim and Manasseh as belonging to the same generation as Jacob\u2019s own sons, meaning that Ephraim and Manasseh would each get the same kind of inheritance that their uncles would get.\u00a0\u00a0The effect of this decision was two-fold:<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0First, Jacob was elevating the status of Ephraim and Manasseh to the same level as their uncles.\u00a0\u00a0That is why when we read about the later history of Israel in the Old Testament, along with the other tribes of Simeon, Judah, Levi, and other sons of Jacob, we don\u2019t hear so much about the tribe of Joseph but we do hear often about a tribe of Ephraim and a tribe of Manasseh.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Second, Jacob was effectively giving Joseph\u2019s family a double inheritance compared to all the rest of Jacob\u2019s sons.\u00a0\u00a0Even though Joseph was the second youngest of Jacob\u2019s sons, Jacob was treating Joseph like his firstborn, giving him a double inheritance, even though Reuben was technically the oldest son and Jaco\u2019s firstborn (see 1 Chronicles 5:1-2).<\/p>\n

Just as Jacob elevated the status of Ephraim and Manasseh and gave them each an inheritance as if they were direct sons of Jacob, so your Heavenly Father elevated our status even more.\u00a0\u00a0From sinners who were disqualified from having any inheritance, we became children of God with an inheritance equal to that of God\u2019s Son Jesus (1 Peter 1:3-4; Colossians 1:12; Ephesians 1:14), all because of God\u2019s mercy and grace.<\/p>\n

Genesis 48:7-12 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father. Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.”
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 7-12:\u00a0\u00a0Jacob, who is once again called Israel here, intends to bless Joseph\u2019s sons Ephraim and Manasseh.\u00a0\u00a0He mentions in verse 7 that he lost his wife Rachel unexpectedly.<\/p>\n

In verse 11, Jacob mentions how he never expected to see Joseph\u2019s face again, and now he gets to see Joseph\u2019s children as well.\u00a0\u00a0It goes to show that\u00a0life is full of unexpected pain as well as unexpected blessings.\u00a0\u00a0But through all the joy and the pain, God is writing a greater story with our lives than anything we could write for ourselves.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Genesis 48:13-20 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0the 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 upon the earth.”
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
\n19\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.”
\n20\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He blessed them that day and said, “In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.'” So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 13-20:\u00a0\u00a0The fact that Jacob\u2019s eyes are failing (v10) and he can hardly recognize Ephraim and Manasseh recalls the time when Jacob\u2019s father Isaac, with failing eyes, is about to give his blessing to what he thinks is his firstborn Esau (Genesis 27:1).\u00a0\u00a0In that earlier case, Isaac would accidentally bless Jacob, thinking mistakenly that he was blessing his firstborn Esau (Genesis 27).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In this present case, however, Jacob is very clear about whom he is going to give the greater blessing to between Joseph\u2019s two sons Ephraim and Manasseh.<\/p>\n

Just as Jacob the younger son got his father\u2019s blessing over Esau his older brother, and just as Jacob gave Joseph one of his youngest sons a greater blessing than he gave his older sons, here we see Jacob continuing a similar trend as he blesses his grandchildren, Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph\u2019s sons, in a similar way.\u00a0\u00a0Instead of putting his right hand (representing the highest favour and blessing a father can give) on the firstborn Manasseh and his left hand on Ephraim, Jacob crosses his arms and puts his right hand on the younger Ephraim and his left hand on the older Manasseh.\u00a0\u00a0Even when Joseph protests this move, Jacob insists on pronouncing a greater blessing on the younger Ephraim.\u00a0\u00a0Why?\u00a0\u00a0Was Jacob just continuing a generational trend?\u00a0\u00a0Was Jacob partial to blessing the younger sibling since he himself was a younger sibling?\u00a0\u00a0It wasn\u2019t only because of preference or tradition, but because of God\u2019s sovereign choice.\u00a0\u00a0Apparently Jacob had previously received a word from God about the future of these two young boys, about how both of them would be great nations but that Ephraim would have more descendants and thus be \u201cgreater\u201d than his brother Manasseh (see Numbers 2:18-21 and Deuteronomy 33:17).\u00a0\u00a0Thus in faith Jacob goes with this word and blesses Ephraim and Manasseh accordingly.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from all this?\u00a0\u00a0God is sovereign.\u00a0\u00a0God decides as God wants to decide and no one can sway God differently.\u00a0\u00a0If God wants to bless the younger especially, the younger will be especially blessed.\u00a0\u00a0God has total freedom, authority and right to decide who He will bless and how much.<\/p>\n

Genesis 48:21 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n21\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 21:\u00a0\u00a0Though your closest loved ones will not always be with you, God will always be with you and will be faithful to bring you home to where you belong.<\/p>\n

Genesis 48:22 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n22\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And to you, as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 22:\u00a0\u00a0To show how much he favoured Joseph, Jacob once gave Joseph a colorful robe.\u00a0\u00a0Now Jacob gives Joseph a ridge of land that Jacob himself conquered.\u00a0\u00a0Jacob gave the things dearest to his heart, the things he worked the hardest to gain, to his most favoured son.\u00a0\u00a0Similarly, because He loves you, your Heavenly Father has given you the things dearest to His heart, the things He worked the hardest to gain \u2013 namely, our salvation, our forgiveness, our redemption which were all made possible only by Christ\u2019s death on the cross.\u00a0\u00a0He does that because You are dearest to Him.<\/p>\n

Heavenly Father, You are sovereign in all the decisions You make.\u00a0\u00a0Thank You that in Your sovereignty You decided to bless me with the highest favour and blessing You could give, even when I didn\u2019t naturally deserve it.\u00a0\u00a0Thank You that through all the unexpected joys and pains we experience in life, You are writing a greater story than anything we could write.\u00a0\u00a0In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Genesis 48:1-22.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Genesis 48:1-6 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him.
\n2\u00a0\u00a0When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.
\n3\u00a0\u00a0Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me
\n4\u00a0\u00a0and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’
\n5\u00a0\u00a0“Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
\n6\u00a0\u00a0Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers.<\/p>\n

On verses 1-6:\u00a0\u00a0Jacob, nearing his death, gets ready to bless the generations that have come after him.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He decides to begin with Joseph and Joseph\u2019s sons.\u00a0\u00a0What does Jacob mean when he says that Joseph\u2019s sons Ephraim and Manasseh will be reckoned as his own \u201cjust as Reuben and Simeon are mine\u201d (v5)?\u00a0\u00a0Jacob means that for inheritance purposes he will treat Ephraim and Manasseh as belonging to the same generation as Jacob\u2019s own sons, meaning that Ephraim and Manasseh would each get the same kind of inheritance that their uncles would get.\u00a0\u00a0The effect of this decision was two-fold:\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16775,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16773"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16774,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16773\/revisions\/16774"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}