Digibron cookies

Voor optimale prestaties van de website gebruiken wij cookies. Overeenstemmig met de EU GDPR kunt u kiezen welke cookies u wilt toestaan.

Noodzakelijke en wettelijk toegestane cookies

Noodzakelijke en wettelijk toegestane cookies zijn verplicht om de basisfunctionaliteit van Digibron te kunnen gebruiken.

Optionele cookies

Onderstaande cookies zijn optioneel, maar verbeteren uw ervaring van Digibron.

Bekijk het origineel

The Life of Joseph (9)

Bekijk het origineel

+ Meer informatie

The Life of Joseph (9)

7 minuten leestijd Arcering uitzetten

“And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction” (Genesis 41:50-52).

Joseph received a wife from Pharaoh, Asenath the daughter of Potipherah the priest of On. He was no longer a young single man, for he married an Egyptian woman. Many people throughout the ages have questioned this union, saying that what he did was absolutely wrong. There are others who say that he is here an image of Christ and the church, Joseph being a type of Christ and his wife being a type of the church; that would mean that his wife became one with him in the Hebrew religion. I believe this marriage was something required by Pharaoh. Pharaoh had found this bride for him and requested that he marry this woman. For the position that Joseph held, it was necessary for him to be a family man.

When we think about Joseph's life, then we see a young man who had the fear of the Lord in his life. His wife did not make an Egyptian of him. She did not turn his heart away from the living God to the gods of the Egyptians. No, he stood firm; in the beginning his wife probably did not understand everything, because she came from an entirely different environment.

We may see God's blessing, since he received two sons, and these two boys were later blessed by Jacob. Both became tribes in Israel. It is true that they lived out their sinful existence, but in spite of all this we hear in Jeremiah 3 1 a covenant-keeping God saying, “Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore My bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD.” And think of Manasseh in Revelation 7 where we read, “Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.” If it had not been right, would the Lord have blessed this union in such a way throughout all the ages?

Well, my friends, Joseph received two children from the Lord. We can see in the life of Joseph his tender fear of the Lord, because he gave his two boys Hebrew names. Was that so important? Yes, it was. Joseph and his wife were still both young when the boys were born. By giving them Hebrew names, Joseph was saying that Egypt was not his home, not his land. He was saying that he belonged to those people in a foreign land who had a God who watched over them. One day he would stand before God with the family that was entrusted to him. We also will stand with our seed, our children and grandchildren, before God in that great day of days. Will it be well with us and our children? What type of family life do we have here below?

Notice that Joseph was able to continue in the faith; that is a wonder. He was able to continue in the faith in prison, but it is a greater wonder that he was able to continue when he had those royal robes upon him and a golden chain around his neck. He went from place to place during the day, and all the people bowed before him. He was not drawn away from God by all these riches and honor. It happens many times during our day that, when business increases and we become greater and greater in the world, we are so soon drawn away from God. It is very easy to be drawn away unto the world as we are building our little empire here below. First we attend church only one time on a Sunday. Then pretty soon we are going only every other week, and shortly thereafter we stop altogether because we have no time anymore. Do you know why there is no time? Because there is no need and no desire anymore, because the world has taken over.

“For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.” Manasseh means “he who causes to forget.” Forgetting is something difficult for us to do, my friends. One of our forefathers wrote that we write our toils in marble and our blessings in the sand. In marble it is always there, but the blessings are blown away with a little puff of wind, and we are not able to see them anymore. What did Joseph mean by toil? He was talking about being thrown into the pit, sold as a slave, accused by Potiphar's wife, spending eight years in prison, and being forgotten by the butler. He was able to lay all those toils down at the footstool of the Lord. That was to “forget all my toil.” Notice that when he became Zaphnathpaaneah, he did not retaliate against Potiphar's wife or the butler. Why not? Because God made him forget all those toils.

For God's people there comes a time when they may be delivered from all their toils. Here below it is difficult, and it is only by the grace of God that they may be able to forget their toils for a little season. But when the Lord brings them home through the blood of Christ, then they will forget forever their toils here below. Then they will never have to look back anymore, but they will always look towards the Lord Jesus Christ, casting their crowns at His feet, saying, “He sought me and found me.”

“And the name of the second called he Ephraim.” The name Ephraim means “double fruit.” “For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” What did Joseph mean here? Does he mean that it had been a land of affliction for him, but now he was governor of the land and had a wife and children? No, I do not believe that he was talking about outward blessings, but he meant the fruitfulness of the heart. As he stood by the crib of his youngest son, he must have realized somewhat that all the bitterness had been for good, because it was needed in his life so that he might grow inwardly.

What is it to be fruitful inwardly? Some people think it is to stand taller and higher and to be able to shout your conversion and have much freedom to speak about it. What is it to be fruitful in the heart? It is to be humbled under the afflictions and to bow before God, so the sinner becomes less and less, but Zaphnathpaaneah increases more and more. Then Jesus Christ becomes his all and in all.

God had caused Joseph to be fruitful in the land of his affliction, and he had grown in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said this among all the glitter of Egypt and all the pressures that were upon him with the busyness of his life. To be fruitful means that there was a beginning. There needs to be a little plant at the beginning to bring forth fruit in due time. I have never seen fruit in the field without a beginning. It is the same in spiritual life. In Joseph's life there was a beginning with the Lord. There was that fear of God when he was a young boy. May the Lord begin that work in the hearts of many. Then His name will be exalted and glorified, and hell will be robbed. May you come upon your knees, saying, “Lord, Thou hast only to speak and it will come to pass. Humble us before Thee, and grant spiritual life among our families and congregations, that one day all this will not have to testify against us and damn us forever when we stand before Thee.”

— to be continued —

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Bekijk de hele uitgave van dinsdag 1 juni 2004

The Banner of Truth | 28 Pagina's

The Life of Joseph (9)

Bekijk de hele uitgave van dinsdag 1 juni 2004

The Banner of Truth | 28 Pagina's