Genesis to Esther Series – LESSON 16

Jacob, The Father Of Israel

Our subject now is JACOB, THE FATHER OF ISRAEL. We have talked about Abraham, a little bit about Isaac, and now we will talk about Jacob.

1. Israel’s History Begins With Jacob

I want to bring some facts to your attention, from Genesis, chapter 25.

Genesis 25: 19-21

(19) And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begat Isaac:

(20) And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife,

I can’t pass that by without saying something to the young folk. Why are you in such a big hurry to get married? Rebekah and Isaac got married when Isaac was forty years old. And that turned out alright, so I guess it is alright to get married at forty! Will you remember that!

Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.

(21) And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

All through the Bible, so many of these women that were used of God to be the channel to bring Messiah, were all barren. Why?

Genesis 3:15

(15) And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

God is going to bring a seed, and these women become barren because it had to be miraculous if they were to have any children. And so, you see, they are building up to something. When you come to the New Testament, the birth of Christ is miraculous. And if you can believe the Old Testament, you can believe the fact of the New Testament; because every leader of the seed in the Old Testament was miraculously born.

Genesis 25: 21-23

(21) Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

(22) And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord.

There are practical things in all of this. There was a struggle within her. You may have a struggle; not caused by two babies, but every individual has a struggle some time or other. And what is good advise? Go talk to the Lord about it. Rebekah went to inquire of the Lord.

(23) And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

There are many key verses in the Bible. Here is an example. There are four statements.

Fact #1

And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb,

Rebekah is going to have two babies. What do we know about these babies? Each one is going to head a nation. God can start a nation any time He likes.

Two nations are in thy womb. Don’t miss that fact.

Fact #2

And two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;

Two manner of people. It is not too difficult to believe this Scripture, even by looking at things as they are now. You can see two children born of the same mother and the same father; and they can be very, very different can’t they. God said that these boys were going to produce two nations. And God said these nations are going to be two different nations. Two manner of people.

Fact #3

And the one people shall be stronger than the other people;

Before the nation comes into being, God said one nation is going to be stronger than the other.

Fact #4

And the elder shall serve the younger.

The oldest boy is going to serve the youngest boy. God, in His Sovereignty, said that about these two boys before they were born.

1. Jacob, The Father Of One Nation

Genesis 36:1

(1) Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.

Get that straight. Keep that in your mind. Where did the Edomites come from? What nation came out of Esau? – Edom. The Edomites came out of Esau.

Genesis 32:28

(28) And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel:

The first mention of Israel in the Bible.

What is the name of the nation that came out of Esau? – Edom.

What is the name of the nation that came out of Jacob? – Israel.

Abraham was not an Israelite. Isaac was not an Israelite. The first Israelite was Jacob. The foundation of the nation goes back to Jacob. He became the father of one nation. And the wonderful thing about it is, those people are still identifiable. That’s what makes Bible study so very interesting.

2 Kings 17:34

(34) Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel.

Where did the name “Israel” originate? It did not originate in the minds of men. It originated in the heart and mind of God. God called the nation Israel. I don’t think that God called Britain - “Britain.” I think men did that. I don’t think that God called Germany - “Germany.” I think men did that. But don’t miss this, God named the nation of Israel - nobody else! He named them “Israel.” So, out of these babies, come a man by the name of Jacob, who is going to be the father of a nation.

2. Jacob, The Father Of A Different Nation

Two manner of people. And, because we are talking about Jacob-Israel, we note that Jacob became the father, not only of a nation, but he became the father of a different nation.

I quote, in part from a book I have on my shelf, to illustrate.

We were the only Jewish family in our neighborhood. I was called “Little Jew,” and my step brother “Big Jew.” About once every two weeks (for reasons I never learned), I found myself looking at a dozen angry faces of kids I played with, who were trying to trap me. I would be called “Kike.” Someone would put a chip on his own shoulder and dare me to knock it off. If I didn’t, he would put it on my shoulder and flick it on the ground, and everyone would say: “little Jew started it!”

I had to become a fairly good fighter, and, every now and then, I would be winning one. It wouldn’t pay, because I’d have three or four more kids to fight if I won – sometimes all of them at once.

Other times, when they were in their moods, I’d be caught alone, and catch a rock hurled at me. There was nothing much to do but turn tail and hide in the basement. There were always too many of them. At Grammar School ’62, a pal of mine in Baltimore had a swastika carved on his cheek with a penknife.

He goes on to name some of the other things that have happened.

So what do you do? You slide into second base a little harder, and try to spike the ankles, hike through without asking for relief, even though your feet are bleeding.

Now here is the fact that I want you to hear:

You keep trying to prove to yourself that you are a man, and that you aren’t different from anybody else. You try proving to yourself that you are not different, (but down inside, you know that you are. “J” was branded on your heart….)

That is a Jew, talking about himself. ______________________________________________________

Jacob was to be the father of a different nation. We are going to look at the following Scriptures, because they are very important for our study. They are very important for Jewish missions. They are very important for understanding a Jew.

God said that out of Jacob, He was going to make a different nation. And He proved it in this story:

Exodus 11:7

(7) Against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.

There is a difference between the nation of Israel, and the Egyptians. Why? – God put it there. God said He put the difference there, and it has existed for all of these centuries.

Here is another positive statement that we do well to pay attention to what is written. God is talking to the children of Israel.

Leviticus 20:23-24

(23) And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.

(24) But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people.

He is talking about the nation of Israel. God says that He has separated the nation of Israel from all other nations. He said He was going to make a different nation. And in order to make a different nation, He separated them from the nations.

Here is another wonderful fact regarding this nation. In the story of Balaam, who was trying to curse the children of Israel; the Spirit of God came upon Balaam:

Numbers 23:9

(9) From the top of the rocks I see him, (he is talking about Israel) and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

Are you understanding the heart of a Jew to this day? – He is a very lonely individual.

Take a dictionary and look up the word “Gentile.” It will say: “All that are not Jews.” Look up “Jew” and it will say: “All that are not Gentiles.” They are not reckoned among the nations. They are not counted among the nations. God said they are going to be different, and not reckoned.

There is another great question in 2 Samuel. A prophet of God made a statement to David, and David sat down and started to contemplate what God said He had done, and would do. He makes a statement that I present to you, in the form of a question. This question was good then, and it is good now.

2 Samuel 7:23

(23) What one nation in the earth is like thy people, (Who is he talking about?) even like Israel…….?

Are you watching how many times, in the news, Israel takes priority – even to this hour. What nation in all the world, is like this one nation that stands out apart from all the nations? God said He was going to do it. And right back in Genesis, it started.

You see, these things are seed things for interpreting the Bible later on. You are going to find, that God does not annul what He said before, by what He says later on. There is a lesson here – a great one!

2 Samuel 7:24

(24) For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee UNTIL CHRIST COMES.

That isn’t what it says!

Thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people

UNTO THEE FOR EVER.

(For ever and ever. Amen) You cannot get rid of the nation of Israel, because God has said it is going to last forever. Do you believe God? Faith believes what God says!

Now going back to 1 Samuel 8; there is a lesson about this. God said that the children of Israel were going to be different, and He has made them different. But they did something that makes them a type of us; for Israel is never the Church, but Israel is always a type of the Church. Israel is never THE Church, but it is always a PICTURE of the Church.

I’m glad that God has chosen me to be one of His forever, aren’t you? You see, if God throws away Israel, I guess there is a chance that He will throw me away too. But if God is going to keep old crooked Israel, then I guess there is hope for old crooked me!

When Samuel was old, he made an awful mistake; he made his sons judges. Have you ever noticed that doctors want their sons to be doctors, and preachers want their sons to be preachers, and missionaries want their sons to be missionaries, and farmers want their sons to be farmers? Samuel wanted his sons to follow in his steps. Listen, if God does it, it is fine, but if men do it, it isn’t fine. It wasn’t God who made these boys judges, it was Samuel who did it.

1 Samuel 8:1-5

(1) And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.

(2) Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beer-sheba.

How many sermons have you heard on those two men? I don’t think too many! They were judges in Beer-sheba.

How sad! Samuel, was one of those great characters in the Old Testament. When the Bible tells a story, it tells it exactly how it is. Don’t ever forget this. That is another principle. When men tell stories, they only tell the good side, but not here.

(3) And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

Isn’t that a tragedy! I’m glad that is in the Bible for this reason: I thank God every day, that as far as I know, my children are walking in fellowship with the Lord. But I know some preachers who have sons who are just like Samuel’s sons. The reason I mention it is that I don’t want you to be flipped by this. Don’t let it flip you. Samuel was a real man of God, but his sons were not. If it could happen then, it could happen now.

(4) Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

(5) And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

They wanted things changed, but they didn’t have the right motive. Their motive was to be like the nations. What is so wrong about that? – God had separated Israel, and said: You can never be like the other nations; and now they want to be like the other nations.

Can I apply that to you as a Christian? – God says: I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies, and be not conformed to this world.

God does not want you to be like the world, any more than he wanted Israel to be like the other nations. But, so often, we want to be like the world don’t we. We want to do as Israel did. They wanted to be like the world. We want to be like the world. God forgive us in that. That’s the great lesson I wanted you to see.

3. Jacob, The Father Of A Strong Nation

First, from this passage of Scripture in Genesis 25, Jacob is going to be the father of one nation. Don’t miss that.

Secondly, he is going to be the father of a different nation, and that has come to pass.

Thirdly, he is going to be the father of a strong nation. Read the history of Israel. Mr. Begin, the past Premier of Israel said: “A Jew should be a man prepared to suffer.” Have you read about some of their suffering? Do you know anything about it? They had to be strong. History proves the strength of this nation.

4. Jacob, The Father Of A Master Nation

Jews have been, and are to this day, masters in every field; Bankers, and Lawyers, and Scientists, and Doctors – you name it!

When I was in Regina for seven years, I think the first one I came in contact with, was a dentist. My dentist was a Jew. I wasn’t there very long until it was time for me to buy some clothes, so I went across the street to buy suits from Mr. Goldman. You would know where that name comes from. I did my business, with my teeth, with a Jew. And I bought my clothes from a Jew. The day came when I needed a medical Doctor, His name was Stanley Smith . His name doesn’t sound Jewish – but he was an Irish Jew from Ireland, practicing in Regina. And so, my doctor was a Jew.

At that time Brother and Sister Ronnie Burnside were pastoring in Melford. I went up to preach for Ronnie for a couple of weekends. While I was there, Ronnie said, “I’ll take you around this town” (4,000 people – a little town in Saskatchewan). He took me down to a fellow who sold cars, and who is he? A Jew. We went across the street to the druggist, and who is he? He was a Jew. This was a little town, 4,000 people. The mayor of the town was a Jew. Every place you would turn around, there was a Jew. They have all the degrees. I said this for years: “You bring a Jew into your community to be your servant, and he will start gathering junk. But give him two years and he will be President of the bank.”

In 1952 I was traveling on the train from Montreal to Edmonton. It was Football season, - “Grey Cup” time. All of these fans had gone from Edmonton to Montreal to the “Grey Cup,” and I happened to be on that train. The Lord put me on it! I brought back a watch from Israel, and I had opportunity to talk to these fellows from Edmonton who had been at the Grey Cup. I started talking about the Jews and Israel, and one fellow from Edmonton said, “I have money to give one-way tickets to all the Jews in Edmonton.” That may have been a boast, but he said, “Every place I turn around in Edmonton there is a Jew, and I’d like to get rid of them all.”

I jokingly laughed at the fellow when he said that. I said, “Come on now, you’ve got to admit they are smarter than you don’t you?” He wasn’t prepared to accept that.

“Oh no, they are not smarter.” But he told me this, “You know if Abby has a dress store in Edmonton, and he can’t sell his goods, he ships them down to Solomon in Regina, and if Solomon can’t sell them in Regina, he ships them over to Jacob in Winnipeg. And if Jacob can’t sell them in Winnipeg, then he sends them to his brother back in Vancouver. The only difference between the Gentile and the Jew is that the Jews know how to co-operate with each other.”

I didn’t have to say any more. I had just said to the fellow, “Don’t you know that they are smarter than you?” And now, he is telling me himself how smart they are!

Everybody knows where the Army & Navy Store comes from. Everybody knows its a man by the name of Cohen who is behind that store. And did you know where this wonderful merchandising came from? – this master nation of Israel. You go down and see a sign that says .99 cents. Did you know that the Army & Navy started that above all the rest? And the next one is $1.97. If it says $2.00 you won’t buy it, but at $1.97 you will buy it. The next one is $4.95. All you Gentile women, who go in to buy -- if it says $5.00 you won’t buy it, but you will buy if it says $4.95.

Did you ever see how these fellows hook you in? They pull it over a Gentile every time you go to their store. And they prove every time they put up a Sale sign, they are just a little smarter than we are. God said He would make them masters. And so, when they go into merchandizing, they are masters. If they go into medicine, they are masters. They go into science, they are masters – Einstein to name just one of them. Where did all these brains come from? They came from these Jews. Listen, if you take the Jews out of this world, you make it very poor.

Think of all the scientists who have been Jews. Think of all the doctors who have been Jewish. It is as true as Genesis. It stands today. God said He was going to make one nation out of Jacob. God said He was going to make a different people. Have you not noticed that a Jew has the ability to make himself feel different to you?

I went over to Israel in 1968 on an EL AL airplane. That’s the Israeli Airlines. There were ten Gentiles, and about 180 Jews on the plane. Between New York and Tel-Aviv every one of those Jews acted as if he owned the plane; and I’m not exaggerating! I didn’t get any sleep at all. From New York to Tel-Aviv those fellows were walking up and down. Somebody said, “You get two Jews together, and you have three opinions.” Well, I think maybe it is right. They are different. God said they would be.

We have been considering the fathers of Israel. First, Abram, whose name was changed to Abraham. Then Abraham’s only begotten son, Isaac, so-named because he was the heir of Abraham, his father. And, of course, through him the seed Christ was to come.

Now we are considering the third father of Israel – Jacob.

2. Jacob’s Background, Birth, And Burial

Here you have an outline from the book of Genesis:

Genesis, chapters 12 to 25 – Jacob’s background

Genesis, chapters 25 go 50 – Jacob’s birth, and Jacob’s burial

And so, three words outline all of these chapters in the book of Genesis. By looking at the amount of material that is given to the life of Jacob, you can see that although Abraham had a great purpose in the plan of God, -- when it comes to the purpose of the book of Genesis, Jacob has greater place in the book of Genesis.

3. Jacob Becomes The First Israelite

1. Abraham – The Root And Father Of Israel

Jacob becomes the first Israelite. We need to look at this, because there are certain passages in the book of Genesis that really stand out, and they are very important in relationship – not only to this study, but to the understanding of much that is within the Bible.

Genesis 32: 24-28

(24) And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

This is a “Theophany” – God in the form of man, coming down to meet with Jacob.

(25) And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

(26) And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

(27) And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

Now this is the very important Scripture:

(28) And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but ISRAEL: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

For our purpose, we are bringing to your attention the words “Jacob” and “Israel.” That is the first time in the Bible where you find this word “Israel.”

1. Abraham Is The Root And Father Of Israel.

Abraham is the root and father of Israel and of Edom; because out from Esau came the Edomites, and many other nations and peoples. In fact, all of those nations over in the Middle East can trace their root back to Abraham. But Jacob is head of one nation only. That emphasis, we found in our last study. A true Israelite must come from Jacob after the flesh.

2. “Israel” Came From Jacob

That Israel came from Jacob, cannot be denied, if one accepts Old Testament history. Therefore, to be an Israelite or a Jew, one must descend from the loins of Jacob. In later history the nation became identified as “Israel.” Individuals became identified by Gentiles as “Jews.” That information comes later on when we get to Esther and Nehemiah. In the history of the Old Testament, the nation became identified as the Nation of Israel. Canada is our nation. We are called Canadians. But the individuals of Israel were called “Jews,” by the Gentiles.

Arabs are natural descendents or sons of Abraham, but that does not make them Jews. Christians are spiritual sons of Abraham. That does not make them Jews. We are never called “sons of Jacob.” Never in all the Bible are Christians called “sons of Jacob.” For Christians to call themselves “spiritual Israelites or Jews,” only confuses the matter!

1 Corinthians 10:32

(32) Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God;

I have in my possession a magazine which is called CHRISTIAN WITNESS TO ISRAEL. I cannot tell you where I got hold of this. It came on my desk recently, and I found something I can insert in what we are saying here. Listen to what is written. I agree with what is here.

To claim that our faith may be described as “Messianic Judaism,” means that those who follow our faith are to be considered Jewish – whatever the ethnic origin. Describing Gentile brethren in Christ as “spiritual Jews” does not solve the problem.

Gentile Christians are not merely spirits, they are also flesh and blood, and do not replace Israel. If not, as of course is the case, having now been joined to Israel spiritually, are they now Israelites in every sense? Are they now Israel after the flesh – inheritors of Israel’s earthly promises? We must recognize that allegorical name-calling is meaningless in relationship to Judaism of which claim some to be a part.

If we follow the logic and claim that Gentiles converted to Christ are now spiritual Jews, then they have as much right to be recognized in the land of Israel as any other Jew. Such a position is preposterous, and could never be accepted to any thinking group of Jewish people. It would constitute a threat to the continuation of Jewish existence. Jewishness would be emptied of any real content.

Imagine the consequences, for example, if all Gentiles who own the name of Christ, demanded the right to immigrate to Israel under the “Law of the Return” to be recognized as Jews by virtue of their connection with Jesus the Messiah!

I am going to end the quotation there. This writer writes these words, and words are terribly important. Did you get that? Words are terribly important! When the Bible is talking about Jews, who is it talking about? When the Bible is talking about Israelites, who is it talking about?

4. Children Of Israel Are Clearly Defined

The children of Israel are very clearly defined in the Old Testament.

Exodus 1:1

(1) Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt: every man and his household came with Jacob.

Anyone who reads that intelligently, will not change its meaning. Who are the children of Israel? They are the ones which came into Egypt: every man and his household came with Jacob. I think you can see as you read that. Where does the term “Children of Israel” have its origin? They are children of Jacob. And if you are out of Jacob, then you belong to the Children of Israel. But if you are not out of Jacob’s family, you can’t claim that title.

Exodus 3:7, 9

(7) And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

Who is He talking about when He uses that phrase “My people?” It is so easy in Genesis, and it is so easy in Exodus, but people get all mixed up when we get later on into Chronicles, the prophets, and the New Testament.

(9) Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me:

Put verse 9 along side of verse 7. The phrase in verse 7 “my people.” Are they not distinguished in verse 9, that we know who they are? The children of Israel are called “God’s people.”

Exodus 3:15-17

(15) And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers,

We have been discussing the fathers of the family. Who are they thus far?

The Lord God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,

Who are the fathers of the children of Israel to this point? There are others later on, but to this point in history, they are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

We should spend a considerable length of time just thinking that through. God says that He is the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. He is the God of the children of Israel, and He is going to remain that forever. He is going to keep that name forever. If God is going to keep that name forever, the children of Israel have to remain forever. I think that is implied here.

(16) Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

(17) And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

The word “Israel” and the term “children of Israel” as used in the Old Testament, are terms applied only to the descendants of Jacob after the flesh. There are no exceptions. There are no exceptions from Genesis to Revelation.

5. What We Do With “The People Of Israel,”

Will Determine How We Will Interpret Most Of The Bible

Romans makes this statement that I want to repeat, and repeat, and repeat again, if necessary, to get this point across.

Romans 11: 25

(25) For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.

Simply two or three things here. The blindness of Israel is partial. It is not full, even to this day; there are Jewish people still getting saved. But another thing, the blindness is not full, nor is it final. Did you get that? It is not final. And Paul says: “Don’t be ignorant of this.” God is not finished with Israel. They are blind today, but it is not going to be forever. And if you don’t keep that straight, Paul warns “You will be wise in your own conceits.” You will be wise in your own ideals. If we do not keep the doctrine of Israel straight, especially from Genesis to Malachi, then we are going to have all kinds of invented doctrines!

Some of you may know something about the “Oxford movement.” Perhaps you know something about “British Israelism,” and Garner Ted Armstrongism. It is all built on a false premise in relationship to the children of Israel.

How in the world can they figure out that Britain is one of the lost tribes? And how can they figure out that the United States is another one of the lost tribes? It never made any sense to me, because the Englishmen and the Americans don’t have the right kind of noses. They didn’t come from Jacob. And when you come to the Bible, if you are going to be an Israelite, you have to come out of Jacob.

My friend Brother Walter Atkinson who is now in Heaven, told about his coming from Germany. He spoke in his very broken English, and he said he didn’t know a soul in America. He landed in New Orleans and when he was walking down the street, he said:

“I started to go straight at a fellow, and he started to come straight at me. I knew he was a Jew, and he knew I was a Jew.” And then he said: “You can always tell a Jew – he has the map of Palestine on his face, and Mount Zion very prominent in the center.”

That was the description of a Jew, by a Jew – and I pass it on. You have to have the right kind of a nose to belong to these people.

There are two ways of reading your Bible. You can read it all as allegory, or you can read it from the historical-literal viewpoint. If it is history, then it is not allegory all the way through. As Bible teachers began to apply the allegorical method of interpretation (which goes back to about three-hundred years after Christ) -- rather than the historical-literal interpretation, they changed the meaning of “Israel” and made her identical with “the Church.” As a result, it took the Bible out of the hands of the common folk. And when you take the Bible out of the hand of the man on the street, you are going to have the same thing happen again – the dark ages in church history began.

I want to use an illustration. I have the statement: “The Bible has been lost in churches and in seminaries.”

The following illustrates what I am talking about. This is in the days of the decline of Judah and Israel, during the reign of Josiah. 2 Chronicles 34:1 tells you it was Josiah.

2 Chronicles 34: 8

(8) Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.

He is repairing the Temple. I use it as an illustration. What the temple was then, churches and seminaries and Bible schools have been since then. They were places to learn the Scriptures. And, of course, they had Synagogues later on. But at this time, they had the Temple.

2 Chronicles 34:14

(14) And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the Lord given by Moses.

Can you imagine the excitement! They are digging out the rubbish, and underneath the rubbish, in the Temple of the Lord, they found a Book.

In reading Deuteronomy 31, I think you will get the excitement of what we are reading about in Chronicles. I remember being in a discussion with a preacher forty-three years ago. He said, “You don’t really believe that Moses wrote anything do you? We know that Moses never even wrote a letter to his grandmother.” His point was that they hadn’t advanced far enough then to be able to read and write. They have changed their opinion since then, but that is how he felt then.

Deuteronomy 31:24-26

(24) And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,

He not only wrote on tablets of stone; Moses came down and he wrote the words of this Law in a Book until they were finished. He wrote Genesis to Deuteronomy.

(25) That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying,

(26) Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

You can see that it was very specific. He wrote a Book, and he took the Book, put it into the Ark of the Covenant, and it was to remain there. But almost nine-hundred years later 2 Chronicles 34:14 tells us that they are digging out the rubbish that had accumulated in Solomon’s Temple. And while they are digging it out, suddenly they find this Book that was written by the hand of Moses nine-hundred years before. Can’t you feel the excitement! Don’t you know that we would be excited if we were to find a scroll that was nine-hundred years old!

2 Chronicles 34:14-19

(14) And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the Lord given by Moses.

(15) And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.

(16) And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants they do it.

(17) And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the Lord, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.

(18) Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

(19) And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.

I am not going to go on with this wonderful story here, but I simply want to use this as an illustration. They had so much rubbish inside of the Temple of God, that they buried the Book – the Book of Moses. I want to tell you that we have so much rubbish inside of a lot of churches today, that the only thing that you can’t find there is the Word of God.

What is our purpose – our objective -- in these lessons? -- To get back to the Bible. And I am not stealing from the radio broadcast by that name when I use that phrase. The question is not “What does the Church say?” nor is it “What do the fathers say?” But the question is, “What does the Book say? – What does the Bible say?”

In seminaries, they don’t spend their time studying the Bible; they study ABOUT it. They get so much rubbish, they cover up the Bible. So God help us to read right out of the Book!

A careful study of the Old Testament will show us that there is a great deal about the Jewish people in the Bible. You can’t read from Genesis on through and not find this material.

In 1897 Hertzel was the one who founded modern Zionism, (He died, was buried in Vienna). During that year Hertzel said:

“Within fifty years there is going to be a nation of Israel.” He was out by less than six months in his prediction. And he said, “When you go back to Israel, I want you to dig up my bones and take them back, just like they did with Joseph..”

I have had the privilege of going west of Jerusalem, and seeing Mount Hertzel – a little mound outside of the city where they brought back the bones of Hertzel. They buried them outside of Jerusalem in 1949.

In 1897 Hertzel said, “We must prove to the world that the Jewish problem is a world problem.” That statement is true to this day.

“A philosophy of history fails utterly to explain the Jews.” That is a quote from the book “Jews, God and History.” – by Max I. Dimont. I have mentioned that book to you before. We shall discover that the Bible alone explains the Jew. That’s why we are going to be careful as we go through these chapters.

Going back to the subject of Jacob:

6. Jacob Is Often Mentioned In The New Testament

Jacob is very often mentioned in the New Testament. Here we look at a few examples:

Luke 1:32-33

(32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

(33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

It says Jacob, not Israel. The house of Jacob for ever. You see, that term Jacob always has to do with people in the flesh. Jesus is going to reign over the house of Jacob. Just taking that passage of Scripture, the history of Jesus in the New Testament loses its foundation if the Old Testament isn’t true; because the story of Jesus is connected with the story of Jacob.

Luke 13:28

Another reference by the Lord Jesus, verifying all of this history that we have been talking about in these lessons. I am not talking about hell in this lesson, I just want you to notice what Jesus said.

(28) There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

Do you see how this is in keeping with what we are studying in the Old Testament? Who are the fathers of Israel? – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. How real is the New Testament? – As real as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

John 4:5-6

Jesus is making His journey.

(5) Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar,(Today it is Nablus) near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

So you are back to Old Testament ground, even in the New Testament.

(6) Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

I well remember the first time I went through the territory, and I had the privilege of seeing what you can’t see now; because they are building a church over it, and it is quite different. We had an Arab guide whose name was Emile – a Lutheran Christian. When I talked to Emile, standing by Jacob’s well, I said, “Is this a sure place?” – because when you go to the land of Israel there are so many places you are not sure about. He said “This is the most sure place in all the country.”

The well is deep as described, and the well is still there. And that well is a silent testimony to verify the history of the Old Testament. If Jacob hadn’t been there, the well wouldn’t be there, because it is named after Jacob.

Romans 9:13

Jacob’s name is mentioned, and it involves quite a doctrinal discussion. And I guess it will never be settled on this side of Glory. This is a quotation, not from Genesis, but from the book of Malachi. And so, in a real sense, by looking at Romans 9:13, that ties the New Testament with Malachi, and Malachi ties it with Genesis. And so, it is all linked together.

(13) As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

I may have said this before, but it bears repeating – someone comes along and says, “Will you please explain to me how God could say that He hated Esau.” That is not the problem at all. The big problem is: “How in the world could God ever love Jacob?” And if you can get that one figured out, then we will talk about the other one. Until you can tell me how God could love Jacob, then there is no problem with the other side of the passage. God did love Jacob.

Hebrews 11: 20-22

A simple statement that covers about three chapters of Genesis.

(20) By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

There are verses regarding Abraham, but not a lot of verses regarding Isaac. If you have acquainted yourself with Genesis, you know that he blessed Jacob just before he died.

(21) By faith Jacob, when he was a-dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

(22) By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.

Of all the things that are written in the Old Testament, it seems that the Spirit of God would emphasize that both, or all three (Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph) were strongest in faith just before they died. I think that is beautiful. They didn’t grow weak in faith, but as they came to the end of their journey, their faith was never more strong, than on the day of their death.

That simple statement in Hebrews 11 – By faith Jacob, when he was a-dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff – covers the history of Genesis 47. I love it so much that I am going to look at it again.

Genesis 47:27-30

How can one leave out these beautiful stories that pertain to life as it really is?

(27) And Israel

You know who that is. You don’t read the 47^th chapter if you haven’t read the 32^nd chapter; for in the 32^nd chapter, you are told that Jacob became Israel. And you are not told that again. You should know that.

(27) And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.

(28) And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.

(29) And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:

(30) But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.

You see, to Jacob, identification was very important. When he died, he didn’t want to be identified as an Egyptian. He wanted to be identified as an Israelite. I would like to use the typology – “When I die, I want to be identified as a Christian, not as one of this world. I think Christians ought to have Christian funerals!

Genesis 47: 31

(31) And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head.

What does that mean? He was sick. I think that so often we read that chapter and close the book. We miss the connection. Somebody says, “How do you know he was sick?” If you read the next verse of the next chapter, it tells you.

Genesis 48:1

(1) And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick:

I’m glad that is in the Bible. The writer of the book of Hebrews is listing the great faith of men. When dear dad Jacob was about to die, Jacob did not have a lapse of faith. Do you see what I am getting at? He was never stronger in faith, than when he was blessing these children. I want to tell you this: even though he was strong in faith, the old man got weak. Even though he was strong in faith, the old man got sick.

I’m glad that is in the Bible; because there are people today who would tell me that if I get sick, I am weak in faith. Praise God, it doesn’t work that way. There is no sin in getting old. And if you are going to live, you have to get old. That is one sure thing. And if you are going to get old, you are going to wear out, just like dad Jacob did. He got sick because of his age.

It goes on to say that when Joseph heard that his father was sick, he brought his two grandsons into Jacob. It is one of the sweetest stories that you can ever read. First of all, it is about time for him to die. Grampa is not only dying, but he is sick; and Joseph says to himself, “If there is anything that can help Grampa at this moment, is the grandchildren.” And so he brought in the grandchildren. I’m not going to read the rest of the story, but it is wonderful to read. What did this old gentleman do? He strengthened himself, and he sat up on the bed, and he blessed his grandchildren.

Genesis 48:9

(9) And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.

Genesis 49:28

(28) All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

Genesis 49:33

(33) And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

I think that is a wonderful story. You see, Jacob had strength enough to know what he was doing. And the last thing he did was to bless his family. Isn’t that a wonderful story! I have often said, and I’ll say it again, “If I die, I would like to die like Jacob.”

7. From Jacob, Came The Twelve Tribes Of Israel.

In Genesis 49, all the tribes are named for the first time. Chapter 49 of Genesis is one of those tremendous prophetic chapters.

Genesis 49:1

(1) And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

That phrase “the last days,” always has to do with the time of the Second Coming of Christ. And so, here is dad Jacob prophesying about the tribes of Israel, in relationship to David, who hasn’t come yet. But that’s not my purpose. I simply want you to see their names.

Genesis 49:3-4

(3) Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power.

(4) Unstable as water,thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

What a thing to have to say about him.

Genesis 49:5,7

(5) Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

(6) O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.

(7) Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Genesis 49:8-9

(8) Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.

(9) Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

That is where the Lion of Judah comes in. The symbol of the tribe of Judah is the lion.

(10) The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

(11) Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

(12) His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

Genesis 49:13-14

(13) Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.

(14) Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:

(15) And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

(16) Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

(17) Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

(18) I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.

(19) Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

(20) Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

(21) Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.

(22) Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:

And you know from the preceding chapter, that Ephraim and Manasseh are named out of Joseph.

(23) The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

(24) But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

(25) Even by God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

(26) The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

(27) Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

(28) All these are the twelve tribes of Israel:

That is the first mention of that phrase in the Bible -- “All these are the twelve tribes.” So, I guess you have to belong to Rueben to belong to one of the tribes. I guess you have to belong to Benjamin to belong to one of the tribes. All the tribes are listed here, and by the way, the names have not changed one little bit.

We are discussing the twelve tribes of Israel. We have mentioned the fact that in Genesis, chapter 49 all of the tribes are named for the first time. Levi, although he is named there in the 49^th chapter of Genesis, is separated from the tribes, and not counted, because Levi became the priestly tribe. So it is not counted among the twelve. And Joseph’s name is dropped, and in its place comes his two sons – Ephraim and Manasseh. So if you drop Joseph and Levi, and in their place, put Ephraim and Manasseh, you are back to twelve tribes again. So, it is twelve tribes of the children of Israel. Levi was separated.

Genesis 48:5

(5) And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Rueben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

Joseph is represented by his sons Manasseh and Ephraim.

Ezekiel 48 is another important chapter where the same tribes are listed. And of all the chapters in Ezekiel, I am persuaded this chapter is never given any attention. I seldom ever hear anybody read it, nor do I hear preachers talk about it; because it is one of those problem chapters when you look at it, and you don’t look at it in the overall of the Scriptures.

Ezekiel 48: 1-7

(1) Now these are the names of the tribes.

That is another thing about the Bible, when the Bible uses the word “tribes” it is not talking about tribes in Africa, or native tribes in Canada. It is always referring to Israel. The tribes in the Bible mean “the tribes of Israel.”

Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazaarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan,

Now the order is different, but the names are the same.

(2) And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher.

(3) And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali.

(4) And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh.

(5) And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim.

(6) And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben.

(7) And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah.

Now that is only seven of twelve. You have to read the whole chapter, and all twelve tribes are here. The thing that comes out of this chapter that is so important is – when you go back and study the book of Joshua when Joshua came into the land of Israel and divided the land -- he did not divide it like Ezekiel divides it.

There is no time in history when Ezekiel 48 has ever been fulfilled – therefore it must have to do with the future. There is going to come a day when the tribes of Israel are going to have a piece of land that goes from the east side (the Euphrates) right out to the Mediterranean. So you can visualize it from the east side to the west side – from the Euphrates, right across to the Mediterranean. And then by Dan from the east side to the west side. You can go right across the whole map. God is going to give a seaport to every one of the tribes. They didn’t have that before.

What do I believe about this? This is the millennial division. This has to do with days to come. Why do I believe that? Because of the next verse. There is something in Ezekiel 48 that demands recognition. There is something in Ezekiel 48 that demands interpretation.

Ezekiel 48:8

(8) And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it.

Matthew 19:27-28

(27) Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

I guess I will always say, “When I read that, all that he had forsaken was his smelly fishing boat.” He left that behind, but to Peter that was everything. He said, “Lord, we have given up everything to follow you – what is our reward going to be? What are we going to get for that?”

(28) And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration

Is there going to be a regeneration? It is not talking about individual regeneration, it is talking about the regeneration of this world. “In the regeneration” – when is that going to be?

when the Son of man (Jesus) shall sit in the throne of his glory,

You can’t push that into past history! There is no place in the past, connected with the coming of Christ. When Jesus came the first time, they put Him on a cross, and they mocked Him by putting a crown on His head, but He didn’t sit on a throne. But when He comes the next time, He is going to sit on a throne. And then what is the promise made to Peter?

ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

How many apostles were there? – twelve apostles. Why twelve? God has a purpose in having twelve. There is a plan. Peter is one of the twelve. He asked the question, but they were all wondering.

ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Can you see the reason for Ezekiel 48? Ezekiel 48 re-settles the tribes. Ezekiel re-settles the tribes in the land of Israel. It gives a piece of land to each one of the tribes, and it will be made possible the fulfillment, the promise that Jesus made to Peter; that Peter is going to be a Prime Minister over one of the tribes. And John is going to be a Prime Minister. Each one will sit on a throne, judging the tribes of Israel.

So, I said all of that to say this: God isn’t through with Israel yet. He has a plan for Israel. Why do I say that? We have Ezekiel, we have Matthew, and Revelation.

Revelation 7:4-5

You have the tribes mentioned again. I have recently been wading through some books. In fact, I wrote a review for a book Brother Ellis gave to me, and some day it will perhaps be published. I said I couldn’t recommend anybody to read the book; because, as far as I can see, it mixes up everything that is in the book of Revelation.

(4) And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

I am trying to show you a principle. When you start in Genesis and read about the children of Israel, and you read about them in Exodus – it has the same meaning in Revelation. We start in Genesis and we read about the tribes. We read about the tribes again in the book of Joshua. We read about the tribes again in Ezekiel. We read about the tribes in Matthew. And now we are reading about the tribes in the book of Revelation. They have not changed their meaning. How do I know? Keep on reading!

And there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel

You know that the JW’s have made a big thing out of this chapter. They have tried to make it fit today, but look what it says:

(5) Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

Not more or less! Somebody says “It doesn’t matter how you read this.” It sure does, because in the first part, verse 4, you are told 144,000, and it better work out to do the arithmetic right.

If you take twelve and multiply 12 by 12,000, you are still going to get 144,000. That is exactly what we are told here. So we have 144,000 select, elect, special messengers out of the tribes of Israel. So God isn’t finished with them yet. This has to do with the plan of God in days ahead. I won’t finish reading it, but all the same tribes are named there.

Revelation 21:10-12

I will have to wait until the Lord comes, to get this all put together.

(10) And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

(11) Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

(12) And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

I don’t understand all that is in there, but I certainly know the names that are going to be written on the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem, and you better believe that it is a real city. Abraham looked for a city, whose builder and maker is God. A City is going to come down from God out of Heaven. It says that God has been the builder.

I have been quoting Malcolm Muggeridge for years and I can’t leave him out here. He wrote something that I love to quote. He said,

“Men build cities and men destroy cities, but then there is the City of God which men did not build, and men cannot destroy.”

This City comes down from Heaven, and on the gates the names of the twelve. They are not listed; they don’t have to be. I know who they are! On one gate there will be Judah. On another gate will be Ephraim. On another gate there will be Manasseh. Don’t let anybody tell you that Ephraim and Manasseh are Britain and the United States. Their names are not going to be on there. Will there always be an England? I’m not so sure – every island is going to flee away.

Revelation 16:19-20

(19) And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

(20) And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

8. Doctrine Of TheTen Lost Tribes Of Israel”

Have you heard about the doctrine of the “Ten Lost Tribes Of Israel?” I’m sure you have. We will develop it further when we get to Chronicles; because that is the basic purpose of the book of Chronicles – to prove they are not lost.

These tribes are supposed to have been lost in 712 B.C. I say this: “By the Grace of God, if I could get every Christian straightened out in this fact, and get this straight from the Bible so they know it is from the Bible, -- there are hundreds of variant Doctrines that they wouldn’t even pay any attention to; because they are all built on this false premise.”

They are supposed to be lost in 712 BC, but note these following Scriptures where we get some wonderful facts, that you can glean from the New Testament.

“Lost tribes -- None of the tribes know where they belong.” Well, this is not the best Scripture to prove what I am going to talk about, but we are going to use it:

Luke 1:5

(5) There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

It doesn’t name it, but if she belongs to Aaron, did she know what tribe she was from? She was from the tribe of Levi. And so, there we have a representative, 2000 years ago, 700 years after these tribes are lost, named Levi.

Luke 1:27

(27) To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Where did David come out of? Judah. So you know the tribe of Mary.

Luke 2:36

This certainly puts a shell hole in this lost tribes business. Please remember, before I read from Luke 2:36 – the ten tribes were supposed to have been lost in 712 BC. Have you got that? – seven-hundred years before this. And one of those tribes lost was Asher. But look here:

(36) And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser:

So I guess she wasn’t lost! The poor soul didn’t know enough to get lost, to keep up with “The Lost Doctrine.” There she is. Now, you see, that proves the tribe wasn’t lost. God knew where that tribe was.

Acts 26:6-7

It covers the whole thing in one statement.

(6) And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:

(7) Unto which promise our twelve tribes (not two, but twelve tribes) instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. (not served, but serving God)

Paul didn’t know anything about lost tribes, because he said in his day, the twelve tribes were still serving God. They are still serving God. They were supposed to be lost a long while. Paul knew where he came from.

Philippians 3:5

(5) Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin.

Paul knew where he came from. Mary knew where she came from. Anna knew where she came from. But the best of all is:

James 1:1

If we would stay close to the Bible, and here is a good example, we wouldn’t get all bogged down with some of these things.

(1) James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, (60 years after Christ, 770 years after the tribes were lost) to the twelve tribes LOST.

NO, NO, NO! It doesn’t say the twelve tribes LOST.

It says: to the twelve tribes which ARE scattered abroad, greetings.

When was the last time you wrote a letter to somebody who was lost? I think that is a good question. You don’t write letters to lost people. James was writing to the twelve tribes of the children of Israel; so it is very positive.

This doctrine, we shall prove from Chronicles, to be absolutely false. I’ll show you the reason, the foundation for it, when we get to the book of Chronicles. To me, it is so sad that so many people are led astray by this fact that is not a fact.

9. Genesis Concludes

Genesis concludes with the story of Joseph and Jacob moving into Egypt. Remember, the major purpose of Genesis is to give us the background and beginning of the “People of Israel” – the family of Jacob.

I couldn’t leave this outline of Joseph out. I will take it as far as I can. And the next lesson, we will start in Exodus.

10. Joseph

OUTLINE

If you want a story that can be applied to you as a Christian, there is none better than this.

1. Joseph, the tested man, the tried man

2. Joseph, the trusted, faithful man

3. Joseph, the tender-hearted man

I am persuaded that, first of all, there is no doubt, he is a type of the One to Come. What man was tested and tried more than Jesus? What man can you trust more than Jesus? And what man was more tender than Jesus? Joseph is a type.

1. Joseph, The Tried Man

1. Problem

The first problem that we face when we look at this is: why should one like Joseph be tried and tested? He was good, he was upright, in fact, he is one of the best characters in all the Old Testament. Why should a man like this hurt? I think we all ask questions like that. We meet some of the best people you know, and some of the Godliest Christians, and they go through some of the greatest trials.

2. First Answer

2 Chronicles 32:31

This is the first answer I am going to give as to why this happened to Joseph.

(31) Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.

That is the first thing to remember about the tests and trials that God puts us through. He is revealing, not our hearts to Him, but our hearts to ourselves. It is our heart that needs to be revealed

Psalms 105:17-18

(17) He sent a man

I think that is wonderful. If I were to take you back to Genesis, I could show you that when Joseph went down to Egypt he was seventeen years old. Yet, the Bible says, He sent a man. He was a man when he was seventeen! We have the idea today, that if you are a teenager you can’t be a man. I wish every teenaged Christian would read the story of Joseph.

He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:

(18) Whose feet they hurt with fetters:

You notice there is a colon. They sent him down into Egypt, and as you know, he landed in jail. Then God puts a commentary.

he was laid in iron:

What in the world does that mean? I found a translation that helped me. God put some iron in his soul. That is what it means! God put some backbone into Joseph. A lot of Christians don’t have any backbone. Iron was put into Joseph’s soul.

3 John 2

I use this as an illustration before I get to the story of Joseph:

(2) Beloved, I wish above all things

I want to be careful how I say this; because I don’t want to be harsh. But I honestly say that I don’t know any New Testament verse that is taken out of its context, and used, more than this one.

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Be honest with me – does that not tell me that, this brother Gaius of whom you read in verse one, was prospering in his soul, but he wasn’t prospering in his body? It is taken today, the very reverse. John writes and says: Brother I wish you had as much physical prosperity as you have Spiritual prosperity.

I have told you of the teacher that taught me, (that I think had more bearing on my life than anybody else), - brother Walter Smith. He said, when he read that one day,

“Please brother don’t ever pray that prayer over me. I would that you would prosper and be in health as your soul prospereth. I would be on my back all the time.”

Let’s be honest with ourselves;( if you were to prosper always in your body, as you prosper in your soul.) Aren’t you glad God doesn’t treat you that way? Here is a man wishing for it, but he is not proving physical health here. He is proving that it is possible to prosper in your soul, and still not prosper in your body. I think you can see it. He is not prospering in his body. He is suffering in his body, but his soul is in tune.

What is the lesson? Let’s be careful here. God is interested in our souls. “Man – look out for your soul!” Soul prosperity is more important than physical prosperity. Big preachers are saying differently today, but that is still Scriptural. God wants us to prosper in our souls. And if we don’t look after our souls, who is going to do it? You won’t find anyone.

3. Some of Joseph’s Trials

Genesis 35:19

These are very precious things to me. They are so instructive. This chapter is filled with death.

(19) And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

Now go down to verses 27-29

(27) And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

(28) And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.

(29) And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people,

That sounds all right doesn’t it? If you live to be 180, I think it is about time to die. I don’t know if any of you saw Pat Robertson’s program, but on his program he had a preacher from a way down in the States who was 114 years old. He married the second time when he was 90. He has been married for 24 years now since he was 90.

Genesis 35:8

(8) Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allon-bachuth.

Rebekah’s nurse died. She had come from a family a long while back. So, if you read a little bit, she is an old lady. So in verse 8, you have the death of an aged woman.

(29) And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.

There we have the death of an aged man. It is all right if the old die, but now let’s come to verse 18.

1. Joseph Lost His Mother

Genesis 35:18

(18) And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

(19) And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

What’s in here? At the oldest, she would be thirty years of age. It is all right if the old die, but can you see this sad story? Who is this? This is Joseph’s mother. What has happened? Joseph has lost his mother when he is a little boy, and worse still, mother left a little baby also. When you look at that, and you try and put your feet into the shoes of Joseph, and think of that boy, you sure can feel for him can’t you.

Joseph wasn’t the first man to be left without a mother, nor was he the last. This is still happening. Old people die, and young people die. Losing his mother at such an early age, just doesn’t seem right.

Here is a boy who is going to turn out to be good. God knows the end from the beginning. What a start in life! When you start looking at it, every time Joseph looked at brother Benjamin, he could have said, “If it were not for you, mamma would still be here.” And every time he looked at his father, he could have said, “If it hadn’t been for you, mamma would still be here.” If he followed the theology of today, he could have gone out and put his finger up to the face of the devil, and said, “If it wasn’t for you, my mother would still be here.” Or he could have gone the limit, and held his finger up in the face of God, and said “God, if it hadn’t been for you, mother would still be here.

Listen, let’s learn a lesson of the Sovereignty of God. One of the last times I preached this sermon, for that is what it is, was at Veteran Camp. We had gone to the anniversary camp, and I was booked to speak on Sunday morning, and I couldn’t get any material. It was the anniversary, so I said to Anne, as we approached the camp meeting on Saturday, “I’m not going to be preaching tomorrow morning. I know what I am going to say on Monday and Tuesday, but I haven’t got a thing for tomorrow morning.” It is the worst feeling a preacher can have – going to a camp meeting and you struggled and prepared, and you can’t get anything!

I arrived on the camp ground, and it was like a morgue all over the place, because on Monday they had buried the pianist of the little church at Veteran – fifty years of age. On Wednesday, they had buried a young woman, 36, and on Friday, two of the outstanding people in the Veteran assembly had picked up their 16 year-old son off the highway – killed in an accident. The first time, in the history of that little church, they had a funeral on Monday, Wednesday, and one on Friday, and I arrive on Saturday.

I went and talked to the parents of this young boy who was killed, and I knew right away what I had to preach on the next morning. I got up and talked about the trials of Joseph; the man who lost his mother when he was just a little guy.

I want to tell you this: Joseph did not turn his back on God in that experience. Rather than become sour against God, he let that experience put iron into his soul. You see, experience is a life. Experience either put iron into our soul, or they can make us bitter. The Word of God tells us that tribulation worketh patience.

I remember quoting that years ago, when brother Fred Hollands was standing opposite me. And I said “tribulation worketh patience.” We, so often comfort ourselves with that verse. And he said “Yes, if you LET it.” I looked at the old man, “Where did you get that brother Fred?” And he answered “Out of James; LET patience have her perfect work. Tribulation will only work patience if you LET it. If you don’t let it, it will work a sour disposition.

I remember hearing brother Martin say, “Hope is faith that can wait.” Tribulation worketh patience, and patience – hope. And hope is faith that can wait for the answer. So Joseph had to wait to get the answer.

2. Joseph, - The Sin Chapters

Genesis 34:1-2

(1) And Dinah (Joseph’s sister)

I want you to notice the family connection as we read.

Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

(2) And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

Genesis 34:25, 30

Levi and Simeon were angry, because of what had happened to their sister. They arranged to have this family circumcised, and when they were sore:

(25) And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.

(30) And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land,

Genesis 35:22

(22) And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben

Who is Rueben? Who are Simeon and Levi? Simeon and Levi are Joseph’s brothers. Are you getting the connection? Dinah is the sister. And now, who is Rueben? That is another one of Joseph’s brothers. This is his oldest brother.

And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it.

Chapter 38, an awful story. The title in my Bible says: THE SHAME OF JUDAH.

Genesis 38:1,15

(1) And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hairah.

(15) When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.

You can see that all these things have to do with Joseph’s family. These are the “sin chapters” – (Chapters 34 to 38). Joseph suffered from the sins of his family. I ask a question of all of my audiences – “Is there any family that you know, that doesn’t suffer some hurt today, because of what somebody has done in their family?” Children suffer, because of the sins of their parents today. Parents suffer, because of the behavior of their sons and daughters. Brothers suffer, because of what their sisters do. And sisters suffer, because of what their brothers do.

I pastored in a church where a young couple had two boys. And as they grew up, in their late teens, they became very wild. They started using drugs, and they went to the United States, to a city not far from Vancouver, and in some drunken brawl, one killed a man. They took him up for murder. I knew the mother back on the prairies. I want to tell you this: I felt for that mother. My heart went out to her. Imagine the suffering! Read the newspapers, and hear what is going on. I can go back in my files and dig out things, but it is happening all the time.

Back in Kamloops, B.C. a nineteen year-old girl gave birth to a baby, and left the baby out in the cold to die. The paper reports it. Have you ever thought of the family? Have you ever thought of the mother of that girl – the grandmother of that child?

There are stories that are being written today that are very, very sad. John writes:

3 John 3:4

(4) I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

The reverse of that is true. If there is joy when children walk with God, then there is no greater sorrow than when your children don’t walk with God.

Joseph could have been bitter, because of what they did to his sister. Joseph could have been bitter, because of what Simeon and Levi did. Joseph could have hated Reuben for what he did. But listen, Joseph knew the difference between the facts of life, and the problems of life. There are problems that you can do nothing about. And there are facts of life you have to accept.

All of this sin that hurt Joseph, and put him through the mill, brought him to the place in Egypt where he suffered again at the hands of an Egyptian woman. An Egyptian woman down in Egypt said, “Joseph, come lie with me.” And Joseph ran away. Why did he run away? Because some iron had been put into his soul by what had happened in his family. Joseph saw the heartache of sin in a family. And because he learned by it, he was a better man because of it. And like Daniel, he purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.

So often things happen in families that bother us so much. If we would only read it in light of the Bible, and then see this fact: God wants to put some iron in our soul so we can stand the test and prove to be what God wants us to be.

Recap

We have been considering the story of Joseph, as found in the concluding chapters of the book of Genesis. Joseph the tested and tried man. Joseph the faithful man, and Joseph the tender-hearted man. We were looking at the trials of Joseph. The first one we listed was the fact that he had lost his mother. Then we made reference to Genesis 34:1-2 and Genesis 35. These are called the “sin chapters” -- the trials of Joseph that he suffered because of the hurts within his family.

3. Joseph, - Hated By His Brothers

Genesis 37:4-5

(4) And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

(5) And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

Joseph was hated by his brothers. That is a real trial. He was given a coat, and it wasn’t his fault, and because of envy, they hated him. In this life we can offend people unknowingly. I found out by experience and from the Bible, you can’t make people like you. Did you know that?

When I was much younger than I am now, going back at least 45 years ago, I was at a camp. A man who had been away from his family selling Bibles, hadn’t seen his little boy for about twelve days. I saw this man when this little boy ran up. I can still see this big man swoop the boy off his feet, and take him up into his arms, and the little fellow threw his arms around his father, and the little boy said, “Daddy, I love you.” And the father looked down at me, and said, “You know, you can’t buy that.” That has always impressed me. You can’t make anybody love you, but you can make people dislike you. And that makes life difficult.

When I read this story, imagine the heartache that Joseph has in his soul, when his own brothers hated him; and it wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t that kind of a fellow. When Joseph lost his mother, he could have turned sour about it. He could have been bitter. And when Joseph’s brothers hated him, he could have been bitter about that. But, again, he was watching his soul. Watching his soul, rather than take this to turn his life into bitterness, put iron into his bosom. And Joseph became a stronger individual.

4. Joseph, - Sold By His Brothers

Genesis 37:20-28

(20) Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

(21) And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.

(22) And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

(23) And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;

(24) And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

(25) And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

(26) And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

(27) Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh, and his brethren were content.

(28) Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

You know the story well, but there is a verse in the 42^nd chapter of the book of Genesis that I want to read at this point. It is later on, but it reveals part of the story that I have just read. And if you don’t know that it is in here, you will never put it together. Joseph was only seventeen years old when he was being mistreated by his brothers. Now, these following verses are years later, when the brothers suddenly remember how they treated Joseph. And Joseph is listening, and they don’t know that he understands what they are saying; but here is what they are saying one to another. It seems to come back to haunt them.

Genesis 42:21

Years later

(21) And they said one to another, 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.

Now, can I reconstruct that? These brothers, ten of them, had “backed Joseph against the wall,” as we would say, and they were going to kill him. And Rueben said “Don’t do that, let’s sell him.” But this passage says that Joseph had besought his brothers. “Brothers, please, don’t take my life.” You can see what all is in that. He was pleading for his very life before these brothers. You can see what a trial it was.

Have you ever had ten big men back you against the wall, and threaten to kill you? That’s what Joseph went through. He is seventeen, and he is sold down into the land of Egypt because of the hatred of his brothers.

5. Joseph, - Suffered From The Lies

Told By A Woman

Genesis 39:7-18

I’m picking out the trials of Joseph.

(7) And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

(8) But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;

(9) There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

(10) And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

(11) And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.

(12) And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

(13) And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,

(14) That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:

(15) And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out.

(16) And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.

(17) And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:

(18) And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.

You talk about evidence, she had it!

6. Joseph, - Suffered Two Long Years In A Prison

Genesis 39:19-20

(19) And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.

(20) And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

You stop and think about what we have read. This woman, first of all, tries Joseph, and he would rather die than sin. And then she told lies about him. He is not the last man to be lied about, and I suppose there will be others that will follow. And, regarding this, the Bible tells us the true story, and the woman told her story.

Someone has said about it, regarding these lies, “She was able to destroy Joseph’s reputation, but she could not destroy his character.” His character was still there. The thing is this: as a result of the lies of this woman, Joseph is put in prison for two long years. That’s a long time! And there is another side to this story. God still allows good people, God still allows precious people, God still allows people like Joseph to be confined, does He not? So here is the story of a confinement of a man who doesn’t seem to deserve it, but it is all part of the trials.

Note:

Notice all the reactions here of Joseph.

Genesis 45:5,9

(5) Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

Here is what put iron in Joseph’s soul. He could have looked at all of his trials, and said, “What’s wrong here?” But he learned that God was in it.

(7) And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

He could have said, “You boys sold me.” But he said “God did it.”

(8) So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

(9) Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:

Genesis 50:20

(20) But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

I’m glad I can read those kind of things in the Bible; because I can see, here is a man who is going through great trials, but he did not look upon his trials as being without a reason. He said, “All of those things came upon me, because God was sending me ahead, and He was going to use it.” You see, he learned the Supremacy of God. And Joseph learned the Sovereignty of God. And Joseph learned that everything that happened in his life, even to the hardships that we have read about, was being used of God for the good of others. I wonder if we have faith for that!

When you look over the story, it is so easy to see now, God was in all of this. God was going to preserve the children of Israel by Joseph going down into Egypt. Those two years he was in prison, those days he suffered lies of that women, and what he suffered from his brothers, was hard to take, but it put iron into his soul.

2. Joseph, The Trusted Man

Joseph, not only the “Tried Man,” but Joseph becomes the “Trusted Man.” I have listed four examples.

Genesis 37: 2, 13, 14

(2) 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 Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

(13) And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.

(14) And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

What is involved in that? Joseph’s father trusted Joseph. And he knew if he wanted a report from Joseph, he was going to get an honest report. You can see that in the story. He knew he could trust Joseph.

Genesis 39:1-4

The story of Joseph, now being down in Egypt.

(1) And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; ad Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.

(2) And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

(3) And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

(4) And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

It wasn’t very long until the prisoner becomes the trusted man down in Egypt. He is trusted at home. And now, away from home, he is trusted in Egypt.

Genesis 39:22-23

(22) And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

(23) The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

So, here you have a fellow who is going down, down, down. And he is the only man, I have ever read of in the Bible, who never hit the bottom! Did you notice that? He is going down, and yet, when he went down into Egypt, he was on top. When he went down into the prison, he is on top. He is the head of the prison. He never hits the bottom. He is still on top. It doesn’t matter where you put Joseph, he comes out on top. Why? He had iron in his soul. Do you see the whole connection? He became the trusted man. I think that is tremendous!

You stop and think, here is a Jew, he is down in Egypt; he is in prison, and the chief of prisoners trusts him. He puts everything into his hand. Listen, it is the man who has been tried, and tested that becomes the trusted man. If you don’t want to be trusted, well then, you ask God not to test you. But if you want to grow up so that you will be trusted by men, well then, you look to the Lord to test you.

I don’t know where I got this, but some years ago I wrote this out, and I should have written out the source.

The true influence over our fellows always comes sooner or later to the genuine, sincere man who is delivered of all merely personal ambitions.

All of those words should be talked about. You have Joseph, with no personal ambition. He didn’t go down into the prison to become head of the prison. He didn’t go down into Egypt with personal ambition. That was not in it at all.

Sincere men wear well. Have you found that out? Sincere men stand the test of time. True men, leave deep, lasting, impression. True men will become trusted men, and they are the kind of men we certainly want to know.

3. Joseph, The Tender Man

Joseph is first the tried man, then he is the trusted man, and finally, he is the tender man.

Genesis 42:21-24

Joseph knows his brethren, but they don’t know him. And, as they talk their language, they think he is an Egyptian, and can’t understand what is being said.

(21) And they said one to another, 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.

(22) And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? Therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

(23) And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.

(24) And he turned himself about from them, and wept;

Joseph, the tender man. What I am going to bring to your attention, is all the times it talks about Joseph weeping. He heard them talk, and he turned and wept.

Genesis 43:29-30

(29) And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin,

You remember, he hadn’t seen his brother since he was a baby; because, when he was little, Joseph was sold down into Egypt. For years he hasn’t seen him; and now when he sees him, he weeps.

And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.

(30) And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.

He couldn’t weep yet before his brothers, because he would reveal himself. It wasn’t time yet. He goes aside and finds a room, and he weeps, because he has seen this brother that he hasn’t seen for so long. I think you can see, there is tenderness being revealed in these stories.

Genesis 45:1-2

Chapter 44, you have that wonderful story of Judah speaking, expressing himself. After he hears this wonderful speech about his father, it says:

(1) 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.

(2) And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.

In the last chapter, he goes secretly to weep. And now he makes himself known to his brothers, and he howls out loud. He really weeps on this occasion.

Genesis 45:13-15

Since Joseph was sold, he hasn’t seen his father.

(13) And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.

(14) And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

Have you any imagination? Can you see these men who haven’t embraced for all of these years? I want to tell you, it is the real thing!

(15) Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.

Don’t miss that.

Remember the story of the prodigal son, which is based on Old Testament teaching; when the prodigal son came home, the first thing the father did was kiss him. What was the kiss? The kiss of forgiveness. What had these brothers done? They had hated Joseph. They had mistreated Joseph. They had sold Joseph. They had been the means of his suffering, but after he embraces Benjamin, every one of his brothers received a kiss – the kiss of forgiveness. It says he wept upon them. And after they wept a while, then they talked for a long while. They had a good long talk. Wouldn’t they have a lot to fill in! They talk a while, after they wept. Don’t miss the tenderness of the story.

Genesis 46:29

Such a moving portion of Scripture.

(29) And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

He fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept. But now, look at this: He fell upon the neck of his father and he wept on his neck. This time, it doesn’t stop there. This time, he wept a good while. I wonder how long that was. I really don’t know; but, you see, this tenderhearted man. Every time you see him, he is weeping on somebody’s neck. And it’s the real thing.

Genesis 50:1

The last verse of the 49^th chapter tells us Jacob had died.

(1) And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.

I don’t want to talk about that from just the standpoint of the natural application. What I am trying to show you, is the tenderness of this man. He is not a weakling. There are some people who have the idea that if a man weeps, he is a weakling. I have shown you, from the story, that if anything, if there was ever a strong character, it was Joseph. It is not weakness. The thing that makes him weak is his tender heart. Listen, you can be a strong man, and have a tender heart.

Genesis 50:15-20

The last mention of his weeping.

(15) And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us,

Oh, how the human heart works! He is going to hate us.

and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.

(16) And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,

(17) So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.

Joseph wept. What is he weeping for this time? He is weeping, because he had kissed every one of them, he had forgiven every one of them, and now they don’t believe it. I think you can see from the story, he is a tender man.

4. Conclusion

It is the tried man, who becomes the trusted man. And it is the tried and trusted man who becomes the tender man. And, what has this to do with the New Testament?

I am mindful of seeing my mother tenderize meat. Did you ever see anybody tenderize meat? She used to take a saucer on it’s edge, and get a piece of tough round steak. All of you have tried to eat some round steak. My mom started pounding it and pounding it, and I asked her “What are you doing with it?” “I’m tenderizing it.”

Ephesians 4:32

(32) And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,

And that does not mean “chickenhearted.” Joseph was tenderhearted. And God wants us to be tenderhearted. Somebody says, “How do I become tenderhearted?” I become tenderhearted by being tested. I become tenderhearted by being tried. I become tenderhearted by being “put through the mill.” I become tenderhearted by the tough things that I have to face in life.

We are in the days where they are telling us that if they know ahead of time when a baby is going to be handicapped, just take away their life. Do you know what I found with parents? The older brother of Brother Ben Kirkpatrick, the pastor of People’s Church, who is now in Heaven, was handicapped. From the day he was a little baby, he couldn’t walk, and his dad and mom carried him. All those years that I was in their home, I saw such tenderness on the part of a father and mother toward a boy who needed constant care. I have seen that with parents. They get some of these children that they have to look after 24 hours a day, and what does it do? Harden their hearts? No.

Think of the mentally challenged children. The only kind of saints that we really have that never sin, are these kind of people. These little children can teach mothers and fathers something about tenderness. And so, some of these trials that we back away from, God sends them our way to give us tender hearts. God wants us to have tender hearts.