In Genesis 48, we see Abraham’s grandson Jacob passing on his last rites of faith and blessings to his son Joseph, and to his grandsons Manasseh and Ephraim. Through his blessing he chooses to adopt Joseph’s two sons as his own, blessing Joseph in return. This would be the fourth consecutive generation of Abraham’s descendants in which the normal pattern of the firstborn receiving blessings and gifts over the second born was reversed: Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over Reuben, and now Ephraim over Manasseh. Although this pattern was well-known, it was still a remarkable act of faith for Jacob to listen to God’s call to share his spiritual inheritance in a renewed way. Jacob crossed his hands in worship and blessed his adopted sons, surrendering his life and the future of his people to God’s word. In his last moments, he entrusted God’s wild grace to work through the generations to come.
How is God calling you to bless others through your life? How might God be renewing you to share the remarkable ways the gift of faith has changed your life?
God of our ancestors, you have blessed us to be a blessing. Guide us in the ways we are being called to uphold future generations in your grace. Amen. —