Mon.’s Devo - The Cross

Read: Gen. 47:28-Gen. 50
I love the blessing of Jacob on his grandsons Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh as the birthright, should have gotten the greater blessing and Jacob’s right hand but Jacob purposely crossed his arms to give Ephraim the greatest blessing and his right hand. When Jacob did this he made the sign of the cross with this arms. Manasseh’s name means “causing to forget” and Ephraim’s name means “double fruitfulness”. What he was saying was that the cross will make your fruit and your blessing so great that it will cause you to forget the trials of your life before Him. Fruit cannot be measured by monetary means, fruit is godly character that is developed over your years of walking with Him.
After blessing Joseph’s children, Jacob called in all of his sons and gave them a specific blessing. Joseph got the blessing of the remnant - the one that was “separate from his brethren”. He is to be a fruitful bough by a well whose branches run over the wall. That is a person whose love and kindness is fueled by the Holy Spirit and whose influence reaches past the church into the world. The archers are the enemies’ darts that vex us but our hands are strengthened by the Lord. We are blessed in the spirit and in the deep hidden things of God. Our children both spiritual and natural are blessed. We walk in all the blessings of God.
You see the love the Egyptians had for Joseph when you see how they responded to the death of his father. They mourned 70 days then traveled all the way to the land of Canaan to be buried with Abraham and the other patriarchs. It was important to be buried with your family because that would be where they would await Jesus’ release. They called the underground kingdom Hades or sh’owl. The definition is “the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates”. It is also called the grave, hell or the pit. Joseph made arrangements to have his bones carried there when they returned to live there. Joshua would be the one who would carry his bones into the Promised Land.
Lord, thank you that the cross did away with death and the grave. Your salvation causes us to forget our past and live in Your future glory.