God Breaking the Rules

 When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.” Gen 48:17-19

Jacob was nearing death and was praying and blessing his grandchildren. His right hand would traditionally be on the oldest boy as a sign of greater blessing. Jacob had his right hand on the younger. When Joseph (the boys Father) objected, Jacob told him the way it was. He was breaking tradition and speaking the plan of God.

Why do we think that God only work inside our traditions?

O love reading and hearing stories of revival where God just totally intersects the life of people and jacks up their traditions and thoughts. God wins. Always. Always.

I like to think myself untraditional. I like to think I role with whatever God has to say and whatever he wants to do. Truth is that many times I think that I have the lock on God. I know the way that God moves and operates. As long as he fits into that, I am good. Sometimes want God to move his hand and do things according to my traditions. He doesn’t. He wins.

God, forgive me. Win me.

[tags]devotions, Bible, God, Jacob, Genesis[/tags]

Share with

This post has one comment

  1. Our IV Chapter tried to let God do His thing in our Large Groups two years ago. God was good and answered. We\’d given up our old traditions.

    Then we started a new tradition — be different all the time. Being different was our new tradition. We\’d fallen back into habits.

    Yeah… I agree. No matter what\’s going on, I always seem to feel I have a lock on God. Maybe worse yet, I feel like, for some reason, I should have the lock on Him.

    Father, may we never try to tame You. Indeed… please win us. Thank You for giving Your Son for us. Let us give You our lives — help us all to choose You every second. Amen.

Leave a Reply

Start typing and press Enter to search