Introduction

Good day to all! We will now study Genesis, Chapter 42. This chapter is particularly well-written, and the events described often defy common sense. Many people struggle to understand these things, but I deeply appreciate how remarkable Joseph was! The theme of this chapter is "The Dream Finally Comes True."

Joseph's Brothers Bow Down to Joseph

Joseph's brothers bowed down to Joseph. Do you know how many years Joseph waited for this day? I roughly calculated it to be twenty-two years. These twenty-two years included ten years of slavery and three years in prison. After being released from prison, he served as the prime minister of Egypt for nine years. During these nine years, one might wonder why Joseph didn't go home to see his father. The characters in the Bible often seem to disregard family ties, and achieving one's dreams requires a certain tenacity.

After waiting for twenty-two years, Joseph's dream finally came true, and his brothers came before him and bowed down. His brothers had once said, "Let's see what becomes of his dreams!" A person with faith and dreams cannot be stopped from achieving those dreams. You must have a glorious dream in your heart, one that comes from God. If your dream is a worldly one, it holds little significance.

Joseph had ten older brothers. I believe Joseph must have discussed with his father, saying, "Dad, you obtained the birthright with just a bowl of lentil stew; you're so lucky." His father would ask, "Why am I lucky?" Joseph would reply, "You only had one older brother. I have ten older brothers. How can I obtain the birthright? If a bowl of lentil stew worked on one brother, how long will I have to wait with ten bowls? And the lentil stew trick might not work again because everyone knows about it now!" This tactic might not be effective because everyone knows about the lentil stew incident; it's useless! As a result, Joseph inherited something from his father: knowing God. His father said, "Son, don't worry. There are many dreams in God. Besides the birthright, you must trust in God. God will give you a greater blessing, a blessing greater than the birthright."

Do you know that God can certainly manage adding one more Joseph to His kingdom, or another Joseph, or even ten thousand more Josephs? You might ask, "Besides becoming the savior of the family, is there any other arrangement?" We just don't know! In our time, Jesus has already come. What do you need the birthright for? It seems that everything that needs to be done has been done. What else can we do? It seems there's nothing much left to do.

In a small place like Singapore, there is a church in every square kilometer, totaling over 700 churches. Look at the drum set in their churches, the drumsticks swinging wildly, "thump, thump, thump..." That's roughly the sound. The singing is so moving, so full of feeling. But wouldn't that be ruined? I've been hurt by singing since I was young. It's really a disadvantage to not sing well. If I can't sing, many people cover their ears when I start. But I tell you, I still have a dream. My dream isn't about competing in singing, or the stage lighting, or the drum set on stage. My dream is that I believe God has wonderful preparations.

I said, "God, I must be like Joseph. Even though there is a church in every square kilometer, God, I want to build a glorious church. I want to see Your presence." With this dream, I walk step by step. When I started having this dream, do you know what came directly? Not blessings, but suffering. I endured so much hardship, but nothing could shake the dream within me to be used by God.

Many people say, "God didn't give you that dream!" I say, "Can't I have a dream with my eyes open?" Today, looking around, so many have been blessed because of me, and I truly long to be a blessing to more people. As I walked, I later discovered that I had never encountered a particularly good pastor in my life, so I decided to become a good pastor. Is it hard? Yes, it is! No one to lead, no one to guide. But thank God, I have a dream, and God has gradually fulfilled my dream step by step.

One person entering and leaving the church, one person going to work, one person leaving work. Several years ago, some brothers and sisters quit their jobs to come and work for me. I asked, "Who told you to come?" They said, "Teacher, didn't you ask us to come?" My goodness, I was completely overwhelmed. I finally ended the days of going to work and leaving work alone. Thank God, after a few years, I discovered that what I was doing had gradually formed a system, the system of Chinese Mingding Destiny. Had I thought about it before? No! I didn't know! But God arranged the best for me.

Brothers and sisters, you must know that God has many things in His kingdom that He needs to assign us to manage. He can assign us to establish theology, or He can assign us to build a glorious church, to build 10 glorious churches, to build 100 glorious churches... I am very proud wherever I go. When I take some brothers and sisters out to meet people, they are my testimony. When someone invites me to dinner, I say, "Do you see this? This is how things happened, how they met me. They are so fortunate! Their whole lives have been transformed after meeting me." When I speak, I am filled with tears of gratitude. Joseph waited for 22 years, but I really don't want to wait that long.

I know many people with a calling. David persevered for 13 years after being anointed as the King of Israel. Joseph persevered for 13 years after being sold into Egypt and became the prime minister of Egypt. But it was 22 years later that his brothers came before him and bowed down. Jacob tended sheep at his uncle's house for about 20 years as well. I said, "God, thank you, it seems my days are not that long." No matter how many years, we wait with dreams, we hope with dreams, we pay the price we should pay with dreams; that is a path of faith.

I often say that I have the character of Jacob and the character of Joseph in me, and that is true. When Joseph's brothers came before Joseph and bowed down, why? Because of the famine. This famine came upon Jacob and his sons, and God was not stingy. Isn't that Jacob? No, it was because of Joseph, Joseph with such a dream. God allowed the famine to come upon everyone in the land, just for Joseph's dream, so that his brothers would come before Joseph and bow down.

For Joseph's sake, God allowed the famine to come upon Jacob. Jacob might have been very surprised: "God, why am I experiencing these things?" Because there is someone with more faith, more hope, and more dreams. To fulfill Joseph's dream, it is normal for you to suffer a little. For Jacob's sake, Isaac's eyes went blind. Our God can do anything for those who have dreams. Start becoming a person with dreams!

When his brothers came before him and bowed down, their faces were to the ground. Joseph recognized them, but they did not recognize Joseph. Then Joseph spoke harsh words to them, and Joseph remembered the two dreams from the past. Who can take away the dreams within us? No one. People may have times of weakness, but no one can take away our dreams. Today, I have new dreams again. Dreams of seeing more of God's glory, God's glory filling the whole earth.

How I long for the brothers and sisters I shepherd to inherit the character of Joseph and Jacob. I remember my dream from the past. Once, when I was praying, it seemed like I was half-awake, and I saw a globe in front of me. I saw the lights on the globe "pop" on one by one, and I didn't know what that meant. Now I guess it means that among us, those who are pursuing this dream with me are lighting up together.

Then I saw the entire globe covered with dense lights. I said, "God, what does this mean?" God said, "My glory will fill the whole earth." I asked again, "What do the light bulbs mean?" God's response exceeded my imagination. He said, "Many people will be like the Apostle Paul, many people will be like Jesus Christ, many people will be like Joseph and Jacob." Today, the gospel I am conveying is such a gospel with dreams.

We start having dreams, but why don't you look like Jacob? Why don't you look like Joseph? You haven't even had a dream. It doesn't matter. Have a dream with your eyes open, or have a dream with your eyes closed, it's the same. You must become a blessing to the whole earth. One morning, a sister called me, she was very excited. Because she read a book written by Pastor Gan Paul many years ago, which talked about a faceless and nameless church, which was the vision that Gan Paul saw. This sister said, "Teacher, the book is talking about us!" I said, "Yes! We don't preach our own name, and we don't want to create any famous pastors, but we will definitely see the glory of God manifested among us."

The Faith to Persist for 22 Years

Jacob returned to the land of Canaan with some people after more than 20 years. This Joseph was very powerful. How powerful was Joseph? Even after arriving in Egypt and becoming the prime minister of Egypt, he did not write a letter to his father. Was he heartless? Why didn't he write a letter quickly to tell his father that he had prospered in Egypt? But Joseph didn't write a letter. And Egypt is not far from the land of Canaan, it doesn't take many days to travel.

Joseph was not a heartless person. He wanted to hold on to his dream, that his father and his brothers would come before him and bow down, not that he would return. He did not return to his hometown, how strong he must have been. He served as the prime minister of Egypt for nine years, but he did not return to his hometown to see his father, and he didn't know what had happened to his father's family. Brothers and sisters, let's slowly ponder, what kind of person is this? This is a person who is extremely strong in his bones, a person with a lot of character. Even if he wrote a letter to tell his father that he was still alive and well, would that be okay?

If it were me, I would have to write a letter quickly, I wouldn't want to make my father sad. But Joseph's actions seem a bit damaging, he didn't write a letter. He didn't notify his family, he silently became the prime minister. Did he think about it in his heart? Yes, he did! So Joseph turned away and wept. Every time I think of this, I think of those two dreams again, it seems inhumane. But what he longed for was the fulfillment of the dream that God gave him, not according to the ways of pleasing the flesh.

No matter whose flesh it is, he does not please his own flesh, nor does he please his father's flesh, nor does he please his brothers' flesh. These days of suffering were many! But he persevered through them again and again, persevered for 22 years, just because he had hope, just because he had character, faith in his bones, hope, and dreams. He missed his family, otherwise why would he have wept again and again, why? Finally, this day came. On this day, God fulfilled his dream.

Brothers and sisters, every time we are in great pain, the best medicine to heal our pain is dreams. Hold on to our dreams, because I know that many brothers and sisters among us love God in their bones, but sometimes they don't persevere. They have done many strange things. But it doesn't matter, let's learn this lesson today, use our dreams to support our entire lives, and your life will surely bloom with the glorious light of God.

When your faith surpasses the faith of the previous generation, Jacob, although he was a very faithful man, also came before Joseph and bowed down. Amazing! Start becoming a person with dreams and hope in your family. Persevere day after day, never asking: God, why hasn't it arrived yet. Don't ask this question, because this sentence doesn't sound like a declaration of faith. Faith and dreams can support our lives, faith and dreams can make our lives very wonderful.

A few days ago, I went to a nursing home and saw some old people, to put it bluntly, they were waiting to die. I don't know what the meaning of that is. One of our sisters shared with me that her parents don't know what to do when they wake up in the morning, they go outside for a walk to see people playing mahjong, playing cards, come back to eat something, sleep for a while, and the next day is the same. There is no hope, just eating, drinking, and waiting to die. I can't stand such days, even if I am going to die tomorrow, as long as I have a breath today, I will serve, because serving and blessing people is my life, it is to keep giving. Dreams make people more wonderful, dreams can support a wonderful life.

The Benefit of Causing Discomfort

Joseph's dream persisted for 22 years. When the dream came true, Joseph did something unimaginable. He first made his brothers uncomfortable, putting them in prison.

Joseph recognized his brothers and remembered the dreams he had about them long ago. So he said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land is.” (Genesis 42:9)

As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you to get your brother; the rest of you will be held in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” (Genesis 42:15-16)

Is this unjust or not? I tell you, this is the benefit of causing discomfort. Do you think his brothers were wronged? Very wronged. His brothers came to buy grain, and he put them in prison. Did they think he would forgive them just because they bowed down before him? That is not the point. He was not seeking revenge on his brothers, but to bless them. Because his brothers were a very mixed-up bunch, especially Simeon, who was fundamentally a very mixed-up person. Who cared when Joseph was wronged? What did he do to be sold into slavery in Egypt? That was a divine injustice! When Joseph heard his brothers say:

They said to each other, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.” (Genesis 42:21)

No compassion! Joseph pleaded with his brothers at the time, "Let me go, don't do this, I beg you." But they were determined to harm him. This was a divine injustice! If God wants to bring about an injustice in your life, you should know it is a good thing. Causing discomfort is beneficial; it is a divine injustice. Joseph experienced a divine injustice; not everyone is qualified for that. God will only do this in your life if you are a Joseph. But in Joseph's case, it was a man-made injustice. What should you persist in when faced with a man-made injustice? Persist in repentance.

I deeply understand the logic behind it, so I often create some man-made injustices to make people repent and reflect. When his brothers were thrown into prison, they huddled together, whispering. For three days, they didn't know when they would be brought out, they had no idea. Joseph put them in prison for three days to let them discuss the matter. When they discussed and felt it was all over, they discussed among themselves, saying:

They said to each other, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.” Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” (Genesis 42:21-22)

They did not know that the man was Joseph, thinking that disaster had struck and they would be imprisoned for life. They also had an elderly father at home, and they thought it was all very difficult! As a result, after three days, Joseph brought them all out. These brothers were very nervous. What hope and faith did they have? They often had great faith in doing bad things. I think they must have been constantly repenting in prison for three days. People! If they do not suffer some disasters, they will not repent properly, and they are still looking for reasons and distinguishing things all day long.

So discomfort is not a bad thing. Discomfort with vision and dreams has the strength from heaven to help you get through it. There is also a kind of discomfort that you bring upon yourself, having done enough bad things, which is deserved! Simeon and Levi killed all the Shechemites and sold Joseph. They originally wanted to kill Joseph; they were very bad. When this happened to them, they felt that they were being punished. As a result, Joseph brought them out on the third day and said:

On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do. (Genesis 42:18-20)

They said to each other, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.” Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” (Genesis 42:21-22)

After people have done unconscionable things, they will think of their own misfortune at the slightest sign of trouble, because they have done something stupid and harmful. As a result, Joseph heard it.

He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He took Simeon from them and had him tied up before their eyes. (Genesis 42:24)

Why? The dream has finally come true. Today, making them uncomfortable is to make them reflect and repent. If they are not made uncomfortable, when will they remember the stupid things they did? So Joseph picked out Simeon, because among all of Jacob's sons, Simeon was the worst, often doing bad things, so he had Simeon tied up in front of them. If Simeon had repented properly, Joseph would not have done this.

How hard is Simeon's heart! So give him a little more time to repent in prison. In prison, he can be imprisoned for life. As a result, he waited month after month in prison, with no news. Why? Because Jacob would not allow them to bring his youngest son over. Simeon slowly repented inside. I ask you, what hope is there in sitting in prison? There is no hope. Does Simeon have faith like Joseph? No. Simeon was always desperate, and in his despair, he remembered the bad things he had done.

Joseph hoped that he could repent, because in the past three days in prison, he was still arguing with Reuben and Judah: it was not this, it was that, it was not like this, it was like that. This time, you thought Joseph would not choose, so he chose Simeon to let you stay in prison for a longer period of time. When can you get out of prison? Maybe never. It is normal for one or two people to die in Egyptian prisons. It is normal for one or two people to die in any prison today. No one argues for you, no one fights for you, so you can slowly repent inside.

Joseph wept. The meaning here is very deep. Why? On the one hand, his dream has finally come true. On the other hand, Joseph was also sad to see Simeon's hard heart. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but your heart is too hard. That heart is simply a stone heart, killing people without blinking an eye. As a result, Simeon was picked out and put in prison, really eating prison food in prison. In Egypt at that time, being in prison was no joke, it was very hard.

As a result, Jacob's sons went back. For Jacob, Joseph was gone, and now Simeon was gone. They also said that they had to take Benjamin to Egypt. If they did not take Benjamin to Egypt, they could not go again. Old Jacob thought, can we deal with the prime minister of Egypt? The prime minister of Egypt is like the Lord of the world. We went there to buy grain, but he put Simeon in prison. And now he wants to take Benjamin over. That's not okay. Old Jacob was extremely sad and said that all these things would fall on him.

Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children! Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” (Genesis 42:36)

Jacob was extremely sad. Oh, let's wait for a while. Simeon, you just stay inside. I am not ready yet, and I have not made a decision to let Benjamin go over and get you back. If Benjamin goes over, I don't know what the prime minister of Egypt will do. Maybe he will detain them all again. But old Jacob and his sons found that the money was in the bags and were very confused. What is this all about? They could not figure it out and were very confused, thinking, "Are they going to arrest us as spies and falsely accuse us of stealing the money?" They were all trembling in their hearts.

It is good for people to experience more difficult days in their lives! If you have dreams and experience difficult days, use your dreams to support your hope, use your dreams to support your life, and God will surely fulfill your dreams according to your dreams. If you have done too many bad things, then forget it. If you have done so many bad things, can you still have dreams? You are just a carnal person, like a beast, so repent properly.

To what extent did old Jacob experience these things? In his family, from Abraham, Isaac to Jacob, Jacob had the greatest faith. But God did not let him go either. Because of Joseph, it is normal for old Jacob to be a little sad. This is the work of our God. As a result, let's put this matter aside for now. While putting it aside, what is Simeon doing in prison? Simeon is struggling very much in prison. Why did Joseph want to make Jacob sad? Did he not know that Jacob would be sad? He knew!

But I can tell you that spiritual people see through everything, and it is normal to be sad. Because being sad is beneficial to you, that is to make his father sad. We don't seem to understand it very well today. Jacob must also see through life and death. A spiritual person cannot walk this path if he cannot see through carnal things. Just see through carnal things. I serve my mother without being considerate of the flesh. It is normal to make her a little sad. It is normal to scold her when she should be scolded. People are trained in this way. Jacob must also be re-forged on this path of faith.

Our brothers and sisters must know that in the 《Bible》, especially in 《Genesis》, Joseph's position is the greatest, even surpassing the status of the firstborn. Isn't shepherding done this way? Have you all noticed that your pastors often wrong you? Yes. Have they scolded you? Yes. Have they made you uncomfortable? Yes. Because it is all beneficial to everyone.

Spiritual people see through everything, but no one sees through them. So start to be a spiritual person and see through many worldly things to the extent of Joseph. If you want to become the savior of your family, you cannot be considerate of their flesh. If a person is considerate of the flesh of his family, he will not be able to walk this spiritual path.

Great Faith, Great Position

The 《Bible》 gives Jacob the dream of the status of the firstborn, but gives Joseph something even greater than this status. That is, his father and his brothers must bow down before Joseph. What does the 《Bible》 want to tell us? The 《Bible》 wants to tell us that great faith, great position. For so many years, he did not go home or write a letter. That is being inconsiderate of the flesh to the point of perfection. Simeon was put in prison. Was Joseph seeking revenge or what? Joseph was using spiritual eyes to create him. You must be created because of the service of those with great faith in you.

So today, in the family or in the group we shepherd, be a person with great faith. The greatest faith, the greatest position. Otherwise, if you have no faith inside, how can you pass on faith? Our brothers and sisters begin to understand what kind of message the 《Bible》 wants to convey: The dream has finally come true because Joseph's faith has simply reached the point of perfection.

Do you all want to be like Joseph? If you want to be like Joseph, do it according to the 《Bible》 and it will be extremely good. A person like Joseph has reached the point of completely not being considerate of the flesh, just wanting to become the savior of the family and become the blessing of the family.

May God bless everyone!

《Genesis》 Chapter 42 Scripture

42:1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?”
42:2 He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”
42:3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
42:4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.
42:5 So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan.
42:6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.
42:7 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. Joseph pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”
42:8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.
42:9 Joseph recognized his brothers and remembered the dreams he had about them long ago. So he said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land is.”
42:10 But they answered him, “No, my lord, we your servants have come to buy food.
42:11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men, not spies.”
42:12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see how vulnerable our land is.”
42:13 Then they said, “We your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”
42:14 Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies!
42:15 This is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
42:16 Send one of you to get your brother; the rest of you will be held in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”
42:17 And he put them all in prison for three days.
42:18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:
42:19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households.
42:20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.
42:21 They said to each other, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.”
42:22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.”
42:23 They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.
42:24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He took Simeon from them and had him tied up before their eyes.
42:25 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s money back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them,
42:26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.
42:27 At the place where they stopped for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his money in the mouth of his sack.
42:28 “My money has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack!” Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”
42:29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said,
42:30 “The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as spies surveying the country.
42:31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.
42:32 We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’
42:33 “Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go.
42:34 But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”
42:35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his money! When they and their father saw the money, they were frightened.
42:36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children! Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!”
42:37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back to you.”
42:38 But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”