Around the world on Friday evenings a special blessing is wished upon Jewish sons, taken from Genesis 48:20 – “May you be like Ephraim and Manasseh.” But in the hope of what, exactly?
Well, in verse 19, both boys were promised amazing blessings: Manasseh would become a great nation, and Ephraim an even greater group of nations. Jacob also included the blessing, “May they increase greatly upon the earth” (16), because in both boys inheriting “the names of Abraham and Isaac” they would also inherit the promise of a huge number of descendants that God made to Abraham (15:5) and Isaac (26:24), and to Jacob as well (28:14). So in wanting their sons to be like Ephraim and Manasseh, is it many children that Jewish fathers are hoping their sons will have, or that their boys will become great?
But did the promised blessings for Ephraim and Manasseh come to pass? For Ephraim, yes, because Joshua was an Ephraimite and it was under his leadership that Israel became a “group of nations” or tribes, which did grow greatly in numbers. Unfortunately however, it was another Ephraimite, Jeroboam, who split the nation of Israel in two, whose evil deeds then led to ten of the northern tribes being taken into exile and never recovering their former state.
And Manasseh? Well, his descendants inherited the largest amount of usable land, making it a “great nation” within the tribes of Israel, but it too went into exile with Ephraim. So why would any father want his children to be like Ephraim and Manasseh? But clearly God had something in mind for the two boys to play their part in the fulfillment of his promise to Abraham to bless “all peoples on earth” (12:3) – a promise that still exists today too, but how?
There’s a clue in the boys’ names in Genesis 41. Joseph named Manasseh he that causes to forget, “because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household” (51). He named Ephraim to be fruitful, “because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering” (52). The two together are the two great blessings in the gospel message today: Jesus’ sacrifice gives us cause to forget all past troubles in life and family, and start afresh. And with his resurrection and the giving of the Spirit we become fruitful in our growing likeness to him.
So, “May God make us like Ephraim and Manasseh” is a great blessing that’s alive and well today, because “The gospel was in their names” too….(next blog)
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