Genesis 48:18-19 KJV
And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
The custom and culture of the day was for the blessing to go to the first born. So Joseph brought his sons to be blessed of his father and purposely guided them into their grandfather's presence so that the elder would receive the blessing of the firstborn. Jacob, though elderly and blind, knew what he was doing and laid his hands upon them so that the younger received the greater blessing. Joseph was troubled by it and said so to his ailing father. But Jacob pacified him saying he knew what he had done.
A person might accuse me of taking a leap here but I see a break in cultural custom for what was perceived by Jacob to be the will of God and I will use this to emphasize that Christianity is not bound to operate within the confines of specific cultures but should in fact become a culture unto itself. Christianity is a culture. Christianity ought to create a brand new culture wherever it reaches.
Some will, like Joseph, be troubled by our breach in their culture. But that should not sway our direction. We follow the Lord's guiding. Ideas about faith, family, morality, appropriateness and etc. should all be influenced by our faith. These are not issues of upbringing and background. These are issues of righteousness established by almighty God. And how we interpret and apply them are not subject to the ideas of fundamentalism versus evangelicalism versus liberalism. God has spoken and our responsibility is to obey.
And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
The custom and culture of the day was for the blessing to go to the first born. So Joseph brought his sons to be blessed of his father and purposely guided them into their grandfather's presence so that the elder would receive the blessing of the firstborn. Jacob, though elderly and blind, knew what he was doing and laid his hands upon them so that the younger received the greater blessing. Joseph was troubled by it and said so to his ailing father. But Jacob pacified him saying he knew what he had done.
A person might accuse me of taking a leap here but I see a break in cultural custom for what was perceived by Jacob to be the will of God and I will use this to emphasize that Christianity is not bound to operate within the confines of specific cultures but should in fact become a culture unto itself. Christianity is a culture. Christianity ought to create a brand new culture wherever it reaches.
Some will, like Joseph, be troubled by our breach in their culture. But that should not sway our direction. We follow the Lord's guiding. Ideas about faith, family, morality, appropriateness and etc. should all be influenced by our faith. These are not issues of upbringing and background. These are issues of righteousness established by almighty God. And how we interpret and apply them are not subject to the ideas of fundamentalism versus evangelicalism versus liberalism. God has spoken and our responsibility is to obey.
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