Let us turn then to God's Word.
Our text is found in the psalm that was read, Psalm 105 and
verse 19, until the time that His Word came, the Word of the
Lord tried Him. Psalm 105 and verse 19, and you
will observe how in the context the reference is to Joseph, 17
He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant,
whose feet they hurt with fetters. He was laid in iron. Until the
time that his word came, the word of the Lord tried him. The
king sent and loosed him, even the ruler of the people, and
let him go free. He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his substance. to bind his princes at his pleasure
and teach his senators wisdom. The psalm is recounting something
of the dealings of God with Israel from the days of Joseph through
that period when they all removed into Egypt as we see at verse
23 Jacob sojourning in the land of Ham and how God there prospered
and increased him and then subsequently the cruel persecution of the
Egyptians and the gracious deliverance that God was pleased to grant
under the hand of Moses. The psalm then recounts something
of the history of God's ancient covenant people Israel. But it's these words in verse
19 in particular concerning God's words that I want us to center
our attention upon for a while this evening. Psalms 19 and 119 very much celebrate
the Word of God. Of course, Psalm 119, the longest
of the Psalms, is built around the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the original it is in fact
an acrostic poem. And each of the verses, bar just
two I think it is, makes some reference to God's words under
various synonyms, sometimes referring to the Word as His commandments,
His statutes, His judgments, His precepts. Psalm 119 is a
celebration of the Word of God and also we see something similar
in the 19th Psalm. But here we read of God's words
in relation to the experience of a certain individual, the
man Joseph. Now we were considering something
of Joseph this morning. when we took for our text those
words in Genesis 41 and verse 38, where the Pharaoh recognizes
him as a man who is full of the Holy Ghost, full of the Spirit
of God, and we considered Joseph there, and not only Joseph, but
Joseph also was one who is a remarkable type type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Was Joseph a man full of the
Spirit of God? How much more was that the case
with the man Christ Jesus? God giveth not the Spirit by
measure unto him. Joseph then, as we said, is a
remarkable type and We see it there in the history that's related
at the end of the book of Genesis. Remember, as I said, the book
of Genesis, besides being the book of beginnings, is also the
book of generations. The last of the generations mentioned
there in chapter 37 is the generations of Jacob. But all of Jacob's
generations center in his son Joseph. Verse 2 there in chapter
37, These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph being seventeen
years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren. And the lad
was with the sons of Bilhar and with the sons of Zilpah, his
father's wives. And Joseph brought unto his father
their evil report. Now Israel loved Joseph more
than all his children, because he was the son of his old age
and he made him a coat of many colors. And so, there follows
the history of Joseph in the generations of Jacob. Now, Jacob becomes Israel, and
Israel in the Old Testament, the nation, the descendants of
Jacob, are they not a typical people? They remind us of the
true Israel, the spiritual Israel, which is the Church. And all
the generations of that spiritual Israel, do they not center in
the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ? Joseph, I say,
then, is a type, a type of Christ. But tonight, I want us to consider
Joseph more particularly as one who is not untypical of the child
of God, the Christian believer. And we see it here in this psalm. Observe how in the psalm whilst
we're reading of the history of Israel, or a part of their
history, we're also reminded that this is the history of God's
covenant people. In verse 8, he has remembered
his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand
generations, which covenant he made with Abraham and his oath
unto Isaac and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law and
to Israel for an everlasting covenant. And then he goes on
to speak of the land of Canaan and so forth. It's dealing with
that history. But when we think of God's covenant
are we not to think ultimately of that great covenant God's
covenant of grace, it's God's dealings with his covenant people
as we've said they're not all Israel that are of Israel and
the real Israelite, the true Jew is that one who is a spiritual
Jew in accordance with what the Apostle says there at the end
of the second chapter in the Epistle of Romans, when Paul
deals with those Judaizers who had arisen in the early church,
those who wanted to bring Gentile believers under the law of Moses,
as it were, and make them Jews. Paul, the great apostle of the
Gentiles, contends against these things. He speaks of the true
circumcision, There, at the end of Romans chapter 2, he says,
"...he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that
circumcision which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew
which is one inwardly. And circumcision is that of the
heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is
not of men, but of God." Oh, this is the true Israelites. This is the one who is an Israelite
indeed. a spiritual Jew, and I say that
here in what we read concerning this man Joseph, who was of course
the favored son of Jacob who became Israel, does he not set
before us something of the experience of those who are God's spiritual
people? Well, let us turn to the words
that we've read as a text, until the time that his words came
The Word of the Lord tried him. And I want to deal with two headings
tonight. First of all, to say something
with regards to the trial. The trial of the Word of God.
And then secondly, to consider the timing of the Word of God. And then finally, to say something
with regards to the truth. of the words of God. First of
all then, the trial of the words. As we have it here at the end
of the verse, the words of the Lord tried him. The word of the Lord tried him. Now how was it that God's word
tried this particular man? Well, we said this morning that
God at this time revealed himself in different ways. The Bible
was not complete as we have it today. In this Old Testament
dispensation, God was still revealing himself, and he would reveal
himself sometimes by means of dreams remember how Elihu there
in the book of Job speaks speaks of the significance of those
dreams that come to a man when he is upon his bed in Job chapter
33 and there at verse 14, we referred to the words earlier
today, God speaketh once, says Elijah, God speaketh once, yea,
twice, yet man perceiveth it not, in a dream, in a vision
of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings
upon the bed, then he openeth the ears of men and sealeth their
instruction. God who Sunday times and in diverse
manners spake in time passed unto the fathers by the prophets
as in these last days spoken unto us by His Son says the Apostle
to the Hebrews. God has now spoken fully and
finally in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have that more sure word of
prophecy but as we said this morning Dreams were very significant
in the day of Joseph. God spoke to him by a dream.
God spoke to those who he had any association with by dreams. It was so with the butler and
the baker with whom he found himself in the prison. God came
and spoke to the Pharaoh by a dream. That was the means whereby Joseph
was so elevated in the royal court of Pharaoh. But how God's
Word that came by dreams tried him. Remember what we're told
concerning his brethren back in that 37th chapter of Genesis. He dreams a dream and in his
dream what does he see? He sees the sheaves of his brethren
bowing down before his sheaf. And then again he sees the sun
and the moon and the 11 stars bowing down before him. There
in Genesis 37 verse 5 following. And he understands the significance
of these dreams. This is God's revelation. This
is God's word to him. He is going to be elevated. to a position of authority even
amongst his own brethren. He understands that. Now he's
not always a wise man in the way in which he conducts himself.
There was wisdom in him as we recognized this morning. Pharaoh
saw that. But when he was a younger man
he didn't always behave as discreetly and wisely as he ought to have
done. And oftentimes he would provoke
his brethren. But he understood. He understood that God was in
these things. God was speaking in these things.
This was God's word to him, God's revelation. But how that word
of the Lord frightened him. There was an outward trial, was
there not? Instead of finding himself in
that elevated position that was shown to him in the dream, He
was in prison. He was in prison. Isn't that
the context that we have here in the Psalm? Verse 17, He sent
a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant, whose
feet they hurt with fetters. He was laid in iron. Until the time that His Word
came, the Word of the Lord tried Him. God's Word came, but there
was a trial with the Word. before the word was to be fulfilled. Why was he in prison? Why was
this man in prison? Well, there were a number of
reasons, of course. Immediately, we see the reason
was those false words that were spoken by that wicked woman,
the wife of Potiphar, whose servant Joseph was there in Egypt. how that wanton woman cast her
lustful eye on the young man desire that he would lie with
her and when he refuses oh how he acts so nobly how can I do
this great evil he says and sin against God and what does she
do then she turns against him and then she brings false charges
against him accuses Joseph Nehru of forcing himself upon her.
It was such an awful lie. These were false words, false
accusations. And yet the consequence was that
this innocent young man is cast into the prison. Why is he in
the prison? Because of those false words
spoken by that wicked woman, the wife of Potiphar. And then,
even when he's there languishing in the prison, he would have
been mindful, would he not, of the words of the chief butler? He had dreamt a dream together
with the baker, and Joseph had interpreted the dreams of these
two men, and the baker had, as Joseph said, been executed. But the butler had been reinstated.
And Joseph had asked the man that he would remember him. That
he would remember him. And how he was being treated
so unjustly as he lay there in the prison. But what do we read? Genesis 40, 23. Yet did not the
chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him. He forgot all
about him. He forgot all about him. He was
ruined. He was reinstated. This man who had come and interpreted
the dream for him, spoken so kindly to him, forgotten. Oh, the man was so fickle, you
see. And so here is Joseph, he's still
there in the prison, but ultimately, of course, we know the reason
why he was there, and it was because of his own brethren,
and how bitter they were, and what bitter things they said
against their brother, Joseph. He sent a man before them, even
Joseph, who was sold for a servant. Now who was it that sold him
into this awful servitude, or rather slavery, he was sold as
a slave. Well, we have the record in the
historic scriptures there, in that 37th chapter, in the book of Genesis, in chapter
37, verses 19 and 20, they said, unto another,
Behold, his dreamer cometh. Ne'er therefore let us slay him,
and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast
hath devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams
and then we read later verse 25 they sat down to eat bread
and they lifted up their eyes and looked and behold a company
of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery
and balm and myrrh going to carry it down to Egypt Judas said unto
his brethren what profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal
his blood come and if you 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." Oh, how they mock him, you see.
How they mock the man. What bitter things they say.
Behold, they say, this dreamer, this master of dreams cometh. And there's the real reason.
All these outward things are so much against him. There is
this external aspect to his trial. There's the circumstances that
he finds himself in, and there are these various individuals.
And this is a terrible trial. And it's all under God. It's
all under the Word of the Lord. Until the time that His Word,
that's God's Word, came, the Word of the Lord tried him. But besides an outward trial,
was there not also, in the case of this man Joseph, an inward
trial? There's an inward trial. It's
not so much these various individuals. That's not the trial, it's the
Word of God. It's the Word of God that is
a trial to him. Is God's Word a true Word? What
do we read in verse 18? We read, with the margin there
in the last clause, it says, His soul came into iron, whose
feet they hurt with fetters. His soul! His soul came into
iron. The iron entered into his very
soul. He is a man who is a spiritual
man, is he not? And so the trial has a spiritual
aspect to it. It's not so much men or this
wicked woman, Potiphar's wife, it's God. It's the Word of God. Was God's revelation, that Word
that he had received by his dreams, was it a dream? And nothing more
than a dream. Is that all it was, a dream,
in the nights and in the dawning of a day and the subsequent days?
It's forgotten. doesn't mean anything was it
just a sweet experience that that man had had for a moment?
but while sweet it was only a false experience there was nothing
real in it you see what is happening in the case of this man Joseph
he is having some insight into the workings of unbelief in his
own heart is he not? there are two forces at work
within this man Joseph. He has the Word of God and he
is trusting the Word of God, he is believing the Word of God.
God has said it. God has shown it to him. God
has granted him this special revelation. But everything is going contrary
to what God had intimated to them. Or there are these forces, two
forces working within the heart of this man at this time. There's
faith, but there's also unbelief. There's truth, but there's also
error, you see. And isn't this the experience
of the people of God? The flesh, lusting against the
spirit. and the Spirit against the flesh,
says Paul, and these contrary one to the other. You cannot
do the thing that you would. How God, you see, proves His
words and He proves it in the souls of His people. Or that
we might be those friends who are receiving God's words and
having to prove God's words when God speaks to us, when God comes
to us and grants us some gracious visitation. And we want to know
that that's real, it's not something that is merely imaginary. There is this conflict you see,
it's a conflict of faith. Through faith the life of God.
Deep in the heart it lies, it lives, it labors under load.
Though damped, it never dies. Do we not see it so many times
recorded here in the book of Psalms in particular? And the
experiences that the Psalmist has to pass through and the questions
that he is made to put to his own soul, as it were. Look at how Asaph speaks in Psalm
77. He says in verse 6, I call to
remembrance my song in the night, I commune with my own heart,
and my spirit make diligent search. Will the Lord cast off forever? Will he be favourable no more?
Is his mercy cling on forever? Does his promise fail forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? after he in anger shut up his
tender mercies, Selah. Then why are these things written
in the Bible? Why are these things recorded in the Psalms? Well, they're written for our
learning, are they not? That's what the Apostle says,
they're written for our learning, that we, through patience and
comfort, might have hope. He goes on, I said this is my
infirmity but I will remember the years of the right hand of
the Most High I will remember the works of the Lord surely
I will remember thy wonders of all I will meditate also of all
thy work and talk of thy doings how he is made in the midst of
his trial to increasingly cast himself upon God and the God
who has revealed himself and the God who is trying him and
testing him There is a trial with the Word. If we're those
friends who are really receiving the Word of God, it is no easy
thing. This was Joseph's experience.
The Word of the Lord tried him. Does God's Word try you sometimes? Or does it try you? You come
to it and you think, I've got to search it, and read it, and
find it out, and prove it. But then you see in the second
place, here we see the time of God's words. It was a time until
the time that His words came. By experience, Joseph learned
the sovereignty of God's perfect timing. To everything there is
a season and a time. to every purpose under heaven,"
says Solomon. A time to every purpose under
heaven. And now this man, Joseph, proved
that. And we see it when we come to
the end of the book, the end of the book of Genesis, in the
very last chapter. Jacob has died, and now his brethren
are so fearful. Will not their brother Joseph
have every opportunity for revenge? Oh, as they had treated him so
wickedly. And here he is now, he's that
man of great influence and authority in the land of Egypt. Will he
seek to recompense them for the evil that they'd done to him?
But what does he say? Genesis 15 verse 20, As for you,
ye thought evil against me. But God meant it unto good, to
bring to pass as it is this day, to keep much people alive. He
sees, you see, the goodness of God. God meant it unto good. All these things that were against
me, all these things that were contrary to me, all things work
together for good. to them who love God, to them
who are called according to His purpose. The time comes. The time that His Word came. The time that was appointed by
God from all eternity for the great purpose of God, the gracious
purpose of God. It has its time to be fulfilled.
The words of Daniel chapter 10 and verse 1. The thing was true,
it says, but the time appointed was long. And how true that was
in the case of Joseph. The thing was true. What God
had intimated, what God had shown to him and revealed to him in
that dream, in those dreams, in chapter 37 of Genesis, they
were true dreams. It was the word of God. But the
time appointed was long. Again, look at the words of the
Prophet Habakkuk. In Habakkuk chapter 2, verse 3, the vision is yet for
an appointed time but at the end he shall speak and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it,
because it will surely come. It will not tarry. Oh, what a
word it is, friends! Ought to be those, you see, who
would be truly waiting upon the Lord, waiting upon the Lord,
that He would in His own appointed time accomplish in us His own
goodwill and pleasure. This is a God with whom we have
to do. What does the psalmist say? My times are in my hand. All our times are in God's hands. And God's, why? God's timing. Why? It is perfect. And what
does true faith do? Why? It endures. It endures waiting
upon God, waiting upon God's timing. He that shall endure
unto the end, says the Lord Jesus, the same shall be said. or we
ought to be those who would wait, wait upon the word of God, that
God will fulfill his purpose in his own time. We know. We know what thine men would
do. They want some sign, they want
some visible, some sensible evidence. That's the spirit of the Pharisees,
is it not? As we have it there in the Gospel,
in Mark chapter 8, we see how these men come to the Lord Jesus
Christ and they require some sign of Him. Mark 8 verse Verse
10, Straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and
came into the parts of Dalmanutha. And the Pharisees came forth,
and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven,
tempting him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit,
and said, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say
unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.
That's what men want. They want something so tangible.
They're not willing to wait upon God. Remember the exhortation of the
Apostle? In Hebrews 6.12 he says, Be not
soulful, but followers of them who through faith and patience
inherit the promises. How do we inherit the promises?
Well, vain foolish men speak about claiming the promises.
They put their own hand to it as it were. The word doesn't
say that. It's through faith and patience,
faith and endurance that we come to inherit the promises. This was the experience of this
man, I say. He had to wait. He had to wait
for God's time until the time that his word came. The Word of the Lord tried him
all the time. It was such a trying of his faith.
But all the time it was proving the reality of his faith. Oh friends, let us be those,
you see, who would simply trust in God and simply trust in the
Word of God. God has given us His Word, has
He not? In Psalm 138 it says, Thou hast
magnified thy Word above all thy name. Now you know the significance
of that. He has magnified His word above
all His name. Now what is God's name? God's
name is Himself. God's name is the declaration
of Himself. It's the revelation of who He
is. And He has magnified His words above all that He is Himself. When He could swear by no greater,
He swore by Himself. In other words, his own very
being as God, the fact that he is God, is at stake. If his word fails, he fails. And God is no more. God is dead.
How God has magnified his word. And what are we to do? We are
to trust in the word of God. We are to walk by faith and not
by sight. or we're to walk, you see, in
accordance with what He said before us in His Word, we're
to love His Word. We're to seek to be those who
would be faithful to His Word, faithful to His precepts, walking
in the path of obedience, wanting our steps to be clearly ordered
and directed by the Lord, leaving the consequences in His hands.
That's what we're to do. And the time of His Word comes.
And he comes as he himself, as eternally ordained. There's a
trial. There's a trial of his word.
Oh, how the word of the Lord tried this man. But then there's
the time, the time that his word came. And undergirding it all,
of course, is his precious truth in the third place. It's the
truth. It's the truth of his word. His
Word is a true Word, is it not? Look at the text. Look at the name that is given
to God. It's the LORD. And it's LORD in capital letters.
Do you understand the significance of that? It's the Covenant God.
It's the God who reveals himself to Moses at the burning bush
who declares, I am that I am. Who is the great I am? I am the Lord. I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. It is the I am. The I am who reveals himself
ultimately in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And those tremendous I Am statements that we find scattered throughout
the Gospel of John. It's that revelation. Now remember
what we said this morning, Joseph is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. If this man Joseph was full of
the Spirit of God How much more is Christ full of the Spirit
of God? God giveth not the Spirit by
measure unto Him. Christ is the Anointed One. God's
servant, God's elect. The One upon whom God has given
the Spirit. He's anointed. Now what do we
read concerning this man Joseph? Verse 21, the Pharaoh made him
Lord of his house and ruler of all his substance. Are we not
going to think of the Lord Jesus Christ? Hebrews chapter 3 verse
6 we read of Christ as a son over his house Christ as a son
over his house and ruler Christ the ruler of all his substance
all concerning Joseph remember the words in chapter
47 of Genesis and there at verse 12, Joseph
it says, "...nourished his father and his brethren and all his
father's household with bread according to their families." Joseph's Lord over Pharaoh's
house? Why the Lord Jesus Christ is
that one who is Lord over his father's house? And what nourishment
He provides? How He feeds His people with
bread, and what is the bread? Why is that hidden man? It's
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, His meat. It's flesh, it's meat
indeed. It's blood, it's drink indeed. And again, remember what we said
this morning there at the end of chapter 41, when in the years
of famine we see Joseph opening all the storehouses in Egypt
and selling corn to the Egyptians so they can make bread. He opens
the storehouses and he sells to all the Egyptians, and not
only the Egyptians, the other nations round about, they come
into Egypt that they may obtain corn, even his brethren, Jacob's
sons have to come to obtain corn. But as we said this morning,
the antitype is so much more glorious than the type. He opens
the storehouses, he sells the corn, but not so Christ. why
it all comes so freely? when he opens the storehouses
it's all without money, it's all without price it's all free you see it's the
freeness of the grace of God the spirit and the bride say
come and let him that heareth say come, and let him that is
athirst come, and whosoever will, let him take of the water of
life freely, it says. There in Revelation 22, almost
the last words of Holy Scripture, and that precious word freely.
We take of all these things freely. This is the precious truth, is
it not, of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's ours,
you see, to come and to sit at Christ's board, not just when
we come as a church, as believers, to the Lord's Supper and sit
at that board, but when we come to the Gospel faith. Oh, what
riches Christ is pleased to set before us. What's day to us?
Fill His board. Oh, God grant that we might be
those who are enabled then to to eat, to feast ourselves upon these
things, even to eat the flesh, to drink the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ, to know that real, living, vital union with Him,
as our God and our Savior, to know that precious gift of faith,
to believe His Word, even though we must recognize the trial that
is associated with that Word but assured of this that God
Himself has ordained when that Word will have its accomplishments
and all for our souls good until the time that His Word came the
Word of the Lord tried Him. May the Lord be pleased to bless
His Word to us tonight. We sing as I conclude in hymn
number 235, and the tune is Grasmere 591. In all our worst afflictions,
when furious foes surround us, when troubles vex and fears perplex,
and Satan would confound us, when foes to God and goodness,
we find ourselves by feeling to do what's right, unable quite,
and almost as unwilling. Hymn number 235. When trouble takes and fears
perplex And Satan would confound us When close to God and goodness
We find ourselves unfeeling To do what's right And like the restless ocean,
Our hearts cast upon cleanliness, Flood after flood, When love is cold and languid,
And different passions shake us, And seems to quite forsake us Then to maintain the battle With
soldier-like behaviour To keep the field If you trust His gracious promise,
Thus hard beset with evil, This, this is faith, Will conquer death,
And overcome the dead.