Genesis 48:1-22

Genesis Study 131

EPHARAIM AND MANASSEH

Genesis 48:1-22
Key verse 48:5
"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."

Last week we studied how God brought his great deliverance through Joseph. In the army I was trained for were two purposes—one was to deliver my life from all dangers and the other was to deliver my nation from all its enemies. In the same way when God trains us there are two purposes—one is to deliver us from all our sins and the other is to deliver people from their sins through us. Though it is very tough, I pray we may humbly go through all God's trainings. Someday God will bring his great deliverance through us.
In today's passage Jacob blesses Joseph's two sons—Manasseh and Ephraim. This was the moment of happiness and honour. However here is something more than ordinary blessing. Let's learn it.

Look at verses 1 to 4. According to chapter 47 verses 28 and 29, Jacob was a hundred and forty-seven years old. The time drew near for him to die. He requested Joseph to bury him in the Promised Land. Now some time later he became ill. Everyone sensed that it would be his last moment. In fact he would die after blessing Joseph's two sons in this chapter and his twelve sons in the next chapter. Jacob had lived such a hard but beautiful life of faith. And he wanted to accomplish his last mission that was to hand over God's blessing to the next generation. We can learn something wonderful from him.
When Joseph was told about his father's illness, he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. Jacob was lying on the bed. But he gathered his last strength and sat up on the bed. He 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.'" This was the very promise Jacob had received half century ago. By now he could hardly see because of his old age. He could hardly move from his bed. Yet he clearly remembered the half-century-old promise of God as if it was told him yesterday. This shows he had been putting all his hope in this one word of God. He had kept this one word of God as his most precious treasure. Now it was time for him to hand it over his sons. This one word of God would make them truly great in God's sight and this one word of God would bring God's great salvation to all mankind.

Look at verses 5 to 7. Here Jacob reckons Manasseh and Ephraim as his sons. The word "reckon" has the meaning of "consider". Even though Manasseh and Ephraim were Joseph's sons, from now on they would be considered as Jacob's sons. Jacob says, "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." What a great honour for Joseph and his two sons! Romans 2:10 says that God gives "glory and honour and peace to every man who does good." We all are born as sinners. It is very hard to teach our children to do good things. But even if we don't teach them they already know how to do bad things. It is because we all are sinners. Now the Bible tells us that even though we are bad sinners there is a way for us to be reckoned as God's children. What good should we do then to be reckoned as God's children? John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who received him (that is Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." The only good thing we can do as sinners is to receive Jesus as our Saviour. Then as Ephraim and Manasseh were adopted as Jacob's sons, we will be adopted as God's children.
Look at verses 8 to 16. Here Jacob blesses Ephraim and Manasseh. Joseph brought his sons close to his father, and Jacob kissed them and embraced them. He said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too." Jacob had lived with Joseph for seventeen years in Canaan and another seventeen years in Egypt. But in between he had missed him for twenty-two years. Those twenty-two years was the darkest moment of his life. But it was a preparation time for the brightest future. Now Jacob sees God's grace and kindness clearer than ever before.
Then Joseph removed his sons from Jacob's knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. Joseph never had bowed down to anyone even to Pharaoh. But before receiving God's blessing from his father, he bowed down. This shows how much he feared God and valued God's blessing. And he took Ephraim on his right toward Jacob's left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Jacob's right hand. He wanted his father to bless his first son with his right hand that signifies greater blessing. But look at verse 14. But Israel that is Jacob 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' head, even though he 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—my 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." In his blessing he confessed God as his shepherd. Being a shepherd by profession Jacob knew very well about a relationship between a shepherd and a sheep. Sometimes Shepherd God guided him through rocky places or deep valleys. But at the end he always led Jacob to the most pleasant and secured places. Now he blesses Ephraim and Manasseh to be guided by the same Shepherd God all the days of their lives. He was sure that Shepherd God would protect them perfectly and make them so fruitful. Our God is not simply supernatural force. He is not one of many gods. He is not a product of mythology. Our God is our shepherd and we are his beloved sheep. He knows us personally because he created us in his own image. He knows our names, habits and hobbies. He knows our favourite food and favourite colour. He knows our past, present and future. While we are sleeping he still watches over us. Even when we are wandering in our sins, he still loves us and makes every effort to turn us back to him. This is what our Shepherd God says us in Isaiah 49:15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" In fact when we were completely lost in sin, he left all his glory in heaven and came down to this world. Then he took up all our sins upon himself and died on the cross. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11) Jesus is our Shepherd God. He never leaves us alone. He takes care of us until we reach his everlasting kingdom.

Look at verses 17 to 20. 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. This was the only moment where in Joseph was displeased with his father and tried to correct him. It was out of his spiritual ignorance. He did not know that it was God's will to put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
So Jacob refused Joseph's request 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 Jacob put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
We all want God's blessing for every part of our lives. We want God to bless our studies, health, family, job, marriage, children, friends, relatives, country, bike, and house etc. But we have something for which we want God's greater blessing. For someone it may be job placement. For another it may be his or her marriage. Yet for another it may be final exams. But when God changes the priority we become anxious. We say to him, "God, thank you for blessing my Bible study. But what about my job? This is more urgent and this needs greater blessing. Please do hurry." But God crosses his hands and blesses our Bible study more than other things. Even if we try to change God's hand position, he refuses. Then we are in trouble. But God does so for our own good. There was one brother who asked me, "Shepherd, please pray for my job." Next time he said to me, "Shepherd, please give me a job." Then finally he asked me, "Shepherd, why don't you give me a job?" What could I do for him? I only prayed to God to guide him through the best way. Then God blessed his Bible study first. His faith in God's word grew. At last after taking eight interviews he got a job placement in the world famous software company. On his interview form he wrote his life purpose as "To have faith in God". In the past his life purpose was "To have faith in myself." What a great change! God knows what is best and what is most urgent for us. He never makes a mistake. I humbly pray we may earnestly seek God's greatest blessing for our Bible study. Then all other blessings will naturally follow. May God bless us keep his promise as the best treasure and hand it over to our next generation.