Forgetfulness and Fruitfulness
Genesis 41:50-52

"And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah, Priest of On, bore to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: 'For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house.' And the name of the second he called Ephraim: 'For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction."

In the Bible names have great significance. The name tells us something about the character and destiny of the person. When Abram offered his son, Isaac, his name was changed to Abraham. When Jacob had been chastened by God his name was changed to Israel. When Saul was converted on the road to Damascus, his name was changed to Paul. Jesus foresaw the greatness of Cephas and changed his name to Peter.

One interesting example of this is found in the life of Isaiah. He named his little boy Mahershalalhashbaz. It’s a mouthful, isn’t it? It means “Spoil speeds. Booty hastens.” He was to be a living testimony to the judgment of God that was coming to Israel. Afterwards, whenever they saw Mahershalalhashbaz they had to remember that their troubles were foreseen and foretold by God’s prophet, Isaiah.

In this passage, Joseph gave his two sons very significant names. These names tell us how to overcome setbacks and disappointments. The first name, Manasseh, means “Forgetfull.” The second name, Ephraim, means “Fruitful.”

Adrian Rogers used to tell the story about a very forgetful man. His wife told him before he left for work "Now remember, the movers are coming today and we will live in the house on the other side of the block." He went on to work and came home and found the house locked up, the garage was empty, and suddenly he remembered that this was the day he was supposed to move. "Now, where did she say we were going!!??" There was a little boy riding his bicycle around there and so he said "Boy, do you know the family that used to live here?" "Yeah," said the boy. "Well do you know where they moved to?" The little boy said "Daddy, Momma told me you'd forget we were moving and I was to lead to you home."

Perhaps you have head of the three old sisters who lived together. The oldest sister was stepping over the tub and suddenly she couldn't remember if she was getting in the tub, or out of the tub. So she called out to her other sister -- "Sister, am I getting in the tub or out of the tub?" She started up the stairs to help her, when suddenly she couldn’t remember if she was going up the steps or down the steps. "Baby Sister, was I going up the stairs or down the stairs." Baby Sister said "O, I hope I never get like that" and she knocked on wood for good luck. "Hold on I'll be right there just as soon as I see who is at the door!"

Joseph was a man of God. And, like most men of God he suffered. Job suffered. Everything was taken from him -- his health, wealth, family, even his reputation. Abraham suffered. He was promised a land and a nation, but never received it. Moses suffered. One of the key expressions in the book of Exodus is "And they murmured against Moses." Paul, Peter, James, and John all suffered martyrdom.

But, let us turn our eyes to Joseph for a minute. I'm sure that Joseph lived with regret. "O, if only I had not paraded around like a peacock in that coat! Why couldn't I have been more sensitive to the feelings of my brothers?"

Then, there were feelings of rejection. Nothing damages self-esteem as to be rejected by those closest to you. Joseph's own brothers sold him into slavery. In many ways, this could have been a fate worse than death.

A slave was nothing. He had no rights. He had no freedom. And slaves were cheap and dispensable. If you killed one, you could always get another.

Most men would wither away and die under these circumstances. Amazingly, Joseph prospered. And we ask ourselves "How?" There are two ways of answering this question, and both of them are right in their own way. First, God had a purpose for Joseph's life, and God used all of these circumstances to be a blessing to Joseph and Egypt. Second, Joseph learned a powerful lesson -- the lesson of forgetfulness.

He forgot his brother's treachery. He forgot Mrs. Potipher's lies. He forgot that the Butler didn't plead his case before Pharaoh until he had to.

I am sure you have heard of the expression "Forgive and forget." "IMPOSSIBLE," you say. And yes, you will probably never forget the events that have taken place.

In the golden age of the Greeks, a teacher would slap his student across the face when they came to something they wanted them to remember. In the days of the pioneers they would take a little boy to property boundary lines and beat them so that they would remember the boundary. The truth is that pain reinforces memory. So, it's very difficult to "forgive and forget."

Besides that we know that he did remember his brothers and father when they finally appear before him. So, he must have meant something different by forget than what we mean.

Joseph forgot in the sense that the wrongs that were done to him were not uppermost in his mind. He didn't see two brothers walking down the road and think back to the treachery of his brothers. He didn't see an old man walking down the road and grieve over his father. He didn't see a prisoner and think of his time in prison, now when he saw a slave did he think of being a slave.

Really what we see here is Joseph's declaration that he was going to get on with his life. The Apostle Paul said something very similar to that: "Forgetting those things which are behind, I press on to the mark of the upward call of God. Manasseh was Josephs living testimony to the fact that he would not be mastered by his circumstances, he would find a way to be an overcomer.

What we dwell on is what we become. If we dwell on negatives, we become negative. If we dwell on positives, we become positive. Maybe Joseph named his boy "Forget" so that he would always remember to forget. When his mind wandered back to the pain and misfortune of yesterday, he remembered to forget because little Manasseh would soon come by.

Maybe you could do that. Maybe you could tape a card with a quotation from Philippians: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice," Everyday that little card can be your Manasseh to remind you to forget.

Ephraim

Then, there was the little boy, Ephraim. His name means "Fruitful." Joseph could never have been fruitful if he had not learned to forget.

He was fruitful in the land of his affliction. What is the land of your affliction? Disease? Depression? Finances? Relationships? Fear?

It is my prayer that you will be lead out of the land of your affliction. But it is my higher prayer that while you are yet in the land of your affliction that you will be fruitful in it.

Listen to the teaching of the Lord on how He makes our lives fruitful:

I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. John 15:1-2

I think there was a temptation upon Jacob to be unthankful for his blessings in Egypt. He could have sat around wishing that he were home with his father's flocks. He could have sat around wishing that his brothers would have loved him. He could have dwelt on that so much that he could have lost sight of his blessings.

Yes, his blessings! Second in command in Egypt. Riches beyond imagination. The instrument of the salvation of Egypt and Mesopotamia..

To counter that temptation, he named his second child "Ephraim." "Fruitful." Every time little Ephraim came into the room, Jacob reminded himself of his blessing. Every time when they were looking for little Ephraim -- Oh Fruitfuuuuulllll" He was proclaiming his blessings.
CONCLUSION
Some of you have been wounded by life. Your mind and spirits are stuck on a painful memory, and that memory is robbing you of the ability to enjoy today. You have posted mental notes of your afflictions so that you will remember them constantly. And in the process, you have robbed yourself of the joy of living.

You think that you could be fruitful if your situation was different. God didn't change Jacob's situation, God strengthened Jacob in his situation.

Are you in the land of affliction? God desires to transform that land into a land of fruitfulness. Are you in the land of affliction? God wants to commit to being an overcomer.

Did you know that Beethoven lost his hearing? But as his hearing faded, his musical genius increased? Did you know that John Milton lost his vision, but as his vision diminished his spiritual vision became sharper. It was in his blindness that he wrote Paradise Lost. Did you know that Winston Churchill was voted out of Parliament and entered a ten year period called the "silent years." He had no platform, no source of income, no political power. He warned the world about Hitler, but no one listened. During that time Churchill honed his skills as an orator, a leader, and as an expert on world affairs. Finally, the British people, indeed, the world, admitted he was right. Hitler was a diabolical menace. In June of 1940 Churchill made this promise to the free world:

We shall not flight nor fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France and on the seas and oceans; we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender and even if, which I do not for the moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, will carry on the struggle until in God's good time the New World with all its power and might, sets forth to the liberation and rescue of the old.

During the silent years, Churchill thought he was too old to be of anymore service to his country. Little did he know that his greatest times of usefulness would be ahead of him. And, little did he know that he would live to be over ninety years old.

Are you in your silent years? The land of your affliction? Give this time to God and he will transform it into fruitfulness in His good time.

In a moment we are going to sing a hymn of appeal. Some of you feel God speaking to your heart today. You come while we sing.