PROVISION FOR THE WAY
Genesis 45: 16-24
Last time we saw that is it Christ alone who reveals himself in the hearts of his people. This time we see that when Christ reveals himself in the newly created heart of a sinner, through Christ, God gives the believer full “Provision for the Way.”
REJOICING IN HEAVEN
There is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that Christ brings to repentance—Genesis 45: 16: And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, Joseph’s brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.
The fame of Joseph drawing his brethren and revealing himself to his brethren was heard.
In Joseph we see Christ. In his brethren, we see the sinner brought to repentance by Christ. It is the fame of Christ and his work; the fame of Christ formed in the sinner; the fame of Christ working repentance in the sinner. It is the fame thereof that is heard, “Christ’s brethren are come.”
Where was this fame heard? It was heard in Pharaoh’s house. (This is not the same Pharaoh that later bound the children of Israel.) In our text, in Pharaoh we see God the Father. In his servants, we see God’s angels. Pharaoh’s house pictures heaven, God’s heavenly house. We see God and all his servants the angels, hearing the fame of Christ working repentance in a sinner.
What is the reaction in heaven?—“and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.” God is well-pleased with Christ and with all the works of Christ. He said, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well-pleased.” Likewise, God’s holy angels are pleased with Christ and all his works. Listen to Christ,
Luke 15: 4: What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5: And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6: And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7: I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luke 15: 8: Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9: And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10: Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
The angels desire is to behold Christ and his works in the midst of the church. (1 Pet 1:12) I pray Christ will seek someone this day. I pray he will make you desire to behold him in his glorious person and finished work. If so there will be rejoicing in heaven.
THE CHARGE TO PREACH CHRIST
When Christ reveals himself in our hearts, God charges his believing children to carry the good news of the gospel into the world—Genesis 45 :17: And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;
Notice, Joseph is the mediator—the go-between—between Pharaoh and his brethren. Pharaoh gave this command to Joseph and Joseph gave it to his brethren.
Christ is the Mediator. Christ represented all God’s elect before the Father when he walked this earth. Christ made all God’s elect the righteousness of God in him. Christ presents us now to the Father as he live to intercede for us. And Christ represents the Father to us. God the Father speaks to his Son and Christ speaks into the hearts of his people.
1 Timothy 1: 5: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Pharoah gave Joseph the command to give to his brethren to go and bring all his brethren to him. When Christ reveals himself in our hearts, the charge Christ gives us from God his Father is to go forth preaching his gospel.
Matthew 28: 18: And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Brethren, our one mission is to preach and send forth this gospel far and wide. The cure for all problems in sinners is Christ and is given through his gospel.
WHO IS THE CHURCH SEEKING?
Who does God command us to bring to him? Who is the church seeking in this world?—Genesis 45: 18: And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.
Joseph charged his brethren to go seek their earthly father and their earthly households and come unto Pharaoh. This was their earthly father and their earthly households they were to bring to Pharaoh.
Believers—the true church of God—are seeking our spiritual fathers and mothers, our spiritual sisters and brothers, our spiritual households. We are trying to bring them to God our Father through faith in Christ by preaching this gospel far and wide.
These lost sheep are Christ’s family. On one occasion, they interrupted our Lord Jesus as he preached to a congregation, saying, “Your mother desires to speak with you.”
Mark 3: 33: And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? 34: And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 35: For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
These lost sheep are the believer’s family. The rich young ruler would not follow Christ because he would not leave his possessions. Many will not follow Christ because their treasures are their earthly mother and father, sister and brother, son and daughter.
Mark 10: 28: Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29: And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
I can drive from here to my former home in Arkansas and I have fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers all along the way where I can stop and spend the night.
Now, brethren, if you knew your earthly father or sister or son was dying of some bitter sickness, would any distance be too far to carry them to a physician? Would any cost be too high? Well, those elect who are yet lost, are our fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters. They will be our households for eternity. But they are perishing with the disease of sin. No distance is too far! No cost too high to get this gospel of the great Physician to them. It was a long journey from Egypt to Canaan and back. Yet, Pharaoh said go bring them to me! God says, “Go, bring my children to me!”
GOD BY CHRIST PROVIDES ALL
Through, in and by Christ, God provides us everything we need for this work—Genesis 45: 19: Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.
First, Pharaoh through Joseph provided them “wagons.” Wagons was the vehicle Pharaoh provided to bring them all together and all to him. They would all be united together—a group here and a group there—in these wagons as they made their pilgrimage along the way back to Pharaoh.
Christ has provided us the local church, made up of believers fitly united by Christ. This the vehicle God our Father has chosen to unite us and to carry us as we make our pilgrimage to him in Christ the Way. They needed those wagons and each other. We need each other in God’s local church. Pharaoh provided those wagons, God our Father provides our brethren, his church.
Second, Pharaoh through Joseph provided all they needed when they got to Egypt. When they found these brethren, they were to tell them to leave everything behind because Pharaoh had provided all they needed through Joseph—Genesis 45: 20: Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.
God tells us leave all behind because the good of all God’s heavenly land is yours in Christ.
Philippians 3: 7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9: And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:… “13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 3: 21: Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23 And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.
Three, Pharaoh through Joseph even gave them the ability to believe and obey him. By Pharaoh’s command, spoken through Joseph, the children of Israel believed and were made to obey—Genesis 45: 21: And the children of Israel did so:…
All the blessings of God are already provided for us between God the Father and God the Son like these blessing were all theirs. But we experience all of these blessings when Christ speaks effectually into our hearts and gives us faith to believe and follow Christ. Then the children of God’s spiritual Israel do so.
Four, Pharaoh through Joseph provided them full provision in the way. Joseph went to his brethren and provided all the things Pharaoh told him to give them—Genesis 45: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision [food] for the way.
Christ puts us in his local church, and provides us food for the way. Christ gives us our full provision for the way. Christ is our Bread, our full provision. And Christ is the Way.
Five, Pharaoh through Joseph gave them changes of raiment—Genesis 45: 22: To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.
Christ has robed all his people in the garment of his righteousness, the garment of salvation. But all God’s elect are his Benjamin’s. We are all God’s choice sons. We are all Christ’s favorite brothers. We have all received perfect righteousness and an abundance of grace.
Six, Pharaoh through Joseph provided the means to make their father Jacob and their brethren to believe and come with them. Joseph wanted to convince his father to come. So he sent an abundance of good things to his father—Genesis 45: 23: And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way.
Christ will convince those he is calling by revealing an abundance of grace in Christ like he has in us. His gospel comes laden with the good things of heaven: laden with corn and bread and meat; righteousness, justification, sanctification, redemption, wisdom, forgiveness, pardon, full provision for the way to God.
Brethren, in all of these provisions, which Joseph provided for his brethren for this work of bringing their father and their households to Pharaoh, we are reminded that as Christ sends forth his believing people to preach his gospel and as he calls out his lost redeemed brethren,
2 Corinthians 9:8:…God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
ONE LAST IMPORTANT WORD
Joseph gave them one last important word—Genesis 45: 24: So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.
Joseph knew his brothers were apt to blame one another for each one’s part in what they had done to Joseph. Christ knows us inside and out.
But Joseph had reconciled them and forgiven them all their sins against him. Christ has done the same for his brethren in a far more realistic way.
So it was Joseph’s will that they not bring it up again. If they did so they would depart from the wagon and Joseph would send someone else to get his brethren and bring them to him. So he said, “See that ye fall not out by the way.” It carries the meaning, see that you do not provoke one another to wrath.
Brethren, isn’t it sad that believers need this admonition? Isn’t it sad that we would fall out with a fellow believer for whom Christ died? That we would forsake the local assembly over such things? Christ has reconciled us to God. Christ has put away our sins. God remembers our sins no more. We receive grace for grace. So Christ says, “See that ye fall not out by the way.” Do not bring up and point out one another’s sins in an unjust, condemning way any more. If God has forgiven then we must do the same. Here is the same word to us in the New Testament:
Hebrews 10: 23: Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24: And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Amen!