[Anglican Communion 23 November 2020] Topic: The Wonders Of God’s Mercies
Topic: The Wonders Of God’s Mercies
Read: Genesis 48:13-22 (NKJV)
And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought [them] near him.
Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid [it] on Ephraim’s head, who [was] the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh [was] the firstborn.
And he blessed Joseph, and said: “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for 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 also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”
So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
“Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”
THE MESSAGE:
Our application of the word ‘mercy’ most times is limited only to forgiveness of sin, but God’s mercies cut across every issue of life. The word mercy from a broader sense means: To bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior or to bestow favour on someone. From our text, we can see a graphic example of how a rule was changed by God’s mercy in favour of Ephraim who was the younger brother of Manasseh. Even when Joseph protested, yet Jacob insisted that the younger brother would be greater than the elder. God, in preferring men, sometimes gives more blessings to whomsoever He wills, regardless of position, qualification or achievements. For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whomsoever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomsoever I will have compassion on. So then it is not of Him that wills, nor of Him that runs, but of God who shows mercy (Rom. 9:15-16).
Beloved, the mercies of God can position the obviously unlikely candidates for God’s richest blessings! In this season, may the mercies of God that changes rules and breaks protocols in a way that contradicts common sense, locate you in an unusual way.
PRAYER: Lord, let the wonders of your mercies be displayed in every area of my life, Amen.
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