In this message, another parenthesis in our life-study, we come back to the line of Joseph's personal life. I love the line of life even more than the line of Joseph as a type of Christ. As I was contacting the Lord with a praying spirit, the Lord showed me the points in Gen. 42 regarding Joseph's personal life which we shall cover in this message.
Joseph must have been very happy to see the fulfillment of his dreams. Chapter forty-two reveals that his brothers came to him and bowed down to him. Joseph was seventeen years old when he had his dreams. At the age of thirty he was exalted to rule over the land of Egypt. About nine years later Joseph's brothers bowed themselves down to him. This means that Joseph would have been probably thirty-nine years of age when his brothers came to him. Thus, about twenty-two years after his dreams, Joseph saw them fulfilled, but not until he had been betrayed and imprisoned. Then he spent many years in the dungeon and eventually was elevated to the throne at the time of his exaltation. But still Joseph did not see the fulfillment of his dreams. He had interpreted the dreams of his companions in prison and the dreams of Pharaoh, and the fulfillment of those dreams was a strong confirmation that his own dreams would be fulfilled. Nevertheless, Joseph had to pass through a long period of testing. It may seem to us that his patience would have been exhausted. Could you have waited twenty-two years for the fulfillment of your dreams? Joseph did.
Then on a certain day his brothers came and bowed down to him. If we had been Joseph, we would not have been able to contain our excitement. We would have jumped up and shouted, "Hallelujah! Don't you know that I am Joseph? How happy I am to see you!" We would have been beside ourselves with excitement. If the sisters among us had been there, they would have first wept and then embraced all the brothers. Joseph, however, was not out of control when he saw the fulfillment of his dreams. Rather, he was calm and his excitement was under control. He was able to control himself in such a way because he was a person with the rulership of the Spirit.
If you cannot control your own excitement, you cannot be a proper ruler. The ruling aspect of the mature life knows how to be calm, even in the most exciting situation. You may say, "Didn't Joseph weep when he saw his brothers?" Yes, he did. Joseph was a human being full of sentiment and normal feelings, not stone or wood. Nevertheless, even in his weeping we see that he was a person who ruled himself. Apart from Joseph, no one else could have controlled himself in such an exciting situation. But he conducted himself outwardly as if nothing had happened. This is the ruling life, the victorious life.
Often it is necessary for us to hold back our excitement. When Aaron's two sons were killed in the presence of God, Moses' words to Aaron implied that he should not weep, and immediately Aaron held back his tears (Lev. 10:1-7). Many times we also must hold back our tears and place ourselves under the rulership of the Spirit. A proverb says one who rules his spirit is better than one who takes a city (Prov. 16:32). The fact that Joseph remained calm under the rulership of the Spirit proved that he was the one qualified to carry out such a vast administration. Even in the most exciting of circumstances, he was not touched by any excitement. On the contrary, he remained calm, sober, and reasonable.
When Joseph saw his brothers bowing down to him, he was not hasty to reveal his glory to them (cf. Gen. 45:13). Not until his brothers' third trip did he reveal himself to them and expose his glory to them. Concealing our glory is even more difficult than holding back our excitement. You may be successful in restraining your excitement, but it is virtually impossible for anyone not to expose his glory. Joseph, however, was successful in this matter. He did not reveal his glory to his brothers immediately. This is another reason Joseph represents the reigning aspect of the mature life. He certainly had the qualifications of a ruler. Not until our self and our natural man have been thoroughly dealt with can we keep from revealing our glory to others. Joseph was a man who had been thoroughly dealt with and who was living under the rulership of the Spirit. Thus, he was qualified to be the reigning aspect of the mature life.
My burden in these messages is not merely to pass on teachings. It is to help you see the life in the book of Genesis and to know the way of life. The life manifested in the story of Joseph is not the human life, much less the fallen life. Moreover, it is not even the good natural life. Rather, it is the resurrection life, the life of God. Although Joseph was in an exciting situation, he did not display any looseness. This is life. With Joseph we see not only life, but also the way of life, which is to keep ourselves under control. Never think that Joseph was not human. He was full of human feelings and sentiments, but he kept himself with all his feelings under the rulership of the Spirit. Therefore, in Joseph we see not only the mature life, but a reigning life and the way of this reigning life. We all, especially the young people, need such a life and such a way that is the reigning aspect of a mature person. This life is not easily excited, and it does not reveal its glory. Instead, in the midst of excitement it remains calm, controls itself, and conceals its glory.
Joseph was very wise in dealing with his brothers. He was not at all loose. If I had been Joseph, I would have said to them, "Hallelujah, let us dance and have a feast! Let us be happy together." But Joseph did nothing like this. On the contrary, he was calm, sober, and wise. Joseph did not say, "Reuben and Judah, you did what was right. But you, Simeon, were wrong, because you took the lead to put me into the pit. You need to be punished for this." Instead of saying such things, Joseph was wise in at least three ways.
Joseph put all his brothers into prison for three days. He did this for the purpose of causing them to realize their guilt in hating him and in selling him (Gen. 42:21). If I had been Joseph, I would have put them into prison for three hours. I would have been too excited to keep them there any longer. I would not have been able to wait until I could feast with my brothers. Even if my brothers could have been patient, I would not have had the patience to wait three days. Three hours, however, would not have been adequate for Joseph's brothers to realize their guilt. They needed to be in prison for three days. During those days, they must have talked a great deal about what they had done to Joseph. Thinking that Joseph was not able to understand them, they even spoke in Joseph's presence about what they had done to him. But Joseph knew what they were talking about. How Joseph's brothers regretted what they had done to him! But Joseph seemed to say to himself, "Talk is not adequate. I should put them into prison so that they can become sober. Let them fellowship with one another in prison for three days and three nights." This was Joseph's way to cause his brothers to have a thorough realization of their guilt. When we are in a pleasant situation, it is difficult to realize our guilt and to repent. But if we are cast into prison, it is easy for us to repent and to condemn ourselves.
Joseph was also wise in his discipline of Simeon. In 42:19 and 20 Joseph said to his brothers, "If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry grain for the famine of your houses: but bring your youngest brother unto me." At first Joseph thought that one brother should be sent to bring the youngest brother and that all the rest should remain in prison. But after three days Joseph changed his mind and decided that only one should stay in prison and that the others should go to bring the youngest brother to him. Therefore, he "took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes" (42:24). I believe that it was Simeon who took the lead in plotting to murder Joseph. I also believe that Simeon took the lead to bind Joseph and to cast him into the pit. As Gen. 49:5-7 reveals, Simeon was a person given to anger. Thus, Joseph had him bound and put into prison. What do you suppose Simeon thought about there in prison? I believe that he repented to the uttermost and regretted what he had done. Perhaps he said, "Why did this man choose me? Why did he set his eyes upon me? Maybe it was because I took the lead in the plot against Joseph." Simeon was in prison for at least half a year, having been accused of being a spy. This was a serious crime and it could have cost him his life.
Do not think that Joseph was cruel and merciless for treating Simeon in this way. On the contrary, he was full of mercy. The ten brothers deserved their three days in prison, and Simeon deserved a longer period of imprisonment. Joseph was wise in doing this. He was controlled by a life that gave him a sober discernment. Whatever Joseph did to his brothers was right. He did neither too little to them nor did he do too much. We in the church life need to have such a life of discernment. If we have this discernment, we shall know what to do with the brothers and the sisters. We shall know how far we can go with them and where we need to restrain ourselves.
Furthermore, Joseph displayed his wisdom in testing his brothers with respect to Benjamin (Gen. 42:15, 20, 36-37). In 42:15 Joseph commanded that the youngest brother, Benjamin, be brought to him. By singling out Benjamin in this way, Joseph helped his brothers to think about Joseph himself. If I had been Joseph, I would have said, "Don't forget what you did to Joseph." Joseph, however, wisely referred to Benjamin. As soon as he referred to Benjamin, his brothers were reminded of Joseph. This must have touched their consciences. In 42:13 they said to him, "Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not." If I had been Joseph I would have asked, "Where is that one whom you say is not? What happened to him?" In his wisdom, Joseph touched his brothers' consciences.
Joseph's brothers were under his control, and he could have done whatever he wanted with them. If he had wanted them beheaded, he had the authority to command it. He also could have feasted with them if he had wanted to do that. But as one representing the reigning aspect of the mature life, Joseph behaved in a proper way toward everyone. Because not all his brothers were the same, he did not treat them all in the same way. The one who was the most evil required the most thorough discipline. As a type of Christ, Joseph did the same thing to his brothers that Christ will do to the nation of Israel in the future. First, Joseph disciplined them. In a sense, he terrified them. When I read about this as a child, I wondered why Joseph did not show love to his brothers. I thought that he should have immediately said, "I am Joseph, and you are my brothers. Let us embrace, dance, and have a feast." I wondered why, instead of showing love for his brothers, Joseph put them into prison. Joseph did everything soberly and with discernment. But this did not mean that he had no love for his brothers. On the contrary, he had a great deal of love toward them. However, at the time he could not openly display his love for them. Rather, he had to extend love to them in a secret way. He did this by restoring their money and by giving them provision for their journey (42:25). Because Joseph's brothers did not understand his wise dealing with them, they were frightened by his secret love.
I hope that the Spirit will speak more to you regarding these matters than I am able to utter. In the church life we need to learn to be calm and to restrain ourselves. We also need to learn not to show our glory. Moreover, we must learn to do things not in a careless and foolish way, but in a sober and discerning way. Finally, we also must have love for the brothers, even for those who require discipline. This is the life of Joseph. In the church life we need a calm life, a sober life, and a discerning life. If we have such a life, we shall know how to relate to the brothers and sisters. But whatever we do must be underlined with a secret love, a love that cannot be shown openly.
Verse 28 says, "And their heart went out, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?" (Heb.). This was the response of Joseph's brothers when they found their money in the mouth of their sacks. When they found the money in their sacks, their heart went out, that is, their heart was exercised. They might have wondered about what had taken place in Egypt. They were terrified of what had happened there.
Joseph was a very sober person. I do not believe that anyone else could have done what he did. Genesis 42:9 says that Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed of his brothers. Now, after twenty-two years, his dreams were fulfilled. If we had been Joseph, we would have forgotten everything in our excitement at seeing our dreams fulfilled. We would have said, "Now that our dreams have been fulfilled, let us forget everything else and be happy." But if Joseph had done this, enjoying to the uttermost the fulfillment of his dreams, he would not have been able to do anything to help his brothers. As far as he was concerned, he was ready to enjoy the fulfillment of his dreams. He did not need any more discipline. His brothers, however, certainly did need discipline. Thus, Joseph did not act for himself, but for his brothers. Rather, for their sake he was willing to sacrifice the enjoyment of the fulfillment of his dreams for a period of time.
Joseph's dreams were fulfilled in his brothers' coming to him and bowing down before him. If Joseph had intended merely to enjoy the fulfillment of his dreams, he could have said to his brothers, "I am Joseph, and I am so happy to see you. Let us eat together. Then you go back and bring my father here." Even in ancient times it would not have taken more than a few weeks for them to return home and to come back with their father. Joseph could have said, "I cannot wait any longer to be with my father. I've been away from him for more than twenty years. Now I want to enjoy his presence. I want to see him as soon as possible." No doubt Joseph desperately desired to see his father. But for the sake of his brothers he was willing to postpone his enjoyment. Joseph's sacrifice of this enjoyment caused him to delay the enjoyment of the fulfillment of his dreams for at least another six months. The brothers had to go home, exhaust the food supply, and return for more grain. Eventually, their father came to Egypt to see Joseph.
Suppose you were Joseph. Could you have waited such a long time? As the ruler, Joseph could have done what was necessary to have his father brought to him immediately. But he disciplined his brothers for their good at the sacrifice of his own enjoyment of seeing his father. I repeat, Joseph was a sober, disciplined person. His personal temperament and sentiment were absolutely controlled by life. He did not go along with his own feelings. Instead, his sentiments were under the control of resurrection life.
All those who take the lead in the church need such a life. Without this kind of life we do not know how to help others. If we do not have such a life, we shall contact people according to our feelings, according to whether we are happy or sad. But Joseph did not deal with his brothers according to his sentiments, but according to their need. If he had acted according to his desire to see his father, he would have had his father brought to him immediately. But in order to discipline his brothers, he delayed his enjoyment of seeing his father for at least six months. He sacrificed his enjoyment of the immediate presence of his father for his brothers' good.
Apparently Joseph was treating his brothers in a rough way. As the nine brothers were returning home, they might have said, "My, that man really was rough with us! How he mistreated us! We were not only misunderstood by him, but also mistreated." When they returned to their father, they did not return joyfully, although they had the food they required. Then they told their father the sad story of what had happened to them in Egypt. They did not realize that Joseph loved them in a hidden way. As we have seen, he loved them in a secret way by restoring their money and by affording them sufficient provision for their journey. Joseph had no thought of revenge. He considered only what would be good for his undisciplined brothers. Even in the enjoyment of the fulfillment of his dreams, he was not selfish. He did not care for himself, but for his brothers, and he paid a great price to perfect them.
Those who take the lead among the children of God need to learn this lesson. We should not contact the saints in the church life according to our sentiments, but according to their need. Like Joseph in his dealing with his brothers, we should be neither strict nor loose in contacting the saints. Do not think that Joseph was strict with his brothers. He was sober in dealing with them in order to perfect them, but he was not strict with them. Neither was he loose, saying, "I forgive you all. I don't care about what you did, for I know that God sent me here. Let us just praise the Lord." If Joseph had treated them like this, there would have been no perfection.
According to his natural being, it was difficult for Joseph to put his brothers into prison for three days. He simply was not that kind of person. For him to do this was to go against his good nature. Nevertheless, in order to meet his brothers' need for discipline, he did this. In the church life we should not always be so kind. At certain times the leading ones need to be rough and tough. However, if you are rough with someone, you need to be rough in the right way. Otherwise, your toughness will kill him. The point here is that we should not deal with others according to our temperament, sentiment, or natural being. Neither should we deal with them according to our own enjoyment. Rather, we must contact others according to their need. Perhaps Joseph said to himself, "For the sake of my brothers, I must be tough and talk to them in a rough manner. I must put them into prison for three days." Like Joseph, we all must learn to deal with others according to their need and not according to our feelings.
The church life is similar to married life. According to God's ordination, there should be no divorce. Neither in married life nor in the church life should there be divorce. In the eyes of God, there is no escape, no emergency exit, from the church life. If you say that the church is no longer the church, it means that you are divorcing the church life. If five years ago you said that this was the church, how can you say that it is not the church today? How could you claim that a certain man is not your husband if you have been living with him for the past several years? There are many different kinds of people in the church life. It is not only difficult for us to remain together, but it is hard for a man to stay with his wife for a long period of time. Anyone who has done so can tell you that it is not easy. For this reason, this country is full of divorces. I once read statistics which indicated that in California there were nearly as many divorces as marriages. But there are no divorces among the young people married in the church life. We can boast to the demons that among the young people in the churches there is no divorce. Because the Lord's grace has been with these young people, they have learned to deal with their spouse, not according to their disposition, but according to resurrection life. In this matter of marriage we have enjoyed great success.
In the church life, however, we must admit that we have shortcomings. Although we have no divorces in our married life, in the church life sometimes the leading ones do not contact others in a proper way. We do not always contact them according to their need, but according to our sentiment, feeling, and enjoyment. In the coming years many young ones among us will be raised up by the Lord to take the lead. When they assume the lead, they must learn not to take the lead according to their sentiment, but according to the discernment that comes from being controlled by resurrection life. If they do this, they will contact the saints according to their needs and not according to their own sentiments. They will be like Joseph who dealt with his brothers according to their needs, even if he had to act contrary to his own desire for the enjoyment of the fulfillment of his dreams. In his dealing with his brothers, Joseph even went against his natural being. According to his natural constitution, he was not the kind of person to be rough with others. But because the brothers needed this kind of treatment, he dealt with them in this way. Joseph did everything according to the need of his brothers. Not one thing he did was according to his desire, enjoyment, preference, or sentiment. Even in the matter of the fulfillment of his dreams, he ignored his feelings and took care of his brothers and of what would be good for them.
With respect to the leadership in the church life, we have not been altogether successful. By leadership I refer not only to the elders, but to anyone who takes the lead to help others. This includes those involved in shepherding. As we contact others in the way of shepherding, we must not do so according to our feelings. Rather, it should be according to the need of others. To learn this is to learn a great lesson. Joseph is an excellent example of proper leadership. He was a leader who did not act according to his need, desire, disposition, or sentiment. On the contrary, he did everything according to the need of others and for their good. When he spoke roughly to his brothers, it was for their good. When he put them into prison for three days, it was for their good. When he bound Simeon and kept him in prison for a longer period of time, it was for his good. We have seen that Joseph loved his brothers to the uttermost. However, he did not love them in a loose way, but in a sober way according to his brothers' need and for their good. We all need to practice this in the church life today.
