第五週

約瑟一生中所見成熟生命掌權的一面

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詩歌：詩747

讀經：創四一39 ～ 44，51 ～ 52，四五5 ～ 8，四七14 ～ 23，五十15 ～ 21

【週一】

壹 按照屬靈的經歷，雅各和約瑟乃是一個人；約瑟代表成熟的以色列掌權的一面，就是基督構成在雅各成熟的性情裏；作爲由基督這完全者所構成的成熟聖徒，雅各藉着約瑟掌權—創四一39 ～ 44，來六1 上，加六8，五22 ～ 23：

一 約瑟所豫表掌權的一面，乃是構成到我們全人裏面的基督—四19。

二 約瑟這『作夢的』（創三七19）夢見，按照神的眼光，祂的子民乃是滿了生命的禾捆，也是滿了光的天體；（5 ～ 11；）約瑟的兩個夢（7，9）都是出於神，向他揭示神對祂地上子民之性情、地位、功用、和目標的神聖眼光：

1 我們必須用神聖的『望遠鏡』，透過時間來看，就會看見新耶路撒冷，在那裏沒有別的，只有滿了生命的禾捆，和滿了光的眾星；因此，成熟生命掌權的一面絕不會消極的說到聖徒或召會—參三八27 ～ 30，太七1 ～ 5，彼前三8 ～ 9。

【週二】

2 約瑟的夢支配他的一生，並指引他的行爲；約瑟的行事爲人這樣超特美妙，乃因他受夢中所見異象的指引；（參徒二六19；）他的哥哥們發洩怒氣，（創三七18 ～ 31，）並放縱情慾，（三八15 ～ 18，）但約瑟制伏怒氣，並勝過情慾，（三九7 ～ 23，）行事爲人如同滿了生命的禾捆，也如天上的星在黑暗中照耀。

三 約瑟在屬天異象之下的生活，就是馬太五至七章所描述諸天之國的生活；他過着這樣的生活，充分豫備好作王掌權；照着馬太這幾章所啓示屬天之國的憲法，我們的怒氣必須被制伏，我們的情慾必須被征服。（五21 ～ 32。）

四 成熟生命掌權的一面，就是一直享受主同在的生活；（徒七9；）那裏有祂的同在，那裏就有權柄，就有管治的能力—創三九2 ～ 5，21 ～ 23：

1 在主的同在中，約瑟靠主亨通；當約瑟受到苦待時，他享受了那在主的主宰之下臨到他的亨通。

2 在主的同在中，約瑟無論在那裏，都蒙恩得主祝福；當約瑟得享亨通時，他和那些與他有關的人都蒙了祝福—4 ～ 5，22 ～ 23 節。

【週三】

五 雖然約瑟自己的夢尚未得着應驗，他卻有信心和膽量講解他兩個獄中同伴的夢；（四十8；）至終，約瑟間接藉着憑信說話，講解司酒長的夢， 而從獄中得了釋放，（ 四一9 ～ 13，）也直接藉着放膽講解法老的夢，被引到寶座；（14 ～ 46；）釋放和權柄臨到他，都是藉着他的說話：

1 慕安得烈（Andrew Murray）曾說過這樣的話：好的話語執事所供應的，總該超過他所經歷的；這意思是我們該照着異象說話，過於照着異象的應驗說話。

2 卽使我們的異象尚未得着應驗，我們仍該向別人述說；時候將到，那時我們的異象必要應驗；最終約瑟的夢藉着他講解司酒長的夢得了應驗。

3 我們不該照着我們的感覺說話，乃該照着屬天的異象說話；我們是有異象的人，是看見神永遠經綸的人，所以我們應當照着神經綸絕對的真理說話—徒二六16 ～ 19。

六 我們若活出基督，無論我們在那裏，我們不是帶來生命，就是帶來死亡；（林後二14 ～ 16；）對司酒長而言，約瑟帶來官復原職；對司膳長而言，約瑟帶來死刑。（創四一12 ～ 13。）

七 我們若尋求主，主要把我們下在『監』裏；沒有監牢，我們無法登寶座；我們不要作『逃獄的人』；我們必須留在獄中，直到我們畢業得着冠冕—弗三1，四1，雅一12。

【週四】

貳 約瑟是多結果子的樹枝，（創四九22，）豫表基督是枝子，（賽十一1 ～ 2，）藉着祂的信徒作祂的枝子，（約十五1，5，）將神伸展出去；在創世記四十九章二十二節裏，泉源表徵神這多結果子的源頭；（詩三六9，耶二13；）枝條探出牆外，表徵基督的信徒作祂的枝子，將基督擴展出去，越過各種限制，在一切環境中顯大基督（腓一20，四22，門10）：

一 約瑟登寶座時得着榮耀並領受恩賜，（創四一42，）豫表基督在祂的升天裏得着榮耀（來二9）並領受恩賜（詩六八18，徒二33）：

1 戒指、衣服和金鍊，描繪基督升上諸天時所領受的恩賜，祂已將這些恩賜傳給召會—創四一42：

a 打印的戒指，表徵聖靈在基督的信徒裏面和身上作印記—徒二33，弗一13，四30，參路十五22。

b 衣服表徵基督作我們客觀的義，使我們在神面前得稱義，（林前一30，參詩四五9，13，路十五22，）並且作我們活出來的主觀的義，使我們彀資格有分於羔羊的婚娶。（腓三9，詩四五14，啓十九7 ～ 9。）

c 金鍊表徵賜給順從之人聖靈的美麗，彰顯於服從上；（參徒五32；）戴鍊子的頸項表徵已被征服並制伏的意志，以服從神的命令。（創四一42，參歌一10，箴一8 ～ 9。）

2 照着屬靈經歷的順序，首先我們接受蓋印的靈，使我們得着救恩；然後我們接受義袍，開始活基督；（加二20，腓一20 ～ 21 上；）爲着活基督，我們的頸項必須戴上鍊子，我們的意志必須被聖靈征服並制伏。

二 約瑟從死牢裏復起，並登高位之後，就娶亞西納爲妻；亞西納描繪基督在被以色列人棄絕的期間，從外邦世界娶來的召會；（創四一45；）約瑟給長子起名叫瑪拿西（意，使之忘了），給次子起名叫以法蓮（意，加倍繁衍）；約瑟宣告說，『神使我忘了一切的困苦，和我父的全家，』又宣告說，『神使我在受苦之地〔加倍〕繁衍。』（51 ～ 52。）

【週五】

叁 約瑟一生的記載乃是那靈管治的啓示，因爲那靈的管治乃是成熟聖徒掌權的一面；那靈的管治（在生命中作王的生活，就是在神國的實際裏，受神聖生命約束並限制），比那靈任何其他方面都高—羅五17，21，十四17 ～ 18，參林後三17 ～ 18，提後四22，啓四1 ～ 3：

一 雖然約瑟對他的弟兄們滿了屬人的感覺和情緒，他卻保守自己和所有的感覺，都在那靈的管治之下；他清明、智慧、且有辨識的對待他的弟兄們，按着他們的需要管教他們，好成全並建造他們，使他們能成爲團體的子民，生活在一起，成爲神在地上的見證；在約瑟的故事中所表顯的生命，乃是復活的生命，神的生命—創四二9，24，四三30 ～ 31，四五1 ～ 2，24。

二 約瑟在神限制下的生活，是基督爲人生活的描繪，彰顯神聖生命的成熟與完全，並且帶進神的國—約五19，30 下，七16，18，十四10，太八9 ～ 10。

三 在約瑟對待他哥哥們的事例中，我們看見他過一種鎮靜的生活、清明的生活、有辨識的生活，帶着對他哥哥們的愛—這是一種否認己的生活，作爲國度生活的實行—創四五24，太十六24，代下一10，賽三十15 上，腓一9，提前五1 ～ 2，帖前三12，四9，帖後一3，羅十二10，約壹四9，來十三1。

四 最有能力的人有力量不作他所能作的事—這是真正的否認己，真實的背十字架—太十六24，參二六53，林後二12 ～ 16。

【週六】

五 約瑟曉得是神差他到埃及；在創世記五十章二十節他對他的弟兄們說，『從前你們的意思是要害我，但神的意思原是好的；』（四五5，7，五十19 ～ 21，參四一51 ～ 52；）這是保羅在羅馬八章二十八至二十九節之話的實際；約瑟接受他弟兄們對他所作的一切，好像從神接受的一樣，他也安慰那些得罪他的人；（創四五5 ～ 8，五十15 ～ 21；）他有何等的恩典！他的靈何等超絕！

肆 約瑟因着受苦並否認己，得了生命供應的豐富；（詩歌四六五首；）百姓爲了要從豫表基督的約瑟得糧，必須付上四種代價：他們的銀子，他們的牲畜，他們的田地，以及他們自己—四七14 ～ 23，參啓三18：

一 銀子代表便利，牲畜表徵生活的憑藉，田地代表資源；我們若要從主這分賜者接受生命的供應，就必須把我們的便利、我們謀生的憑藉、以及我們的資源給祂；我們給祂越多，就從祂得着越多生命的供應。

二 最後，爲了要從主領受最好的分，包括使人飽足的食物和爲別人有所生產的種子，（創四七23，）我們必須把我們自己，我們全人的每一部分，都交給祂。（利一4。）

三 當我們把我們全人的每一部分交給祂，而付出最高的代價，我們就得享對基督之享受上好的分。

伍 賜給約瑟之宇宙的福，終極完成於新天新地裏的新耶路撒冷，其中一切都是新的，作基督和祂信徒的福—創四九25 ～ 26，申三三13 ～ 16，啓二一5：

一 變化是在神聖生命的新樣裏新陳代謝的改變，成熟是被那改變我們之神聖生命的新樣所充滿，祝福是生命的滿溢；雅各連同約瑟生命的結局乃是祝福的生命，這是他發亮到了頂點—箴四18，來十一21，創四七7，四八15 ～ 16。

二 只有神是新的；任何遠離神的事物都是舊的，但任何歸向神的事物都是新的；（林後五17；）得更新的意思就是歸向神，並且有屬神的東西放進我們裏面，使我們與神調和並與神是一，爲着身體的生活。（四16，羅十二1 ～ 2。）

三 接受神作我們新樣之祝福的祕訣，乃是把每一事物帶給神，並讓神進入每一事物；賜給約瑟之『宇宙的』福，意思是到處都是福；我們的讚美會把一切墮落的咒詛轉爲祝福—弗五20，帖前五16 ～ 18。

Week Five

The Reigning Aspect of the Mature Life Seen in the Life of Joseph

Hymns: 943

Scripture Reading: Gen. 41:39-44, 51-52; 45:5-8; 47:14-23; 50:15- 21

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§ Day 1

I. According to spiritual experience, Jacob and Joseph are one person; Joseph represents the reigning aspect of the mature Israel, the constitution of Christ in Jacobs mature nature; as a mature saint constituted with Christ, the perfect One, Jacob reigned through Joseph—Gen. 41:39-44; Heb. 6:1a; Gal. 6:8; 5:22-23:

A. The reigning aspect typified by Joseph is Christ constituted into our being—4:19.

B. Joseph, a “master of dreams” (Gen. 37:19), dreamed that, according to Gods view, His people are sheaves of wheat full of life and heavenly bodies full of light (vv. 5-11); Josephs two dreams (vv. 7, 9), both from God, unveiled to him Gods divine view concerning the nature, position, function, and goal of Gods people on earth:

1. We have to use the “divine telescope” to see through time and behold the New Jerusalem, where there is nothing but sheaves full of life and stars full of light; thus, the reigning aspect of the mature life never speaks negatively concerning the saints or the church—cf. 38:27-30; Matt. 7:1-5; 1 Pet. 3:8-9.

§ Day 2

2. Josephs dreams controlled his life and directed his behavior; he behaved so excellently and marvelously because he was directed by the vision that he saw in his dreams (cf. Acts 26:19); his brothers vented their anger (Gen. 37:18-31) and indulged in their lust (38:15-18), but Joseph subdued his anger and conquered his lust (39:7-23), behaving as a sheaf full of life and conducting himself like a heavenly star shining in the darkness.

C. Josephs life under the heavenly vision was the life of the kingdom of the heavens described in Matthew 5—7; by living such a life, he was fully prepared to reign as a king; according to the constitution of the heavenly kingdom revealed in these chapters in Matthew, our anger must be subdued, and our lust must be conquered (5:21-32).

D. The reigning aspect of the mature life is a life that always enjoys the presence of the Lord (Acts 7:9); wherever His presence is, there is authority, the ruling power (Gen. 39:2-5, 21-23):

1. In the presence of the Lord, Joseph was prospered by Him; while Joseph was undergoing ill-treatment, he enjoyed the Lords prosperity that came to him under the Lords sovereignty.

2. In the presence of the Lord, Joseph was favored with the Lords blessing wherever he was; when Joseph enjoyed prosperity, he and those who were involved with him were blessed—vv. 4-5, 22-23.

§ Day 3

E. Although his own dreams were not yet fulfilled, Joseph had the faith and the boldness to interpret the dreams of his two companions in prison (40:8); eventually, Joseph was released from prison indirectly through his speaking by faith in  interpreting the cupbearers dream (41:9-13), and he was ushered to the throne directly through his speaking boldly in interpreting Pharaohs dreams (vv. 14-46); both release and authority came to him through his speaking:

1. Andrew Murray once said a word like this: the good minister of the Word should
always minister more than he has experienced; this means that we should speak
more according to the vision than according to the fulfillment of the vision.

2. Even if our vision has not been fulfilled, we should still speak of it to others; the time will come when our vision will be fulfilled; Josephs dreams were eventually fulfilled through his interpretation of the dream of the cupbearer.

3. We should not speak according to our feelings but according to the heavenly vision; we are visionaries, seers, of Gods eternal economy, so we should speak according to the absoluteness of the truth of His economy—Acts
26:16-19.

F. If we are living out Christ, we will bring either life or death wherever we are (2 Cor. 2:14-16); to the cupbearer, Joseph brought restoration; to the baker, he brought execution (Gen. 41:12-13).

G. If we seek the Lord, He will put us into a “dungeon”; without the dungeon we cannot ascend to the throne; we must not be a “dungeon dropout”; we must stay in the dungeon until we graduate and receive the crown—Eph. 3:1; 4:1; James 1:12.

§ Day 4

II. Joseph as a fruitful bough (Gen. 49:22) typifies Christ as the branch (Isa. 11:1-2) for the branching out of God through His believers as His branches (John 15:1, 5); in Genesis 49:22 the fountain signifies God, the source of fruitfulness (Psa. 36:9; Jer. 2:13), and the branches running over the wall signifies that Christs believers as His branches spread Christ over every restriction, magnifying Him in all circumstances (Phil. 1:20; 4:22; Philem. 10):

A. In his receiving glory and gifts in his enthronement, Joseph typifies Christ, who received glory (Heb. 2:9) and gifts (Psa. 68:18; Acts 2:33) in His ascension (Gen. 41:42):

1. The ring, the garments, and the gold chain portray the gifts that Christ received in His ascension to the heavens, which gifts He has passed on to the church—v. 42:

a. The signet ring signifies the Holy Spirit as a seal within and upon Christs believers—Acts 2:33; Eph. 1:13; 4:30; cf. Luke 15:22.

b. The garments signify Christ as our objective righteousness for our justification before God (1 Cor. 1:30; cf. Psa. 45:9, 13; Luke 15:22) and as our subjective righteousness lived out of us that we may be qualified to participate in the marriage of the Lamb (Phil. 3:9; Psa. 45:14; Rev. 19:7-9).

c. The gold chain signifies the beauty of the Holy Spirit given for obedience expressed in submission (cf. Acts 5:32); a chained neck signifies a will that has been conquered and subdued to obey Gods commandment (Gen. 41:42; cf. S. S. 1:10; Prov. 1:8-9).

2. According to the sequence of spiritual experience, we first receive the sealing of the Spirit for salvation; then we receive the garment of righteousness and begin to live Christ (Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:20-21a); in order for us to live Christ, our neck must be chained, our will must be conquered and subdued, by the Holy Spirit.

B. After being resurrected from the prison of death and ushered into the position of ascension, Joseph married Asenath, who portrays the church taken out of the Gentile world during Christs rejection by the children of Israel (Gen. 41:45); Joseph called the name of his firstborn Manasseh (meaning “making to forget”) and the name of his second Ephraim (meaning “twice fruitful”); Joseph declared, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my fathers house,” and “God has made me [twice]
fruitful in the land of my affliction” (vv. 51-52).

§ Day 5

III. The record of Josephs life is a revelation of the rulership of the Spirit, for the rulership of the Spirit is the reigning aspect of a mature saint; the rulership of the Spirit (a life of reigning in life, being under the restriction and limitation of the divine life in the reality of Gods kingdom) is higher than any other aspect of the Spirit—Rom. 5:17, 21; 14:17-18; cf. 2 Cor. 3:17-18; 2 Tim. 4:22; Rev. 4:1-3:

A. Although Joseph was full of human feelings and sentiments toward his brothers, he kept himself with all his feelings under the rulership of the Spirit; he dealt with his brothers soberly, wisely, and with discernment, disciplining them according to their need in order to perfect them and build them up that they might be a collective people living together as Gods testimony on earth; the life manifested in the story of Joseph is the resurrection life, the life of God—Gen. 42:9, 24; 43:30-31; 45:1-2, 24.

B. Josephs living under Gods restriction, a portrait of the human living of Christ, manifested the maturity and perfection of the divine life and brought in Gods kingdom—John 5:19, 30b; 7:16, 18; 14:10; Matt. 8:9-10.

C. In Josephs dealings with his brothers, we see that he lived a calm life, a sober life, and a discerning life with love for the brothers—a self-denying life as the practice of the kingdom life—Gen. 45:24; Matt. 16:24; 2 Chron. 1:10; Isa. 30:15a; Phil. 1:9; 1 Tim. 5:1-2; 1 Thes. 3:12; 4:9; 2 Thes. 1:3; Rom. 12:10; 1 John 4:9; Heb. 13:1.

D. The most powerful person is the one who has the strength not to do what he is able to do—this is the real denial of the self and the genuine bearing of the cross—Matt. 16:24; cf. 26:53; 2 Cor. 2:12-16.

§ Day 6

E. Josephs realization was that it was God who sent him to Egypt; in Genesis 50:20 he said to his brothers, “Even though you intended evil against me, God intended it for good” (45:5, 7; 50:19-21; cf. 41:51-52); this is the reality of Pauls word in Romans 8:28-29; Joseph received as from God all that his brothers had done to him, and he comforted those who had offended him (Gen. 45:5-8; 50:15-21); what grace, and what an excellent spirit, he had!

IV. Because Joseph suffered and denied himself, he gained the riches of the life supply (Hymns, #635); in order to receive food from him as a type of Christ, the people had to pay four kinds of prices: their money, their livestock, their land, and
themselves—47:14-23; cf. Rev. 3:18:

A. Money represents convenience, livestock signifies the means of living, and land represents resources; if we would receive the life supply from the Lord as the Dispenser, we must give Him our convenience, our means of livelihood, and our resources; the more we give Him, the more life supply we will receive from Him.

B. Ultimately, in order to receive the best portion from the Lord, including food for satisfaction and seed to produce something for others (Gen. 47:23), we must hand ourselves, every part of our being, over to Him (Lev. 1:4).

C. When we pay the highest price by handing over every part of our being to Him, we enjoy the best portion of the enjoyment of Christ.

V. The universal blessing on Joseph consummates in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth, in which everything will be new as a blessing to Christ and His
believers—Gen. 49:25-26; Deut. 33:13-16; Rev. 21:5:

A. Transformation is to be metabolically changed with the newness of the divine life, maturity is to be filled with the newness of the divine life that changes us, and blessing is the overflow of life; the ending of Jacobs life with Joseph was a life of blessing as the zenith of his shining—Prov. 4:18; Heb. 11:21; Gen. 47:7; 48:15-16.

B. Only God is new; anything that is kept away from God is old, but anything that comes back to God is new (2 Cor. 5:17); to be renewed means to come back to God and have something of God put into us so that we are mingled with God and one with God for the Body life (4:16; Rom. 12:1-2).

C. The secret of receiving God as our blessing of newness is to bring everything to God and let Him get into everything; the universal blessing on Joseph means that blessing is everywhere; our praises turn everything of the curse of the fall into a blessing—Eph. 5:20; 1 Thes. 5:16-18.