Genesis 48:5 "And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are."
Usually we think of Joseph's rise to power culminating in the statement, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life" in 45:4-5. We think this is the big moment where Joseph is vindicated and the dreams he had as a boy, the ones that made his brothers so jealous, all come true. But I suggest that this scene, where Jacob elevates Joseph's sons and takes them from the position of grandsons to sons, and brother to their uncles, is the blessing that God intended for Joseph all along.
Often we think of a position of great influence and power to be the real blessing, and it is, but is it the end that the Father has in mind. Here by bringing up Joseph's sons to the position of sons, thereby becoming the patriarchs of Hebrew tribes, Jacob also elevates Joseph to the position of brother. Joseph is now a forefather to the tribes of Israel. This is the greater honor, even greater than being in command of all of Egypt with no one to answer to but Pharaoh.
How often do we see greatness with our limited carnal eyes, thinking that if we rise to some position of great power and authority, we have somehow received great blessing from God. It is truly a blessing to have influence over those around us and be a marker post pointing to The Lord of lords and King of kings, but the greater blessing, and the greater goal, is the place we leave those who come after us. What do we leave them to stand on? Do we leave a legacy for them to carry on that is only of monetary value and powerful only in the moment or will it carry and increase throughout the generations.
If you think about it Joseph's power and influence gave him the ability to bring his family to Egypt so that they may live through the famine, but this decision progressed to the eventual enslavement of the nation. But as a result of Joseph's faithfulness his sons were made coheirs of the promise of God. Ultimately, whatever influence the Father blesses me with in this life, so be it, I pray Lord You keep me faithful in and through it all. But what I want to leave behind more than anything else is my children's ability to say of me, "Dad was faithful." If they can say that “Dad was a great man” that would be awesome too, but if I leave them with an understanding that they are coheirs of the promise and can say of me, "He was faithful," I have done my job.
