Since the Bible is word for word the true Word of Yahweh, every occasion that is included in the Bible narrative is there for a specific purpose, not merely for interest or as a story. It is important to remember that this represented the birthright being passed to Joseph (verse 15). Paul goes on, ‘…ye are not your own. 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 “Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. They hated Joseph because he received his father’s undivided attention and affection. . However, the Bible also shows that the father could rescind the birthright and pass it on to a younger son. v. 1, indicates the gradual disintegration of the tribe of Reuben, and the rise to prominence of the Joseph division. He had been personally taught and trained for seventeen years by Jacob his father, a great teacher, the one who ‘ruled with Yahweh’ – ISRAEL. The birthright blessings, which included primarily physical blessings of national greatness, were being divided between Joseph’s two sons. Who Are the United States and Britain in Prophecy. Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. Reuben was the eldest, but the birthright was given to Joseph’s sons. Ancient Jews observed the law of the firstborn… or the one who had the birthright. Although Joseph was the chief son, yet ‘learned he obedience by the things which he suffered’ – (Hebrews 5:8). When Reuben proved to be unworthy by committing adultery with Bilhah (see Gen. 35:21–22; Gen. 49:3–4), the birthright went to the firstborn son of the second wife—Joseph, the son of Rachel (see 1 Chr. The Psalmist speaks of Joseph in Egypt: “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: until the time that his word came: the word of Yahweh tried him. Even though Joseph was a foreigner (a Hebrew) in Egypt, he had been … Judah had already sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. ‘But whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all’ – (Mark 10:43,44). He did not receive the birthright itself, but Jacob did give him the dominion mandate portion. Twenty-two years later, in the time of the famine, Joseph’s dreams came true. Every other sin that a man can do is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against his own constitution. ESV - 1 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel ( for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son. When Joseph brought Ephraim and Manasseh to Jacob to be blessed by him, he tried to maneuver the blessing of the birthright … "Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel - he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright" (I Chronicles 5:1). That the birthright of Reuben is given to Joseph's sons, as is stated in I Chron. WYC. Which his brothers clearly understood as a claim to the birthright's authority. The text specifically notes that “Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. Hence when he was hungry enough its no big surprise that a bowl of food had more value than a birthright full of things he couldn't really comprehend or appreciate - … In Testament of Joseph he says: ‘How often did the Egyptian woman threaten me with death! Why was the scepter part of the birthright inheritance given to Judah instead of Joseph? Nineteenth Edition. The blessings would then be fulfilled through the descendants of these two boys. That is why he goes out of his way to inform Joseph, "Your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt . And you are not your own: for you were dearly bought; therefore honor Yahweh with your body’ – (I Corinthians 6:18-20). The tribes from Joseph’s two sons—Ephraim and Manasseh—will see this prophecy’s fulfillment. ‘These are the generations of Jacob. Strange that Joseph’s birthright son was named Ephraim, which means ‘fruitful’. are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine" (verse 5). Although Joseph was the eleventh-born son in order of birth, he was second in line for the birthright because he was the firstborn son of the second wife. Genesis Ch.49,vs. The birthright was instead given to Joseph’s sons (1 Chronicles 5:1). Looking at the characteristics provided in this scripture and other places in Genesis, and comparing them with the historical record and the migrations of peoples, it is clear that these blessings to Joseph were fulfilled in those of American and British descent. Starting with Abraham, the Hebrew people were given a God ordained birthright title. We learn two things. Contrary to the intention of Joseph, Ephraim was preferred to Manasseh by Jacob, and upon him was conferred the birthright blessing Gen. 48:17-19. [9] Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. ESV - 1 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel ( for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son. his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Isra’el, though not in such a way as for him to be regarded in the genealogy as the firstborn. The older boys hated Joseph. When Israel later left Egypt, in the time of Moses, they took with them the bones of Joseph, carrying them in the wilderness for forty years, and Joshua, a ‘son of Joseph and Ephraim’, took them across the Jordan into ‘the land flowing with milk and honey’. Genesis 49: 22-26 22. Wallis Budge, in his book The Teaching of Amenemapt, in the chapter entitled ‘The Teaching of Ptah-hetep’, says (page 56:12): ‘If thou wouldest be a perfect man and dost possess a house and estate, beget a son who shall be well-pleasing to Yahweh. AND JOSEPH'S BIRTHRIGHT An Analysis of the Prophecies of the Scriptures in regard to the Royal Family of Judah and the Many Nations of Israel, the Lost Ten Tribes By J. H. ALLEN Originally published, 1902. Jacob took the sons of Joseph and called them his. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren … and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Joseph was indeed ‘the son of his old age’. 2 And though Judah prevailed over his brothers and a ruler came from him, the birthright belonged to … All of his attention were given to things of the world, and to pleasures of the flesh. Joseph as it were, returned from the dead. Ephraim and Manasseh were merely individual tribes among the 12 tribes. Ephraim is given the right to the father’s name: Israel. Pharaoh and Potiphar could see the holiness and beauty and integrity of this great man of Yahweh: ‘And Pharaoh said, …Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the spirit of Yahweh is?’ Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Yahweh hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.’, Thinkers should ponder over these facts, remembering that the great man in Yahweh’s sight in the Old Testament was not Moses or David or Solomon, but Joseph: ‘In all things like unto Jacob.’. Genesis 49:1 provides us a key clue to the fulfillment of these blessings—they would be fulfilled in the “last days.” In other words, times that were relatively close to the end of the age. Ephraim would be spread among a multitude of nations that would have a combined strength that would be even greater than Manasseh. Though he was the firstborn, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. JUDAH'S SCEPTRE AND JOSEPH'S BIRTHRIGHT By J. H. ALLEN Originally published, 1902. The tribes from Joseph’s two sons—Ephraim and Manasseh—will see this prophecy’s fulfillment. That the birthright of Reuben is given to Joseph's sons, as is stated in I Chron. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”. Ephraim, being blessed with the right hand, received the greater blessing. Re-typeset, A.D. 2000 A notable and immensely significant sign of the times is the revival of interest in Paul uses a similar phrase when he exhorts the Corinthians to ‘flee fornication’. All of Jacob’s sons received some sort of blessing. From Joseph, Manasseh was first to separate: hence he is the elder; but Ephraim, increasing in importance and number, outstrips the brother clan. Although Moses was given the task of giving the law to the Hebrews in the wilderness, neither he nor Aaron entered ‘the Promised Land’, but Joseph’s son or descendant Joshua was granted that great honor. The following brothers could easily have thought that they should have had the birthright. Notice in the story of Jacob and Esau, Esau was older and so had the birthright…but Jacob stole it from him. This … He came to believe that the entire universe was the work of a single Creator, and he began to teach this belief to others. Head men, ‘with the vail of their heart’, cannot understand two heart-men like Jacob and Joseph. So why did he care so little for his birthright? v. 1, indicates the gradual disintegration of the tribe of Reuben, and the rise to prominence of the Joseph division. ‘How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against Yahweh?’ – (Genesis 39:9). He was famished, and asked Jacob to give him the food. Abram tried to convince his father, Terach, of the folly of idol worship. Judah was the fourth son of Jacob-Israel. He considered them as his own sons Rueben and Simeon: Judah was bitterly humbled. It is somewhat remarkable that when the book of Genesis gives us ‘The generations of Jacob’, it comes to a sudden stop. Reuben (the first born) does not receive the blessings and birthright promises and neither does Judah (as assumed). After the father died, or in the father’s absence, the firstborn son assumed the father’s authority and responsibilities. He is not listed in the genealogy according to birthright. Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. Reuben lost his birthright through one act of lust. In truth, Jacob bought the birthright from Esau. Meanwhile, Joseph was given visions by God showing him that his father's household would bow down to him. After giving the birthright to Joseph’s son Ephraim, Jacob, on his deathbed, giving his blessing to each of his sons, said ‘The Sceptre shall not depart from Judah … until Shiloh come’ – (Genesis 49:10). The name Joshua translated into the Hebrew becomes Yahshua. In the time of the patriarchs, such blessings acted as a “last will and testament” and were highly prized as a means of revealing God’s will. The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn; but, because he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. The Bible also tells us that Jacob ignored his oldest son and gave the birthright to the sons of Joseph. In ‘The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs’, all the sons of Jacob speak of Joseph as ‘the good and holy man’ except Judah, who sold his brother for twenty pieces of silver. To arrive at a true picture of today’s events, and to be able to judge properly the significance of each incident as it occurs, it is often necessary to go back, as it were, into the Old Testament and to make a study of parallels, and the experiences of our forefathers. The British peoples, spread throughout the world through an empire and later a commonwealth, represent Ephraim. 1 Chronicles 5:1 - 2. However, Jacob chose to give Ephraim the greater blessing—even though Joseph objected. He is thy son whom thy heart’s desire hath begotten; let not thy heart drift away from him.’ According to Genesis 25:27, ‘Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.’ The margin says ‘a perfect man, dwelling in tents’. The blessings would then be fulfilled through the descendants of these two boys. Jacob, by crossing his arms and blessing Manasseh with his left hand, gave him the lesser blessing. Nineteenth Edition. Notice in the story of Jacob and Esau, Esau was older and so had the birthright…but Jacob stole it from him. What it really means is that Joseph was the son pre-eminent in his old age. So he is not reckoned according to birthright. He was the son of Terach, an idol merchant, but from his early childhood, he questioned the faith of his father and sought the truth. Joseph was first of all a slave, a servant, and then a minister in the land and Prime Minister of Egypt. Jacob, before his death, took the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, and counted them as the two eldest sons of Reuben and Simeon. The astonishing and vital fact that many have overlooked is “the birthright is Joseph’s.” And, as we shall see later, neither Joseph nor his descendants were Jews! This was the man who taught the boy Joseph. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours’ – (Genesis 37:2,3). By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come (Hebrews 11: 20).. It was supposed to go to the oldest son but it rarely did. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version (© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.). Fewer still have understood that these great national material promises were never given to the Jews!