In Genesis 48 Jacob is ill and Joseph brings his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him to be with Jacob. Jacob claimed Manasseh and Ephraim as his own. “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. 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.” v. 5-6.

Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm – may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth.” v. 15-16.

One of the blessings of growing older is the blessing of wisdom. Wisdom that can only come from decades of living and experiencing God’s intervention in our lives that we cannot see while we are young and bristling with energy and purpose. Only in looking back can we grasp how much God has shepherded us faithfully, only then can we fully appreciate how much He as done for us that we could not have done by ourselves.

Joseph realized his father was placing his hands wrong as he gave his blessing to them. Manasseh was the older son. 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.” 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. v. 19-20.

I’m struck by how often God didn’t do what was expected by our ancestors. They had their traditions and customs and firstborn sons would have received the greater blessing. But never forget, God is our Shepherd. Can we let Him shepherd us? Are there things he could do in our lives we would not expect; and would we allow Him to do them…to shepherd us? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:28.

Last night we watched an episode of Star Trek Voyager. In it the Captain was trying to explain to the hologram character Leonardo DaVinci why he would be unable to understand the things he was seeing from her time hundreds of years into DaVinci’s future. Hearing birdsong, she asked him if he was a sparrow, what would he know? DaVinci answered he would make his home in the elm tree, he would hunt for insects to eat, he would sing for a companion. The Captain added would the sparrow understand math, science, art? DaVinci finally understood. As the sparrow he would be limited in what he could understand.

God gave us wonderful minds capable of understanding so much; but we are the created….limited to understanding earthly things. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9.

May the God who has been my shepherd and who has delivered me from all harm be your shepherd. He is worthy and He is able and He cares for you.