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As we have pointed out many times, the book of Genesis contains the seeds of nearly all the truths in the Scriptures. If we would get into the depths of the record of Joseph's life, we must find the seeds sown there and see that this record contains an account of a reigning life. Before we consider the seeds and the reigning life found in chapters forty-five through forty-seven, we need to consider two further points regarding Joseph as a type of Christ.
When all the tests were over and the time was ripe, Joseph revealed himself and his exaltation and glory to his brothers (Gen. 45:8, 13). This typifies that one day Christ will reveal Himself to the remnant of Israel. Christ, the exalted One in the heavens, has His own temperament. He knows what He has to do to test Israel, and He knows how long the test should last. At the right time, the trial of Israel will end. After all the saints have been raptured and after the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ has been carried out, Christ, with the overcoming saints, will be revealed from the heavens, and the remnant of Israel will see Him. At that time they will realize who Jesus of Nazareth is and say, "Jesus of Nazareth is our Messiah. He has been exalted and enthroned as Lord of all."
When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, they no doubt were shocked to see him and to remember what they had done to him. However, Joseph's revealing himself to them was wholly a matter of grace. Likewise, as a matter of grace, Christ will reveal Himself to the remnant of Israel. At exactly the right time, Christ will reveal that He has been exalted and that no one in the universe is higher than He. When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, he said that God had made him a father to Pharaoh, the lord of all his house, and the ruler throughout all the land of Egypt (Gen. 45:8). Even Pharaoh was under Joseph's instruction. When Christ will reveal Himself in His glory to the remnant of Israel, the Jews will realize that He is far greater than they expected their Messiah to be.
After Christ reveals Himself to the remnant of Israel, He will begin His millennial reign. During the millennium, the Jews will participate in the enjoyment of Christ's reign, just as Joseph's brothers participated in the enjoyment of his reign (Gen. 45:18; 47:4-6). Joseph's brothers enjoyed the best portion of the land in Egypt. This is a type of the millennium in which the Jews will enjoy the best things of earth. According to Zech. 14:16-19, the Egyptians and those from the other nations will be required to present offerings to the Lord in Jerusalem. If a nation refuses to go up to Jerusalem with offerings for the Lord, no rain will fall upon their land. Because the Jews will be one with God, whatever is offered to Him will be their portion and enjoyment. According to the Old Testament, what was offered to God became the portion of the priests. In like manner, what is offered to God during the thousand years will become the portion of the Jews, who will be the priests instructing the people on earth, especially the Egyptians, in the way to worship God. I believe that during the millennium many Egyptians will repent for the way they dealt with Israel in this age. The Egyptians may say to the Jews, "We repent. We didn't know that you were such a people. Whatever we have that you want, just take it." This will take place according to the prophecy and the type in the Old Testament.
Now we come, once again, to a parenthesis regarding the matter of life. Remember, nearly everything in the book of Genesis is a seed. The first book of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew, reveals Christ on the one hand and the kingdom of God on the other hand. Matthew also clearly indicates that we realize God's kingdom by denying ourselves. In Matthew 16 Christ, the church, and the kingdom are all revealed. In this chapter the Lord Jesus told His disciples that if anyone would follow Him, this one would have to deny himself. At the end of Genesis we find a seed of the truth of self-denial. In the closing chapters of Genesis, Christ is typified by Joseph, and the kingdom is foreshadowed by the house of Israel. Because Joseph denied himself, the kingdom of God could be realized in a practical way. The entire universe belongs to God, and God desires a kingdom. Although Pharaoh was ruling in Egypt, the kingdom of God was nonetheless realized through the reign of Joseph. The reigning of Joseph was the kingdom of God, which is for the fulfillment of God's purpose. According to the book of Exodus, the purpose of God is to have a dwelling place on earth. But at the end of Genesis we see a miniature of God's kingdom.
In all of history we cannot find anyone to match Joseph. Although he was offended by his brothers to the uttermost, he did not seek revenge. With Joseph, there was no thought of revenge. Rather, he denied himself and rendered the adequate and necessary discipline to his brothers. Joseph did not discipline his brothers for his own sake, but for their sake. Having no thought of revenge, he was concerned that his brothers might be perfected and built up so that they might live together as a collective people. The fact that Joseph charged them not to quarrel on the way home reveals his concern for them (Gen. 45:24). The desire of Joseph's heart was that his brothers would be a people living together as God's testimony on earth. Joseph seemed to say to them, "I have done everything for you, and you have all you need. Now go back with thanksgiving to God to see my father and bring him back to me. But I am concerned that you might quarrel with one another on the way." Joseph's word about quarreling also indicates that he disciplined his brothers. He disciplined nine of the brothers in a general way and Simeon in a specific way. By this we see his discipline was sober; it was not motivated by anger.
Joseph was a person who denied himself. Whatever he did was based upon the principle of self-denial. I do not know of any other person who was offended to the degree Joseph was, yet who had not the slightest desire for revenge. When he revealed himself to his brothers, they were terrified (Gen. 45:3, Heb.). Joseph, however, not only forgave them, but received them and comforted them. He said, "Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life" (Gen. 45:5). Here we see that the offended one comforted the offending ones.
Often when Christians forgive someone, they say, "Yes, I forgive you, but I also want to remind you of the seriousness of what you have done." This kind of forgiveness does not mean anything, for actually it is not forgiveness at all. When Joseph forgave his brothers, he comforted them and told them not to be angry with themselves, but to forget what they had done to him. He said that their selling him into slavery was God's doing to preserve life. Joseph did not blame his brothers for what they had done; rather, he regarded them as God's helpers. They had helped God to get him to Egypt.
In verse 7 Joseph said, "God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance." The Hebrew word rendered "posterity" is better translated "remnant." God's purpose required a remnant. His intention was that the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would build Him a tabernacle so that He might establish His kingdom on earth. If the remnant had been cut off, God's purpose could not have been fulfilled. In that case, the book of Genesis would have been the last book of the Bible. Knowing that the famine would have terminated everyone living in the land of Canaan, God prepared a way for the remnant of the chosen and called race to continue to exist.
Joseph was able to comfort his brothers because he realized that God, not they, had sent him to Egypt. He might have said, "Thank you for selling me. If you had not done that, how could I be here today?" Whether or not we forgive others depends upon our vision and realization. If we know that we are here for the Lord's recovery, we shall not care how much others offend us. We shall realize that the more we are offended, the more good will result. If Joseph's brothers had not sold him into slavery, how could his dreams have been fulfilled? His dreams were fulfilled through the ones who hated him. Joseph had a thorough realization of this and thus he could forgive his brothers for the way they mistreated him.
It should be the same with us today in the church life. If we realize that we are here for the Lord's purpose, for the Lord's recovery, then we shall know that whatever happens to us is for God's purpose. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to the purpose." Joseph loved God; therefore, whatever happened to him was for good. To be unwilling to forgive those who have offended you indicates that you are shortsighted. But if you see into the depth of what God has done, you will never seek revenge. Instead, you will always be willing to forgive those who have offended you. You will say, "Praise the Lord! Whatever happened to me was for good, not only for me, but for God's people. Whatever happens to me works good for the kingdom of God."
Joseph's realization that God was the One who had sent him to Egypt is a seed of the truth found in Romans 8:28. Joseph's life is an illustration of this verse and an example of how everything works for good for those who love God. The seed sown in the book of Genesis grows in Romans 8:28 and is harvested in Revelation 15, where we see the overcomers standing on the sea of glass, which signifies trials, tests, and sufferings. Joseph's brothers helped him come to the throne. If they had not sold him into slavery, he could not have come to Egypt. Hence, their selling of him ushered him to the throne. Do not complain about what your wife or husband or the saints in the church do to you. For those who love God, everything works together for good. The crucial matter here is whether or not we love God. If you love Him, even an accident works good for you. But if you do not love Him, not even graduating from a university with a doctorate will work good for you. I have suffered much throughout the years, but I have been comforted by the fact that everything works good for me. Whenever I undergo suffering, I remember Romans 8:28 and I am comforted immediately.
As a young man of seventeen years of age, Joseph needed to undergo trials and testings. Because Joseph was the favorite of his father Jacob, he lived in a pleasant environment, and there was no way for him to suffer anything. He was always under his father's protection. But one day, according to the Lord's sovereignty, Jacob sent Joseph to his brothers, and they sold him into slavery. Through the sufferings that came upon him as a result of this, Joseph was trained to be a ruler. In this matter we see God's wisdom.
Firstly, Joseph had the dreams in which he saw his brothers bowing down to him. But in order for this vision to be fulfilled, Joseph had to undergo a great deal of suffering, especially at the hands of those closest to him. Joseph suffered constantly from the time he was seventeen until he was thirty. Joseph needed to pass through all these sufferings so that he might be perfected and qualified. God had sent Joseph to Egypt to preserve life so that a remnant might remain for the fulfillment of His purpose.
Do not be frightened by this word regarding Joseph's sufferings. Perhaps you have asked the Lord to make you today's Joseph. The Lord will answer this prayer by causing you to undergo certain sufferings. During times of suffering you may say, "How long, O Lord? The dreams of others have been fulfilled, but where is the fulfillment of my dream?" Eventually, you will be released. Joseph was patient and denied himself. He did not do anything for his own enjoyment, but for the discipline and perfection of his brothers.
In order to strengthen his brothers, Joseph revealed to them his exaltation and glory, and he told them that God had made him a father to Pharaoh. In 45:13 he said, "And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt." Joseph's brothers considered him like Pharaoh. But Joseph seemed to say, "I'm the father of Pharaoh. I am even higher than you realize, for God has made me the father of Pharaoh. You have seen all my glory. Go back and tell my father all you have seen." Joseph was not being showy. Rather, he was strengthening his brothers so that they might bring their father to him.
After suffering for thirteen years, Joseph was enthroned to be the ruler of the earth. He certainly longed to see his father. We may wonder why he did not do something to satisfy this longing as soon as he was enthroned. He could have sent chariots from Egypt to bring his father to him. However, it was nine years before he had Jacob brought to him. Joseph had the power and the position to do something, but he did not do anything. If I had been Joseph, I would have done something immediately. I would have taken an army of chariots and gone to visit my father. Had I found that he had died, I would have visited his sepulcher. Certainly it would have been normal for Joseph to do such a thing. The fact that Joseph did nothing about this for nine years does not mean that he had no thought of his father. Joseph was not stone or wood, but a living person full of emotion, a person who loved his father very much. Having been separated from his father for many years, he must have thought about him a great deal. He probably realized how close Egypt was to his father's home in the land of Canaan. He knew that the journey there would take just several days. Nevertheless, because he was under the sovereignty of God, he did not do anything.
Joseph preferred to remain under God's sovereign hand and not to initiate anything. He might have prayed, "Lord, it was You who sent me here, brought me through all the sufferings, and put me on the throne. It was You, Lord, who kept me from my father. Lord, I realize that all this has been of You. Thus, I dare not do anything. Rather, I would like to wait for Your sovereign time." I definitely believe that Joseph prayed this way. This reveals that he was a self-denying person. Although he had been enthroned to be the ruler of the earth, he nevertheless did nothing for himself or for his own enjoyment. He was wholly for God's interest. Joseph's life was a life that waited for God's sovereign timing. Instead of initiating the contact with his father himself, he remained continually under God's sovereignty, praying, "Lord, You do it. Unless You do it, I will not do anything." Young brothers and sisters, I expect the Lord to do much with you for His recovery. But you must learn the lesson not to go ahead by yourselves. Don't do anything on your own. Rather, keep yourself under God's sovereignty and let Him initiate something. Whatever needs to be done must be initiated by Him.
How sweet is the record of Joseph's life! Because Joseph was fully under God's guidance, there was no need for him to regret anything he did. Joseph is a living illustration of what is revealed in the New Testament. He was a self-denying person who had no self-interest, self-enjoyment, self-feeling, self-ambition, or self-goal. Everything was for God and for God's people. Therefore, when the time was right, he extended a warm invitation for his father to come to him.
We can learn many lessons by considering Joseph's life. Joseph had dreams and he interpreted his dreams and the dreams of others. All these dreams were fulfilled. Nevertheless, Joseph realized that he still lacked one thing, and that one thing was his father's presence. Humanly speaking, nothing could satisfy Joseph except the presence of his father. However, he did nothing of himself to secure his father's presence. Instead, he was patient, constantly waiting for the right time. For nine years he did nothing. Finally an opportunity came to do something. But, realizing that the perfection of his brothers had not yet been accomplished, he still did nothing. Only when his brothers had been edified did he extend the invitation. This invitation was initiated by God's sovereign hand. God sovereignly prepared the environment to indicate that the time was right for Joseph to send for his father.
When Joseph did send for his father, he himself did not go to get him. What was the reason for this? We cannot say that he did not have the time, for when his father died he had the time to bury him. In order to answer this question we need to discover what the Bible does not say. (This is one of the ways to study the Bible.) The reason Joseph did not go was that he was restricted. He did not want to do anything according to his emotion. Rather, his emotion was restricted. Joseph did not leave Egypt to see his father; neither did he send someone to find out whether or not a caravan was coming. In fact, Jacob "sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen" (46:28). Jacob seemed to be saying to Judah, "Judah, go to Joseph and tell him that I'm coming and ask him to direct us to him."
Do not think that Joseph was not eager to see his father. He certainly longed to see him. But even on the day of his father's arrival, Joseph was still at home. He did not make a special trip to meet his father on the way. Again I say that Joseph was a person fully under God's restriction. However, when he heard that his father had arrived in Goshen, he "presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while" (46:29). This proves that Joseph was very emotional and that he had a heart for his father. But he did not act according to his emotion; rather, he always acted under God's restriction. Because of this, he was able to be the ruler.
If you cannot rule yourself, you cannot be a good ruler. Suppose you lose your temper whenever you feel like it. If so, then you are through with the rulership of the Holy Spirit. But if we are under the rulership of the Spirit, we shall ask the Lord to have mercy on us when we sense that we are about to lose our temper. Only by being under God's restriction can we rule others. To be under God's restriction is the best discipline to prepare us for kingship in the coming age. No childish person, no one who has not been restricted, will be a king in the coming kingdom. In this matter of living under restriction, we see the maturity of life. May this word be a help to all who love the Lord, the recovery, and the church life.
In the Lord's recovery we have people from different backgrounds with different dispositions and concepts. Because of all these differences, we need to be restricted. If we are not restricted but express our emotion freely, we shall cause damage. We may regret later what we have done, but it may be too late. You may say, "I have the right to express my feelings like this." Yes, you have the right to do so, but you damage others. Do you want a proper church life? If you do, then you need to be under God's restriction. Consider again the picture of Joseph. He could bring in the kingdom only by being a person who denied himself. If he had acted according to his feelings and not according to God's guidance, everything would have been spoiled. But Joseph was a person wholly under God's restriction. Therefore, the kingdom of God could be brought in through him. In order for the kingdom to be realized in a practical way, there had to be a person who lived under restriction and who denied himself.
It is the same with us today. Do you want to have a pleasant church life? Then you must be under restriction and deny yourself. We all need to learn this. Suppose Joseph had not been a self-denying person. In such a case it would have been impossible for the kingdom of God to be brought in and realized in a practical way. Joseph's self-denial, his restriction under God's sovereign hand, was the key to the practice of the kingdom life. Thank God for Joseph's self-denying life. Through such a life God's purpose was fulfilled, and the kingdom was brought in, realized, and practiced. Through this fulfillment, the children of Israel shared in the enjoyment of the kingdom.
Joseph had the position and the power to do whatever he desired. However, he did not do anything for himself. More than forty years ago, I heard someone say that the strongest thing is to be able not to do something that you can do. You have the power, the position, and the opportunity to do a certain thing, yet you still do not do it. I became familiar with the story of Joseph many years ago. But in the past I did not see that after Joseph had been enthroned to be the ruler of Egypt, he did not use his power to see his father. After Joseph was enthroned, he did nothing to rescue himself from being alone, even though he had been separated from his father for thirteen years. When the brothers first came down to him, he still did not do anything. Joseph had the power and the position to do something about his situation, but he did not do what he had the power to do. This indicates that he was the most powerful person, one who has the strength not to do what he is able to do. Joseph was such a person because he was under God's hand, under God's restriction.
During the first nine years of his rule in Egypt, Joseph must have contacted the Lord again and again. Perhaps as he prayed to the Lord regarding the possibility of visiting his father, the Lord instructed him to do nothing about it. Week after week Joseph might have prayed, "Lord, is now the time for me to do something to have my father brought here?" I believe that the Lord said to him, "No, this is not the time. There is no need for you to do anything to fulfill your dream. Simply wait and allow Me to do it." By means of his prayer Joseph might have been confirmed in believing that his dreams were of God and that God Himself would fulfill them. Because there was no need for him to do anything, Joseph remained silent. He had the strength not to do what he had the power to do. When his brothers came to Egypt the first time, he did nothing to have his father brought to him. Even when the time was right for his father to come to him in Egypt, Joseph did not go out to meet him on the way. I believe that this was the result of his being under the Lord's restriction. Joseph knew that there was no need for him to do anything to fulfill his dreams. This is the real denial of the self and the genuine bearing of the cross.
To bear the cross means that you refrain from doing what you have the power to do. You are qualified and empowered to do everything necessary to fulfill your desire, yet you refrain from doing so. A person like this is the strongest person. The strongest person is not the one who is able to do something, but the one who is able not to do what he has the power to do. This self-denial is the unique way to usher in God's kingdom and to realize the kingdom life. As we shall see in the next message, the kingdom life came in through Joseph's ability not to do what he had the power to do. We need to be such people today.
There is no doubt that, in ourselves, we cannot be such people. Our life is not the kind of life that has the power not to do what it is able to do. When we have the opportunity to do something, we simply do it. But the life of Christ has the power not to do what it is capable of doing. This fact is the key to the four Gospels and to the life of the Lord Jesus. Often He had the position, the power, and the right environment to do many things, but he also had the power not to do those things. For example, He could have asked the Father to send twelve legions of angels to rescue Him; yet He had the strength not to do this (Matt. 26:53). This life of self-denial, of bearing the cross, is the life that ushers in the kingdom.
