Jacob, as he lay upon the bed of
his departure from this life heard the announcement: “Behold, your son
Joseph has come to you” (Gen. 48:2). There probably was not a more
comforting, nor a sweeter word that Jacob could have heard than those spoken by
that faithful servant attending him on that final day. With those words, heralding the arrival of
his beloved son, he gathered up whatever strength he had left, for he knew he
had one last task to perform. But just
before doing that, he recalled to Joseph the covenant promise that he had
received from Elohom Almighty in Luz (Bet El). “Behold, I will make you
fruitful and multiply you, and
I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your
descendants after you as an everlasting possession” (Gen. 48:3-4). Jacob was not just telling Joseph this for
the purpose of reminiscing. He wanted his son to know that the
birthright included the land
of Canaan
Everything that was happening in
those moments was under the guiding hand of YHVH. Jacob’s prophetic anointing
was working with keen clarity. It was not because of old age that he forgot
this portion of the verse. He knew and understood the statutes and ordinances
of YHVH’s kingdom government, suggesting that to him the term “kings” was not
referring to the kingdoms of men, but to the kings after the order of
Melchizedek.
Leaving out that portion of the
blessing, he now concentrates on the prophetic destiny and significance of
Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Menashe. Because Israel’s eyes were so dim from
age, he apparently was not aware that they were present with Joseph; although,
he did speak to Joseph very directly about them saying: "And now your two sons, Ephraim and
Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in
Egypt, are mine; as Reuven and Simeon, they shall be mine” (Gen. 48:5).
Notice Joseph did not argue this point with his father, as he knew the old
patriarch had the right to adopt his sons.. “May they be like Reuven and
Simeon”, Jacob declared. It was no coincidence that Jacob put Ephraim’s name
before Menashe’s, even though Menashe was the firstborn. Thus in the
positioning of the lads, he compared Ephraim to Reuven Leah’s firstborn and not
Menashe. Joseph was totally unaware of what was happening, as later he
questioned the way Jacob placed his hands upon their heads.
Why was Jacob so interested in
Ephraim and Menashe? Let us go back
to when their names are given. “And Joseph called the name of the first-born
Manashe: 'for Elohim has made me forget all my toil, and all my father's
house.' And the name of the second he
called Ephraim: 'for Elohim has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction'”
(Gen. 41:51-52). Hidden in these two
names is Elohim’s prophetic plan to bless and multiply while in a state of
forgetfulness. Elohim intended to bless all the families of the earth through the
Abrahamic covenant. Thus YHVH, being
faithful to His word, laid the foundations for the fulfillment of this part of
the plan of redemption, in (and through) the House of Joseph.
Jacob now gets down to his
prophetic ‘business’, and so does the Elohim of Abraham. “And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and
said: 'Who are these?'” (Gen. 48: 8). Now why would Israel be asking Joseph that
question when he had just proclaimed them to be his own,
unless he was testing Joseph? Well, if
he was, Joseph failed the test by still declaring that those two little ones
belonged to him. There is another interesting point in the above scripture.
Looking closely we find a very interesting switch. It does not say “Jacob beheld”, but “Israel ”.
>From now on, throughout these next couple of chapters, when Jacob blesses,
he does so in his Elohim-given name of Israel .
The above question seems to be
eternally on the heart of Jacob, as even later the prophet Isaiah says of him
(Israel) that he doesn’t recognize his own children (see Isa. 63:16). Again in
another scripture: “Therefore thus says YHVH, who redeemed Abraham, concerning
the house of Jacob: ‘Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now
grow pale; but when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst,
they will hallow My name, and hallow the Holy One of Jacob, and fear the God of
Israel. These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, and those
who complained will learn doctrine’" (Isa. 29:22-24).
If we gain an understanding of
what is going on here, in the tent of Jacob, so many years ago, we will not err
nor complain about Elohim’s order or instructions. Maybe we should hear again the
voice of our father when he says: "Assemble yourselves, that I may tell you what shall
befall you in the last days. Gather together and hear (from the root “sh’ma”),
you sons of Jacob, and listen (also from the root “sh’ma”) to Israel your
father” (Gen. 49:1-2)!!!
Ephraim
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