“That the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls” (Rom 9:11).
Following the listing of Judah’s land, “the lot fell to the children of Joseph” (Jos 16:1), apportioned to Ephraim (ch 16) and Manasseh (ch 17). A large section east of the Galilee had already been given to Manasseh, but west of the Jordan, Joseph’s sons received the bulk of what became the Hill Country of Samaria. Ephraim to the south held a swath from the Jordan to the Mediterranean, including the cities of Bethel, Shiloh, and Shechem. Manasseh, north of Ephraim, also stretched from the River to the Sea, and from Mount Ebal north to Mount Carmel skirting the Jezreel Valley. Together they controlled the heartland of Israel. Joseph, the favored son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel, was not qualified by law to receive the blessing of the firstborn. Jacob, in his youth, had swindled the birthright from Esau. It had almost cost him his life, and sent him fleeing, leaving land and livestock behind. But Jacob learned something: love finds a way. If he adopted Joseph’s boys, then Joseph would in effect receive the double blessing! Hasn’t God done this with us? We Gentiles were “strangers from the covenants of promise” (Eph 2:12), but now by faith “we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom 8:16-17). But Jacob saw another trend in God’s dealings. The Lord would bypass the one born first who had a right by law, and take as His firstborns those who could only come by grace. By this, He didn’t reject the one born first; they could also receive His blessing by grace. Thus, in blessing the boys, Jacob crossed his hands, placing his right hand on the head of the younger. Do you feel the Father’s hand in blessing on your head? Undeserved, yes. But undeniable just the same.