5 “Now then, YOUR TWO SONS BORN TO YOU IN EGYPT before I came to you here WILL BE RECKONED AS MINE; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. Genesis 48
Joseph, the de facto ruler in Egypt, came for his elderly father’s blessing for his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. He valued Jacob’s blessings for his two boys, but a couple of unusual things happened when they met. Jacob declared that the two boys, born to Joseph while he was alone in Egypt, would be reckoned as his sons. They would be grafted into the line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God had sent Joseph to Egypt and so the two sons born to him there were to be numbered with God’s people. I see this as a Picture of Salvation, God chooses men and women and says, from this time forward you will be known as mine!
13 And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.
Jacob had just declared the boys were his and now he reversed Joseph’s order for their blessing. He put his right hand on the head of the younger, Ephraim, and blessed him above his brother. Jacob spoke into the destiny of the two brothers, blessing both, but in different measure.
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.
God can break into our lives at any moment and speak out a new direction and destiny for us from that time on.
19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him AND THREW HIS CLOAK AROUND HIM. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”
“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” 1 Kings 19
God told Elijah to anoint two men as Kings and ‘Elisha to succeed him as prophet’. There was no warning, the Call came suddenly and it was up to Elisha to accept or not. We know that he slew his oxen and burnt his plough, no going back for him.
Jesus called disciples from fishing in the Galilee and Levi from collecting taxes Mark 2:14.
We are living in important days and God is Shifting the order of things for His purposes. His Call will always involve challenges, but His grace will accompany the Call. Hallelujah
Immanuel, Stay Strong, God is with us.