Gen48
Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, the son of Rachel.
It was a very formal(at the time), almost sacred ceremony.
Jacob meant to pass his bloodline blessing down through Ephraim. He made the choice. He ordained it this way.
But in the end God quietly shifted the blessing. God didn't honour his choice and his ceremony. God's choice was Judah.
Although Judah didn't get the formal ceremony of passing the blessings, he was the God ordained person.

This reminds me of other ceremonies we have in life. Like weddings, ordaining a minister, or a leader of a country or a certain group,etc. We make the choices, and we perform the ceremony. We say God honors our ceremonies.

But does God really honor those choices and ceremonies?
I think sometimes God can be quite stubborn. If He's already made a choice, He doesn't like any men twist it around. And if He's not in the choices, He doesn't have to honour our ceremonies. He'd only give the chosen blessings to His chosen ones.



What I have learned most from Joseph's life this time of reading is that Joseph's a vessel used by God to serve His chosen people, his family.
God gave him tests to get him ready, then gave him spiritual gifts to raise him up, and placed him in a position of great honor, wealth and power. All these was for the purpose of achieving to serve and save the rest of the family.
Joseph achieved most of the calling. But he also attempted to use that glory for himself.
God gave him honor, not for himself, but for others.
It's very hard to remember, in present days, God can still raise people to positions of high honor, not for themselves, but for the purpose of serving others, and to achieve God's plans in other people's lives.