THE BLESSING OF MANASSEH AND EPHRAIM
Wednesday – May 9, 2018, Iyar 24, 5778
Again, greetings and welcome back to this wonderful faith building Bible Study from the Book of Hebrews. By way of a reminder, remember that faith is not something drops on you and now you are a faith giant. No, it is something God gave us all the capacity for but we must choose faith and exercise the diligence and freewill to obtain and grow in faith until we attain full stature. Remember, Adam was to operate like God in the earth, an under god if you will. Jacob was renamed to Israel meaning a prince of God who was to operate like God (by faith and the spoken word). We are princes of Israel, Abraham is the father of us all. We are to operate like God in the earth which is by faith and the spoken word.
Romans 10:17 (KJV)
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Mark 11:23 (KJV)
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Now, let’s read our primary text and get on to the blessing of Manasseh and Ephraim.
Hebrews 11:20-22 (KJV)
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
Let’s pickup with Joseph’s life in Egypt. Remember that he interpreted the Kings (Pharaoh) dreams. He had a plan from God to preserve that nation and the peoples around about so Pharaoh made Joseph the most powerful man in Egypt excepting himself. It is a lengthy passage but let’s take a look at it and move toward the blessing of Joseph’s sons.
Genesis 41:38-46 (KJV)
38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?
39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:
40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.
45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
Thirty years of age is the age Jesus is thought to have begun His earthly ministry and it is the age that Joseph entered his ministry which was to save Israel and the lineage which would bring the Messiah for all peoples. Notice that Joseph’s wife is Egyptian or from the world so the children are half Hebrew and half gentile. Generally, Jewish tradition says that the mother determines Jewishness and the father determines the tribe to which the child belongs which is the tribe of the father. Hopefully, you know there are twelve tribes of Israel and Jacob (Israel) is their father. In spite of this tradition the children are consider as Jews in either case and the children of Joseph were accepted as such. Remember that none of the wives of these early patriarchs were Jews (Hebrews). Perhaps we can see a picture here of a commonality of the Jew and Gentile.
Genesis 41:50-52 (KJV)
50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.
51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.
52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
Now, let’s read the blessing Jacob pronounced on these two children and see the outcome.
Genesis 48:14 (KJV)
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
Genesis 48:17-22 (KJV)
17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.
18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
Jacob put his right hand upon the younger giving the blessing of a first-born son to the younger and his left hand upon the older which is a lesser blessing. A blessing is an empowerment that is accomplished by The Blessing in our obedience. Therefore, the more obedience, love of God, the more the Blessing can bless us. The extent to which the Blessing can operate in our lives is totally dependent upon each one of us. We, and we alone, are the only ones who will or can limit the Blessing. For example, the Blessing was operational in Jacob’s life but not nearly to the extent it was in Abraham’s or Isaac’s for some of the reason’s I discussed. Lord will I will pick up right here tomorrow. Until our next publication, I speak this Scriptural prayer for your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
2 Peter 1:2-4 (KJV)
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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