“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,”
~ Genesis 48:15
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever realized that you were for the very last time saying goodbye to a kid friend? How do you feel when you are saying goodbye to your grandmaa and grandpaa when your grandmaa and grandpaa leave your house to go back to Guatemala after they have spent time with you? Not long before your grandmaa and grandpaa left with your dad and your Aunt Lynn for Bolivia, your dad’s grandma’s ma came to the farm where your grandpaa grew up to say goodbye. Your grandpaa’s grandma – Grandma DeVries, was over ninety years old when your grandpaa said goodbye to his Grandma DeVries for the very last time. When your grandpaa said goodbye to his Grandma DeVries, your grandpaa told his Grandma DeVries that he would be seeing her again in about four years. Your grandpaa’s Grandma DeVries told your grandpaa that he would not see her alive again on planet Earth – that she was going to die before your grandmaa and grandpaa returned from Bolivia. Your grandpaa felt sad when his Grandma DeVries told him that he would never see her again on planet Earth. As your grandpaa was giving his Grandma DeVries his very last hug and kiss – as Grandma DeVries always wanted a kiss with a hug, your grandpaa saw that she had a very happy, proud look on her face. Your dad’s great-grandma – Grandma DeVries, was obviously very happy that your grandmaa and grandpaa were going to Bolivia as missionaries. Two of your dad’s great-grandma DeVries’ boys and at least a couple of her grandkids had become pastors but your dad’s great-grandma DeVries had never had anyone in her family become a missionary. Your grandpaa thinks now that when your grandmaa and grandmaa left to go to Bolivia as missionaries that his Grandma DeVries was ready to go through death’s door into heaven because she could say as she entered into heaven that the family that she was a matriarch of could now boast of having in it a missionary. It would not surprise your grandpaa at all to find out someday that his Grandma DeVries had seriously and genuinely prayed often for someone in her family to one day be called by God to be an overseas missionary.
When your grandpaa said goodbye for the very last time to his Grandma DeVries, your grandpaa felt by the happy, proud look on his Grandma DeVries’ face that he was being blessed by his grandma for the ministry that God had called your grandmaa and grandpaa to do as missionaries. When a guy 4000 years or so ago was at the point of dying, it was very important for the dying guy to bless his oldest boy. When Isaac was about ready to die, Isaac was tricked into blessing Jacob. Jacob was born seconds after his twin bro Esau was born. Because Esau was born first, Esau was to get his dad’s blessing. When Jacob was about ready to die – which was about 3850 years ago, the oldest son among Jacob’s sons was to receive Jacob’s blessing – which meant that that son would be the son who would inherit one half of all of his dad’s possessions. Joseph was Rachel’s first son. Joseph was Jacob’s – or Israel’s, favorite son. Leah was Rachel’s older sis. Jacob had to first marry Leah if he wanted to marry Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel more than he loved Leah but . . . Rachel died after two boys – Joseph and Benjamin, were born to her. Leah had six boys. Reuben and Simeon were Leah’s two oldest boys. When Jacob was on his deathbed, Joseph brought his two sons – Manasseh and Ephraim, to his dad for his dad to bless his boys. Moses explains in Genesis 48 how Jacob passed on his inheritance blessing to Ephraim. Even though Manasseh was older than Ephraim, Jacob crossed his arms over the heads of Manasseh and Ephraim giving his first blessing to Ephraim. Instead of Jacob passing his blessing on to Rueben – as Rueben was Jacob’s oldest son, Jacob – or Israel, passed his blessing on to Manasseh and Ephraim with Ephraim being the kid who received Jacob’s firstborn inheritance blessing. Once God’s specially chosen guys and gals had moved into the land that God has promised His specially chosen guys and gals that they would always have to live in as their very own land if . . . the Ephraim and Manasseh tribal clans were given land.
Jacob was the father of twelve boys. The nation or country of Israel would be made up of twelve tribal clans. These twelve tribal clans would in time move back to the land that God had promised Jacob – Israel, the night that He wrestled with Jacob – Israel, that Jacob’s – Israel’s, extended family would always have to live in as their very own land. When Jacob – Israel, gave Ephraim and Manasseh his inheritance blessing, Jacob – Israel, was adopting Ephraim and Manasseh and making them his first sons. When Jacob – Israel, adopted Joseph’s two boys as his first sons, Jacob – Israel, was replacing Reuben and Simeon as his first sons. Ephraim and Manasseh replaced Joseph as one of Jacob’s twelve sons. Jacob – Israel, had thought that he would never see his son Joseph again but now that Jacob – Israel, has, Jacob – Israel, blesses Joseph through Joseph’s boys. Joseph – through his two sons – Ephraim and Manasseh, was who received the inheritance blessing from his dad Jacob. When Moses wrote the Genesis Book, Moses wrote in verse 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,” Levi was Leah’s third son. God chose the Levite tribal clan to be the spiritual tribal clan leader for the Israelite tribal clans. Because the Levite tribal clan was chosen by God to be Israel’s spiritual tribal clan leader, the Levite tribal clan could not inherit any of the promised land. Because the Levite tribal clan could not inherit any of the land, with the addition of two tribal clans – Ephraim and Manasseh, the number of Israelite tribes remained at twelve. To say a last goodbye is never easy to do but . . . as God unfolds His perfect plans for your lives, dying will always have a role in the perfect plans that God has for you.
Genesis 48 (207)