May 28th, 2018

God’s Surprising Blessing

“Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for 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 also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.  So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will bless, saying, "May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh! '" And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.”  Gen. 48:17-20

This set of verses sets in motion a chain of God-ordained events that we witness being carried out in this time!  It all starts back in this chapter, with the Patriarch Jacob (whom God had named Israel), who wanted to bless his favorite son Joseph, as well as Joseph’s two sons who were born in Egypt.   Notice that Jacob tells Joseph that the two sons Ephraim and Manasseh are sons of their grandfather.  Jacob essentially adopted them into the family and they became part of the twelve tribes of Israel.  That is the first truth that jumps out at us.  The second is found in the blessing.

Joseph brings Manasseh the older and Ephraim the younger to their grandfather.  According to Hebrew custom, Joseph positions the boys in front of Jacob, such that Jacob’s right hand would be placed upon Manasseh’s head, and his left hand upon Ephraim’s.  Scripture indicates that Jacob crossed his hands, and put his right hand on Ephraim, his left on Manasseh.   This cross-handed blessing resulted in Jacob bestowing the first-born blessing to Ephraim.  Jacobs says, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations."

Jacob is declaring that though Manasseh will become a people and be great, Ephraim will be greater and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.  In the Hebrew that last phrase is “melo ha goyim” and means fullness of Gentile nations.  The name Ephraim means “fruitful” while Manasseh means “making forgetful” or “forgetting sufferings.”  Thus, Ephraim, the fruitful son of Jacob, will have descendants who will become the fullness of Gentile nations.