Are You Forgetful?
Genesis 41:50-52 “Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me to forget all my toil and all my father’s house” And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction”
Names were very important in bible days. What you called your children usually reflected an aspiration you had for them or some important event. These names that Joseph chose for his two sons say a lot about what he was thinking at that time – they sort of summed up his feelings. Manasseh means Forgetting – Forgetfulness “For God has made me to forget all my toil and all my father’s house”.
We usually associate forgetfulness with the first signs of senility & dotage. An inability to recall. Something negative. But this forgetfulness was something positive. An ability to deliberately, intentionally choose to forget. It wasn’t that Joseph could magically erase those thoughts from his mind – all that stuff that his brothers had done to him, and Potiphar’s wife, and the Kings cupbearer who didn’t tell the King about him languishing in prison. But he chose, deliberately, intentionally, to let go of the hurt and pain that they had caused him. That’s what he forgot, that’s what he refused to mull over hit the rewind button again and again. God give us a Manasseh – A spirit of forgetfulness. God bring a Manasseh into our lives to take away the pain and hurts of the past.
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning”
Phil. 3:13 “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before…”
There were many things hurtful in Paul’s life that he couldn’t literally forget. In fact, he lists them. But He could forget the pain of them.
2 Cor. 4:17 “But this light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding weight of eternal glory.”
Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me…”
Ephraim means Fruitfulness.
“For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction”
Abundance in adversity – supply in the midst of shortage – promotion in spite of problems. That was Joseph’s testimony. He became fruitful. Everyone has a ‘land of affliction’ - ‘an arena of testing’ ‘hour of trial’. Every Daniel has a den – every Hebrew boy a fiery furnace – David a giant – Paul a shipwreck – Jeremiah a pit – Joshua at AI – Elijah a Juniper tree. But God can still cause us to be fruitful in the ‘land of our affliction’. Our ‘land of affliction’ will probably not be like one of those, but each of us who has lived long enough will have plenty in our lives that we have had to face. But God is still able to make us fruitful in the land of our affliction.
“For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction”
Manasseh and Ephraim are brothers.
Forgetfulness & Fruitfulness go together. People who are bitter about the past – resentful – grudging - are never fruitful. They live so much in the past their present is soured. They never practice Phil.3:13 “Forgetting those things which are behind…reaching unto those things which are before…”
Forgetfulness can cause Fruitfulness.
Is there something in your past that needs to be ‘forgotten’ in the sense that I speak of? Something that keeps robbing you of peace, contentment, victory and happiness? Something that robs you of good fruit?
Ask the Lord to help you ‘forget’ the pain of it, the disappointment, the anger, the sadness, the loss, the brokenness. Forgetfulness can bring you into Fruitfulness.
- Pastor David Goudy