Vayechi“And he lived” Genesis 47:28–50:26 1 Kings 2:1–12 Matthew 26–28 Teach Them To Obey The two boys of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, may have felt a bit out of place now that the family of Jacob was back together again. Yes, they were the sons of Joseph, but their mother was a gentile from Egypt and they were not fully part of the family of Jacob. The question of what heritage they should follow must have been asked from time to time. Should they follow the ways of Egypt through their mother's lineage or adopt the ways of their father Joseph? This was a dilemma soon to be solved by the actions of their grandfather Jacob. Jacob knows his days on this earth are coming to a close. We are not told how he knew this, but at 147 years old you do need to face reality! With Jacob's soon death inevitable he begins to put his house in order. His first request is that his bones not be left in Egypt, but taken back to Israel when they all return to the Promised Land. His next order of business is to solve the dilemma in the lives of Ephraim and Manasseh once and for all. Jacob calls for these two boys to be brought before him. He then formally adopts them into his family. Notice in the scriptures that he literally takes the boys from Joseph and their mother and adopts them just as if they had come from his own loins. From this moment on there would no longer be a decision of whose heritage they should uphold, for their old heritage was now a thing of the past and they were officially part of a new family, the family of Jacob, the family of Israel. Because of the adoption, Ephraim and Manasseh would now need to put off any Egyptian ways they had taken on. They were now to live fully and completely as Hebrews, taking on the full responsibilities of their adoption, of being grafted into the family of Israel. The last words of Yeshua recorded in the Book of Matthew have a very similar ring to the actions of Jacob. Yeshua tells his disciples to go into all nations and make people from those nations into disciples. These new disciples are to be taught to leave their former ways of life, their former heritages and take on a new way of life. They are not to bring their old ways into the new family, but to learn a new way of life. They were to learn all the words Yeshua had been teaching over the past three and a half years. They were to learn that the ways of the new family are the words of Torah. They were to uphold and honor the family name, and its character. For the past two hundred years America has been known as the great melting pot. We have taken into our country peoples from every nation of the world. These people would "melt" into the society of America, learning the English language as well as the laws and customs of this land. They would over time leave the ways of their birth country and take on the ways of America, becoming citizens with all the rights and responsibilities of the nation. This is changing before our eyes today. People are still coming to America today in record numbers. Their attitudes of how they come to this country have changed though. They no longer come with the idea of learning the English language, but instead expect the nation to change and learn theirs. They no longer seek to live by the laws of this land, but seek to change the laws to accommodate their own desires, even if those desires are against our laws. They do not want to be called Americans, but instead use a hyphenated title to keep one foot on this shore and the other foot attached somewhere else. Allowing these ways within America, Europe and many other countries is leading to the demise of the countries. I applaud Australia who has stood up to these pressures in the recent months. I believe the family of God can learn something from Australia. We who have been adopted into the family of God, the family called Israel need to see that the natural teaches us about the physical. The weakening of America and other countries parallels what is happening in God's family today. “Christians” are not desiring to leave their old ways of life. In fact in most places they are not even told this is necessary. Most are told to just come to Messiah and tack Him onto your present life so you will receive blessings, because now, "God is on your side." This attitude and teaching has brought about a watered-down gospel and a watered-down way of life for people who call themselves His family. We even have terms to fit this unbiblical methodology. We brand ourselves with unbiblical terms like, "Gentile Christian", "Messianic Jew," "Messianic Gentile," "Baptist,” "Pentecostal," . . . the list goes on and on. Why not be an ambassador of God? Why not boldly represent Him, and all He said? Why not go to the scriptures to find out who we are? Read Ephesians chapter two. This is a chapter written to Gentiles who had come to faith in Yeshua. Did Paul call these people "Gentile Christians?" No, he called them former gentiles who were now Israelites, Hebrews! Maybe we should learn a lesson in this first week of the year from Ephraim and Manasseh. We need to learn what adoption really means. It means that you put off your old family, your old ways, your old heritage and your old names if needed. You become part of a new family with all the rights, responsibilities and even the name of your new family. You then live by the instructions and customs of that new family, doing everything the head of the family instructs you to do, living up to his character in honor of him. The parting words of Yeshua in the "Great Commission" echo these same words. Yes, He told the disciples to go into all the world and preach, but go back and read the verses again. What were they to preach? Was it not obedience to all He had taught them? What had He taught them, but obedience to God's Torah, not what man had done to Torah? A gospel without obedience to Torah is not really the true gospel at all. A gospel without Torah may bring people into His Kingdom, but once there, they will not know how to live within His Kingdom and never walk in the authority, responsibility nor inheritance of The Kingdom. Natural family members who do not obey their father do not honor him, do not love him. Likewise, family members who do not obey their Father do not honor Him, do not love Him!