Transcription
We address the Word of God. Listen carefully to the holy Word of God. This is Genesis chapter 43, verses 1 through 9.
The famine was severe in the land, and when they had finished all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little more food."
But Judah said to his father, "The man warned us sternly, saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.' If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"
Israel said, "Why did you bring this trouble upon me by telling the man that you had another brother?" They replied, "The man asked us carefully about ourselves and our family, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' We told him what we knew. How could we have known that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?" Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we and our children may live and not die. I will be a guarantor for him; you can hold me responsible if I do not bring him back to you. If I do not bring him back, I will bear the guilt for all time. If we had not delayed, we would have already returned twice."
Genesis has a total of 50 chapters. However, Genesis is structured into ten "toledot." This word "toledot" means genealogy. Therefore, Genesis, with its ten genealogies, contains the meaning that God wishes to convey. We must read Genesis through its genealogies. The last genealogy, the tenth one, is the genealogy of Jacob in Genesis chapter 37, verse 2. Would you like to see it? This is the tenth and final genealogy.
"These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when he was seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives, and Joseph brought their evil report to his father."
From chapter 37 to chapter 50, the largest portion deals with Joseph. And the passages that reveal Joseph as the protagonist are from Genesis chapter 37 to chapter 50.
However, there is something we must not miss. Clearly, in this section, there is the success story of Joseph becoming the prime minister of Egypt, and there are also contents that help Joseph's brothers repent and strengthen their faith. But all of Joseph's story is contained within the genealogy of Jacob, in other words, within Jacob's salvation history. So, Joseph's story is embedded within Jacob. Therefore, you must read it through Jacob.
Thus, Genesis speaks of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whom we call the patriarchs of faith. Joseph's story, as he enters into Jacob's salvation, is in the passages of Genesis that we are currently discussing. So, the famines and tribulations that Jacob is currently facing, the death of Joseph, or rather, his being sold, and the crisis of having Benjamin taken away again. In the face of these crises, although Joseph is at the forefront of all these situations, what we must see is not Joseph's heroic saga, but the story of this stubborn Jacob being placed on the operating table of the cross and meeting the true Christ.
In the past, in Genesis chapter 32, when we think of Jacob, we all recall the incident at the Jabbok River. Jacob, with a broken thigh bone, walked with a limp, leaning on a staff, and we thought that Jacob had completely changed through the Jabbok incident. But when we read on, in chapter 34, he did not go up to Bethel, but stayed in Succoth and encountered the incident with Dinah. Even after facing the Dinah incident, he only sought to preserve his own life and did not find spiritual meaning here.
Although Jacob, outwardly, had become a person who could only rely on God, leaning on a staff, his outward self was held by God, but his inner self was still alive. This is the stubborn Jacob. And this Jacob cannot deal with his stubborn self-love, his idol. It is frustrating.
Regarding these matters, God, from chapter 37, within Jacob's genealogy, in the midst of these incredibly astonishing events, losing the beloved Joseph, facing famine, and then losing Benjamin, God deals with Jacob. And within Jacob, the inner self is dealt with, the inner self dies. God accomplishes this.
But see how God deals with and kills the inner self. This inner self will never die on its own. So, see what God does. Let's look at verse 1 of today's passage. How does it begin? Together: "The famine was severe in the land." Yes, it intensifies. So, the master of the land, the ruler of Egypt, asks them to bring their youngest brother, Benjamin. Jacob says, "I cannot give him. I already lost Joseph. I'm barely alive. And now you want to take Benjamin away from me too? If you do, I'd rather die. I have no hope or desire to live anymore," Jacob said last time. "I can't do that. I won't do it." The famine in the land of Canaan, where Jacob lives, becomes even more severe. Until Benjamin is handed over. Therefore, God does not stop the famine until Jacob finally goes to the land of Canaan. This is the kind of God we have. To put it crudely, it is a sure word. It is the rod of grace. He strikes us. Until when? Until the inner self is dealt with and we truly meet Jesus Christ, until we find true salvation. He is a gracious God. We say, "God, please, just show me the rod, I don't need you to do anything else. I will prostrate myself."
Jacob and his sons, Jacob, in his own being, is essentially himself. It is his love. It is his self-satisfaction. It is his existence. What appeared there, you know, from birth, he was Jacob. The deceiver, the taker, the plunderer, that was Jacob. But eventually, Rachel, and then Joseph, obtained from Rachel, and then losing Joseph, and then Benjamin. He clings to Benjamin, but it is actually Jacob. Outwardly, he was a child of Rebekah, clinging to his mother's skirt, or Jacob, then moved to Rachel, then Joseph. But actually, look. God knows. "What is your name?" He asks. And he answers, "Jacob." But what does God do? "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome." What does Israel mean? It means that God is with you and will make you a victor, a conqueror. You are a victor. A conqueror, because God is with you, Immanuel. So, Jacob cannot escape being Jacob on his own. He wants to win, but his nature is to win. His nature is that his existence is only possible by taking from others. Therefore, as long as Jacob lives, Jacob cannot lose. This is his nature. But God says, "You are no longer a taker, but a giver. So, you are no longer Jacob. You are Israel." He doesn't say, "You are Jacob, but not Jacob." He says, "You are Israel, the victor, the conqueror. You have won." But that victory means you are a victor because God is with you. That is what Israel means. He will do that.
So, look. Go to Exodus chapter 3. This is Exodus chapter 3, verse 14. "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'You shall say this to the people of Israel: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" When God is asked by Moses, "Who should I tell them God is?" God directly tells Moses, "I am Yahweh, I AM WHO I AM." The word "am" here is the verb "hayah." "Hayah." So, the meaning of "hayah" is "to be," "to become," "to exist." It is a very, very important word. So, when God says, "I AM WHO I AM," it means: "I am existence." He asks us. He asks Moses. "Are you existence?" God is existence. God explains himself as existence. He asks, "Are you existence?" He is speaking to the people of Israel. God is existence.
In Genesis chapter 2, verse 7, God made man from dust. Dust was used to make animals and beasts. On the sixth day, God made animals from dust. Then, in chapter 2, verse 7, God formed man from dust and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, the breath of God. Then what does it say? It says, "man became a living being." "Became" is "hayah." What is the difference between humans and beasts? It is dust. Both beasts and humans are made of dust. But humans, God's breath, God's spirit enters them. So, what do they become? They become existence. Human existence is existence through God's entry. Outwardly, beasts move, because they are dust. Humans move, because they are dust. They exist. So, if they exist, are they existence? Think carefully. When God says they are like irrational beasts, in God's eyes, they are non-existent. They are not existence. Because they are visible, because they exist, it is an illusion. They are moving around, so they exist, right? No. No.
In Genesis chapter 1, God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. On the first day. And on the fourth day, He made the luminaries, the sun, moon, and stars. Think about it. God explains this light, and why does He mention the luminaries? The light here, "or," means Jesus. Light is Jesus. Light is life. Because of this light, beings can act and live. So, before the luminaries were made on the fourth day, plants were created on the third day. On the fourth day, when the luminaries shine, the sun, moon, and stars are "ma'or," meaning they are reflectors. The sun shines. Does the sun create light? No. They are reflectors. Light and life are given to them, and they shine and appear.
You think, "I exist, so I act, I move, so I exist. Therefore, I am existence." No. When God says, "I AM WHO I AM," only God is existence. We are not existence. We exist, but we are not existence. However, we can become existence when the light, the life, that is God, enters us. Until then, we exist, but we are non-existent. That is why Jesus continuously says in the Gospel of John, "I am the light, I am the life, I am the truth, I am the resurrection." What does this mean? "If you are in me, you are also life that goes to the Father, the way that leads to the Father, and you are light." So, Jesus, the light of life, came to us. Until Jesus enters us, humans exist but are non-existent. No matter what they eat, what they wear, how they adorn themselves, in God's eyes, they are non-existent. That is why they go to hell. Because they do not exist.
In this part, we must see why God is pushing Jacob through severe famine until he has to give up Benjamin. God chose Jacob as a patriarch of faith. Just as Isaac became a person of faith through Abraham's offering of Isaac on Mount Moriah, and saw Jesus Christ, this event must happen to Jacob as well. God visited him, broke his thigh bone, and said, "I am with you. I will not abandon you to the end. I will make you into existence with me." This is God's determination and zeal in Genesis chapter 32. That zeal is now pushing him through tribulation and famine. This is the rod of grace.
So, let's look. Let's look at verse 2. Let's see how God's rod of grace makes Jacob into true existence, and what God's work is here. Look at verse 2. "When they had finished all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, 'Go back and buy us a little more food.'" Because there was nothing to eat, Jacob told them to go down. At this point, Judah appears. In verse 3, Judah said to his father, "The man is Joseph. The man warned us sternly, saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.' If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'" This means they will not get food. Judah firmly states the reality.
At this point, Jacob, Judah has clearly said, "We must take our brother Benjamin with us to buy food." Jacob's reaction is in verse 6. Look. However, the Bible testifies that this Jacob is Israel. "Israel said," this is Jacob speaking. "Why did you bring this trouble upon me by telling the man that you had another brother?" They want to get food and preserve their lives, so they send their sons. But Jacob refuses to give up Benjamin. Why did you tell him that you had a younger brother, and unnecessarily cause me trouble? This is a terrible thing to say. He blames others. This is the stubborn nature of fallen humanity. Even though he knows and trusts God, he clings to his joy through this one thing, his youngest son. For some, it may be honor; for others, money. For Jacob, it is his children. But look closely. Children, money, honor – these are not Jacob's true idols. They are what make me "me," what make me exist. They are what I use to show others that I am alive, that I am okay, that I exist. That is why you need money, a job, a healthy family. This is the stubborn rottenness of fallen human nature. Even when God's providence strikes my deepest self with the rod of grace, and tries to touch and dismantle my idols, Jacob's reaction is, "Why are you tormenting me?" "Am I not believing in God? Am I not offering sacrifices every year? Why are you trying to take away even that one thing, my youngest son?" It is only when that is taken away that Jesus Christ can fully dwell within Jacob. This is God's grace and thankfulness that He does not give up on us. Jacob is resisting on the operating table of the cross, his self fiercely alive and struggling. He is saying, "Don't touch what is mine." In other words, Jacob's existential reality is, "I exist. I am not a non-existent person. I am existence. I am Jacob." But God says in verse 6, "Israel." Jacob spoke. But the Bible says God will not leave this Jacob alone. God is dealing with this Jacob as Israel. That is why the Bible says "Israel." Jacob says, "Don't torment me." But God says, "The reason I torment you is because I am making you into Israel." Amen.
Let's see how God deals with these people who think they exist because they are visible, who are mistaken, who think they believe in Jesus but Jesus is not truly within them, how God corrects them, just as He corrected Jacob. This is verse 8. Look. Then Judah appears. "Judah said to Israel his father, 'Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we and our children may live and not die. I will be a guarantor for him; you can hold me responsible if I do not bring him back to you. If I do not bring him back, I will bear the guilt for all time.'"
The "guarantor" that Judah speaks of here is a messianic language. Guarantor. Surety. These are all messianic, Christ-like languages. When the Bible speaks of the coming Christ as our atonement and savior, it speaks of such guarantees. "I will be a guarantor." So, through Judah, the Bible is showing the atonement of Jesus Christ. Judah is showing the image of Jesus Christ.
In the past, what about Reuben on the battlefield? Reuben says, "Kill my two sons." He says, "Kill my two sons." If I cannot bring the brother back, then kill my two sons. What does the prophet Micah say through those two sons? It is the image of human self-effort, self-merit, human will, human action, the covenant. That was Reuben's image. But now Judah does not make any other conditions. "I will be the surety. I will bear the eternal guilt alone." This is a model of the covenant of grace. Guarantor. Therefore, this cross that Judah offers to be a guarantor for is a shadow of the cross that the coming Jesus Christ will bear. What Judah is saying now is a perfect model of the atoning cross of Jesus Christ.
Why Judah specifically? Why Judah? Shall we look at Genesis chapter 49? Look at verse 8. This is the prophetic word contained in Jacob's final words of blessing. "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped and lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples." The scepter is a symbol of a king. And the ruler's staff. And "until Shiloh comes" means until Christ comes. In other words, this word is a prophetic word that Christ will come from Judah. And Jesus Christ actually came from the lineage of Judah. This explains why it is specifically Judah. Ultimately, God ordained that Christ the Messiah would come through Judah, and this is what Judah is doing now.
Therefore, what we must see is Judah's words and actions, "I will be a guarantor," and "If not, I will bear the guilt forever," are the actions that Jesus Christ did for us. Judah foreshadows, models, and is a shadow of Jesus Christ's atonement. Jesus Christ is the reality, and this is the explanation. Why specifically Judah for this amazing guarantee of atonement? Because God will send Christ from Judah. And Judah's words will be fully fulfilled in Christ. That is why he uses Judah.
2 Corinthians 5:21: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." The one who knew no sin is Christ Jesus, who came from Judah. Galatians 3:13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.'" "Father, I will be the guarantor for these sinners. I will bear the eternal guilt and God's wrath that they deserve on the cross of Golgotha." This is the salvation we receive through the atonement of Jesus Christ, as described in the words of Corinthians and Galatians.
The reason this is discussed in today's passage about Jacob is: What was Jacob like? Ultimately, because of this, Jacob gives up Benjamin. The Bible wants to tell us that story. Has the amazing cross of Judah, the true cross of Jesus Christ, come to you as the grace of atonement, as the atoning Savior? Has He entered you? When He enters, He becomes the King on my throne, the Lord within me. When He enters within me, He is my existence. It becomes a life lived with Jesus Christ as true existence before God. If Jesus Christ does not enter, you may breathe, but it is not life; it is mere existence.
Through this fierce, atoning love of the cross, Jacob moves to a place of surrender. And finally, he gives up Benjamin. For you and me, this stubborn self-love, this "I," this Jacob, that does not crumble or break, how does it become Israel? If I die, will it be enough? No, it will not be enough. Then what? Yes. Just as Judah's cross entered Jacob, the cross of Jesus Christ must enter within us. >> Jacob sheds tears. And then he places Benjamin in his bosom. This is next week's message. He places him.
So, is Jacob's life ruined, destroyed, and finished? Is it really so? No. He meets Joseph, whom he thought was dead. And he enjoys the glorious life and splendor of multiplying into the nation of Israel in Egypt. And Jacob lived until he was 15 years old with Abraham. Jacob certainly knew Abraham's covenant, so he asked to be buried in the cave of Machpelah in the land of Canaan when he died. And because Jacob told Joseph this, Joseph also said, "When you leave Egypt, carry my bones with you." And indeed, they carried Joseph's bones out.
Jacob could not deal with himself as his own existence. Rachel, Joseph, and Benjamin were projected onto this. God continuously works through the rod of grace to address this issue. And through God's grace, Jacob, through the cross of Judah, finally gives up his last son, Benjamin.
We thank God who accomplishes this within us. And we must awaken from the delusion and misconception that we exist because of what is seen in reality, and that we are beings who possess more of what is seen. Even though we know that reality is not eternal, and that we cannot take anything with us when we die, we still cling to worthless things and cannot open our hands. God is dealing with us just as He dealt with Jacob regarding our existence. But this is not our ruin or destruction; it is becoming true existence before God. Do not forget this fact.
What is the true blessedness of a believer? Only believers enjoy this blessedness. Unbelievers, if they face economic hardship, take on second and third jobs, and accumulate more worldly possessions to prove their existence. However, believers, while existing in this competitive reality of the material world, are also in a situation where they strive to be existent. But the blessedness of a believer is that God places the idols we grasp to become existent at the Jabbok River. And at the Jabbok River, He makes us realize that it is God, not the world, that we should rely on. He forces us to that place. And at the Jabbok River, we only feigned death. True death is when Jacob himself, projected onto Benjamin, must die. Jacob dying means nothing other than the event of personally embracing Jesus. The cross of Judah enters. Amen.
We believe in Jesus, as if we are ministers. Then we will not go to hell. But the answer is correct. We go to heaven by receiving Jesus Christ. Receiving Jesus Christ means that the illusion that we are existent because we are visible in reality must be shattered. And when the life of Jesus Christ, the true existence, the light, enters within us, only then do we become existent. Please remember this.
This is Colossians chapter 1. This is the confession and the state of faith of the Apostle Paul, who has become existent. Look at the state of the Apostle Paul, who has become existent. "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church." "This is the ministry which I have received from God for you, to make the word of God fully known." "This mystery, which was hidden for ages and generations but now has been manifested to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. To this end I also labor, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me."
You see, the Apostle Paul says, "I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake." The Apostle Paul says, "I have been to the third heaven, and I am caught between life and death. My truth is that I wish to die quickly. No, I wish to enter eternal life quickly. But because God has kept me alive and is working in me, I am doing this for you, for the church." He first speaks of the church in Colossae. He is suffering for the church. He wants to leave quickly, but he is living between life and death. But he is not just living; he says he rejoices in the labor, sacrifice, and tears for the church. Why does he rejoice? He explains: "I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church." What are Christ's remaining afflictions? They are not Christ's remaining afflictions. Jesus Christ's cross has already resolved our sins, transgressions, and all our shortcomings through the righteousness and merit of Christ's cross. Therefore, no human righteousness or merit needs to be added for salvation. So, what are the remaining afflictions? Yes. It is when Christ's cross becomes my cross. Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." You say, "Jesus has already borne the cross. Thank you. Hallelujah. The Lord has done it all. The Lord has done it all." Oh, thank you. I have nothing to do. The place where the idol has fallen. The place where the self is dismantled on the cross and Jesus Christ enters within, that life enters, that is a place of glory. It is a place of enjoying true heavenly life. The Apostle Paul explains this enjoyment like this: "I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake. I fill up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, the church, in my flesh." When filling up for the flesh, how painful it is. How difficult it is. Then he explains: "This is the ministry which I have received from God for you, to make the word of God fully known."
Do those who hold positions just receive their positions and think about when they will retire? Repent if you only think about retirement. Is it not given by God? Like the Apostle Paul, "God, grant me one more day to preach the Word, or one more day to serve. Thank you, God." And then the Lord may come first. Or perhaps He may call me this evening. The joy of becoming existent in the place where the idol has fallen, of becoming true existence, of enjoying, testifying, and tasting this, is so blessed. Without knowing this, without knowing what this position is, living like this – is Christ within you? Is it existence? Is it that I have become Israel within me because Christ is within me? You must examine yourselves. When Christ enters, this confession of the Apostle Paul becomes mine. "God, I want to live like this. But I lack the ability. Because I want to live like this, God, hold me. And grant me the grace to continue on this path until the end. Support me and lead me."
We are all not just ministers, elders, and deacons appointed outwardly, but we are all many priests who have received the threefold office of king, prophet, and priest. We are all called to be workers of the church. You, as workers of the church, think about what your labor is. George Whitefield, after hearing his sermon and seeing many people flocking and cheering, said, "You, has this sermon been a grace and glory to you? But I do not believe your repentance unless your purse repents."
Truly, within us, in the place where the idol in God has fallen, becoming existent, becoming true existence, what kind of faith do we have as workers of the church, as those who spread that life within this church, as those who live by faith? Let us truly examine ourselves and believe and worship God as Israel, not as Jacob, who lives by faith. I bless you in the name of the Lord.
You know, where is the Apostle Paul now? Where is he? Is he in Hades? Or in Paradise? I am sorry. Yes. Yes. The Apostle Paul is undoubtedly in Paradise, in the embrace of the Lord. It is a sign of being awake that we have even small thoughts like, "If I die now, perhaps I might go to Hades and then see the Lord." But there is nothing to worry about whether I will go to Hades or Paradise when I die. We just need to align our daily faith, our attitude, and our posture with the Apostle Paul. Just as he filled up what was lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, the church, if we live a life of loving the Lord and living like that, we will naturally be in the Lord's Paradise. The Lord has wiped away his tears, caressed him, embraced him, and now he is in His embrace. When the Lord returns, is not that what we hope for? Not "Where will I go when I die?" but the heaven that we already possess. For the Lord who has entered within me, for the Lord within me. If the Lord is not within me, I can only live for myself. If the Lord is within me, He is the Lord, and the servant follows the path the Lord takes. >> We have become existence within the Lord, who has entered as our Lord, our King, our God. Then, let us offer a prayer of faith together, saying, "I will walk the remaining time for the Lord, for my existence." Let us pray together.
Lord, Father God, we know that there are clearly those on this earth to whom You have given Jesus, and those to whom You have not. Are we those whose lives were destined to receive Jesus? We have met and seen how God has, through tribulation and famine, ultimately removed the idol of "self" and dismantled it on the cross, so that Jesus Christ could be given to us. God, we confess that now, through the cross of Jesus, Jesus is the Lord within me, not I. We confess that there is a divine leading within us to walk the path of the cross of that Lord, even though it is painful, difficult, and no one wants to go there. Thank you. God, the purpose for sending us to this earth was to give us Jesus, and we have received Jesus. To give us Jesus, You have broken our defiled, false desires within us, revealed that true self is in Jesus, and because we have Jesus, we live as existent beings for Jesus Christ in the remaining time. We are filled with gratitude. God, we will live this faith correctly and become God's joy and glory through this faith. May You alone receive all glory. In Jesus' name, we pray. >> Amen.