Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

Genesis 48 Devotional

The Shepherd of My Whole Life

“Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,”Genesis 48:15 (BSB)

Near the end of his life, Jacob recalls how God Almighty appeared to him at Luz and gave him the promise (48:3-4). Then he adopts Joseph's two sons as his own. When Joseph sets them before him, Jacob crosses his hands, laying his right hand on the younger Ephraim. Joseph tries to correct him, but Jacob refuses. He knows what he is doing. The younger will be greater (48:17-19).

Again and again in Genesis, God passes over the expected one: Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, and now Ephraim over Manasseh. God's blessing comes by his choice, not by birth order. Jacob, the younger son who once tried to grab a blessing, now describes God as the one who has been his shepherd all his life and the angel who has redeemed him from all harm (48:15-16). Looking back, he sees God's care in every stage, including the hard ones. Hebrews remembers this moment as an act of faith (Hebrews 11:21).

To think about: Looking back over your life, where can you now see that God was shepherding you?

About Genesis 48: Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

When Jacob is ill, Joseph brings his sons, and Jacob adopts Ephraim and Manasseh as his own. Crossing his hands, he gives the greater blessing to the younger Ephraim, invoking the God who shepherded him, and promises that God will bring Joseph's family back to Canaan.

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