“And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” – Genesis 41v51-52
Joseph is a perfect example of trusting God no matter what his circumstances. Some people forget all about God when their times are tough. Others forget him when things are going well because they feel like they don’t need Him. Joseph had gone from favoured son, to slave, to prisoner, to prime minister and his faith in the Lord never wavered.
He gives the best evidence of that when he named his sons. It can be argued that Joseph was now the second most powerful man on earth. Nothing got by him. It appears that even Pharaoh took a back seat in the day to day administration of the kingdom. Too many men in this situation would have begun to “think more highly of themselves than they ought to think. Yet Joseph shows our relationship to God in the naming of his sons. His firstborn he named Manasseh, meaning, “making forget.” His reason was that God had delivered him from his mistreatment and captivity so he could forget about his past. His second son was named Ephraim. This names means “fruitful” for Joseph knew that all he had gained was from the Lord.
What a wonderful example for us. Living like a prisoner today? Trust God. Living like a prince today? Don’t forget about God. May we always maintain a “God focus” in our lives.
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