Why did Jacob bless Ephraim more than Manasseh? We don’t know. However, this demonstrates that receiving the blessing that God offers does not rest with one's natural status in the world. On the contrary, the blessing of God is based solely on God's grace.
On the other hand, we can forfeit our blessing if we choose to. This is the case of Reuben. Though Reuben has excelled, he will no longer excel. The reason given is brief but to the point: "for you went up onto … my couch and defiled it." This refers to an episode briefly noted in 35:22: "While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father's concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it." Do we treasure God’s blessings as people in Genesis?
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