Oct – 02 – THEY ARE MINE!

“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 Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine” (Genesis 48 :5).

When Jacob attained old age, he brought his grandchildren born through his son Joseph by his side and blessed them. Those grandchildren were born in Egypt, a nation of slavery. But the land of Israel was the one given by God as an inheritance to Abraham and his descendants.     

Before blessing them, Jacob adopted them to be on par with his grandchildren born in Israel. Whatever his sons were to inherit, Jacob wanted to bequeath his grandchildren too with equal inheritance. This made them be called as his own children.

God saw you as grandchildren living in the slavery of Egypt. Paul the Apostle writes, “You once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:2-5).

This plan of God can be known as “The plan of adoption.” Take a look again over what Jacob says. ‘Though those grandchildren were born in Egypt, from now on, they are mine. They need not necessarily be my grandchildren but they will remain as my own children. For their position of being my grandchildren, I have made them be my own children through adoption.’

What is the meaning of this? Hereafter, when Ephraim and Manasseh meet Jacob, they have to call him as ‘Father’. Yes. It is this same thing which Jesus Christ has kept for you. He requires Children who could call Him as ‘Abba, Father’ with the Spirit of adoption and not those belonging to the category of people living in slavery of Egypt. What is needed is the name of the joint-heirs with Christ.

Dear children of God, is it not a great blessing for having been exalted to stay as a member of His family and call Him with right ‘Abba, Father’?

To meditate: “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15).