Unexpected
Read Genesis 48:1-11.
Have you ever received something you never thought possible? Not a material item, per se, but perhaps a visit from a long-lost friend or a letter from someone you had wronged. I've been sorting through some old letters and cards that I have collected over the years, and I found one from a friend from many years ago. I have no idea what I originally wrote to this person, but it must have been harsh, perhaps in response to some sort of conflict that I no longer remember. The letter I got back (and have kept) began in this way: "This was the best letter I've gotten in a long time, even though you called me out, I knew you still cared." Sometimes blessings come in unexpected packages and in unusual ways. (That person and I are still friends, by the way, though separated by many, many miles.)
Jacob (or Israel, as he is sometimes called...why his name goes back and forth is probably another blog post!) is experiencing such an unexpected blessing. As he himself says near the end of this passage, he never expected to see Joseph again. As far as he knew, Joseph (let's not forget—his favorite son) was dead. And now, fifteen years later or so, he is seeing his son again and not only his son, but his grandsons! Heirs he didn't know he had! His heart is full, and he wants to give each of them a blessing as well—they will be his direct heirs.
It's sort of funny to think about Jacob "taking over" the paternal role for Manasseh and Ephraim. They, most likely, have been raised with the best of everything. Their father is second in command of Egypt, and so they would have had a "cushy" life. What kind of blessing could this herdsman from Canaan possibly offer them? Only the blessing of knowing the one true God, the blessing of a spiritual inheritance, and the blessing of a family line. Up to this point, Joseph may (or may not have) told them where he came from, but now they have a living, breathing family to be a part of. What Jacob had to offer may not have been much in terms of material blessings, but as any of us who have lived very long already know, material blessings don't last. As my colleague Pastor Rick Swan says, it's all rust and dust anyway.
Jacob gives his grandsons a blessing they did not expect, nor did they most likely really understand at that point. We would do well to remember the importance of that blessing over other blessings we might be tempted to offer (or grab). As the preacher C. T. Studd once said in a poem:
Have you ever received something you never thought possible? Not a material item, per se, but perhaps a visit from a long-lost friend or a letter from someone you had wronged. I've been sorting through some old letters and cards that I have collected over the years, and I found one from a friend from many years ago. I have no idea what I originally wrote to this person, but it must have been harsh, perhaps in response to some sort of conflict that I no longer remember. The letter I got back (and have kept) began in this way: "This was the best letter I've gotten in a long time, even though you called me out, I knew you still cared." Sometimes blessings come in unexpected packages and in unusual ways. (That person and I are still friends, by the way, though separated by many, many miles.)
Jacob (or Israel, as he is sometimes called...why his name goes back and forth is probably another blog post!) is experiencing such an unexpected blessing. As he himself says near the end of this passage, he never expected to see Joseph again. As far as he knew, Joseph (let's not forget—his favorite son) was dead. And now, fifteen years later or so, he is seeing his son again and not only his son, but his grandsons! Heirs he didn't know he had! His heart is full, and he wants to give each of them a blessing as well—they will be his direct heirs.
It's sort of funny to think about Jacob "taking over" the paternal role for Manasseh and Ephraim. They, most likely, have been raised with the best of everything. Their father is second in command of Egypt, and so they would have had a "cushy" life. What kind of blessing could this herdsman from Canaan possibly offer them? Only the blessing of knowing the one true God, the blessing of a spiritual inheritance, and the blessing of a family line. Up to this point, Joseph may (or may not have) told them where he came from, but now they have a living, breathing family to be a part of. What Jacob had to offer may not have been much in terms of material blessings, but as any of us who have lived very long already know, material blessings don't last. As my colleague Pastor Rick Swan says, it's all rust and dust anyway.
Jacob gives his grandsons a blessing they did not expect, nor did they most likely really understand at that point. We would do well to remember the importance of that blessing over other blessings we might be tempted to offer (or grab). As the preacher C. T. Studd once said in a poem:
Only one life, “twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
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