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February 1 | ||
| So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance. And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus . . . | ||
| Joshua 16:4-5 | ||
| Joshua 16 and 17 describe the inheritance given to Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Although Manasseh was the older brother, Ephraim is mentioned first. And therein lies a story . . .Hearing that his father was sick, Joseph brought his two sons to be blessed by their grandfather, carefully positioning them so that Manasseh was on Jacob’s right side and Ephraim on his left. After pronouncing blessing upon Joseph, Jacob prepared to bless Joseph’s sons by placing his right hand - the hand of priority - on Ephraim and his left on Manasseh. “Wait a minute, Dad,” Joseph said. “You’re confused. Manasseh is the firstborn. Therefore, your right hand should be on his head.”“I know what I’m doing,” Jacob insisted. “Manasseh will be a great people - but Ephraim shall indeed be greater” (Genesis 48:19).This is often the way of God . . .It was Abel and not Cain who was blessed, even though Cain was the firstborn. Jacob and Esau were twins, but Esau was older. Jacob, however, was the blessed one. Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn. Isaac, however, was the child of promise. Aaron was the elder son of Amram and Jochebed, yet it was their second-born son, Moses, who was called to deliver God’s people. David was the youngest of Jesse’s sons, yet it was he - a man after God’s own heart - who was anointed king. This pattern is seen throughout Scripture. Why?I suggest it shows you and me that God forgets about our firstborn and blesses our second born. Kids? No, our lives. That is, our first life is forgotten about. Our new life is what God focuses on and blesses. “You must be born again,” Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3).“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new,” Paul told the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 5:17).“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin,” he told the Romans (Romans 6:6).Ours is the God of the second-born - and the second chance. And for that, I’m oh so grateful. | ||
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