"This is the region from which the people of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, got their inheritance." 16:4
About 400 years before this...
"Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed. Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’ “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem). When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?” “They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father. Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.” Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them. Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too. ”Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn. Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm — may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth.” 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.” He blessed them that day and said, “In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing:‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. And to you I give one more ridge of land than to your brothers, the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.” Genesis 48
It is a lot to read, but this is the moment when the descendants of Jacob received their inheritance, a promise was fulfilled! Just one of the many times in scripture we see this happen, there are many more.
It took almost 400 years for this promise to be fulfilled, but it WAS. That is what I am talking about. Promises from the Lord are always fulfilled, regardless of the time in between the receiving and the fulfilling. Hold on to that.
Many times we focus so much on the big picture of a promise that we don't stop and enjoy all the little pieces of it that fall into place along the way.
Today brought a little promise along the way in my inheritance. I finally got the building permit from the City of Jackson! That may not seem like a big deal, but as I am navigating through this journey solo, figuring out what has to be done, it was a big victory for me.
Over the last few days, a friend has encouraged me greatly with the life of Nehemiah - he had a sword in one hand and a hammer in the other. (And we went back to the wall and went to work. From then on half of my young men worked while the other half stood guard with lances, shields, bows and mail armor. Military officers served as backup for everyone in Judah who was at work rebuilding the wall. The common laborers held a tool in one hand and a spear in the other. Each of the builders has a sword strapped to his side as he worked. I kept the trumpeter at my side to sound the alert." Nehemiah 4:15-18) He stayed on the wall until it was completed. He fought off the enemy at the same time he rebuilt the wall. He saw the Lord make promises, and fulfill them through the whole process, all the way to completion.
This was a great reminder to me, that I can't just focus on fixing a house and miss all the people around me, and then, I can't neglect the restoration of this house and just chill with people. It's both at the same time. That is how you fight from a place of victory, and that is where you start seeing these promises fulfilled, the big ones and all the little ones along the way.
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