Forgetfulness and Fruitfulness

Genesis 41:51-52 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. And name of the second he called Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

Joseph had been done many wrongs in his young life. His brothers threw him in a pit, then pulled him up just to sell him into slavery. As a slave, he was falsely accused of trying to rape Potiphar's wife and then sent to prison. In prison, he interpreted dreams for Pharaoh's butler and baker, and was forgotten by the butler. Finally, in God's perfect plan and timing, Joseph was brought out of prison to interpret a dream for Pharaoh himself. Pharaoh was so impressed, that he made Joseph second in command. 

When his wife had their first child, Joseph gives us a peek into his emotions regarding the pain he suffered.He names his children Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh means "forgetting". But notice that Joseph didn't just "forget", no, God made him to forget. Have you noticed that if you stop re-playing past hurts over and over, that eventually you forget? It's like our brains sort of block the memory. It's happened to me, I've tried to recall some hurt from long ago, but can't quite remember. Some hurts, however, are still fresh even after years have passed. Why is that? Because some things, you just can't forget. That's when God will have to step in and "make" us to forget.

Ephraim means "fruitful". I think everyone wants to be fruitful. We want enough money, good health, popularity, and so forth. But, how can one ever be successful as a slave in a foreign country? Only God can do something like that; only our Heavenly Father can turn dire circumstances into opportunities to flourish. But we have to let Him do that. We must acknowledge Him all that we do. (Prov.3:6) We must trust Him for the grace to keep going.(2 Cor.12:9) We must also forget before we can be fruitful. Notice that's the order Joseph named his boys- forget, then you can be fruitful, unencumbered by the pain of the past.