Genesis 48
Bypassing the older for the sake of the younger...
Previous post: Genesis 47
As Jacob nears the end of his life, he calls in Joseph’s boys, Ephraim and Manasseh, to bless them before he dies. Joseph brings his sons before his father, placing Manasseh, the older, on Jacob’s right and the younger, Ephraim, on Jacob’s left. Joseph’s intention was for the oldest to receive the greater blessing as was the custom. However, Jacob crosses his hands and gives the greater blessing to the younger Ephraim. This keeps the pattern that we’ve seen play out several times already, including with Jacob himself…the younger usurps the older in blessing and honor. More examples:
God accepted Abel’s offering over Cain’s in Genesis 4.
Isaac was chosen over his older brother, Ishmael.
God chose Jacob as the father of the 12 tribes of Israel rather than Jacob’s older brother, Esau
Perez “broke out” (as the Bible describes it) in front of his brother Zerah.
Joseph—who spent his childhood as the youngest sibling—was chosen by God to lead and save his people (and consequently the nation of Israel).
Aaron was 3 years older than Moses, but God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
God chose Gideon, the youngest in his family, to deliver Israel from the Midianites.
God chose David to be king rather than any of his 7 older brothers
God chose David’s son, Solomon, to be king instead of older brothers.
As I already discussed in Genesis 21, the pattern of the Bible isn’t just younger usurping the older. It’s weak made strong. It’s “the last shall be first and the first shall be last.”
Moses. A stutterer leads the peace negotiation talks with Pharoah.
Gideon. The weakest member of the weakest tribe leads God’s army.
Jacob. Not only is he younger, he’s a deceiver, a manipulator, and a liar.
Paul. A mass-murder of Christians becomes the author of much of the New Testament.
Here’s a list I found from another source (https://thoughtcatalog.com/jarrid-wilson/2014/06/god-uses-flawed-people-to-share-hope-to-a-flawed-world/):
Abraham -Was old.
Elijah – Was suicidal.
Joseph – Was abused.
Job – Went bankrupt.
Moses – Had a speech problem.
Gideon – Was afraid.
Samson – Was a womanizer.
Rahab – Was a prostitute.
Samaritan Woman – Divorced.
Noah – Was a drunk.
Jeremiah – Was young.
Jacob – Was a cheater.
David – Was a murderer.
Jonah – Ran from God.
Peter – Denied Christ three times
Martha – Worried about everything.
Most importantly, the son of a teenage mom and carpenter dad from podunkville, Israel proves himself to be the savior of the world.
Matthew 20:16: So the last will be first, and the first will be last. (NIV)
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” That’a the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)
One more note before we leave Genesis 48: of course, the blessing Jacob gave to Joseph’s boys was quite an act of faith—both on the part of Jacob and the part of Joseph. Here they were at the very beginning of the nation’s sojourn in Egypt, and Jacob was blessing future generations with land that had been promised by God…land they did not currently inhabit. Joseph (by way of his sons) was accepting the blessing…believing in the future land, people, and nation of Israel.
Why is all of this good news for you and I, thousands of years later? Because God blesses the weak. Congrats, we’re weak. We’re the weaker, deceiver, sinner, outcast, etc. God chose to bless each and every one of us anyway. The strong was sacrificed for the sake of the weak…so that the weak might become strong. I think that’s why the pattern is reiterated throughout the Bible. To show us that, no matter how weak and sinful we are, there is hope for us. There is promise for us. I don’t know what your particular sin is, but I’m guessing you didn’t toss your brother in a well and leave him for dead. I’m guessing you didn’t slaughter an entire city for defiling your sister. I’m guessing you didn’t use your position of authority to sleep with someone’s wife and then have that someone killed to hide your sin. If God’s blessing passed through all those messed up people in the Bible, it passes in and through you and me as well. That’s good news.
Here’s this week’s AI rap summary:
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