Genesis 41:49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
Commentary on today’s verses focuses on the names of Joseph’s sons, which mean forgetfulness and fruitfulness. Commentary posits that you need to forget the slights of the past in order to be fruitful, which, as I type it, makes me think of Philippians 3:13, especially the part about “…Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead….”
Genesis 41:50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
I must admit that my default is more of a dweller than a forgetter. It’s tempting to collect hurts and use them as armor to keep myself from getting hurt again. But commentary and Philippians are both right–if I am so busy nursing the hurts of the past, I do not have the bandwidth to be fruitful in the present or hopeful in the future. Help me, Jesus.
Genesis 41:51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”
Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder of the danger of collecting and nursing hurts and the freedom of letting go of the past, being fruitful in the present, and looking forward to the future. Help me to focus on what’s important in this life. Help me to draw closer to You always. Amen.
Genesis 41:52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
Have a blessed day.