I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 48-50.

    It is human nature to go with primogeniture, granting greater inheritance to the first born. However, this passage (along with the story of Jacob and Esau) reminds us that this is not how God works. When Jacob adopted Joseph’s two sons as his own, he gave the greater blessing to Ephraim, the younger, despite Joseph’s wish for the greater blessing to go to his elder son (although it is possible that Joseph’s dissatisfaction with Jacob blessing them in reverse order was because he thought it was an indication of his father’s failing health). Then when Jacob blessed all of his sons, he took the role of leading from his eldest son, Reuben, and gave it to Judah. Reuben lost his role as leader of the family after Jacob because of his actions (he slept with one of Jacob’s wives) and Judah earned it for his (offering himself in place of Benjamin when the brothers did not yet know who Joseph was). God judges us on our actions, not where we stand in birth order.