Last 5 Days
God’s election is sovereign
1 After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. 3 And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
8 When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” 12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15 And he blessed Joseph and said,
“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying,‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’”
Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
This chapter speaks of Jacob’s blessings of Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob had made Joseph the chosen heir and therefore he received double portion of blessings, through his two sons. Jacob said that Ephraim and Manasseh will be now regarded as his sons, just as how Reuben and Simeon were his children. 1 Chronicles 5:1 confirmed that Reuben (was) the firstborn of Israel, for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's couch, his birth right was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son.
The scriptures tells us that the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. It reminded us of a similar setting when Isaac was old and his eyes were also dim when he blessed Jacob. It was also that then that Israel cheated of the blessings from Isaac. Will Israel makes the same mistake like Isaac did in his old age then?
The next scene was a dramatic turn of events. Joseph brought Ephraim and Manasseh to Israel, and he crossed his hands to blessed the children. Israel’s right hand was on Ephraim and his left on Manasseh. In the cultural context, the right hand was a symbol of authority, and blessing with the right hand was usually on the first born. However, Israel placed his hand of authority on the younger child, breaking the cultural norm of his times. Joseph corrected his father, thinking that he was old and had made a grave mistake in his blessings. But Israel refused him and repeated himself twice that he knew what he was doing. Like Israel, the younger one shall receive the blessings of the first born. (v19)
Israel might have been old and blind, but he was clear with his decision. In the original language, the word “crossing” of arms meant wisdom, hinting that Israel had made considerations for his actions and made a decision that was wise after consulting God. Isaac might had made a “mistake” in his blessings many years ago, but here, Jacob had made an intended decision as God deemed appropriate.
Once again, from the blessings of Joseph’s two sons, we see that the younger was greater than the older, like Jacob was greater than Esau, and Joseph was greater than Reuben and Simeon. God does not choose His people based on human norms and rationality. God works based on His own will. Every time we think we have figured out God’s pattern of operandum, He surprises us with His decisions again. Dear brothers and sisters, God is sovereign and we may not always understand how God sees the world from His will and plans. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Some moments may cast doubt in our lives, causing us to wonder if God had made a mistake. “Why is this happening to me?” “How can a good God allow such things to happen to me?” “Doesn’t God know that it is hurts?” There will be moments in our lives when we will not be able to fully understand God’s will and ways, and sometimes we might never find out the reasons for suffering. Regardless, we can still trust God as Israel did. As Israel looked back and was reminded of God’s faithfulness, not just to him, but also to Abraham and Isaac, he took faith that God will continue to watch over his children and the generations after him. Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.” Israel had faith in God with the unseen. Dear brothers and sisters, will you trust God too in your faith journey, knowing that God fails not. Will you sing as Ira Stanphill writes in his song, “Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand, but I know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hand.”
