So Manasseh and Ephraim, the descendants of Joseph, received their inheritance. – Joshua 16:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 20, 2012): Joshua 16

I need to be so careful about the things that I say. Part of my problem is that too often I find myself saying things that I know I should not say. And the things that have been said just cannot be unsaid. They become a part of our reality and because they are part of our reality they begin to shape our future. And what hurts is that I shape with my words even when I am wrong.

Joseph died long before he really died. His brothers sold him into slavery and then went to their father and told him that he was dead. His dad mourned the loss of his beloved son and for years lived believing that only eleven of his twelve sons had survived into their midlives. It was a reality that shaped him; it changed Jacob at the core of his being. And he would never be the same again. Even when Joseph would later be revealed as being still alive, the change would have already happened. Nothing could reverse it.

But neither would Israel. When Jacob dies and he gives a blessing to his sons, I am not sure that he realized the full extent of what he was doing. All of his son’s names would be attached to a tribe of Israel with the exception of the one that for so long had been believed to be dead. Instead of his name attached to tribe, it would be both of his son’s names, Manasseh and Ephraim, that would be remembered. And with that move Joseph, the second youngest of the son’s of Jacob would receive the coveted double portion inheritance from his father that would normally have been given to the oldest son.

And while Joseph’s name may not be found among the tribes, his influence was front and center, because Joshua – the man currently responsible for shaping the nation – was one of his descendants. Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim, and through him, Joseph continued to be still very much alive.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Joshua 17