Saturday 31 August, 2019

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 I give one more ridge of land than to your brothers, the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”

God’s way isn’t our way. His way of thinking is higher than ours. His economy doesn’t follow our economy. We gain life by loosing it (Matthew 16:25), we’re called great by becoming less (Matthew 20:26). The first will be last and the last will be first (Matthew 19:30). It doesn’t make sense. I reckon Joseph would have been scratching his head as to why Jacob blessed Ephraim, the younger, over Manasseh, the older.

It should be no surprise then, that a virgin Jewish teenager would be chosen to bare the Saviour of the world. Of course the King of the world would be born in a stable. No surprise that the only sinless Man the world has even know would be known as the sinner’s friend. That the despair of the cross, the death of Jesus could become the victory of the resurrection that purchased my salvation.

Only God.
Only You, Jesus.
Only You, could be so amazing and so powerful and so kind and so good!   Amen

Written by Boudy Van Noppen