I want to turn back to those
passages which we read together and the chapters around them,
Genesis 42 and preceding chapters. I want to consider Jacob as he
comes towards the end of his life. We know that Jacob had
a hard life, he had many difficulties, he had many disappointments,
he had many hardships, not all of them, were outside of his control.
Jacob brought things upon himself at times. We can think way back
when he first deceived his father and had to flee from Esau, his
brother, to Laban. Really fleeing for his life because
his brother was seeking him that he might kill him as a result
of his deception. Think of his life with Laban
and how he really was deceived by Laban himself and had many
difficulties. He had to serve for his wife
for 14 years and eventually he leaves Laban behind. We then
know the difficulty he had in having to meet Esau. and the
fear that he had regarding how Esau would react to him, the
wrestling of Penuel with the Lord, and then the result, that
being the welcome from Esau and the peace that was made. But
as we come to the end, or towards the end of Jacob's life, again
there is great sadness, there is great difficulty for Jacob
to pass through. He now has his 12 sons. His family is complete in that
sense. But there is the trouble in the
family once again. The favouritism towards Joseph,
the coat that he gives him, the jealousy of the brethren, causes
friction in the family and that causes difficulty for all concerned. And as we know the account, it
is not long before the brethren take it to their own hands to
take Joseph cast him first into the pit and then cast him into
the hands of the Midianites to go down into Egypt. And here
we come across to where the first, at this time in his life, the
great sadness for Jacob. How he receives that news from
his sons that Joseph, as far as he's concerned, is dead. And if we put ourselves into
the shoes of Jacob for a little while, can we imagine what it
is like to receive the news that your youngest son, the son who
you especially love and dote on, has died. And before you
is the evidence, the coat that he gave to Joseph, dipped in
blood, blood-stained, ripped apart, before Jacob is the evidence
as far as he is concerned that his beloved son Joseph is no
more. He will never see him again.
He will never set eyes on him again. He will never hear his
voice again. He will never feel his comfort again. And Jacob
is distraught quite understandably. He rose up, sons and daughters
rose up to comfort him. He refused to be comforted, we
read. He said, I will go down into
the grave until my son mourning. And thus his father wept for
him. And what sadness then for Jacob
at this time. But life only becomes harder. The sadness is only compounded. The next chapter we read of the
terrible actions really of Judah and the sadness that comes into
the family through that. And it is not long before then
famine itself comes into the land. And Jacob must be wondering
if things can get any worse. The family is being torn apart. Joseph is dead as far as he is
concerned. And there is now famine in the
land. The whole family is threatened. The whole existence of their
livelihood is threatened by this famine. It is sore upon the land. And we know that Joseph was in
Egypt. Joseph was preparing for the
years of dearth. And he had the storehouses. But
in Canaan, where Jacob and the family were, they were starving. They were without food. And then
for Jacob, his sons go. They must go. They have to go. They have to go down into Egypt. They have to go to buy corn.
And we can imagine Jacob there seeing his sons, all but Benjamin,
going off into the distance, going off to Egypt to an unknown
situation, to an unknown place. They did not know what they would
find, they did not know if there would be food, they did not know
how they would come back again. And he sees them leave, and he
is left alone with Benjamin, his youngest son. And then, if
matters could only get worse, when they return, Yes, they returned
with food, but they returned with the news, as we read, that
the man who they met spoke roughly to them, that he accused them
of being spies, and that Simeon, his son, was now in prison in
Egypt. He has lost Joseph. He has lost Simeon. And they
tell him that Benjamin is required to go, and we read his response. Me have ye bereaved of my children. Joseph is not, Simeon is not,
and ye will take Benjamin away. All these things are against
me. And we can see something of how
Jacob felt in those words. Everything seemed to be against
him. Things just seem to be getting worse and worse. He could join
with the psalmist, couldn't he, who said, thy waves and billows
are gone over me. Time and again, another wave,
another billow hits him and makes him sink that bit lower. And
he feels, all these things are against me. Well, it is not long
before they all must go again. And as we read, this time he
allows Benjamin to go also. And how he must have grieved. How he must have felt that parting. But now all his family has gone. Joseph has died. Simeon is in
prison. And now all the others and Benjamin
have gone down to Egypt. And in all this, the famine still
rages. In all this, they are still without
food. In all this, there is still the threat of the family. Poor
Jacob, how he must have yearned. All these things are against
me. There is no positive, there is
no blessing, there is no help for me. Everything is being taken
away. My family is being wrenched away
from me. And I'm left alone. All these
things are against me. And the wonderful thing that
we know, Jacob did not know, but what we know, behind all
this, over all of this, is the hidden hand of Joseph. For Joseph
knew that his brethren had come. Joseph knew it was his brother,
Simeon, in the prison. Joseph knew that his father was
alive in Canaan. Joseph knew what he was doing
to test them, to see how they would react, to see if they had
changed, to see if they would come again, to see if they would
bring Benjamin. Joseph was behind it all, unknown
to Jacob. the hidden hand of blessing was
in control. And then when Jacob has come
to the bottom When Jacob has lost all, when Jacob feels that
everything is against him, then he hears the wonderful news that
we read. Then he hears the news that he
can hardly believe. The news that he cannot take
in. Joseph is yet alive. Chapter
45 and verse 26. Joseph is yet alive. He is governor
over all the land of Egypt. Jacob's heart fainted for he
believed it not. This is the news he least expected. The least expected. The wonderful blessing for Jacob
would have been to see Benjamin again. The wonderful blessing
for Jacob would have been for the food to have arrived to save
the family. The wonderful blessing would
have been to see Simeon free and the eleven sons together
again. The news he did not expect. The most wonderful news. Joseph
is yet alive. And he cannot believe it. And
then he sees the wagons, all the things, the carts, the food,
the grain, the sustenance which has come. He said unto them,
when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him,
the spirit of Jacob, their father, revived. Joseph has sent provision,
Joseph has sent away for you now Jacob to come down to be
with him in Egypt. Here is the promise, here is
the evidence that Joseph is alive. He has sent the provision to
bring you to him. And then Jacob receives the blessing
from God. He has had the news of Joseph,
he's had the invitation to come, and then God confirms it, and
God says, fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there
make of thee a great nation. And finally, finally, we read
the wonderful, the heartwarming words of how Jacob comes to see
Joseph. Joseph made ready his chariot,
went up to meet Israel, his father, to Goshen, presented himself
unto him. He fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. And Israel said unto Joseph,
Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art
yet alive. So a very quick overview, a very
quick view of Jacob and his thoughts, his feelings no doubt as he came
and went through this experience. The coming down, the losing of
everything, the losing of his family, the losing of his sons
and yet the wonderful news that Joseph is alive and the wonderful
scene of the reunion, as he weeps on his neck, as he sees his face,
as the wonder of the impossible for Jacob has occurred. For him,
Joseph is alive. For the family, for Jacob, salvation
has come. And they are now safe in Egypt. Well, we see in it, don't we,
the wonderful hand of God. the providence of God, the overruling
of God. Though Jacob could not see it,
though he felt that everything was against him, over it all
was the hand of God. And there were times when Jacob
could not see that at all. He could not see it at all. It all looked black, it all looked
dark, it all looked impossible. And yet it was still there. Yet
God's hand was still ruling. Yet he would look back one day
and see that God's way was perfect, though it grieved him. To see
God's way was right, though it hurt him. And see the blessing
that God brought. So it reminds us, as we start
the new year, that God is in utter control. Complete control,
though we cannot see it. Though we may not enjoy faith
to really cling on to it. Yet it is true that God is in
control. It may feel today that all is
against us. Yet we will look back and see
his way is perfect. But I want to take those few
thoughts a little bit deeper spiritually for a few minutes
tonight. Because spiritually we can feel like Jacob. How often
can we feel in our heart, in our soul, that everything is
against us, that everything is being removed, that we're being
brought lower and lower and lower. The things we've trusted in,
the things we've clinged to, are being taken away. The idols that once we had, we
enjoyed, the things we indulged in, the things we had no problem
with, And yet the Lord impresses on us our guilt in having them. He impresses on us how they are
separating us from Him. And those things which we once
enjoyed become a problem, become a separating force between us
and our God, and they are taken away. And then perhaps ourselves,
the things we've been trusting in ourselves are starting to
be taken away. our background, our heritage,
our religion, our knowledge. Those things that we've been
relying on are taken away. We see that they do not bring
us near to God in themselves. We see that they cannot save
us from our sins themselves. And they're being removed. Our
own righteousness, the things that we've done, The things that
we think impress God, the things that make our hearts and our
consciences feel better, we start to see that they do us no lasting
good, they do us no eternal good. We are unrighteous, we are filthy
rags in his sight. They are removed, those things
we've been relying on. Our past, the things that we've
done, the things we've thought were good, And even as we go
on in the Christian way, we find increasingly that our hearts
cannot keep themselves alive. We cannot give life and liberty
and liveliness to ourselves. And our hearts seem increasingly
far from God when we try to walk in our own strength. We see more
of our own weakness. We see more how quickly we fall. We see more how quickly we do
fall into idols and idol worship. We see how quickly we cling again
to the world. We cling again to ourselves.
We neglect the word of God. We neglect the throne of grace.
We find ourselves growing withered and barren in our soul. And we
realise in ourselves we have nothing. And we're being brought
lower and lower and lower. And we join with Jacob, all these
things are against me. Everything that I had, everything
I relied on, everything that seemed to be good is being taken
away. Where is the Lord in this? Where
is the Lord's work in this? Why do I feel so broken hearted
when I profess to be a believer? Why do I feel so far from God
when I believe that I am a Christian? Why is bit by bit all these things
being taken away from me? Is this really His way? Is this
really His will? Is this really best? All these
things are against me. But as it is true that for Jacob
the hidden hand of Joseph was over the entire situation, that
he was in Egypt, that he knew what he was doing, that he would
bring the blessing to the family. So it is equally true, it is
more gloriously true, that the hidden hand of Jesus is over
us. The hidden hand of our Saviour
is over His people. He knows what He is doing and
He is working for our good. and for His glory. He's working
to humble us, to bring us down, to make us see our weakness.
Because when we are weak, we are strong. Because when we are
low, we are resting in Him. He is working and it is good
that we may feel like Jacob, though it is so hard, though
it is so heartbreaking, because it brings us to a time of blessing. And when we come to that time
of blessing, oh how we love the Saviour all the more. How Jacob
fell on Joseph's neck and kissed him and loved him and embraced
him and enjoyed Joseph's presence all the more because he had lost
him, because he had endured that time without him, because he
had been brought low. And sometimes the Lord works,
though it is painful, that we, as it were, embrace Him all the
more, love Him all the more, cling to Him all the more, because
we have been brought to a place where our heart has longed after
Him, because we have been brought low, because we have felt our
distance from God. Then Christ becomes all the more
precious, all the more glorious. Now for Jacob who cried, all
these things are against me, the time of blessing came. The
time of revival came. The time of Joseph's revealing
came. And we can believe, for those
who cry out in their own weakness, for those who groan over their
own sins, for those who feel and mourn an absent God, He will
appear again. The Lord will come. Joseph is
alive because Jesus is alive. He is victorious over death. He is in glory. He is alive. He is not far off. He is there. He is alive. And therefore, He
knows. And therefore, as He is alive,
He brings life for His people. As He is alive, He is in control. He is aware and He is over it
all. He knows where we are. Even He
has brought us to this place. He is alive. And as the comfort
for Jacob that he could hardly believe it that Joseph was alive
and in Egypt. How wonderful for us to remember
when we feel an absent God that it is true whether we feel it
or not. Jesus is alive. The Lord is risen. It is true that for Jacob, he saw,
as it were, the invitation to go down, the wagons to take him,
the wagons to transport him down to Egypt. And it is true for
us that the Lord is alive and the Lord calls, come unto me,
all ye that are laden, heavy laden. I will give you rest. Oh how wonderful for Jacob to
be, see we're placed in these chariots, in these wagons, taken
down. How wonderful for us when we have lost everything, when
we feel to be, that everything's against us, we feel to be so
low and so down. See we're to see the chariots
and hear the call of the Lord, come, come. Here is strength,
here is blessing, here is the Saviour. And here is the earnest,
there is the promise, the evidence of blessing to come. Now Jacob
received, he saw the blessing that has come from Joseph, the
food that is in store, and how much more abundant there must
be if only I went to Joseph in Egypt. Oh, and we, as it were,
see the wagons. We see the promise. of blessing
that the Lord has sent. He promises in his word that
in the Lord there is life, in the Lord there is peace, in the
Lord there is forgiveness, in the Lord there is strength. He
blesses us with a little taste of what there is to come. What
there is in our life when we walk with the Lord, what there
is ultimately in glory about what the Lord Jesus has in store
for his people. Oh, what encouragement. Though
we feel everything's against us, though we feel our sin, look
at the blessings that the Lord has in store. Look at the promises
that he has for his people. Look at himself, how ultimately
the greatest blessing is to have him, to be with him, and to know
him. as Jacob went to be with Joseph. Oh, how wonderful to think that
the Lord, He knows. That the Lord is alive. That the Lord welcomes and receives
those who are destitute in themselves. That one day those who do hear
Him, those who do trust Him, Those who do believe and cry
after him shall, as Jacob embraced Joseph, shall, as it were, one
day embrace the Lord, to be with him, to see him, and to enjoy
him forever. The salvation has come. Well, sometimes we feel at the
end of all things, don't we? Sometimes we wonder where our
religion, where our faith has gone. Sometimes we wonder if
we were converted at all. That everything we had seems
to be taken away. That the hardness of our heart
seems to have revived and that our Lord seems far off. We feel
like giving up. All these things are against
us. Well, let us remember, Joseph
is yet alive. Jesus He is yet alive. All has been done. All has been
accomplished. The storehouses are full. The
blessings are so many. He has them to give. It is not
that we walk in our strength. It is not that we impress the
Lord with what we have. It's not that Jacob was to go
with Joseph and impress him with everything that he had. He came
to Joseph with nothing and he received the blessing from his
own son. How wonderful that we know that
as we come to the Lord with nothing, that that is the best way to
come. As we come to the Lord empty,
that is the way he desires us to come. As we come feeling that
we have been taken away from everything we relied in, that
is the way he receives. That is where He blesses. We hear Him. May we go to Him. May we look to Him alone. Well,
we may say all these things are against us at times. They are
not. Because we know that all these
things work together for good. For those who love God and who
accord according to His purpose. And we know that all things work
together for His glory. may it be that we may indeed
decrease, and that he may increase. Well, may he add his blessing
to these thoughts.