Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried." "I will do as you say," he said. "Swear to me," he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. Some time later Joseph was told, "Your father is ill." So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed. Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me and 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.' "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. Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. As 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). When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, "Who are these?" "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." Now 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. Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too." Then Joseph removed them from Israel's knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. And 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. But 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. Then 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, 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 upon the earth." When 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. Joseph said to him, "No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." But 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." He 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." Genesis 47:28-31, 48:1-20
Chapter 47 ends with Jacob (also named Israel) near dying. He calls Joseph and makes him take an oath to not "bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried." Joseph swears he will carry our Jacob’s wish.
Soon after this, Jacob becomes ill and Joseph is summoned. He goes to his father with "his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him." Jacob sits up in bed and does something very peculiar. He adopts Joseph’s sons saying, "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." Then Jacob asks Joseph to bring them to him so he might bless them. We read where Joseph carefully positions the boys in accordance with their age. Manasseh was the oldest so by custom was the firstborn and deserved the birthright. He was placed to Jacob’s right. Ephraim meanwhile was placed on Jacob’s left. It would be a simple matter of Jacob reaching out his right and left hands onto the heads of the boys and blessing them appropriately. But things didn’t go as planned. Jacob crossed his arms when he reached out and thus placed his right hand on the head of Ephraim, the youngest. His left hand fell upon the head of the oldest, Manasseh.
This caused Joseph to be "displeased" so he "took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head" and said, "No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." But Jacob "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." He 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."
And so it was. The oldest son who was supposed to finish first finished second. Joseph had a problem with that. Why? Because Joseph perceived what was happening on worldly terms…not on the Lord’s. He only saw the switch as Manasseh losing his birthright…something his father Jacob knew all about. After all, he and his mother Rebekah deceived Isaac to give him the birthright that was rightfully Esau’s. Esau ended up finishing second to his younger brother. Now history was repeating itself as Ephraim, the younger, moved ahead of Manasseh, the elder.
Question: How well do you handle finishing second? I don’t know about you but I have had my difficulties. We seem to be very competitive by nature. Winning is everything. Nobody remembers the runner up. And so we end up obsessing over being first…so much so that we are willing to do almost anything...even sin...to avoid coming in second. And in its worst sense, we can become like Cain and murder our brother Abel out of envy over his favor over us. We can sell someone off into slavery like Joseph’s brothers just so we might garner the preference of the brother we got rid of. And I could go on and on using biblical examples of people not handling second place very well. But I don’t have to go back that far to find examples. There’s plenty of real life examples happening every day in our society…and even in our churches.
We simply need to shed this need for being first in everything. The Body of Christ isn’t about any one part of that body being any greater than the other. Instead, all the parts of the body are equally important to carry out the Will and Purpose of the Father. We are all subordinate to God when it all comes down to it. He’s first and we’re second…always. And none of us rank any better than the next. We’re all sinners who are without hope short of the salvation that comes through the crucified and risen Savior, God’s only Son, Jesus Christ. It’s through Him that we all finish first at the end of this race called life. So in the final analysis, it’s not important who finishes first while we’re in the world. It’s only important that we finish the race together…all in first place when we cross the finish line into the awesome glory of heaven with the Father and the Son.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
http://www.faithhopeandlove.info/
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
No comments:
Post a Comment