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I became familiar with the history of Jacob's twelve sons long before I realized how sweet and wonderful their history was. The more time I spend on Gen. 49, the more I appreciate these twelve sons. It is very worthwhile to delve into their history. The first four sons — Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah — were all sinful. But Joseph and Benjamin, the last two, are without fault or defect. They are perfect. Between the first four sons and the last two, we have the other six sons. With Dan we see apostasy; with Gad, recovery; with Asher, sufficiency; and with Naphtali, resurrection. If you put together the record of these twelve sons according to Genesis 49, you will have a portrait of yourself. On the one hand, when I look at these twelve sons of Jacob, I marvel at them; on the other hand, I am thankful to God, because in them I see a picture of myself. I also see the very Christ I have experienced and the salvation and transformation that are in Christ. In the past we all were Reubens, Simeons, Levis, and Judahs, but today we are Josephs and Benjamins.
Two of the sinful ones, Levi and Judah, were transferred into something positive. Levi was transferred into the priesthood, and Judah was transferred into the kingship. Thus, among the twelve sons of Jacob, we eventually have the priesthood, the kingship, and finally the ultimate consummation, which we see in Joseph and Benjamin. In the following message we shall see that the ultimate consummation is of two things: blessing and dwelling. We shall be brought fully into the universal blessing under God, and then we shall become His dwelling. Sinners become God's priests and kings, and ultimately they are under His universal blessing and become His eternal dwelling. If we saw the significance of this record, we would shout and praise the Lord. We would say, "Once I was a Reuben, but today I am a Levi, a Judah, a Joseph, and a Benjamin!" For eternity, we shall be the kings under God's blessing, and we shall be God's dwelling.
Have you ever realized that the Bible could be so wonderful? Have you ever seen that in one chapter, Genesis 49, we could have an abstract of the whole Bible and a summary of the history of the twelve sons of Jacob, of the history of the nation of Israel, of the history of the church, and of our own spiritual history? Everything is here. Although this chapter is poetic and very profound, it is nonetheless quite simple. It is all-inclusive. It includes all the Bible, it encompasses the history of the twelve tribes, it indicates the history of the church, and it portrays our personal history. How wonderful! Without doubt, this summarizes God's dealing with His chosen people. God's dealing with His people began with sinners, it proceeds to transformation, and eventually it reaches the ultimate consummation, which is the blessing and the dwelling of God.
Among Jacob's twelve sons, there are various types of persons. How I thank God for giving Jacob twelve sons. What if Jacob had had just one son? In the eyes of God, Abraham and Isaac each had just one son, for God counted only Isaac and Jacob, not Ishmael or Esau. But God's economy required twelve tribes. For this, Jacob had to have twelve sons. Not even ten tribes would have been sufficient. One day, after the death of Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was divided into two parts with ten tribes in one part and two in the other. But not even these ten tribes were sufficient; there had to be twelve. We need to remember the names of Jacob's twelve sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin. In this message we shall consider part of the spiritual significance of Joseph and Benjamin, covering three matters: fruitfulness, victory, and trust. In the following message we shall consider the blessing and the dwelling.
Genesis 49:22 says, "A son of a fruitful tree is Joseph, a son of a fruitful tree by a fountain; whose branches run over the wall" (Heb.). Joseph was very fruitful. He was fully occupied with fruitfulness, having no time for anything else. He had no time to argue with his brothers or to fight with others. People become occupied with negative things because they are not fully occupied with positive things. It is not profitable for a large number of saints to be gathered together and not be fully occupied. In such a case they will not be occupied with the positive things. Rather, spontaneously they will become occupied with negative things, just like the man in Matthew 12 who was vacant and who became possessed with seven demons (vv. 43-45). That man was like a clean, unoccupied apartment. Many saints are clean, but they are empty, unoccupied. Therefore, negative things come in. The saints need to be occupied with positive things. Then they will have no capacity, time, or energy for things such as gossip. Gossiping proves that not all our energy is being used. Joseph, however, was not an unoccupied person. As we shall see in later messages, from the time of his youth, he was occupied with positive things. He was occupied with his father's will, his father's mind, his father's interest, and his father's commission. Hence, there was no opportunity for the "gophers" or "dogs" to come in. If a room is filled with twenty people, no gopher would dare to come in. But if the room is unoccupied, gophers and dogs may try to come in. The best way to keep the saints from negative things is to fill them with positive things. Again I say that from his youth, Joseph was fully occupied with positive things, mainly with fruitfulness.
When Joseph's father and eleven brothers and their families came down to Egypt, they became the channels for the branching out of Joseph's fruitfulness. At that time in Egypt Joseph was not simply branching out personally; he was branching out God's administration with seventy people. Joseph was very fruitful. The entire world was under the branching out of Joseph. Joseph was a picture, a type. This means that the fulfillment must be with the church. The church people should be the most fruitful people. Acts chapter two reveals how fruitful Peter and the other eleven apostles were. Throughout the centuries, all who have loved the Lord and who have been occupied with Him have also been fruitful.
Verse 22 says that Joseph was a son of a fruitful tree. The word "son" here indicates a bough or a branch. Most versions translate the Hebrew word as "bough," which is a large branch. This means that Joseph was a branch of a fruitful tree. In the entire universe there is just one fruitful tree, and that tree is Christ. As the branch of God, Christ is a fruitful tree. Zechariah 6:12 says, "Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH." This branch is Christ. Christ as the branch of God has branched out God to humanity, eventually becoming a tree. In John 15, a chapter on fruitfulness, the Lord Jesus said, "I am the true vine" (v. 1). Christ is the vine tree. In John 15:5 the Lord said, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit." As branches of such a fruitful tree, we all need to be fruitful.
Do not consider your weaknesses, failures, or the pitiful situation around you. Church history has two sides — a dark side and a glorious side. When we look at the glorious side, we see abundant fruitfulness. Not only Peter and Paul but all those who love the Lord have been fruitful. Sometimes we may say, "We are weak, our situation is not promising, the increase is coming slowly, and the number remains small." But if you have the heavenly view, you will see that the church is very fruitful and that the history of the church is a history of fruitfulness. Again I say, do not look at the situation from the dark side, but from the glorious side. God is victorious, and the church is fruitful. The branch is branching out. Peter, Paul, and all the lovers of Christ throughout the centuries have had many branches.
These branches are branching out over the wall (49:22), that is, they are spreading Christ over all restrictions, magnifying Him in all circumstances (Phil. 1:20). Genesis 49:22 says that Joseph's branches run over the wall. The wall signifies restriction. Since the day of Pentecost, wall after wall has been erected to restrict the spreading of the branches. One day Peter was even put into prison (Acts 12:3-4). But not even that stronghold could restrict the branching out. Year after year, decade after decade, and century after century, walls have been raised up by the opposers and by the enemy to restrict the church's fruitfulness. But the branches have run over the wall every time.
I can testify of this by what I have seen and experienced during the past fifty years. During these years I have seen the fruitfulness of the branches. Brother Nee, raised up by the Lord in China, was certainly a bough of a fruitful tree, a branch of the fruitful Christ. When I was with him, I became very clear that nothing could restrict his testimony. Brother Nee was burdened to bear a testimony of Jesus that was opposed to organized Christianity. As a result, even many Christians put up walls to restrict him, and they spread rumors about him. Let me give you an illustration of the evil rumors. After he was saved, Brother Nee received great help from a sister named Margaret E. Barber. Miss Barber had a co-worker named Miss Gross. Both Miss Barber and Miss Gross were missionaries who had come from Britain to China. However, by the time Brother Nee was saved, they had left their missions and were in China living by faith in God. Because Brother Nee received so much help from Miss Barber, Miss Gross also came to know him. Since Brother Nee was under the helping hand of Miss Barber, he was simultaneously also under the help of Miss Gross. In 1929 Miss Barber went to be with the Lord, and Miss Gross remained and moved to Shanghai. One day Miss Gross heard the report that a woman was living with Brother Nee, and she came to him to check with him about this. Brother Nee was still single, and, like Miss Barber, Miss Gross, as an elderly sister, loved him and was very concerned about him. Miss Gross said, "I have heard that a woman is staying with you. Is this true?" When Brother Nee answered, "Yes," Miss Gross rebuked him, asking how he, a single young man, could have a woman staying with him. Brother Nee related this incident to me himself to help me understand something about self-vindication. He told me that he was happy to be rebuked. He also told me that the woman staying with him was his mother. He said this, not to vindicate himself, but to render some help to me. When I asked Brother Nee why he did not tell Miss Gross about this, he replied, "She didn't ask me who the woman was. She only asked whether or not a woman was staying with me. When I told her that a woman was living with me, she rebuked me. I didn't say anything." This is one illustration of the rumors spread about Brother Nee.
Another illustration: Immediately after his wedding, a great turmoil was stirred up in Shanghai. This was another wall raised up by the enemy. Brother Nee showed me a newspaper, the leading newspaper in Shanghai and perhaps in all of China. In huge Chinese characters there was a negative article regarding his marriage. Brother Nee said to me, "Witness, in my whole life I never heard about such a thing happening after a wedding."
Today many rumors are being circulated about us, but as yet none of them are as evil as the rumors spread about Brother Nee. The fact that a rumor was circulated concerning a woman staying with Brother Nee indicates that the enemy was constantly trying to raise up walls to restrict his fruitfulness. But Brother Nee's fruitfulness has run over the wall. Today his fruit can be found throughout the earth. No one can wall it in. Even if some raise up a wall one hundred forty-four cubits high, the branches will still run over it.
As the years went by, I saw all the things that happened to Brother Nee. I thank the Lord that I was allowed to see those things and experience them with him. Thus, when I hear the rumors spread about me, I can laugh and say, "I am prepared for this. In the past I saw a wall one thousand feet high. But your wall is a mere fifteen feet." I would like to tell all the opposers throughout the United States, "I don't think you can build a wall one thousand feet high. Probably the highest wall you can build is five hundred feet. However, I have already experienced branching over a wall one thousand feet high." The Lord knows that I am not boasting. At least two elderly brothers from China among us here can testify that in the past I suffered together with Brother Nee. Having rumors spread about us is nothing new. If possible, we should tell the opposers they are wasting their time, for they cannot suppress this testimony. The higher the walls are built to restrict us, the faster the branches will spread over them.
In Acts 5 Gamaliel spoke a good word: "Stay away from these men and leave them alone; for if this counsel or this work is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them, lest perhaps you even be found fighters against God" (vv. 38-39). If this is not the Lord's recovery, it should be overthrown. If it is not the recovery, let it sink to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. But if it is the Lord's recovery, the opposers should be careful, for they will suffer shame. They will never be able to defeat this testimony. The more they try to hold it down, the higher it will rise up. Church history testifies of this.
Let me share a little of my personal experience. After I was saved, by the mercy of the Lord I became a seeking Christian, one who sought the Lord. The Christians in my home town loved me. One day, however, I was caught by the Lord for His recovery, and a church was raised up in my home town. According to the outsiders, I was the one doing the preaching and teaching there. Before the church was raised up, some of the Christians invited me to speak at their meetings. They even provided transportation to and from the meeting. In China, that was considered an expression of love and respect. But after the church was raised up there, those very ones who invited me to the meetings and even provided transportation for me completely ignored me when they saw me on the street. Then rumors were spread about me. Some of those rumors said that I was teaching heresy. I have been condemned as heretical from the time I first came into the church life. This is nothing new to me.
Fifty years ago, my home town was the most famous city in North China for Bible knowledge. Hearing the rumors that my teaching was heretical, certain young men, sons of fundamental Christian preachers, came to the meetings to find out for themselves what was going on. Prior to this, instead of attending services of their fathers' denominations, they went to operas, theaters, and gambling places. When these young men were engaging in such sinful activities, their parents were not very concerned. However, when some of them were attracted to the church life and caught by it, the pastors began to warn them not to attend the meetings. One of these young men said to a certain pastor, "When I was going to the gambling places and to the theaters, you did not come to warn me about what I was doing. But now that I am going to a place where I can listen to the Word of God and where I am receiving much help in spiritual life, you come to warn me not to go there. Do not come to me again. I have been helped by attending these meetings, and I intend to keep on receiving this help." This shows that the branches were running over the wall.
Throughout the years, the opposers have followed me from my home town to many other places, including Taiwan. A certain preacher purposely went to Taiwan from my home town to try to destroy my ministry. When I was bothered by the opposition, the Lord said, "Look at Paul, and read the book of Acts again. Wherever the apostles went, the opposing Jews followed and caused trouble."
Recently, one of the brothers received a letter from Australia, written by a traveling preacher, filled with negative statements about me. In the whole letter there was nothing positive concerning me. However, several years ago the same man who wrote this letter had written another letter in which he praised me very highly. In the letter written several years ago, this traveling preacher said, "To me, Witness Lee has always been a great man of God in his personal life, and a most fruitful servant of God in his ministry. I'm sure I cannot lace his shoes. I would be a happy man if I thought the Lord would give me half the reward, or even one tenth, He has for His eminent servant." But recently the same person has written a letter filled with slanderous lies about me. It is difficult to believe that both were written by the same person. This second letter was written because the fruitful branch has spread to Sydney. Some, seeing the branching out in Australia, were stirred up and wondered what they could do about it. Hence, this letter was written in an attempt to restrict the branching out of the Lord's recovery in Australia. When I consider things such as this in the light of 49:22, I am happy, for the branches are still running over the wall. What is happening today exactly corresponds to what is written in this verse. The opposers are wasting their time. The more walls they raise up, the more branching out there will be.
How can a traveling preacher, one who preaches the gospel in the name of the Lord Jesus and teaches the Bible, speak lies, even slander a brother? This is the poor situation of today's Christianity. There is no conscience and no moral standard. As long as some can frustrate the Lord's recovery, they are happy. But no wall can frustrate the spread of the branches. In fact, the opposition actually helps the Lord's spreading. This is the experience of Joseph.
In 1958 I was invited to England. From that time onward, some have tried to restrict the Lord's recovery from spreading to Europe. But when the Lord's Recovery began to spread there, they were not able to do anything. The branches are spreading over the wall in Germany, Switzerland, and even in Denmark and Sweden. No one can restrict the spreading of Joseph. If we are today's Joseph, who can restrict us?
Rumors about us have also been spread in Central America and in South America. But praise the Lord that His recovery in Brazil is spreading like wild fire! None of the "firemen" know what to do about it. Before this wild fire began to spread, the opposers in Christianity circulated rumors concerning me and the churches. I ask you to wait for another period of time and see what will happen. Everything depends on whether or not we are today's Joseph. If we are, no one and nothing will be able to restrict the spreading of the branches over the wall.
Genesis 49:23 and 24 say, "The archers have bitterly harassed him, and shot at him, and lay in wait for him: but his bow remained firm" (Heb.). Joseph overcame the archers' attack. The spiritual significance of this is that in all suffering we more than conquer (Rom. 8:36-37). The sufferings cannot suppress us; rather, we subdue the sufferings.
Although Joseph was persecuted, harassed, and attacked, he remained strong. He was not only strong, but also agile. Verse 24 says, "The arms of his hands were made strong and agile by the hands of the mighty One of Jacob" (Heb.). The more Joseph suffered and the more he was attacked, the more he became strong. His suffering also trained him to be agile. In order for our arms and legs to be agile, we need to be trained by suffering. Joseph was a trained person; he was trained through his sufferings. It is the same with us today. All the opposition and the rumors only help us to be agile.
Joseph, of course, was made strong and agile by the mighty One of Jacob. The source of his strength and agility was God. If you read Joseph's history, you will see that God was always with him. When he was tempted by Potiphar's wife, he said, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (39:9). This indicates that God was with him. His strength and his agility came from God.
Today in the Lord's recovery we are empowered in the grace of Christ to withstand all opposition for the Lord's testimony (2 Tim. 2:1). Our strength is not of ourselves, but of the Lord. As long as we have Him as the source of our strength, no opposition can suppress us.
In 49:27 Benjamin is likened to a tearing wolf: "Benjamin is a tearing wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and in the evening he shall divide the spoil" (Heb.). The term "wolf" is not a pleasant term. However, whenever you tear anything, you cannot be nice; rather, you must be like a wolf. When we had to tear down some things in order to complete the building of the meeting hall in Anaheim, I observed the expressions of those who were doing this work. The expression on every face was fierce. A gentleman cannot tear down anything. Whenever you are about to tear something down, you must be a wolf. Benjamin was a wolf.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul says, "Overthrowing reasonings and every high thing rising up against the knowledge of God, and taking captive every thought unto the obedience of Christ." When I was young, I thought that Paul was proud in saying this. Speaking about overthrowing reasonings and every high thing and about capturing thoughts is not nice, humble, gentle, mild, or kind. When Paul wrote those words, he was a tearing wolf. Many times when I contact others I am humble and nice. But at certain times I am like a wolf tearing things into pieces. In ordinary talk, I am a gentleman, but there are times when I show no mercy. Sometimes my co-workers and even my dear wife have asked me to be merciful toward others. But can you ask a tearing wolf to be merciful? If a wolf could speak, he would say, "In my language there is no such word as mercy." A tearing wolf shows no mercy. We are not tearing people into pieces; we are tearing Satan. We are also tearing into pieces the dissenting thoughts and reasonings. All these high things must be torn to shreds.
Deuteronomy 33:17 says, "His majesty is like the firstborn of his ox, and his horns are like the horns of a wild ox: with them he shall push the peoples together to the ends of the earth: and these are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Manasseh" (Heb.). Joseph is likened to a pushing ox. In the previous message I pointed out that when Christ comes back, He will push the Russians away from the good land. I definitely believe this. But we also may experience Joseph as a pushing ox today. As I have considered my past experiences and the experiences of Brother Nee, I realize that I have certainly seen the pushing victory. The opposers joined forces to squeeze us, but there was the pushing victory, the pushing strength, and the pushing horns. Wait for a while, and you will see Joseph's pushing strength. Joseph is fruitful, and he is victorious in tearing and in pushing. We in the Lord's recovery today are all Josephs strong in tearing the opposition and in pushing the opposition away.
Many of you have read the booklet entitled, What a Heresy — Two Divine Fathers, Two Life-giving Spirits, and Three Gods! Although this booklet has been out for several months, no one has written a booklet in reply to it. The mouths of the opposers have been shut, and their writing hands have been amputated, for they have no way to take care of Isaiah 9:6 and 1 Corinthians 15:45. No matter how some may twist Isaiah 9:6, they cannot eliminate the title Father found here. This verse says that a Son is given to us and that His name is called the everlasting Father, or the Father of eternity. This Father certainly is the Father of the Godhead. If you say that the Father in Isaiah 9:6 is not the Father of the Godhead, then you hold the heresy of believing in two divine Fathers. But in the whole universe there is only one source, the Father in the Godhead. There cannot be another Father as another source. Do not tell me about history or about the Nicene Creed or any other creed. I do not care for the creeds — I only care for the pure word in Isaiah 9:6.
First Corinthians 15:45 says, "The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit." Some, opposing us, have twisted this verse and said, "It says `a spirit,' not `the Spirit.'" But do not forget the modifier "life-giving." This verse speaks of the life-giving Spirit. Do you believe that this Spirit is different from the Holy Spirit of the Godhead? If so, then you believe in two life-giving Spirits. That is heresy! In fighting this battle, I am a wolf tearing the enemy to pieces.
Some of the opposers appeal to the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed is like a pair of shoes two inches long, but our feet are twelve inches long. Do you intend to cut your feet to fit into your little shoes, or will you get a pair of shoes to fit your feet? The book of Revelation speaks of the seven Spirits, but are the seven Spirits covered by the Nicene Creed? No! The New Testament also speaks of the life-giving Spirit, but does the Nicene Creed contain any reference to the life-giving Spirit? No! Thus, that pair of shoes is too short. The vision we have is much greater than what is contained in that creed. We must not reduce the vision to match the shoes; rather, we must throw away those old shoes and take the pure word of the Bible. Let all of Christianity oppose us. Eventually, we shall see what the outcome will be. In the Lord's recovery we have both the tearing strength and the pushing strength. Sooner or later, the enemy will not only be defeated and subdued; he will unconditionally surrender. God is leading us in triumph (2 Cor. 2:14). The truth is the truth, Joseph is Joseph, and Benjamin is Benjamin.
Genesis 49:24 also speaks of the Shepherd, the stone of Israel, and verse 25 says, "Even by the God of thy father, who helpeth thee; and by the All-sufficient, who blesseth thee" (Heb.). These verses indicate why Joseph and Benjamin became the ultimate consummation: they trusted in the mighty One of Jacob. They trusted in the Shepherd of Israel, and they stood upon the stone of Israel. They trusted in the all-sufficient One. The New Testament equivalent for trusting in the All-sufficient is Philippians 4:13, which says, "I can do all things in Him who empowers me." The equivalent of the Shepherd of Israel is seen in 1 Peter 5:4, which says that Christ, the Chief Shepherd, will appear. Finally, the New Testament equivalent of the stone of Israel is seen in Christ, the rock of the church. First Corinthians 10:4 says, "For they drank of a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ."
In Jacob's prophetic blessing of Joseph we see that Joseph's fruitfulness and victory came out of his trust in the Lord. If we would be today's Joseph and Benjamin, we must be those who trust in the mighty One, in the Shepherd of Israel, in the rock of the church, and in the all-sufficient One. My conscience testifies that without trusting in the Lord, I can do nothing. If I do not pray about everything I do in the Lord's recovery, I would have no peace. I pray about everything I do in the Lord's recovery, praying until I have the peace and the assurance. Before I deliver a message, I pray about it until I am fully inspired and empowered. The life of Joseph is a trusting life, a life that trusts in God for its living. This is the secret of Joseph's fruitfulness and victory.
Although the language of poetry is economical, Jacob nonetheless used different titles of the God who is worthy of our trust: the mighty One, the Shepherd, the stone, the All-sufficient, and the God of thy father. We are not the first generation to trust in God. Rather, we are one of the later generations. We see the testimony of our forefathers' trust in their God, and now their God has become our God. Hence, we follow in their footsteps to trust in their God, who is the mighty One, the all-sufficient One, the Shepherd, the rock, and the foundation. Hallelujah, we are standing on Him and trusting in Him! Therefore, we are fruitful and victorious.
