Genesis 48 Devotional Bible Study

Genesis 48 Chapter Summary

When Jacob was near death, Joseph brought his sons Manasseh and Ephraim to be blessed by his father. Jacob adopted the two boys as his own, effectively giving Joseph's family double inheritance rights in the family. He did this in honor of Rachel, Joseph's mother, who had been Jacob's favorite wife.

However, he blessed Ephraim over Manasseh, even though Manasseh was older. When Joseph tried to correct him by telling him Manasseh was older, Jacob 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."

- Genesis 48:19

 

More Than We Expect

Genesis 48:11

Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”

Jacob thought Joseph had died. He hadn’t. Jacob put out of his mind any hope of grandchildren through Joseph, but it happened without him being aware of it. God was in the story the whole time, even though Jacob couldn’t see it.

Can you look back on your life and see God doing for you what you never would have expected, what you never would have thought possible?

What do you NOT expect Him to do now? What do you think is impossible?

You see that it’s not impossible, right? Nothing is impossible, because God is moving in your story, just like He moved in Jacob’s story. Even if you can’t see Him moving now, you will see the results of what He’s doing when you receive what you never expected.

The Lord likes to surprise us with good things.

 

 

Birth Order Doesn’t Matter to God

Genesis 48:17-19

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. Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” 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.”

Why did Jacob want to raise the younger son above the older? Maybe because that’s how it worked out in his own life. God elevated him above his older brother, Esau. God had elevated Isaac above his older brother, Ishmael. Among Jacob’s children, Judah would be elevated above Reuben.

Why?

Maybe it was to show us that things don’t depend on us or our birth order or anything about our own status. It depends on God’s grace.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)