Let us turn again to God's Word
in the chapter that we read, Genesis 45, and turning to the
opening verse. Then Joseph could not refrain
himself before all them that stood by him, and he cried, cause
every man to go out from them. And there stood no man with him,
while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. Genesis 45.1 Then Joseph could
not refrain himself before all that stood by him, and he cried,
Cause every man to go out from them. And there stood no man
with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. Here we see Joseph then revealing
himself to his brethren two weeks ago we were considering those
words at the beginning of John 21 where we see the Lord Jesus
Christ revealing himself, showing himself to his disciples there
at the sea of Tiberias and how in that manifestation of himself
the Lord Jesus was much concerned to minister to one in particular,
even Simon Peter. The Lord would complete the restoration
of his wayward, backsliding disciple Peter in those questions that
he puts to him, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me? more than these. Now the Lord
reveals himself. He reveals himself, I suppose,
in some way in the miracle that we see him performing on that
occasion. You remember how the disciples,
they didn't recognize him. Their eyes, as it were, were
holding just like those two on the road to Emmaus. They didn't know him as he spoke
with them by the way, but then when they came to their destination
and invited him to join them and he goes in and he sobs with
them and then their eyes are open and they know him and he
departs out of their sight. Well, also there in John 21 with
the disciples we're told in verse 4, when the morning was now come
Jesus stood on the shore but the disciples knew not that it
was Jesus But what does the Lord do? He asks, have you any meat? And when they answer no, He tells
them, cast a net on the right side of the ship and you shall
find. They'd been laboring all through
the night and they'd caught nothing. The fruitless night it had been.
But the Lord simply says, cast a net on the right side of the
ship and you shall find. They cast therefore and now they
were not able to draw it for the multitude of fish. In fact, there were 153 fishes
and so great a catch that they had great difficulty dragging
that net with the fishes back to the land. Why 153? Well, I don't pretend
to know the answer. All I would say is that the Lord
deals in particulars. The Lord is very specific in
His ways, in His dealings. But the significance of this
great miracle, because the miracle is performed that John then recognizes
who it is. That disciple whom Jesus loved
saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Peter heard that it
was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, for he was naked,
and he cast himself into the sea. all the Lord reveals himself
in remarkable ways he reveals himself by his miracles wasn't
that their experience at the beginning back in John chapter
2 when he changed the water into wine at the wedding feast in
Cana of Galilee It was that first of miracles
in which Jesus manifested His glory, we're told, and His disciples
believed on Him. And so again, the resurrected
Christ reveals Himself unto His disciples. And thinking of that
that we were considering just a couple of weeks ago, my thoughts
went to what we're told here concerning Joseph, the way in
which we see him as such a remarkable type of the Lord Jesus Christ,
even in this, that he makes himself known, he shows himself as it
were, he reveals himself to his brethren. And so that's the theme
that I want to take up, Joseph revealing himself to his brethren,
and in it we see something more with regards to the ways of the
Lord and the way in which the Lord is pleased to show himself
to his disciples, to his children. Now Joseph is a type. I don't think one can read the
history of Joseph without coming to that conclusion if one has
any spiritual appreciation or understanding of the Word of
God. What a remarkable man was Joseph. And here we read of him
of course in the latter part of this book of Genesis. Genesis
as you know is the book of beginnings. That's what Genesis really means.
In the beginning God created. The heavens and the earth the
opening words of the book it's the book of beginnings but it's
also in another sense and I've said this on previous occasions
we can say it's a book of generations the various generations in chapter
2 and verse 4 we're told these are the generations of the heavens
and the earth and then in chapter 5 and verse 1 we're told this
is the book of the generations of of Adam and so forth. Chapter 6 and verse 9, these
are the generations of Noah. And then the last of the generations
is what is spoken of in chapter 37, the generations of Jacob. But what do we read concerning
those generations? The beginning of chapter 37,
Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger in
the land of Canaan. These are the generations of
Jacob. Joseph being 17 years old was
feeding the flock with his brethren and so forth. Those generations
of Jacob so center in the person of Joseph because it's Joseph's
history that runs through then right to the end of the book. And as the generations of Joseph
center in Christ is there not a spiritual lesson there? We
know that they are not all Israel that are of Israel. We know that
Israel are a spiritual people. And in whom do the generations
of God's spiritual Israel center? Not in Joseph, but in one who
is far greater than Joseph. They center in the Lord Jesus
Christ, the spiritual Israel, the church. All the history of
the church continually centers in the person and the work of
the Lord Jesus Christ. God manifest in the flesh, the
only Savior of sinners. Then we see these strange similarities. What does Pharaoh say concerning
Joseph when he interprets the dreams? He says to his servants,
can we find such a man as this one is who is full of the Spirit? That's how the Pharaoh speaks
in chapter 41 and verse 38. Can we find such a one as this
is in whom the Spirit of God is? And who is the one who has
the Spirit of God as none other? Why, the Christ, the Anointed
One. For God giveth not the Spirit
by measure unto him. There was such an anointing of
the Spirit upon Jesus of Nazareth that He was marked out as the
Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour of sinners. And again, with regards
to Joseph, what do we see? As we read through his history,
we see initially how he is one very much rejected by his brethren. How quickly we see them despising
him, how quickly they want to be rid of him. Look at the language
in that 37th chapter at verse 19. As he comes to his brethren,
they said one to another behold his dreamer cometh come now therefore
and let us slay him and cast him into some pit and we will
say some evil beast has devoured him and we shall see what will
become of his dreams and Reuben heard it and he delivered him
out of their hands and said let us not kill him so they don't
kill him but still they reject him what do they do they sell
him into slavery Verse 26, Judas said unto his brethren, What
profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come,
and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites. And let not our hand be upon
him, for he is our brother, and our flesh. And his brethren were
content. And then when the Midianites
passed, what did they do? They sell him, and he is taken. And there we see him in slavery,
imprisoned even, all that he has to endure until the time
of God's Word comes and then he is exalted. And we think of
the Lord Jesus Christ. He came unto his own, we're told,
and his own received him not. And what is it that the Jews
cry out at the end? Away with him! Away with him,
they say. Crucify him! or His blood be
upon us and upon our children. There are these striking similarities
and surely not mere coincidental things. This is the Word of God.
This man Joseph then is a remarkable type of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And I want us to remember that as we come to consider the text.
Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that
stood by him. 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 first of all what do we see here? we see this principle that where
there is any real religion it is a very personal thing I know
that God sets a solitary in families and there is such a doctrine
as that of the New Testament church the gathering together
of God's people we're not to forsake the assembling of ourselves
together says the Apostle as the manner of some is there is
the doctrine of the church the gathered church he calls the
people out of the church and he gathers them together in local
congregations but God deals with each one of his children in a
very personal and particular fashion and we see it do we not we see
it even in what he said here what does Joseph say cause every
man to go out from me and there stood no man with him while Joseph
made himself known unto his brethren All the Lord Jesus behaves in
that selfsame fashion when he comes to manifest himself, to
make himself known, to reveal himself. And how the Lord speaks
of it in the course of his ministry, we see it there. For example
in those discourses in the gospel of John. Remember those discourses
there at the end of of John in chapters 14 and 15 and 16 and
what does the Lord say in chapter 14 verse 21 he says he that hath
my commandments and keepeth them it is he that loveth me and he
that loveth me shall be loved of my father and I will love
him and will manifest myself to him or the Lord manifest himself
to his people. Judas, not Iscariot, the other
Judas, saith unto him, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest
thyself unto us and not unto the world? You see, Judas here,
he's thinking simply in in physical terms, a bodily manifestation
of the Lord. But the Lord isn't speaking of
that physical manifestation. The Lord is speaking in a very
spiritual sense. He was going to go from the disciples. Why? He says as much. Yet a little
while, and the world seeth me no more. He would die. He would be crucified. And then after that crucifixion,
of course, on the third day he would rise again, and then he
will manifest himself. And who will he manifest himself
to? He will show himself to his disciples. That's what we were
considering only a couple of weeks ago. And I said then how
the reason why he manifested himself in that fashion was that
they might be witnesses to the reality of the physical resurrection. Remember in Acts chapter 1 we
read of those apostles whom he had chosen to whom also he showed
himself after his passion by many infallible proofs being
seen of them forty days and speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom
of God. He comes and he reveals himself
to whom? To his disciples. He deals with
them in this very specific personal way. Again, look at the language
that Peter uses, preaching before Cornelius in Acts chapter 10,
at verse 14. He says, "...of Christ him God
raised up the third day and showed him openly, not to all the people,
but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even unto us who did
eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. All the
Lord comes and who does he come to? He comes to his own. He reveals
himself to them. He deals with them in that very
personal fashion. And remember in 1st Corinthians
15 and there in the opening verses of that remarkable chapter we
have Paul giving a catalogue of those that the Lord did show
himself to. Yes, they were over 500 brethren
at once, he says. But how these people are so fivered. They are fivered because they
are the chosen ones who will bear testimony to the truth of
the resurrection. But then the resurrected Christ
does subsequently by the Spirit reveal himself to all of his
disciples. If we know the Lord at all we
must know those personal dealings that he has with his children
when he comes and makes himself real. Or we can read the words
and yet how we need that the Spirit should come in the word
and open our eyes and open our understandings and cause us to
see And to see who? To see that Christ
is here in all the scriptures. Or do you ever come to God's
word and you feel like this somewhere, you want to ransack it, you want
to find the Lord Jesus. What's the point of the reading
if we cannot discover Christ in that reading? Though the Lord
gives that blessed assurance that the Spirit will come and
He will reveal to us the things concerning Himself. That's the
ministry of the Spirit. He doesn't come to draw any attention
to Himself. How the blessed Spirit's ministry
is ever such a self-effacing ministry. He comes to reveal
the things of the Saviour. Look at what Christ says in chapter
14 and verse 16 I will pray the Father He shall give you another
comforter that he may abide with you forever even the spirit of
truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither
knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall
be in you I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you."
How does the Lord come? Doesn't the Lord come by that
blessed ministry of the Spirit? That one who comes to take of
the things of the Lord Jesus Christ and to reveal them to
sinners. And the Lord goes on to speak
of that blessed ministry later there in the 16th chapter of
John. I have yet many things to say
unto you. But ye cannot bear them now, albeit when He, the
Spirit of Truth, is come. He will guide you into all truth,
for He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear,
that shall He speak. And He will show you things to
come. He shall glorify Me, for He shall receive of Mine, and
shall show it unto you. Oh, He is God. He is God the
Holy Ghost. He is equal to the Father. He
is equal to the Son. And yet, now in the day of grace,
He so willingly comes to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, to take
of the things of the Saviour and to reveal them, and to deal
with us in that personal way, to grant to us that particular
application of the Word of Truth. How a man like Paul very much
knew it. He tells us how he pleased God,
who separated me from my mother's womb, to reveal His Son in me. We didn't consult with flesh
and blood. The Lord doubted. The Lord doubted. And remember when we read that
21st chapter of John as we were considering those opening words
of the chapter when we go to the end of that chapter we see
how the Lord is restoring the soul of His backsliding disciple
Peter and the Lord says follow me and the Lord obviously moves
and Peter follows him and he turns and there's John also following
and John well Peter Peter is the one who asked what will become
of John and the Lord's answer very striking there in that verse
the Lord says to him what is that to thee? follow thou my
it's personal what is that to the here is Peter so concerned
about John follow thou my that's the word of the Lord or the Lord
comes and he grants such personal dealings particular dealings
just as Joseph here with his brethren every man must be caused
to go out from him and there stood no man with him while Joseph
made himself known unto his brethren. And even, is it not like that,
at times when we come together for the service of worship, we're
engaged in corporate worship. And yet, sometimes, if the Lord
is pleased to favor us in a particular way, it seems that everything
that he said is just for me. It's so applicable to my case.
It belongs to me. It's God's worth. And it's God's
Word being graciously applied by the Spirit of God Himself
when the Lord deals with us. And we know it's the Lord. We
know it's that fulfillment of His gracious promise that He
will come and manifest Himself amongst His people. For we are
said, where two or three are met together in His name, He
is there in the midst of them to reveal Himself to them individually. Oh, but what a revelation this
is! What's the result when the Lord chose himself? Well, there
is, as we see here, that compunction of conscience. What do we read
concerning his brethren? When Joseph makes himself known,
verse 3, he says, I am Joseph. Doth my father yet live? and his brethren could not answer
him for they were troubled at his presence. Margin says they
were terrified at his presence. How they were conscience stricken.
What have they done? This of course is not the first
meeting between Joseph and his brethren. This is the second
time. that they've gone into Egypt to obtain corn. And even
the first time they were somewhat troubled at the way, the strange
way in which they were being dealt with. Look at what's said
on that previous occasion in chapter 42. There in chapter
42 at verse 19 Joseph speaks, if ye be true
men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your
prison. Go, ye carry corn for the famine of your houses, but
bring your youngest brother unto me. Benjamin wasn't with them
that first time. So shall your word be verified,
and ye shall not die. And they did so. And they said
one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother.
Speaking of what they done to Joseph. We are verily guilty
concerning our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul
when he besought us and we would not hear. Therefore is this distress
come upon us. Oh, they certainly experienced
something there. Their conscience was aroused,
they remembered. They didn't know this was Joseph.
But they remembered the cruel manner in which they had treated
him. And their conscience smoked them.
Such a remarkable history, the history of Joseph. When we come
to the end of the book, remember what we're told in chapter 15.
after their father has died, after Jacob has gone, the game
they are fearful will Joseph now seek to take his revenge
upon them. There in the last chapter, verse
15, when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they
said, Joseph will peradventure hate us and will certainly requite
us of all the evil which we did unto him. all their troubles
his very presence makes them feel so uncomfortable
and yet the words of Joseph there at the end verse 19 he says unto
them fear not for am I in the place of God but as for you you
thought even against me but God meant it unto good to bring to
pass as it is this day to save much people alive Now therefore,
fear ye not, I will nourish you and your little ones. And he
comforted them and spoke kindly unto them. Oh, this is just like
that man who receives sinners and eats us with them. Why are
we so compassionate, so kind, so tender-hearted towards the
sinners? Why don't we see it in this chapter
where our text is? Look at verse 5. now therefore says Joseph be
not grieved nor angry with yourselves that you sold me hither for God
did send me before you to preserve life all the kind words of Joseph
and the Lord does he not come sometimes in such a kind and
compassionate way and those words of the Lord Jesus how they they trouble us why is the Lord
like this? we are so undeserving of his
mercies when the Lord reveals himself when we see anything
of him strange emotions think of the language of Peter how
he was overwhelmed when the Lord revealed himself there in Luke
chapter 5 that other occasion where there was a a miraculous
draft of fish. And what does Peter say? Luke
5.8, when he saw it, he says to the Lord, Depart from me,
for I am a sinful man, O Lord. He saw something of the glories
of Christ, and it so troubled him. He felt himself to be a
sinner. And that is a mark. That is a
mark, I say, of the grace of God. When the goodness of the
Lord causes us to feel what we really are. To be troubled at
the very thought of our sins in the light of all the sufferings
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The psalmist says, in thy light,
well, shall we see light? When the Lord reveals himself.
He does fill a man's spirit with awe, even when he comes in grace. Again, the language of another,
the language of Job. There in Job 23.15, Therefore
am I troubled at his presence, when I consider I am afraid of
him. For God maketh my heart soft,
and the Almighty troubleth me. Well, that's how the Lord deals
with us. He'll break our hard hearts by revealing himself and
showing himself to be that one who is a tender-hearted, a gracious
God, a kind Saviour. Again, think of the language
that we have in Zechariah, you know the passage there. In Zechariah
12 and verse 10, They shall look upon me whom they have pierced
and shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son. and
shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness
for his firstborn to look upon him the one who has been pierced
and why pierced? pierced by the very sins of his
people oh it's when God deals with us
in the way of grace when he comes so kindly oh yes there's that
conviction of sin that comes by the law that's the ministry
of the law by the law is the knowledge of sin the law is good
when the man uses it lawfully that's the point and purpose
of it whatsoever things the law says it says to them who are
under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world
be guilted before God but there's no real compunction when there's
only law it's when we see something of God's grace and God's mercy
We often sing those words, Lord, and terrors do but harden all
the while they work alone. But a sense of blood's bought
pardon soon dissolves the heart of stone. It's when the Lord
comes and reveals himself that there's that real compunction
in the conscience of a man. It's God who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, shining in the heart to give that knowledge
of the glory of God. in the face, the margin says
in the person. Oh, it's his face you see, that's
his person, that's him manifesting himself, showing himself. We see it in the face, the person
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that gracious in shining of the Gospel. And so we see it here in the
way in which Joseph, he's but a type, oh it might be but a
very pale image but it points us to the Lord Jesus Christ the
way in which he deals with his brethren when they're so troubled
at his presence what does Joseph say verse 4 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." And what is it that Joseph has
for Pike? There's that glorious provision.
The famine has been but two years, but there were to be seven years.
There'd been seven years of plenty, and by the wisdom of Joseph,
there had been that wonderful provision laid up in the land
of Egypt. Two years had gone. Verse 6,
These two years hath the famine been in the land, and yet there
are five years in there, which there shall neither be earing
nor harvest. And God sends me before you to
preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives
by a great deliverance. All this famine it was over all
the earth not just in Egypt, not just in Canaan, it was over
all that region and they're all coming to Egypt and they're all
coming to Joseph to obtain or does it not remind us of that
that is laid up in the gospel that provision that the Lord
God has made in the person of his only begotten Son and you
know the the gracious language of the Gospel, the gracious invitations
that we have recorded time and again, not just in the New Testament,
in the Old Testament, the language of the prophets, Isaiah 55 for
example. For everyone that thirsteth,
come ye to the waters, he that hath no money, come ye by, and
eat ye come by wine and milk, without money and without price.
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and
your labour for that which satisfies not? Hearken diligent to me,
and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself
in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto
me, herein your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." All the languages,
the gracious language, the gospel feast, and how we have it there
at the end of scripture in the almost the last words in the
book of the revelation how the spirit and the bride say come and let him that hear us say
come and let him that is a thirst come and do so but well let him
take of that water of life freely it is such a free provision that
is made. And so we see it here. All that
is provided for Jacob and his sons and all their families. It points us, directs us to the
Lord Jesus Christ. What does Joseph do? He nourishes. He nourishes his father's house.
look at chapter 47 verse 12 Joseph nourished his father and his
brethren and all his father's household with bread according
to their families there was such a provision and there is more
than that in the Lord Jesus Christ Christ is the one who nourishes
all those who trust in him how he feeds them, what does he feed
them with, why He feeds them with himself. He feeds them with
himself. That is the remarkable truth.
And do we not have to prove it? What is sweeter than to meditate
upon Christ and to think much of the person of Christ and the
mystery of his person? Isn't it a blessed thing to try
to understand in some measure? It's altogether beyond our comprehension,
we can't really understand, we can't explain it but that person,
who is he? he is never anything less than
God and yet he is also a real man he is God, he is man and
yet he is not two persons he is one
Christ and in that one Christ there are those two natures in
everything that he does he is the God-man he is the God-man
all the wonder of it he is that one who has come to reveal to
us all that God is and not only his person but the work that
the Father gave him to do he comes for a purpose he comes
to save sinners he must be about his father's business this is
that that he had engaged in in the eternal covenant when the
father gave a people to him he can say behold I am the children
which God hath given me he has a people and he will do all that
is necessary to the salvation of that people the people who
are in debt to the Holy Lord of God, they are the transgressors
of that law. And what does Christ do? Why
the God-man stands in their very law place. He was there, He is
God, He is there when the Lord is proclaimed at Mount Sinai.
Or it was the Lord, the triune God who descended upon the mountain,
or the terrorists of that law. and yet now he is subject to
the same law. And what does he do? He honours,
he magnifies it, he obeys every commandment, he fulfills all
righteousness. Nor he has wrought a robe of
righteousness. And then that holy, righteous
and just one dies. Because he will not only honour
the Lord in his life, but honour it also in his death. Honour
it in both its precepts and its penalties. And all of this he
does for his people. And so he says, I am the bread
of life, he that cometh to me shall never hunger, he that believeth
on me shall never thirst. There is satisfaction for the
sinner. And this is what Joseph is doing,
he is making provision for his brethren. he speaks the language of the
gospel does Joseph hear that great gospel words come as he makes himself known to
his brethren Joseph says unto them in verse
4 come near to me I pray you and they came near and he said
I am Joseph your brother isn't that the way in which the Lord
speaks to his people it's so personal he says to you as a
sinner he says to me as a sinner come come unto me I am Jesus
oh this is the man you see who receives sinners and eateth with
them we've already referred to those words at the end of the
book of the revelation Almost the very last words, remember,
and what is the word that we have there? Time and again, it's
that word come. Come. Come. And the Lord says,
He that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Why the Lord is that one who
has come so near? Has he not come to be where his
people are? that's what the prophet Ezekiel
had to do with regards to those he was to minister to they were
there in exile in the captivity and he has to go and he has to
sit where they sat and sit amongst them astounded many days and
then minister to them and the Lord Jesus is that one who has
come just where his people are and he invites his people to
come to him and he makes provision for them Even in what we read here in
the Old Testament concerning Joseph can we not discern something
of the Lord Jesus Christ in the type? These things you see written
for our learning that we through patience or endurance and comfort
of the Scriptures might have hope. Joseph could not refrain
himself before all them that stood by him. 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. Oh, and how
he makes himself known! Why, they weep over each other. He fell upon his brother Benjamin's
neck and wept. Benjamin wept upon his neck,
moreover he kissed all his brethren and wept upon them. And after
that his brethren talked with him. All that we might learn
then, even from these things that are recorded here in the
Old Testament, learn of the Lord Jesus Christ and his ways, his
manner of making himself known. so graciously revealing himself
to sinners. May the Lord bless his word to
us.