“Your two sons, therefore, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I joined you here, shall be mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine as much as Reuben and Simeon are mine.” —Genesis 48:5
Before Israel died, he made his grandsons, Manasseh and Ephraim equal in inheritance to his sons. Moreover, he intentionally gave the blessing of the first-born son to Ephraim, the second-born son. These shocking changes of the rules of inheritance prefigure the adoption of all those baptized into Christ as adopted sons and daughters of God and heirs with Christ (Rm 8:16-17).
Prayer: Father, thank You for giving everyone in Christ the first-born blessing.
Promise: “Then Israel said to Joseph: ‘I am about to die. But God will be with you and will restore you to the land of your fathers.’ ” —48:21