60 SURPRISE FOR JACOB

Jacob was one hundred thirty years old and all twelve of his sons are in Egypt. The famine is severe. His beloved Rachael is long gone. He has grieved for Joseph many years, ten sons went to Egypt for food and only nine returned. He very reluctantly allowed the nine to take his last son, Benjamin, and now he is all alone. That is what Jacob saw, felt and viewed to be real. Was that perception true? Only partially, but perceptions are reality to the perceiver whether the perceptions match the real world or not.

Joseph was alive, the eleven sons recently gone to Egypt will return to Canaan. Try to imagine the absolute surprise Jacob would receive when his eleven sons returned with the unbelievably good news. Try to grasp the difference between what was truly real and what was real only to Jacob inside his own head. Try to contrast the paradigm shift Jacob was about to experience. The point is, Jacob’s discouragement was mostly based on untruth. Most of the reasons for any discouragement he felt were simply not true.

Try also to consider the vast, all-inclusive, comprehensive difference between what you and I see, feel and “know” now here on earth with what a wonderful surprise God has for us when we exit life’s stage and enter the real eternity. For each of us the circumstances will be different, but it is very possible that much, if not most, of the reasons for our discouragement is based on untruth.

The kindness of Pharaoh to Joseph, and to his relations for his sake is obvious from the beginning of this narrative. He made his brethren welcome. “When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased” (16). Though it was a time of scarcity, and they were likely to be a burden or responsibility to him, yet Pharaoh was pleased. And because it pleased Pharaoh, it pleased his servants too, at least they pretended to be pleased because Pharaoh was.

Pharaoh asked Joseph to send for and bring his father down to Egypt promising to furnish them with all conveniences for his move and settlement there. The good of all the land of Egypt, which was stocked and better supplied with grain than any other land thanks to Joseph under God, would surely satisfy Jacob. He was welcome to it all, it was all his to enjoy. He said, “bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land” (18). Even the fat of the land! This would be so plenteous that they need not regard their material possessions, stuff, they had in Canaan. “Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours” (20). What they had in Canaan, Pharaoh considered just stuff, in comparison with what he had for them in Egypt. So, if they would be reluctant to leave some of that behind them, let them not feel its loss. Egypt would afford them enough to make up the losses of their move. Part of Christian leadership is to know, think and to project a worldview in which earthly possessions are not as important to the Christian leader as our heavenly possessions. If we are owned by earthly possessions, how will we seek the heavenly? If we are bound by the temporary, how will we seek the eternal?

Can you imagine someone saying to God, I am not ready to go to heaven. Look at all the possessions I have gathered?! In the same way, anyone for whom Christ intends shares in His heavenly glory ought not regard the stuff of this world. The best of its enjoyments are but stuff, only lumber. We cannot make sure of it while we are here, much less can we carry it away with us anyway. Let us therefore not be overly concerned about it, or occupied or owned by it, nor set our eyes or hearts on it. There are better things reserved for us in that blessed land where our Joseph has gone to prepare a place for us.

This Pharaoh was respectful to Joseph, in gratitude, because he had been an instrument of much good to him and his kingdom, not only preserving it from a great famine, but helping to make it reputable among the nations. All their neighbors would say, “Surely the Egyptians are a wise and an understanding people, who are so well stocked in a time of scarcity.” For this reason this Pharaoh never thought anything he could do for Joseph could be too much. This Pharaoh displayed gratitude owed even to an inferior. When anyone has shown us kindness we should study to repay it to them and, not only to them, but also to their relations. We can learn this from this Pharaoh. Another Pharaoh can teach us other things!

Joseph likewise was very kind and respectful to his father and brothers in duty because they were his near relations, though his brothers had been his enemies and his father long a stranger.  He furnished them with what they would need to make the journey to Canaan and back and bring the household with them. “Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey” (21). He gave them wagons and provisions for the way, both going and coming. We do not know if Jacob was very rich at this time when the famine prevailed. It is possible that he was not as wealthy as he had been.

Beside the carts, however, Joseph also furnished them with nice clothes and treasures. To his brothers he gave two suits apiece of good clothes, to Benjamin five suits, and money besides in his pocket, “To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes” (22). To his father he sent a very handsome present of the varieties of Egypt, “And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey” (23).  Anyone who is wealthy should be generous, and devise liberal things; what is an abundance good for, but to do good with it? Consider how Joseph’s treatment of his family is like Jesus’ treatment of us, He provides a way to heaven, gives us clothes fit for the new place and even treasures beyond these necessities. What a joy it is for Jesus to call us brothers!

Joseph dismissed his brothers with a specifically appropriate caution:  “Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”” (24). He knew them and that they were apt to be quarrelsome. After all, what had just happened, would have revived their remembrance of what they had done earlier against their brother and might give them an excuse to quarrel. Joseph had just recently observed their contention as recorded in Genesis 42:22, “Reuben replied, ‘Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.’” Use your imagination with me. To one someone would say, 'It was you that first criticized him with his dreams;’ to another, You first said, ‘Let’s us kill him;’ to another, ‘You are the one who stripped him of his fine coat;’ to yet another, ‘It was you that threw him into the pit.’ Now Joseph, from a morally and ethically higher level, having forgiven them everything, obligates all of them not to quarrel with one another. Our Joseph, our Lord Jesus, has given to us a similar instruction that we should keep until we arrive at our Father’s house. And even after that will continue to practice: that we love one another, that we live in peace, that whatever occurs or whatever former offenses or disagreements come to mind that we not argue or fight over them. We are brothers; we all have one Father. We are all just younger brothers of our older Brother Jesus, and He who is our peace, would be shamed if we argue, grumble, complain and criticize each other. As we travel along let’s not argue with each other.

We are guilty, very guilty, so, instead of quarreling with one another, we have many good reasons to criticize ourselves. We are forgiven by God Whom we have all offended, and therefore should be ready to forgive one another. We are as they were, on the way, a way that passses through foreign territory, where we have many eyes on us, eyes that seek opportunities and advantages against us, a way that leads to Canaan, where we hope to be eventually forever in perfect peace. Let’s begin to act like it now. That is the character of a leader; he or she lives by the behavior and attitude standards of another land. We learn this from the patriarchs.

Now we will watch the good news being brought to Jacob. First notice the telling of it. According to verse 26, “They told him, ‘Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.’ Jacob was stunned. He did not believe them.” When, without any preparatory remarks, suddenly his sons came rushing in, imagine this!, crying, Joseph is still alive, each striving to be the first to proclaim it. It did not compute in his brain. Perhaps he thought they teased him, and the affront grieved him or the very mention of Joseph’s name revived his sorrow so that his heart fainted. It evidently and understandably took a little time before he came to himself. He was in such care and fear about all the rest of them that in a time like this it would have been joy enough to him to hear that Simeon was released, and that Benjamin had come safely home. Surely he had been ready to despair concerning both these. But to hear the news that Joseph is alive is too good to be true. He faints for he cannot believe it. We too faint, because we do not believe. David himself would have fainted if he had not believed. There are times that you or I would faint if we did not believe. But we must recall Psalm 27:13 which says, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

Sometimes we must wait for unexpected thoughts to sink in. In Jacob’s case, the confirmation of it, by degrees, revived his spirit. We seem to believe bad news more readily than good news so we must brace ourselves against the bad news. Jacob had easily believed his sons formerly when they told him, Joseph is dead, but he can hardly believe them now that they tell him, Joseph is alive. Weak and tender spirits are influenced more by fear than hope, and are more apt to receive impressions that are discouraging than those that are encouraging. But at length Jacob is convinced of the truth of the story, especially when he sees the wagons which were sent to carry him, then his spirit revived. Seeing is believing. At least this time it was.

Death is like the wagons which are sent to take us to Christ. The very sight of God’s wagons/angels  approaching should revive us.

“And Israel said,” (28). Jacob is called Israel here. Maybe this is because he begins to recover his previous natural vigor. It pleases him to think that Joseph is alive. He says nothing of Joseph’s glory, of which they told him; it was enough to him that Joseph was alive. Anyone that would be content with less degrees of comfort are best prepared for greater. It pleases him to think of going to see him. Though he was old, and the journey long, yet he wanted to go see Joseph, because Joseph’s business would not permit him to come to see him.

“And Israel said, ‘I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die’” (28). He says, ‘I will go and see him,’ not, ‘I will go and live with him.’ Jacob was old, and did not expect to live long. It is as though Jacob thought, “But I will go and see him before I die, and then let me depart in peace; let my eyes be refreshed with this sight before they are closed, and then it is enough, I need no more to make me happy in this world.”

One thing I notice in this study of the patriarchs is that we have many opportunities to reflect on the temporary aspect of human life on earth. The patriarchs all had faith in and lived for another land or world and died. We will die. The Patriarchs lived in one place with their eyes on another place. Again and again we see this profound truth lived out in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. This is a good lesson for us. We undoubtedly will be surprised when we get to heaven. It is good for us to make death our familiar friend and to speak of it as near, that we may think how little is our opportunity to do something of eternal value before we die, that we may do it with all our might. Then we may appropriately enjoy our few or many earthly comforts and live as those who may die soon and so be ready at any time to depart. To live is Christ and to die is gain.