Day 105 – Genesis 48:8-12
I Had Not Thought to See Thy Face
Scripture Reading – Genesis 48:8-12
And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these?
Genesis 48:8 KJV
And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
Genesis 48:9 KJV
Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
Genesis 48:10 KJV
And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
Genesis 48:11 KJV
And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
Genesis 48:12 KJV
Scripture Review
Jacob’s dim eyes cannot clearly see the young men, so he asks who they are. Joseph answers, “They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place.” Jacob draws them near, kisses them, embraces them, and tells Joseph that he had not expected to see his face again, yet God has shown him Joseph’s children also.
The years of mourning had taught Jacob to expect a closed grave. God did more than restore the face he thought lost; He let him hold the next generation. This does not mean every earthly loss will be returned in the form I desire. It does mean my calculations cannot limit the goodness of God. He is able to write mercies beyond the future I thought possible.
Jacob had meant to endure life under the belief that Joseph was dead, while Joseph meant to place his sons within their grandfather’s embrace and blessing.
God meant to give Jacob a mercy larger than his expectation: Joseph alive, his children present, and the covenant continuing before his eyes.
What this asks of me
I should not turn a painful expectation into a doctrine about what God can never do. Faith does not demand a particular earthly restoration, but it leaves room for God to surprise me with mercy. When He does, I want to receive it as a gift rather than act as though I predicted it all along.
Consider
- What painful expectation have I begun to treat as the limit of God’s ability?
- Can I receive an unexpected mercy with wonder and give God the credit for it?