Scripture
But Joseph was upset when he saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head. So Joseph lifted it to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. “No, my father,” he said. “This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.” But his father refused. “I know, my son; I know,” he replied. “Manasseh will also become a great people, but his younger brother will become even greater. And his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” Genesis 48:17-19

Observation
Joseph was like any father, he wanted the best for his sons. He hoped for the right schools and college, boy scouts, little league, and varsity sports…well at least Egyptian style. In Egyptian culture the first born son was nothing short of a demigod. Manasseh would have slept in a special raised bed, unlike his little brother Ephraim who had a mat on the floor. Manasseh was the designated favorite. Bursting with pride in his first born son Joseph hurried his boys to grandpa’s house for a final blessing before he died.

Joseph wanted the best for his sons, but God wanted what was right for them. What Egyptian culture said about the destiny of Mannessah was not God’s plan for the boy. Ephraim would be given more responsibility, not because he was loved any more, but because it was what fitted his potential. The boys were different and God used their differences to please him.

Application
Jacob was relaxed about the unpredictable ways that God uses people, so the old man went with God’s flow. I want to be relaxed about the uneven blessings of God as well, for my children and even for myself. God uses people differently but loves each of us totally. If we can become secure in his love for us then we will be comfortable with the differences in life outcome.

Jacob in a sense said that all people are great. “Manasseh will also become a great people,” he said. This implies that it was not as if one boy were superior and the other inferior, instead they were just different. If I can accept God’s uneven ways I can come to bless those like me who are used in more remarkable ways. I can come to accept the uniqueness of the way that God uses me.

Prayer
Father, I chose today to base my security not in my life outcome but in the fact that I loved by you. You bless me because you love me. That blessing is different for me than for others because I am unique. And because I am unique you love me differently than all the rest. I thank you that each of us is so greatly loved we would be excused to think we were the only ones on earth loved by you. Thank you for the unevenness of life, for it shows me that you know me personally and give me what fits me best. Amen.

Dick and Rick Hoyt are a father-and-son team from Massachusetts who together compete just about continuously in marathon races. Read more of their story.

Scripture

“I have singled [Abraham] out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.” Genesis 18:19

“So Lot rushed out to tell his daughter’s fiances, “Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it.” But the young men thought he was only joking.” Genesis 19:14

Observation

I am journaling today with a friend. He opened his journal and pulled from it a card written by his son. It was a moving tribute to a man who has invested not just time camping, hunting, and fishing with his son but also given him the indelible example of a man of God. Of all of his life possessions I would suspect that card would be one of his most valued, for what greater thing can a man leave behind him than a son to follow the Lord as he has?

Abraham’s name is a household word today not for the great pyramids he built or the wealth he had. He is etched into history because of the son he raised to fear the Lord. All history has been changed through that one boy. Abraham was “singled out” to direct his son. Fathering was not to be a passive thing to leave his boy to stumble into life to make it up anyway that he liked. Abraham was to take authority to make the fear of God grow deep in his son’s heart. God has given fathers authority that is often pushed aside as dad picks up the remote and flicks through the channels. A dad’s authority is time, attention, corrective words, and powerful example. When used well fathering makes an eternal difference.

Lot’s name, however, is not a household word today. We remember only his wife who couldn’t let go of the good life to follow after God and became a statue in the desert. When the moment of emergency decision came, the sons-in-law in his household only laughed at Lot. Were they used to the old man joking around about everything in life? Was Lot a man who was afraid to be serious about the significant? Obviously so. Lot could not marshall his family out the front door in a time of disaster, so poor was his leadership at home. His story ends dismally with more compromise, drunkenness and incest.

Application

God has given to me a responsibility for my sons to get them started in the groove God has for their lives. Like an old vinyl record, there is a track God has chosen for them. My job is to place the needle in the right place so that their life-song can play for the Lord. I can’t be afraid of that responsibility. Fun is important in my home, but if my sons are to amount to anything they need to know what is worth being serious about.

Prayer Father, make me a better dad today. Amen.