Change the Future

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

CHANGE THE FUTURE

Gen 48:17-22

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."

NIV

We should have known there was something up with Jacob blessing the younger of the two since he was the younger of the two sons of his father Isaac and stole the blessing of the firstborn. However, this time there was a special meaning of why Jacob chose Ephraim to be greater than Manasseh. Joshua who took over the leadership of all Israel and led them across the Jordan was from the tribe of Ephraim and his companion Kaleb was from the tribe of Judah. Ephraim became the designation of the ten tribes or the Northern Kingdom while Judah, the Southern Kingdom was the remaining tribes. God had this all worked out, yet worked it through Jacob in a prophetic way. This is where we come into this story. We may or may not know how God works through us for the future of His kingdom. We might say a word to someone, which could well be the gift of word of wisdom or word of knowledge, that causes a change or a chain reaction that affects hundreds or thousands of people either within our current or some future generation. On the other hand, we could have a profound impact on one person only for the express purpose of God in their life. We wonder if Jacob was aware that he was being inspired by God, or that he was being prophetic. When the action of Joseph trying to remove Jacob’s right hand from Ephraim to place it on the firstborn, Menasseh, Jacob said, “I know my son, I know” would indicate he was aware of the design of God for the tribe of Ephraim. Maybe, we too are aware when the Holy Spirit moves through us with the gift of knowledge or wisdom, but we believe we need to be open to the moving or the inspiration of the Spirit at all times, for we can never know when whatever we say might have that designed impact of God. This could happen even in a crowd where no one understands the importance of our words except one person who is supposed to be impacted by or for the kingdom. If we are blessed enough to speak a prophetic word that causes this change in the kingdom to occur, then our lives are full. The words and actions of Jacob in his blessing of Ephraim changed the future. What more can we ever desire than to be a benefit to the kingdom of God, through our words or actions that change the future.