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God's Ways

Words of Faith Final

God's Ways
Words of Faith 8-19-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 48
[12] Then Joseph removed them from Israel's knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. [13] And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel's left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel's right hand, and brought them close to him. [14] But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim's head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh's head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.
[15] Then he blessed Joseph and said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, [16] the Angel who has delivered me from all harm --may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly upon the earth."
[17] When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim's head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. [18] Joseph said to him, "No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head."
[19] But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations." [20] He blessed them that day and said, "In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.' "
So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
[21] Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. [22] And to you, as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow."

The time had come for "the blessing ."This was no casual farewell. In the ancient world, this was a huge deal. The blessing of the father was more important than any material inheritance.
The blessing was pronounced when Joseph presented his two sons to the aged patriarch. Like his father Isaac, Jacob gave the blessing when his eyesight failed. But in this blessing, Israel (Jacob) crossed his arms so that his right hand was on Ephraim's head and his left on Manasseh's. This was in spite of the fact that Manasseh, the firstborn, would typically have been blessed with the right hand.
All this was Jacob's decision despite Joseph's direction. When Joseph saw that his father was blessing Ephraim over Manasseh, he protested. But Jacob said, "I know, my son, I know," expressing confidence that this blessing was according to the divine plan, not according to the usual custom.
Like so many others, Joseph expected God to work in a certain way. But he discovered that God is often pleased to work differently and sometimes even unconventionally. Biblical faith recognizes that God's ways are not man's ways. For Jacob, it took a lifetime of discipline to learn that fact. Now he blessed the younger over the elder because this was the leading of God.
Interestingly, God reversed an expected pattern for four consecutive generations. God chose to bless Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over Reuben, and Ephraim over Manasseh. Jacob had learned that despite what man attempts to do, God is the source of blessing.
God had chosen to bless Jacob, the younger, and He now carried this forward to Joseph's sons. Years later, Ephraim became a leading tribe in the Northern Kingdom, much superior to the tribe of Manasseh, as Jacob had predicted.
What do we learn from this? Is this an example to follow in blessing younger children over their older siblings? No, that is not the point. The point is that the sovereign plan of God is often different from social custom, human design, or man's expectation. The way that God works may be surprising or even inconceivable to us.
In Isaiah 55:8-9, God declares, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Father God, give me an eye to watch for Your ways. Keep me from presuming that I know Your plan. Give me a heart to discern Your will and Your ways. Give me faith to trust You in all things. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.