Called of God

Twelve Evangelists Were Sent and Five Thousand Were Fed

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Twelve Evangelists Were Sent and Five Thousand Were Fed

Book of Luke Chapter 9

We should understand that God has revealed His program for the Church, and the Church is to follow the program God has given us.

We do not have the authority to change the program the Lord Jesus Christ lived and died for and then arose in glory to give us an example of our own glory when we reach Heaven.

We must understand Christ’s calling and our own calling.

We would not understand anything if we were not called of God!

Paul wrote by the Holy Spirit: Rom 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, “called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God”,

All God’s saints have been called: Rom 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, “called to be saints”: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are called for His purpose: Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, “to them who are the called according to his purpose”.

It is because we are called of God that we can believe!

God chose us while we were still sinners, just like the Lord Jesus Christ called twelve men who were the outcasts of society.

God chose us when we deserved death and offered us life!

This is the same thing the Lord Jesus Christ did when He called His disciples.

*Luk 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
Luk 9:2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

1) We already know that the devil’s demons can cause sickness and misery.

Luk 13:11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

Luk 13:16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

2) We should also know that demons can influence the mind.

We know that Satan deceived Eve, and Eve caused Adam to sin.

2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Satan and his demons can lead weak Christians away from the simplicity of Jesus Christ by telling us that it is hard to live by the commands of God, and most of us will fail. He does not mention God’s grace.

Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

We must keep our minds on Christ Jesus!

2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

3) Demons deceive people.

1Th 3:5 For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.

Through his demons Satan also works in unbelievers.

Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

4) Demons deceive nations.

Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

5) Demon possession is a reality.

The Scriptures teach us that there was a great outbreak of demon activity in the time of Jesus Christ, no doubt to oppose Him.

We see this through all the Gospels and in parts of the Book of Acts.

We can see evidence of demon possession in the affected person’s personality.

Demons do have some supernatural knowledge and intellectual power and can show supernatural strength.

Jesus Christ defeated Satan and his demons at the cross:

Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Col 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Are there demons out there today? We have the power to defeat demons because we have the power to defeat Satan, and that power comes by using the Word of God, as we saw in the temptations of Jesus Christ.

Jas_4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

As far as the gift of healing, it was given to the Apostles of Christ by Jesus himself to promote the Gospel. These healings were instantaneous, unconditional, and most importantly, purposeful.

Not just for the purpose of relieving their suffering.

It was secondary to preaching the Word of God.

It was to confirm these Apostles as the messengers of God.

We must understand who our enemies are: Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Today God heals through answered prayer and not through another person.

The Lord Jesus gave these men the power to do certain things and then the authority to use that power.

He does not do this today!

*Luk 9:3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.
Luk 9:4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.
Luk 9:5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.
Luk 9:6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

We wonder why the Lord told them not to take necessary items with them.

The Lord Jesus did not want them to worry about anything when it came to their own needs. This would only hinder them in fulfilling their mission.

They were to travel with “faith” that our Heavenly Father would provide those needs.

This way, they could dedicate themselves completely to their task.

They were to have perfect faith!

Missions and missionaries fail because of a lack of faith!

We need to believe and trust God everyday knowing that He loves us and He will do what He says He will do.

We cannot allow material things to become obstacles in serving God.

We must avoid any appearance of evil or of being evil.

We must avoid all worldly distractions when serving the Lord.

The Jews were hospitable people, taught from the beginning by the Laws of Moses.

Exo_23:9 Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The disciples were to investigate and search out a receptive family and home and stay there until it was time to move on to another city.

The family is still most important to God. The Church is to be the family of God!

The Gospel is a message for the community intended to spread from family to family.

There is nothing upon this earth that is to be more stable than the godly family.

Preaching and door-to-door evangelism are still the preferred methods of reaching the lost.

Act 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. Act 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

This is the method taught by the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus told His disciples that there would be places where they would not be received.

It was the custom of the Jews when they returned from Gentile lands, as they crossed the frontiers of the Holy Land, to shake the dust off their feet.

This was saying: “we free ourselves from all contact with you” or “we free ourselves from participation in your condemnation”.

It had the same meaning as that of Pilate: Mat 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

The Apostle Paul also had his method for the Judaizers: Acts 18:6 And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

What did the Lord Jesus say about those who rejected the Gospel? Mat 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.

And so, they went forth preaching and teaching the “Kingdom of God”.

*Luk 9:7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead;
Luk 9:8 And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again.
Luk 9:9 And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him.

There was a revival happening in Judah, and it found its way into the halls of government.

This teaches us that every government always has its ears open to what is happening in Christianity.

Almost every government will seek ways to stop any revival of Christianity.

Herod had already murdered John the Baptist, thinking he had stopped the Christian movement, but he was wrong.

No government exists that can stop the plan of God!

Some people had said that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead.

This bothered Herod because he had murdered John by removing his head to give to his wife, and he was feeling guilty because he was guilty.

The family of Herod was a tangled mess.

Herodias was the daughter of Aristobulus, another son of Herod the Great. When she married Philip, she was marrying her own father’s brother.

Herod Antipas was another uncle of Herodias, and Herod Antipas talked Herodias into leaving his brother Philip to marry him, further compounding the incest in this family.

This is why John the Baptist preached against these things, and it got him murdered by the king.

Not only had some people said that John had risen from the dead, but others had said that Elijah had come back as had been prophesied, and some had even said that Jesus was one of the other prophets that had been raised from the dead.

The biggest thing we see here is that the imaginations of non-believers will run wild when they realize their guilt.

What did God say about the conscience? Heb_9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

What else did God say? 1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Herod thought that if he could just see the Lord Jesus in the flesh, then he would not feel so guilty and just maybe he could be forgiven.

Wickedness will bring you to conviction sometimes, but you must act upon it.

*Luk 9:10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.

The first thing we notice here is that we all need some private time with the Lord Jesus.

It is just after this that the Lord Jesus spends most of His time with these twelve men.

This is also a good example for all of us. We need to tell the Lord what we have accomplished and then seek His wisdom on how to do better.

There is no time that we should be standing still.

If we are having results in our ministries, it is only because we know the Lord Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit.

We should always evaluate ourselves to see how we can improve.

A desert place is a place that is not cultivated for crops but consists of grazing land.

Bethsaida was the birth home of Peter, Andrew, and Philip.

Joh 1:44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

It seems no matter where the Lord was, crowds of people could always find Him.

*Luk 9:11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

We should notice that the Lord Jesus always has time for the needy.

These disciples would soon embark on the greatest mission of this world, but the Lord Jesus would always take time to help those who came to Him because He is our compassionate Savior.

This lesson is clear. Even when we need our rest, there are still people who need the Lord.

There are always sheep who need the Shepherd.

Mar 6:34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

In the Kingdom of God, God is the absolute ruler, and we are His subjects; the Word of God is the absolute law, and obedience is demanded.

Many people are confused about this and think they can alter the Law of God.

If you are a “Born Again” child of God, you have already felt the healing power of God, but in most cases, healing is not our greatest need.

It is always our Spiritual needs that are most important, so therefore the Lord does not always heal us as we would think He would.

Most of the time, we can learn more in our suffering than we can ever learn when we are healthy, and we can get closer to God.

This was a lesson that these chosen men of God needed to learn.

Miracles are great, but salvation is greater!

*Luk 9:12 And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place.
Luk 9:13 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.

We know that these disciples had been given certain powers when they were sent on a mission, and we do not read where He had taken their powers away.

So, the Lord tells them to provide their needs.

These people had certainly been listening to the Lord for several hours, and it may have been hard for them to find food so late in the day.

We know this was a crowd of five thousand men, and it could have been much larger if there were women and children there.

The Lord Jesus could have stopped his teaching earlier, but He did not.

Either way, five thousand people would never find shelter or food to meet their needs in such a short period of time.

The answer these disciples had was that the people could provide their own needs.

We know that people just cannot be left to sustain their own needs; we all need God’s help.

Jesus told His disciples it was they who should provide the needs of these people.

It was more important for these people to hear the message of God than it was to seek food and shelter.

Joh 6:49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Joh 6:50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

The biggest problem the twelve disciples saw was that there were just not enough resources available to feed these people.

The twelve men said that they did not have the power to meet the needs of these people. We know that only God has such power.

There is nothing too hard for God!

*Luk 9:14 For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company.
Luk 9:15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.

It would have been hard to make sure that every person could eat if this crowd were not organized.

They were set as if they were an army.

While this was taking place, the Lord took time to pray. He had what He needed: “five small barley loaves and two fish”.

Mar 6:40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
Mar 6:41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.

*Luk 9:16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.
Luk 9:17 And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.

The Jewish barley loaves were broad, thin cakes, and they were broken to eat them.

The two fish were small fish, maybe no bigger than sardines, and were salted to preserve them.

The Lord Jesus Christ broke these small cakes and fish, and He gave them to the Apostles, and He just kept on breaking and giving until all were fed.

The Lord Jesus Christ was meeting the needs of these children of Judah.

Jesus had first looked up to Heaven, giving thanks to God the Father.

Jesus thanked God for what He did have, fives cakes of barley and two fish.

He then blessed what God had already given to Him.

We should understand that once we do our part in the work God has given to us, then and only then will God multiply our resources.

What we will see is that there was plenty enough to feed this large crowd, and there was still some leftovers.

God will provide more than enough!

Each of the Lord’s disciples kept coming to Jesus to fill their baskets until all were fed.

Joh 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

Psa 37:16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

By feeding these people in such a desert place, the Lord Jesus shows these Jews He is the new Moses spoken of in the Books of Moses!

Deu 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

Deu 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Deu 18:19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

When everyone had their fill, twelve baskets, one for each Apostle, were filled with what had not been eaten.

When we study this miracle out, we do not see any indication that any of these people were aware of the miracle that had just taken place beyond His own disciples.

The truth is that this world belongs to the Lord Jesus: Psa 24:1 The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

*Luk 9:18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?
Luk 9:19 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.
Luk 9:20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

The Lord Jesus never forgot to thank His Father for what He had done.

The Lord Jesus also needed strength as He would set out for Jerusalem, where He would soon face the cross.

We can only imagine the mental anguish upon the Lord as He walked by Golgotha, knowing He would soon die there.

No doubt this would be part of His suffering for us, even before the cross.

At the end of His prayer, He then asked His disciples, “Who say the people that I am”?

There were many Jews who thought that Jesus was the reincarnated John the Baptist.

Others said He was Elijah who had returned as prophesied.

It was also time for those twelve chosen men who rest their minds on Jesus the Christ of God.

It was time for them to confess without hesitation that Jesus was the Messiah sent from Heaven.

As disciples of Christ Jesus, we must pray before all major events in our lives.
As disciples of Christ Jesus, we too must come to an understanding of the Cross, His death, burial, and His resurrection.

We must pray for strength to withstand the trials of life, to bear our own cross that lies ahead of us.

Psa 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
Psa 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Many people just said the Lord Jesus was just a great man who had come their way.

These twelve men needed to have their concept of the Messiah corrected with the truth.

The general saying was that the Messiah would come to be King of Israel and, like King David, save them from their enemies.

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Mic 5:3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
Mic 5:4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

Jer 33:14 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.
Jer 33:15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.
Jer 33:16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.

All these things would be true, but the Lord Jesus first came to save us and start the Church.

Jesus was not the Forerunner John the Baptist.
Jesus was not Elijah returned.
Jesus was not one of the Prophets of the Old Testament who returned.

These are the same false confessions made of the Messiah in every generation.

The Lord Jesus is much more than just some man martyred for His faith.
He was certainly the greatest teacher and the greatest prophet of all time.
He was the only one who could tell us the truth of God.
He was the One sent not only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles.
He was a Great Carpenter.
He did make this world, but many reject this truth.

What is the truth? 1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1Jn 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

Again: 1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
1Jn 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
1Jn 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1Jn 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

The Lord Jesus is indeed the Messiah sent from the only true God, Immanuel, with the mission to save all mankind.

The Lord Jesus was not just some man. He is the Almighty Living God!

*Luk 9:21 And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;
Luk 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

The truth is, “Faith” in God cannot be lived out in a vacuum.

A sheltered faith can never be a mature faith!

As believers, we are not to accept the opinion of others; we must know that we know the Lord Jesus is indeed the Messiah sent from God to save us from the penalty of our sin.

The Lord Jesus is indeed the Messiah, but not what the Jews wanted at that time.

The path of His suffering was not an option. It had to take place just as written in the Word of God.

The path to His Kingship will also be just as described in the Word of God.

It was the elders of Judah, the Chief Priests, and the Scribes, who caused Jesus to be slain.

Many of these were the members of the Sanhedrin Court, the Supreme Court of the Jews.

Amen

The Prophet Elisha

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

God’s Prophet of Miracles

2 Kings 2:9-14, 4:1-7, 6:1-7

What is making a commitment?

The act of pledging yourself to God and entrusting yourself to God.

Before Elisha became the powerful prophet that he was, he spent some time with the Prophet Elijah.

Elijah was somewhat like a father to Elisha, and Elisha was a devoted servant to Elijah.

We must have this relationship with our Heavenly Father, and we do this while trying to be more like the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Elisha made a commitment to Jehovah and Elijah.

2Ki 2:5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
2Ki 2:6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.

The Prophet Elisha refused to leave the side of Elijah.

Now it was not Elijah who called Elisha to be a prophet of Jehovah, it was Jehovah who had called him through Elijah.

1Ki 19:16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.

We can all love and cherish our pastor, but this will not make us preachers.

We must be called of God!

Elijah knew his time had come to leave this earth, and God did this in a special way.

Elijah had used many ways to test the commitment of Elisha, and Elisha had passed every test.

It was Elisha who would spend the final moments alone with his beloved prophet.

For more than twenty years, the Prophet Elijah had witnessed to the nation of Israel.

Elijah had the power of God upon him.

*2Ki 2:8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.
2Ki 2:9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
2Ki 2:10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

Somewhat like Moses at the Red Sea, Jehovah parted the waters of the River Jordan so his two prophets could cross on dry ground.

On this very day, Elijah would be raptured out of this world in full view of Elisha.

I say raptured because what does the word rapture mean?

The word rapture means to be “caught up”.

1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Before the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will descend from Heaven, catching up the Church to be with Himself while the tribulation is unleashed on a world that refuses to repent and is full of unbelievers once the Church is gone.

The seventh week of the prophet Daniel is an outpouring of the wrath of God!

Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

The Tribulation is described in the Book of Revelation from Chapter 6 through Chapter 16.

Rev 19:2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

That word “whore” means the false Church and those who reject our Creator, especially those who know the truth of God but have rejected Him.

Elisha asked Elijah for a double portion of the Holy Spirit that powered Elijah.

He knew he could not replace Elijah.

Elijah did not have the power to grant such a request because his power came from the Spirit of Jehovah.

In those days, the firstborn son in a Hebrew family was granted a double portion of any inheritance if they were found worthy.

Then, without any warning, Jehovah claimed His servant, Elijah.

*2Ki 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

We must know that our lives are in the hands of the Lord to do as He pleases!

1) God knows when our work is done.
2) Death seems so low, but in fact, we are elevated to a higher service.
3) We are elevated, dignified, and glorified.
4) We do not enter into soul sleep or an intermediate state; we go to another world we call Heaven.

Elijah was carried up by the power of God.

When our Lord Jesus went back to Heaven, He went under His own power.

Elijah was taken up as in the rapture.

Jesus Christ just went back to Heaven, where He came from, to sit at the right hand of God.

The Lord Jesus is coming again first to Rapture the Church into the clouds and then to this earth at the end of the tribulation period of seven years.

Elisha saw with his own eyes that God’s people are all surrounded by angels.

2Ki 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

*2Ki 2:12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
2Ki 2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
2Ki 2:14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

Jehovah had used the Prophet Elijah to demonstrate to Israel that it was Jehovah who had the true power over Israel.

He will do the same with the Prophet Elisha, and it is these things that we must learn from the Old Testament.

If we cannot commit ourselves to our God, how can we ever overcome the obstacles that Satan will put in our path of righteousness?

1Co 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
1Co 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Faithful is another word for commitment!

Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Elisha’s first call was to pick up the fallen cloak of Elijah.

Elisha was to replace the great Prophet Elijah.

The next proof to Elisha was the parting of the River Jordan.

This was an act of faith that he had received the power of God as he had desired.

Elijah had promised the fulfillment of this request, and God had allowed it to take place.

There were some eyewitnesses to this event, and they needed to see if Elisha truly had the power of God upon him.

Elisha began his ministry, and we will see more miracles from this man of God than from any other prophet of God.

*2Ki 4:1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2Ki 4:2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

Just as it is today, women who have lost their husbands or never had one to begin with will struggle to raise a family.

Many of them are like this woman who was married to a preacher, and all of a sudden, he had died, and he died owing money to a ruthless man.

We also see that these sons of the prophets did not separate themselves from society but had families and had family life.

So, this was something that God did not require. In fact, the Church is to be a close-knit family, just as all families should be,

This woman was left with a son and a small pot of olive oil and no money to pay the creditor.

The Jewish law of that time demanded that debts be paid, but God had His demands.

Lev 25:38 I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.
Lev 25:39 And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:
Lev 25:40 But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile:
Lev 25:41 And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.

No Jew could be made a slave by another Jew according to the Word of God because they all had been slaves in Egypt.

We also know that the Word of God was abused then as it is today.

The Prophet Elisha knew what was going on here, and so did Jehovah, who watches over us all.

*2Ki 4:3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
2Ki 4:4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
2Ki 4:5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

There are times when we will have a heavy need, and the Lord Jesus reminds us of what to do.

Joh 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Joh 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

Elijah was now gone to Heaven, so this woman turned to Elisha and Elisha said: “Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few”.

God said: Go to your neighbors and get all the containers that they will let you have.

This woman took her small vessel of olive oil and began pouring it into the borrowed buckets, pitchers, and any other containers until they were all full, and she still had her vessel of olive oil.

When God offers His gifts, we must never be the reason that His gift falls short.

As this oil is a type of the Holy Spirit, we must understand that it is never a question of the amount of oil; it is always a question of the empty vessels that need to be filled.

God has enough of His Spirit to fill every human being upon this earth and keep them full!

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
2Co 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair.
2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
2Co 4:11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

God’s oil can never run out!

We must take advantage of His offer to help us.

If this woman had a lack of faith and just gotten a few containers, her sons would have still had to serve the creditor, and she might not have ever seen them again.

Notice also that this thing was to be done behind closed doors.

This was a woman with a lot of faith.

*2Ki 4:6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
2Ki 4:7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

We must understand that being poor is not necessarily a disgrace.

Being poor, we can sometimes better understand the gifts of God.

We could say that the Bible is the poor man’s book because God certainly remembers the poor.

A poor woman with a devout heart can be the greatest prayer warrior in the Church and many are.

Psa 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

Psa 10:14 Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.

God’s heart is full of compassion for those who cannot help themselves and who depend on Him to meet their needs.

What did this poor woman do?

1) She informed a true man of God of her situation and sought his counsel.
2) She sought the help of her neighbors, humbly asking for assistance.
3) She sought privacy, giving God all the glory.
4) She got involved in the remedy, pouring the oil herself.
5) She had faith that God would meet her need.

Jesus said: Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

We should understand that every circumstance we face in life could be a test and a means of Christian growth, whether they are good or bad.

To be honest, we can grow more during our bad times than our good times if our faith stays rock solid.

Indeed, we cannot have a testimony until we are tested.

The Bible is a lot of things to a lot of people, but it is surely a testimony of God’s power to help and to defend His people.

The Old Testament is full of things that God did for His people, and we know we serve this same God today.

*2Ki 6:1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.
2Ki 6:2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.
2Ki 6:3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.

The place where these sons of the prophets gathered to study the Word of God had grown too small, and they wanted to build a bigger place on the shores of the River Jordan.

Notice that every man was to join in the construction of this new building.

Even Elisha would be with them.

By building this new place to worship near the place where they gathered the lumber, they would not have to transport these materials to the other place.

We can see that the Word of God was still working in the places of the Northern Tribes of Israel.

*2Ki 6:4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
2Ki 6:5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
2Ki 6:6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
2Ki 6:7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

We may wonder why this story is in the Bible, but God has His reason for every word He gives to us.

We can understand Church growth.
We can understand the members of the Church helping with the construction.
We can understand the head prophet or the Pastor joining in with the work.
A united Church can accomplish so much more than a divided Church!

What is the purpose of a miracle of God?

We know that miracles did not happen at random throughout Scripture but occurred mainly in the days of Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, and Jesus Christ and the Apostles.

There are a select few that happened outside this time, but not many.

Miracles were given to authenticate God’s message.

God enabled His messengers to perform miracles to substantiate the new message they were given.

The word “miracle” means “power” or “work of power”.

Today, God does not work through a person for miracles to happen.

God may answer a prayer of a believer that requires a miracle, or He may perform a miracle in the life of a believer again as an answer to prayer.

So, a believer’s prayer is the most powerful gift we have today.

Here in our passage, we see that an axe-head called “the iron” came off the ax handle and fell into the River Jordan.

This man had borrowed this ax from his neighbor, and by Jewish Law, he was responsible for it.

Iron tools were precious and scarce on that day.

This happened often with the axes of that day.

Deu 19:5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:

Elisha asked him in what part of the river it fell, and he showed him.

The River Jordan is not a clear river.

In this miracle, Elisha threw a stick down into the river and the axe-head did swim to that stick and that man reached down a picked up the axe-head.

For that man, this was quite a miracle.

Joh 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

This man had lost this axe-head while he was faithfully serving the Lord.

As servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must walk carefully before the Lord and take inventory of our tools lest we lose something that we need.

Without this axe-head, this man could only watch others’ work, and there are far too many of these types in the Church already.

If we honestly lose something and own up to it while doing the work the Lord has given to us to do, then God can recover what we lost and get us back into the race, as the Apostle Paul would say.

Amen

From Riches to the Slave Market

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Joseph and his Brothers

Book of Genesis Chapters 36 through Chapter 38

As we go through these last lessons in the Book of Genesis, we need to remember the time these children spent in Mesopotamia.

How they witnessed the envy and jealousy of the wives of their father.

How two sisters were locked in a bitter feud over them as they were born.

How their grandfather had treated their father Jacob so deceitfully.

How in all their time had had not seen much love from their parents and their grandfather.

They had witnessed envy and jealousy and strife all their days.

We can just imagine how these mothers had taught hatred.

And then Jacob got in on this thing by choosing to show favoritism to Joseph because he was born of Rachel the only wife he truly loved.

This is no way to raise children and we will begin to see some of the results of these things in our lesson today.

Did God also show favoritism to Joseph or does God just try to show how He cares for abused children?

The life of Joseph is expressed in many words in the rest of the Book of Genesis and there are many lessons we can learn from these chapters of Joseph’s life.

Israel would soon need an earthly savior and God chose Joseph to be that earthly savior.

Joseph is a prime example in the Old Testament of what a Christian should be in the New Testament!

Joseph was raised in a wealthy home, but he spent many years as a slave before rising to a place of power.

As a slave he worked hard enough to become the manager of his master’s estate.
As a prisoner he worked so hard he became manager of the prison.
As a man of God, he was called upon to give spiritual guidance to Pharaoh and became second in command of Egypt.

All these things happened because he was a willing servant of God!

What did the Apostle Paul teach us?

Php 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Php 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Joseph never took his eyes off the Lord at any time in his life!

We must also never forget that Joseph was just a sinner used by the Lord to accomplish certain things.

Joseph became the deliverer of Israel as Israel grew from a family into a nation!

God has a plan for each one that He saves if we will be just as willing as Joseph, and be content as Paul no matter our circumstances.

We may be called upon to do many things in these last days.

We must completely understand though many things happen that we do not agree with, the Almighty God is the supreme Ruler of this world!

We must never blame Jehovah for the way the world is going, we must accept that God knows what He is doing and do the work he gave us to do right up till the sound of the trumpet.

God is the Sovereign Ruler of this world that He created that we are in the process of ruining.

*Gen 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

The first thing we see is that Jacob is still showing favoritism in this family, this time aimed at Joseph.

These other sons and daughters have witnessed these things all their days.

When you have one father and four different mothers there will be problems in the house as each mother tries to do the best for her own children.

Favoritism causes division within the home. It did then and it does now!

When Joseph was old enough, he began feeding the flocks along with his other brothers.

We know Israel was rich and richness was counted by the number of animals he owned in that day and Israel had many animals.

From the stories of Laban and his daughters we found that Jacob was good with animals and his sons would have learned from him.

Joseph was with his brothers trying to learn the skills necessary to be a shepherd.

The truth is Israel (Jacob) should have had more sense than to single out Joseph for special treatment as he had been a part of these sort of things all his own life and it was multiplied as he had spent 20 years with Laban and been misused himself.

Joseph was his favorite son because Rachel was his favorite wife, and all the children knew these things to be true.

For God’s own plan, he had equipped Joseph with some skills it did not seem his brothers had but we know God does not show favoritism to anyone, especially His own children, whom we are.

We all play a part in the plan of God for this world and He is making all the arrangements for our future home with Him in His House.

We are all different and we all have different skills, but it is how we use those skills that can be a benefit in the work of the Lord.

Once we are saved then the Holy Spirit will decide what else we need, and He may even increase those skills we have or turn us to an entirely different set of skills.

Now we cannot be sure just what a coat of different colors would look like, but we can be sure none of the other children who were all grown men at this time had one like it.

And it being hand made by dad made it even more hated by the others.

It was a rich looking garment of royalty that a shepherd would have no need of, but it is here where we can see in typology our Savior.

Our Savior took off the robes of royalty to put on the coat of a shepherd.

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Joh 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

None of these things set well with Joseph’s brothers.

Here again we will see another type of Christ as He came to His own and was rejected by them.

*Gen 37:4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

As we already know from previous Scripture, Jacob loved Rachel far above his other wives.

No doubt all the other boys who were now grown men had lived in this scenario all their days.

They had been eyewitnesses to the deceit of Laban their grandfather.
They had been eyewitness to the envy and jealousy of Leah and Rachel because they lived in the middle of it.
They now witnessed the favoritism of Jacob toward Joseph.

Joseph was partially beloved for his mother’s sake.

But Joseph was the only son who was at home with his father during Israel’s older years as Joseph had just turned 17.

And no doubt Joseph was just special in his ways and just a little bit different from the other boys.

When Jacob started dressing Joseph in finer clothes, it just brought all these things to a head and we already know “envy” brings with it, untold sin.

Pro 27:4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?

In a family we are born to help one another, and we should take this mindset out into the world, but envy causes us to destroy one another, even if they are close family.

Joseph’s 10 brothers hated him so much that they could not even speak to him in words of peace. They could not offer him peace. They could not even wish him well.

Then God steps in with prophetic dreams.

*Gen 37:5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
Gen 37:6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
Gen 37:7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

We do not know if Joseph could feel the presence of the hatred of his brothers.

We can be sure that Israel (the man) did not realize just how much Joseph was hated by his brothers and we see that the mothers are not even written about which means that the Holy Spirit did not think it relevant to tell us about their ways at this time.

We can be sure this was not a happy family!

We know the future of Joseph so we can only say that God was already preparing Joseph for his future.

We should understand that God will always prepare us for some future part of His plan if we make ourselves “teachable” and “available” as our Pastor preached just recently.

If we already think we know everything then God cannot teach us anything about the truth.

We know that Joseph told his dream to his brothers, but Joseph never got the opportunity to interpret his dream as they did this themselves.

We should understand that it was the sons of the two handmaids that had become concubines that Joseph was telling his dream to.

These four young men probably felt less love from their father Israel than them all.

This dream did not set well with them according to their own interpretation.

We know from the Scriptures that they did indeed bow down to Joseph once Pharaoh had made Joseph second in command of all Egypt.

Gen 42:6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
Gen 42:7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

Again, we find that these things are written more for the Church than for these sons of Israel.

We also can see that when Joseph knew his brothers, he spoke rough to them as they had to him all their days when he was a young teenager.

We can see that these four brothers of the handmaids had it in their mind that Joseph would never get the opportunity to rule over them, they would kill him first.

*Gen 37:8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

if you have read the entire Book of Genesis you know that these sons of Israel had made the right interpretation of Joseph’s dream.

Gen 42:6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

On the day of the dream, they knew Joseph could not rule over them because they would not allow it under their own power.

If Jacob made Joseph to be the head of the family, they would not ever agree with Joseph!

Joseph was despised even more.
Joseph was hated even more.

Makes us think of the days of Jesus Christ.

We are told that the Lord Jesus Christ will one day rule this entire world.

Every knee will bow to Him!

Rom_14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

All those who already despise the Lord, certainly hate Him even more when they are told that they will bow to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Satan goes berserk when you tell him this!

Satan still has a belief that he can defeat Christ Jesus and so do his followers. They are so confused to the truth.

The truth will still hold to be the truth and every soul that has ever lived will bow to the Lord Jesus Christ!

Php_2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

The true Church, that is hated today will be even more hated on the day of the Rapture.

We can just imagine how much hate boils over at the resurrection of the dead and they face the Lord God Judge of Righteousness.

Rom_1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Mat 22:31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
Mat 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

But Joseph dreamed another dream.

*Gen 37:9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
Gen 37:10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

This dream is similar to the first one in that it was Joseph who his family would bow to.

In the Bible we know that most all dreams were prophecy of some future event.

Jacob (Israel) had such dreams and though he rebuked his son, he did observe the saying of his son.

Was Joseph being cocky? Was Jacob rebuking Joseph to ease the hatred of his other sons?

This dream is a similar dream to the first and it insured the truth of the first dream.

Gen 41:32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

Joseph could say this to Pharaoh because he had experienced it himself.

What we must realize is, that God is working behind the scenes to carry out His own will. He is still doing this today and He will continue until things reach their peak as described by the prophets and by the Book of Revelation.

Just as God put things in place for Joseph and Mary to go to Bethlehem to fulfill prophecy, God is putting things in place with Joseph and his family to fulfill prophecy.

What had God told Abraham.

Gen 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

God used a teenage son of Jacob to get these things started.

None of his brothers could understand what was happening, but they too would be used of God and they did not even realize it.

His brothers had decided to get rid of Joseph and God used them to do this thing.

They would not be allowed to kill Joseph.

Watch how God’s plan works.

*Gen 37:23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
Gen 37:24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

Notice these four sons of the handmaids who hated Joseph and would have killed him, while the remaining sons were satisfied just to get rid of him and not kill him, but these to also despised that coat made by their father.

Envy could have caused murder, but it also would cause their own father to suffer for many years when they all knew the truth.

For 21 years they allowed their father to mourn for Joseph even though they knew what happened to him!

In typology we know that the Lord Jesus Christ was stripped of His robe.

Psa 22:18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

Mat 27:28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

Also in typology we see the pit as a place called Hell.

Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Hell is also a place without water!

Luk_16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

All the lost have a fear of the pit!

Isa_24:17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

Those bound for Hell have rejected the truth of God.

Isa_38:18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

Joseph would be saved from the pit or from Hell, just as every born again, child of God, because of the “Grace of God”!

Isa_38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

We can also see this pit as the empty grave of the Lord then Reuben found this pit to be empty.

The grave of Jesus is still empty!

The enemy will deliver Joseph to the auction block as a slave.

*Gen 37:28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

If not for these seed of Ishmael, Joseph may have been left in that pit to die.

God’s plan was to safely get Joseph to Egypt so He provided transportation!

We see that where envy reigns there is no pity!

Humanity is forgotten when envy reigns.

Have we not seen all these things the last few months in our elections?

Those who have envied and hated president Trump, have not just shown that hatred, but they certainly will not show pity and they want his life destroyed.

Why do not the American people see this and put a stop to it?

The brothers of Joseph continued until Joseph was completely out of their site and out of their lives, or so they thought.

We see malice is like a deadly poison.

Pro 27:4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?

Joseph had begged his brothers for his life, but their ears were closed.

Only Reuben seemed to have some feelings for his younger brother.

*Gen 37:29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

It may have been Reuben’s plan to slip away to do something and then return to get Joseph out of that pit and take him to safety, but the others may have caught on.

Gen 37:22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again. ?

It is also curious to see that it was Judah who suggested to sell Joseph.

Gen 37:25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
Gen 37:26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

It was also a Jew who betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ for silver.

Life was just not precious enough in those days and we live in a world where life is not very precious today.

This is why the Lord teaches us to choose life because all that Satan has is death.

Deu_30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Reuben had warned his brothers about harming Joseph, but they had paid him no attention.

Gen_42:22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

We should understand God always hears the cry of the innocent!

Psa 9:12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

When Reuben rent his clothes it showed his brothers how disappointed he was in them, but Reuben never told his father Jacob the truth for some reason.

What is the truth?

Pro 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

This is another law that God will never break.

We will never be able to defy God and get away with it!

No matter what we think about the politics of our nation this tiny Scripture in the Book of Proverbs will hold true.

God will not be mocked for very much longer!

*Gen 37:30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
Gen 37:31 And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
Gen 37:32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.

Reuben asked his brothers how would he ever explain to his father the things about Joseph?

These wicked brothers already had devised a scheme.

They killed one of the goats and dipped that special coat of colors into the blood and sent by a servant to their father.

They were unwilling to face Israel until they knew his reaction!

Their story would be that the coat was found, and they had not seen Joseph.

All those who do such things should know that there will be another special coat dipped in blood one day soon.

Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

These ten sons of Jacob did not have the fortitude to witness the outburst of grief from their father.

They did not want to be there to answer any questions Jacob might have.

These who were willing to kill their own brother but sold him into slavery. became cowards willing to hide their crime and each one had to agree to never let this information come out so their father would know what they had done.

God has another little rule about these things.

Num_32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and “be sure your sin will find you out”.

All the hidden wickedness and corruption in our own government will eventually be found out. We can be sure of this!

Another thing we might not realize is, there were some wild animals in that day that would attack humans.

*Gen 37:33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.
Gen 37:34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
Gen 37:35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

When we think of lions, we think of the African lions that roar on the plains in Africa. Few people know that there is actually another lion species, the Asiatic Lion, that used to roam Asia as well.

So, there were wild beast in this area in that day and humans were attacked by these animals. It was not too farfetched, for Jacob to believe his son was killed by some wild animal.

It would be 22 years before Jacob would see his son Joseph again, but Jacob did mourn for his son longer than what we would call normal for that day. If there is a precise time of mourning for such a loss.

We should notice that these wicked sons did not actually say that Joseph was dead, but they left their father with very little choice, but to believe Joseph was dead saying they did not find his body which was no doubt rent to pieces.

What do we know is that once Benjamin was born Jacob became ever more protective of him!

We also know that Jacob had deceived his father Isaac.

As parents we also think the worst when something happens to our children. Though Jacob mourned, Joseph was safe in the arms of God stationed to save all his family and preparing to build a nation.

No human could sit down and make such a plan as this plan of God!

*Gen 37:36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.

Joseph had some hard lessons to learn at such a young age. We know he was only 17 years of age at this time.

As far as Jacob was concerned, all the things that happened to him after this were against him.

Gen_42:36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.

In reality, all these things had a purpose because he was living in the plan of God which can never fail!

Now this does not mean that God approved of what happened to Joseph, God already knew what He was going to do.

God never approves of the mistreatment of any human being!

God just takes something bad and makes something good come out of it!

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Our God is so great that He can work out His purpose even when people are doing their worst as we see today.

The plan of God cannot fail nor can it be hindered by any human being or any group of humans.

Amen