Crystallization-Study of GENESIS(3)
Message Eight
Joseph— the Reigning Aspect of the Mature Life
Scripture Reading: Gen. 41:39-44, 51-52;45:5-8; 47:14-23; 50:15-21
I. According to spiritual experience, Jacob and Joseph areone person; Joseph represents the reigning aspect of themature Israel, the constitution of Christ in Jacob's maturenature; as a mature saint constituted of Christ, the perfectOne, Jacob reigned through Joseph—Gen. 41:39-44; Heb.6:1a; Gal. 6:8; 5:22-23:
A. The reigning aspect typified by Joseph is Christ constitutedinto our being—4:19.
B. The reigning aspect of the mature life is a life that alwaysenjoys the presence of the Lord; wherever His presence is, thereis authority, the ruling power—Gen. 39:2-5, 21-23:
1. In the presence of the Lord, Joseph was prospered by Him(vv. 2-3, 23); while Joseph was undergoing ill-treatment,he enjoyed the Lord's prosperity that came to him underthe Lord's sovereignty.
2. In the presence of the Lord, Joseph was favored with theLord's blessing wherever he was; when Joseph enjoyedprosperity, he and those who were involved with him wereblessed—vv. 4-5, 22-23.
C. Although his own dreams were not yet fulfilled, Joseph hadthe faith and the boldness to interpret the dreams of his twocompanions in prison (40:8); eventually, Joseph was releasedfrom prison indirectly through his speaking by faith in interpretingthe cupbearer's dream (41:9-13), and he was ushered tothe throne directly through his speaking boldly in interpretingPharaoh's dreams (vv. 14-46); both release and authority cameto him through his speaking:
1. Andrew Murray once said a word like this: the good ministerof the Word should always minister more than he has experienced;this means that we should speak more according tothe vision than according to the fulfillment of the vision.
2. Even if our vision has not been fulfilled, we should stillspeak of it to others; the time will come when our visionwill be fulfilled; Joseph's dreams were eventually fulfilledthrough his interpretation of the dream of the cupbearer.
3. If we are living out Christ, we will bring either life or deathwherever we are (2 Cor. 2:14-16); to the cupbearer, Josephbrought restoration; to the baker, he brought execution (Gen.41:12-13).
D. If we seek the Lord, He will put us into a "dungeon"; withoutthe dungeon we cannot ascend to the throne; we must not be adungeon dropout; we must stay in the dungeon until we graduateand receive the crown—James 1:12; cf. Phil. 3:8.
E. We should not speak according to our feelings but according tothe heavenly vision; we are visionaries, seers, of God's eternaleconomy, so we should speak according to the absoluteness ofthe truth of His economy—Acts 26:16-19:
1. The visions that Joseph saw not only controlled his life butalso sustained his faith.
2. Because Joseph was important and valuable, the time ofhis testing could not be shortened.
F. In his receiving glory and gifts in his enthronement, Josephtypifies Christ, who received glory (Heb. 2:9) and gifts (Psa.68:18; Acts 2:33) in His ascension (Gen. 41:42):
1. The ring, the garments, and the gold chain portray the giftsthat Christ received in His ascension to the heavens, whichgifts He has passed on to the church—v. 42:
a. The signet ring signifies the Holy Spirit as a seal withinand upon Christ's believers—Acts 2:33; Eph. 1:13; 4:30;cf. Luke 15:22.
b. The garments signify Christ as our objective righteousnessfor our justification before God (1 Cor. 1:30; cf. Psa.45:9, 13; Luke 15:22) and as our subjective righteousnesslived out of us that we may be qualified to participatein the marriage of the Lamb (Phil. 3:9; Psa. 45:14;Rev. 19:7-9).
c. The gold chain signifies the beauty of the Holy Spiritgiven for obedience expressed in submission (cf. Acts5:32); a chained neck signifies a will that has been conqueredand subdued to obey God's commandment (Gen.41:42; cf. S. S. 1:10; Prov. 1:8-9).
2. According to the sequence of spiritual experience, we firstreceive the sealing of the Spirit for salvation; then we receivethe garment of righteousness and begin to live Christ (Gal.2:20; Phil. 1:20-21a); in order for us to live Christ, our neckmust be chained, our will must be conquered and subdued,by the Holy Spirit.
G. After being resurrected from the prison of death and usheredinto the position of ascension, Joseph married Asenath, whoportrays the church taken out of the Gentile world duringChrist's rejection by the children of Israel (Gen. 41:45); Josephcalled the name of his firstborn Manasseh (meaning "makingto forget") and his second Ephraim (meaning "twice fruitful");Joseph declared, "God has made me forget all my trouble andall my father's house," and "God has made me fruitful in theland of my affliction" (vv. 51-52).
II. The record of Joseph's life is a revelation of the rulershipof the Spirit, for the rulership of the Spirit is the reigningaspect of a mature saint; the rulership of the Spirit (a lifeof reigning in life, being under the restriction and limitationof the divine life in the reality of God's kingdom) ishigher than any other aspect of the Spirit—Rom. 5:17, 21;14:17-18; cf. 2 Cor. 3:17-18; 2 Tim. 4:22; Rev. 4:1-3:
A. Although Joseph was full of human feelings and sentimentstoward his brothers, he kept himself with all his feelings underthe rulership of the Spirit; he dealt with his brothers soberly,wisely, and with discernment, disciplining them according totheir need in order to perfect them and build them up thatthey might be a collective people living together as God's testimonyon earth—Gen. 42:9, 24; 43:30-31; 45:1-2, 24.
B. Joseph denied himself and placed himself absolutely underGod's sovereign leading, conducting himself wholly for the interestof God and His people.
C. Joseph's living under God's restriction, a portrait of the humanliving of Christ, manifested the maturity and perfection ofthe divine life and brought in God's kingdom—John 5:19, 30b;7:16, 18; 14:10; Matt. 8:9-10.
D. In Joseph's dealings with his brothers, we see that he liveda calm life, a sober life, and a discerning life with love for thebrothers—a self-denying life as the practice of the kingdomlife—Gen. 45:24; Matt. 16:24; 2 Chron. 1:10; Isa. 30:15a; Phil.1:9; 1 Tim. 5:1-2; 1 Thes. 3:12; 4:9; 2 Thes. 1:3; Rom. 12:10;1 John 4:9; Heb. 13:1.
E. Joseph's sentiments, feelings, considerations, and preferenceswere absolutely under the rulership and control of the Spirit—Prov. 16:32.
F. The life manifested in the story of Joseph is the resurrectionlife, the life of God; his sentiments were under the control ofthe resurrection life to meet the need of his brothers—John11:25.
G. Joseph is a living illustration of what is revealed in the NewTestament; 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; Joseph's self-denial,his restriction under God's sovereign hand, was thekey to the practice of the kingdom life.
H. The most powerful person is the one who has the strength notto do what he is able to do—this is the real denial of the selfand the genuine bearing of the cross—Matt. 16:24; cf. 26:53.
I. Joseph's realization that it was God who sent him to Egypt(even though his brothers intended evil against him—Gen.45:5, 7; 50:19-21; cf. 41:51-52) is the reality of Paul's word inRomans 8:28-29.
J. Joseph did not need to forgive his brothers, because he did notblame them; he received as from God all that his brothers haddone to him, and he comforted those who had offended him(Gen. 45:5-8; 50:15-21); what grace, and what an excellentspirit, he had!
III. Because Joseph suffered and denied himself, he gained theriches of the life supply (Hymns, #635); in order to receivefood from him, the people had to pay four kinds of prices:their money, their livestock, their land, and themselves—47:14-23; cf. Rev. 3:18:
A. Money represents convenience, livestock signifies the means ofliving, and land represents resources; if we would receive thelife supply from the Lord as the Dispenser, we must give Himour convenience, our means of livelihood, and our resources;the more we give Him, the more life supply we will receivefrom Him.
B. Ultimately, in order to receive the best portion from the Lord,including food for satisfaction and seed to produce somethingfor others (Gen. 47:23), we must hand ourselves, every partof our being, over to Him (Lev. 1:4).
C. When we pay the highest price by handing over every part ofour being to Him, we enjoy the best portion of the enjoymentof Christ.