HealingStrong's Around the Word

Episode 11 - The Joseph Series: Trying to Forget (Genesis 41:50-52, Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)

• HealingStrong • Episode 11

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Joseph's naming of his sons reveals how we often try to forget painful pasts while inadvertently keeping them alive. God invites us to live in the present moment, seeing the blessings placed in our lives now rather than dwelling on past hurts.

This quick episode covers:

• Genesis 41:50-52 tells how Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh ("forget") and his second son Ephraim ("fruitful")
• Joseph still referred to Egypt as "the land of my suffering" despite his current abundance and blessings
• Soul wounds run deep and can't simply be buried or ignored
• We must learn from our past without getting stuck there
• Psalm 139:23-24 invites God to search our hearts and anxious thoughts
• God's desire is to help us see the blessings in our present circumstances

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Suggested Resources:

BIBLE PLAN - Trusting God's Plan in the Waiting: Lessons from the Life of Joseph

PODCAST - Genesis to Revelation Bible Reading

TOOLS - Refresh Your Spirit through God's Word




Speaker 1:

It's hard to forget the past and sometimes we can get stuck there, but we have to be careful not to and see the blessings that God is placing in our lives now.

Speaker 2:

Hello there, my name is Cheryl and you are listening to Healing Strong's Around the Word. We are a group of friends sitting around the table who love God, we love digging deep into His Word and we love talking about it. Each day on the podcast you'll hear me read a Bible passage and then we'll chat about what we're learning from it. Today I'll be reading Genesis, chapter 41, verses 50 through 52, and Psalm 139, verses 23 through 24, all from the NIV version of the Bible. So go ahead, join us Around the word. Genesis 41, verses 50 through 52.

Speaker 2:

Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath, daughter of Potipharah, priest of. On, joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said it is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household. In Psalm 139, verses 23 through 24. Search me, god, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. That was our Bible reading today. Now let's listen in on the discussion Angie Maren, myself and Susie had around the word. So we have some naming of children in these short verses here Manasseh and Ephraim. First of all, what does your version Maren say? What do they call Manasseh Made to forget? Okay, so that's one name, and what's the other child's name, ephraim's.

Speaker 3:

The second boy was named Ephraim, meaning fruitful, for God has made me fruitful in this land of my slavery, he said.

Speaker 1:

I'm thinking the fact that he had two boys. He's the Lord is rewarding him yet again his wife, even though she's Egyptian. The Lord is blessing Joseph through her and he's got two sons.

Speaker 3:

He was making him forget about his upbringing, how his family had hurt him, that he was providing a family for him now.

Speaker 2:

But do you notice, though, with the whole naming of the name meaning to forget, you're forgetting something. So every time you call out hey to forget, will you go make me some dinner right now? He's always remembering then the thing he's trying to forget. That's a soul wound that he's got he's got some pretty deep ones with his family members that so many times we can try to forget something that's or someone that's hurt us. I'm just going to move on. Whatever. I'm not going to deal with it, I'll bury it. I'm going to bury it deep down, and we do. We get busy, we get distracted, we think about other stuff and move on. But I think we're seeing just a wee little glimpse here. He hasn't forgotten, because he wouldn't talk about the land of his suffering, because right now it's pretty plentiful. I mean, he's living in the abundantly section, or he'd had two children in the years of abundance, so it doesn't seem like it's suffering anymore, but yet that's what he names his children.

Speaker 1:

He remembers his past. Yeah, it's hard to forget the past and sometimes we can get stuck there, but we have to be careful not to and see the blessings that God is placing in our lives now. Live in the now, today. This is where we are.

Speaker 2:

Those are some wise words from Angie. Live in the now. Don't focus on the past. We can learn from the past, but we can't live there. Otherwise we're going to be not happy campers and not present for what God needs us to do today. Anyway, thank you so much for joining us for Healing Strong's Around the Word podcast. We hope you were encouraged to dig deeper into God's Word. Please visit us at healingstrongorg where you'll find out more about our mission and our awesome community groups. Until next time, remember faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.