"WHY DO YE LOOK ONE UPON ANOTHER?"
“[p. 407] WHY DO YE LOOK ONE UPON ANOTHER?”
Genesis 42:1,2; Genesis 43:1 - 3; Genesis 44:1,2; 1 Kings 19:4 - 18
In reading these passages I am thinking of responsibility in regard to food; having in view that the line in which the divine thoughts are to be continued should be sustained as anointed. The anointing implies that God has committed Himself to the person or persons anointed; but the idea of anointing is not food but dignity. Anointing is the evidence of the divine committal; it is the divine stamp on the persons who are used of God, but the sustenance of the persons requires food. And so I have begun with Genesis, Joseph representing the great provision that God has made in the way of food for the continuance of the line, or family, in which the divine thoughts are vested, and in which they are to be preserved and continued. For in this, as in all else, nothing is haphazard — everything is on the principle of selection; not natural selection, as certain opposers of the truth would say, but sovereign selection. And so God selected Abraham, and then Isaac and Jacob; He selected a family, as He says, I called Abraham alone, and blessed him (Isaiah 51:2).
Now Joseph comes in, a divine provision, sent before, as he tells his brethren, to preserve them a posterity on the earth. Pharaoh, undoubtedly under divine influence, changes his name. Pharaoh, from the very outset, regarded Joseph with respect. The chief butler, representing a wayward, weak-hearted christian or professed believer, neglected Joseph — neglected his request. And so, as he speaks to Pharaoh of Joseph, he speaks of him as a Hebrew bondman, with no thought of respect; whereas Pharaoh always treated Joseph with respect. Two years had elapsed, as you will remember, after Joseph made the request to the butler whom he had so befriended, that he should bear a remembrance of him when it should be well with him; instead of this the [p. 408] butler forgot him. Two years elapsed, we are told, as if God gave him abundant opportunity to recall his great benefactor, but apparently he never did. Many of those who are beneficiaries of Christ — of His death — can go on for years without answering to His request, without ever recalling Him to their hearts.
The butler was released from prison on Pharaoh’s birthday; even that should have brought Joseph’s request to his mind and kept it there. Many celebrate their birthdays but forget the death of Christ. He does not ask us to remember His birthday, but His death, or rather Himself by the symbol of His death. Many are like the butler who forgot Joseph. But when the crisis comes, he says, “I do remember my faults this day”, (Genesis 41:9). He did not say that he remembered Joseph. Spiritually, had he remembered Joseph, he would not need to have remembered his sins. I mean to say, if we keep on remembering Christ we need never call our sins to mind. Many are troubled about their sins because they do not make room for Christ in their hearts. “I do remember my faults this day”, he says, and then he goes over the ground and tells Pharaoh about Joseph, but only as a Hebrew slave in prison. Joseph was the most wonderful man he had met, he had never met a man like him, and yet he is unable to speak of him with becoming respect to the king. But the king said, “Can we find such a one as this is?”
Pharaoh under divine influence changed his name to Zaphnath-paaneah and gave him a wife; having in mind what Joseph would be (sustainer of life) before ever he collected any corn or built a storehouse. The mind of God is conveyed in Joseph, this great type of Christ. He was to treasure up food for the preservation of the life of the world, for that is the significance, I believe, of the name given him. That is to say, there is now an unlimited supply of food with Christ. It is all stored up under Joseph, and all the nations gather to him to get it;
Pharaoh had directed the Egyptians to “go unto Joseph” (chapter 41:55) as they cried to him for bread.
Now I come to the family or line in which the testimony is set — the family of Joseph. This family must be sustained. Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt; but what were Joseph’s brethren doing? They were looking on one another. Jacob says, “Why do ye look one upon another?” Is it not so with us in our several localities — that we look upon one another? There is Reuben looking at Judah, possibly with a jealous eye, for Judah was the royal tribe, although Reuben was the first-born. What will Reuben gain by looking at Judah? And so Dan, and Gad, and Naphtali, they look on one another. Judah had something to distinguish him; doubtless each one of the tribes had some distinguishing feature. Jacob later, in going over the tribes, remarks on their distinguishing features, and naturally each would be proud of his, and the others possibly jealous. It would therefore be a matter of levelling up, so that each should hold his ground.
They were looking at one another, and there was no food. If that state of things continued there would be death, the line I spoke of would become extinct, and the testimony would die. Jacob no doubt was concerned in this connection and sought unselfishly the welfare of his house. Now this is a most practical thing, beloved brethren, for without a constant supply of food coming in there will be death — the meetings will die spiritually — spiritual affection will run out.
The ten brethren go down and get food. I do not go into the details, but what they brought back was consumed; and Jacob’s sons were not moving to secure more. Jacob raises the question again, for he is the responsible head. “Go again”, he says, “buy us a little food”. Judah says, in effect, that the difficulty was with his father; he would not allow Benjamin to go with his brethren. He says, “The man did solemnly protest unto [p. 410] us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you”. That was the express direction of Joseph: the youngest brother must come (chapter 42:15).
In this food matter sometimes the older ones take on the whole responsibility. The Lord would say to such as they, who undertake to provide what may be necessary, Do not forget your youngest brother; you must have him with you. Is there not a word for us as to our younger brethren? One of the most encouraging features of the moment is this, that there are so many young brethren. Thank God for them! Not that we should boast in any way, for that is obnoxious; but if the Lord should come for His people tonight, it is not because He has not material to carry on. It never will be that; He has material to carry on, and for a good while ahead; I can see it myself. What does the influx of young persons signify if not the continuance of the testimony if the Lord so please? Thus in our undertakings in the Lord’s service, why not bring them along? If not, the elder ones may suffer; the first time they came back it was without Simeon; Joseph kept him. There was a brother missing.
This is surely a serious matter. It was a searching time. Who kept Simeon? A weeping Joseph! (chapter 42:24). He felt the circumstances more than they, but he kept him. He was thinking of them. You see, he would bring home to them what it was to have a brother bound before their eyes. They had done worse to him — far worse; now it is brought home to them. And so, if we are to have the full supply and the approval of the Lord we shall bring the youngest brother. You will understand that I recognise other features in this touching type; I am using it now to bring out the importance of the younger brethren in relation to the testimony. The older ones may be bound because we ignore the younger ones. It was when the youngest one came into view that Joseph released Simeon. The Lord [p. 411] is very concerned about these matters; He would have equalisation amongst us; He would have every bit of the ability He has provided made available, so that there should be an ample food supply for the saints.
Thus, as Benjamin goes down with his brethren, things look better, brighter; and so the word goes out: “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry”. The younger brother question is now settled. I mean, they brought him. Simeon is free and all his brethren are in the presence of Joseph. Thus progress is made and plenty of food is available. The question now is, capacity. I am speaking of this food supply and how it is to be brought in locally and generally, for surely it is not the divine thought that local companies should be nourished by food brought from afar only. There is surely to be a local supply, and these are the principles to that end. So that the next question, as I said, is that of capacity (chapter 44). How much can I carry? If I am to be engaged in this food carrying — food supplying — the great point is to have capacity. It is for me to see to that; it is a question, so to speak, of the size of my sack; and our sacks ought to be carefully made, because money is to be put in the mouth. Every man’s money was to be put in his sack’s mouth, and so as he opened his sack, there was the money. This meant that he had not paid for its contents. Certainly if the money is in my sack there is evidence that I have not paid for it; but it cost somebody something.
In truth, all the food for His people is supplied by Christ. All is sent down from heaven. Being at the right hand of God He sends down all that is needed. Everything is sent down. Let no one who has got a sack pretend that he has provided the food; his money is returned to him, and as it is in the mouth of the sack it is the first thing that impresses those who see the sack opened. But then, the sack is to be full. The word went out from Joseph, “Fill the men’s sacks with food,
as much as they can carry”. So that it is a question, as I said, of capacity — how much can I carry? It is not only what one consumes oneself — in ministry there is to be carrying capacity. How much can I carry? One does not need to say everything he knows in one address or one reading; there may be much more than is needed at any given time. But as the money comes out first, the servant expresses in some way or other that this is Christ’s affair, not his; that the food is all supplied by the Lord Jesus. It has cost the servant his journey, his exercise, and this those who partake of the food should fully recognise; they will value the ox that treads out the corn.
But we must further consider Benjamin, the youngest brother, who had not been brought down; well, there is a cup put into his sack — a divining cup. You have been thinking perhaps very little of him. He is called a lad, that is how Benjamin is alluded to. But look what Christ may put into the sack of some younger brother. I cannot go into the details of all that followed; I am speaking of this alone. It was a wonderful thing for Benjamin to have that cup in his sack, and the money as well. He was the only one that had the cup. Why then should I despise the young brother? The Lord may have His eye on him. It is Joseph’s divining cup — the means by which matters of high order are brought into evidence, for Joseph is a man of that kind. The butler did not think of keeping him in mind, but he was the most wonderful man the butler ever met, and his divining cup would be in keeping with this.
In the history of David we have what corresponds with this. Jesse despised David, even though he was his father. See how easily, without any personal animosity, we may think lightly of the youngest! David was not even thought of, he is with the sheep, Jesse says. And Samuel says, We will not sit down till he comes. If the Lord has His eye on the young brother, depend upon it [p. 413] He will hold things up till he is free. Think of all those men of importance present at the sacrifice, standing until David comes in (1 Samuel 16). Jehovah says, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he”. Of course, David behaved himself properly; that is another side. The young man is to let no one despise his youth; that is, by his sobriety, his general demeanour.
Now I go on to Elijah. I wish to present how food is supplied directly from heaven to a failing believer, but one whom God had used and would use again. The passage tells us that he was fleeing from Jezebel, and in fleeing he was speaking against the people of God. I want to shew how God supplies directly from heaven to those who may be unfaithful. God never withdraws His eyes from us. As some one has remarked, If a man turns his back on God, what will God do? He will shine upon his back! Elijah was taking a retrograde course. God had led His people from Horeb into Canaan; Elijah is going the reverse way. He is virtually saying to God, “All your pains with Israel have come to nothing”. How solemn to place God in the position of being mistaken. How often you find people doing that: “Who will shew us any good?” (Psalm 4:6). They are really impugning God, you see.
Well, this was the line Elijah was on, and he lies down under the juniper tree. He had just been to Beer-sheba, and we are told here that Beer-sheba belonged to Judah, a reminder of divine sovereignty and faithfulness. But Elijah went on notwithstanding the sovereign selection of God, Judah being the royal tribe; the power and faithfulness of God were witnessed in the well of the oath. He pursues his way, with his back turned to the land of promise, taking the reverse course that the ark of the covenant took. Think of that, dear brethren! Think of the ark of the covenant having taken the reverse course to the one a professed believer may be on! But God is caring for His servant. He loves him. Elijah [p. 414] was a great servant; in our reading this afternoon we saw him in heaven talking with Jesus. God will not let such a man go. No; He will follow him up, and this may be said of the smallest of us. But he is asleep under a juniper tree, a lone man in the wilderness, wishing to die, thinking that all was over. As some one said, he was going to resign his commission at mount Horeb. An angel touches him, saying, “Arise, eat”; and when he awakes there is food — “a cake, baked on hot stones, and a cruse of water”. He eats and lies down to sleep. “And the angel of Jehovah”, it says, “came again the second time”, and again there is food, and he eats, and he goes in the strength of that food forty days, to Horeb the mount of God.
It may seem very singular that God should feed a man in a retrograde course, but He knows each of us and deals with us accordingly; all is in infinite love and wisdom. Thus great latitude is allowed to Elijah to pursue his way of unbelief, and God feeds him in it. Instead of sending him back to face Jezebel, He allows him to go forty days and forty nights in the wilderness, on the strength of that food. Every day would remind him of “the strength of that food”, and correspondingly of the divine provision made for him, until he arrives at Horeb. In this way Elijah had strength by divinely given food in a path of unbelief. But all was in wisdom, as I said, for God could speak to him more effectively at Horeb (in view of his state) than elsewhere. He would bring His servant into accord with His own mind. If Elijah was not going on, God was, and already had men selected to carry on His work — Hazael, Jehu and Elisha — and He will have Elijah to anoint them. To do this intelligently and effectively he must learn that God has power to enforce His will.
And so we have the wind, the earthquake, and the fire; God is not in any of them here, but they are His, and may be used; what could Jezebel do against them?
[p. 415] Did Elijah not know this? Could God not act against Jezebel with that wind, with that earthquake, with that fire? Look at the book of Revelation and see the wonderful instrumentalities God has for striking at all opposition and striking at a distance. The principle of Revelation is God acting at a distance. He can do that, and do things most effectively without being in them Himself. God was not in either of these three things at Horeb, but there is a voice — that “still small voice”. This catches Elijah’s ear; it is the point of recovery — there is always that, beloved. If God strengthened him with those two meals, depend upon it He had this in mind, that He should present to him His own power — the power of God in those great instrumentalities that He can employ without being in them. But He is not dealing with His people thus. As to them, it is the “still small voice”; and the voice, we may say, is the Person. And Elijah stands with his face wrapped in his mantle; now he is being recovered.
May it not be that there is some one here to whom there is a still small voice? “What doest thou here, Elijah?” What we would say to you tonight is not, What doest thou here, but What doest thou there? We do not know just where you go. We thank God that you are here. There is a voice for you.
But then I speak of the continuance of the testimony. And so Jehovah allows Elijah to make his speech twice: “The children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life”. What a bringing down of things to himself! He is making himself the centre. But God says, I have reserved for Myself. Ah! God has something for Himself. “I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him”. God knows, and He will provide for them; but He will also see to those who dig [p. 416] down His altars, and those who slay His prophets, and those who break the divine covenants; God will not overlook them, He will deal with them. There will be the sword of Hazael, divinely anointed; there will be the sword of Jehu, divinely anointed; these will execute judgment, and then there will be the sword of Elisha.
Elisha’s sword — did you ever think of it? It is a most interesting sword. We have no record that Elijah ever anointed Hazael and Jehu; so that Elisha is the first to be anointed. That is to say, God, before judgment, will have grace; and the food at the present time is in the ministry of grace. That is what God is occupied with now. First, the adjustment of brethren, that the younger brothers should not be ignored; but then the ministry of grace. Elisha stands for that. I need not enlarge on the ministry of Elisha; he affords more gospel texts than any other prophet, that is to say, scriptures that unfold the grace of God in Christ are prevalent in the history of Elisha. Hence the sword of Elisha is grace, and nothing brings people down more effectively than grace. The Syrian army that was led blind into Samaria by Elisha, having their eyes opened, were not slain as enemies but sumptuously fed; then it is said, “the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel”, (2 Kings 6:23). “If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head”, (Romans 12:20). Think of that! It is grace. That is evidently what Elijah thinks of here. He immediately goes and seeks out Elisha, who is ploughing with the twelfth yoke of oxen, and he casts his mantle upon him.
Thus the vessel of grace is brought in through him who was sustained even in a way of unbelief by divinely provided food. The testimony is to be continued in this way. Without food it must come to an end. Joseph, as we have seen, is the type of Christ as the source of the food supply; thus the line, or family, in whom the [p. 417] testimony of God is set, is preserved on the earth. We are to go to Him, instead of looking on one another; and we are to take our youngest brother with us. In Matthew 21:7 it is said of the ass and the colt that the Lord “sat on them”.