Filled with the Spirit of inspiration, Jacob on his death-bed said: "Joseph a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob." (Genesis 49:22-24)
Whatever happened to Joseph tended to his advantage, "for God was with him." (Acts 10:38)
But if we leave the story of Joseph with merely the thought that he was a wonderfully successful man, we shall make a great mistake. His life history was not recorded for the sake of making us wonder, but to show us the sure result of loyalty to God and faithfulness to duty. Of every man who delights in the law of the Lord it is said: "Whatsoever he does shall prosper." (Psalm 1:3)
Yet professed Christians will even today, in the face of this testimony of the Scripture, argue that strict obedience to the law of God, including the fourth commandment, will lead to ruin. We must remember that the Bible is not a book of amusing stories, but a guide to everlasting life.
The likeness of Joseph to Jesus is nowhere more apparent than in his treatment of his brethren. To be sure he spoke harshly to them when they first came to Egypt to buy corn, but that was only in keeping with what another in his position would have done, and was for the purpose of proving them. Even in his seeming harshness, however, he was kind to his brethren, providing for their needs without cost, giving them bread for nothing. And now the time had come when Joseph could no longer refrain from making himself known to his brothers.
"And he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; does my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years has the famine been in the land; and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing [ploughing] nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance." (Genesis 45:1-7)
Notice the tender regard for the feelings of his brethren, who had never shown any consideration for his feelings. How careful Joseph was to avoid giving his brethren pain, and to make their wicked conduct appear a slight matter. There was not a word of reproach. Not a word was uttered about the injury done him; there was no hint of the years of loneliness and suffering and anguish. On the contrary he would make as though he had never been in any worse condition than he then was, and he seemed to give his brethren credit for the good results which followed their unnatural deed.
How natural it is for us, even when we feel the most kindly-disposed toward an offender, to say something intended to cause him to feel the heinousness of his offense, and the great concession that we are making in passing it by; but Joseph did not spoil his record. He had never complained in time of trial, and he did not indulge in any accusations or insinuations when he had his persecutors in his power. He manifested only whole-souled generosity that marked him a true type of Him who on the cross said of His murderers: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)
Joseph recognized that he was sent as a saviour of life. He had been charged with the mission to save the lives of his brethren who had hated him, and God was in Him to do it, even as "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." (2 Corinthians 5:19)
From the action of Joseph we may learn how we are to act as ambassadors for Christ, to whom is committed the ministry of reconciliation.
How different things look to us after the bitter experience has past. When Jacob heard that Simeon had been kept a captive in Egypt, he said: "Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and you will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me." (Genesis 42:36)
But they were not against him; on the contrary there were all working for him--working out a great deliverance, and a peaceful, happy old age. We can see it clearly enough; yet when our trials come we complain, just as though ours were exceptions to the rule that "all things work together for good to them that love God." (Romans 8:28)
If we were absolutely sure that good would result, we should bear the trial and the pain uncomplainingly; but in spite of all the assurances and all the examples of God's Word, we persist looking at things as they seem now, instead of from the standpoint of eternity.
Does anybody suppose that when we stand by the river of life in the Paradise of God we shall have any regrets or sorrow for what we have suffered here? Of course not. We know that we shall not, then what is the use of doing so here? We know that if God be for us nothing can be against us, and that all things work--are now working--together for good to them that love God. Moreover, it is our privilege and our duty to look at things from the eternal side instead of from the temporal side; for God is our dwelling-place, and He inhabits eternity.
"Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)
The glory is being worked for us while we look, if we only look beyond the seen to the unseen. Why not do it, and get all the joy and happiness as we pass along, instead of putting the bliss off till the future?--Present Truth, October 17, 1901--International Sunday-school Lesson for October 27--Genesis 45:1-15.
E.J. Waggoner