Joseph was also blessed with the dew (Deut. 33:13). Dew is a finer blessing than either rain or snow. The Bible uses dew to describe God's merciful favor (Lam. 3:22-23). This indicates that something from the heavens is always descending upon us. This something is not very strong and bold; it is fine and gentle, seeming to come quietly, a little at a time. This is the dew. Psalm 133 says that the blessing upon the unity of the brothers is like the dew of Hermon that descends upon the mountains of Zion. Mount Hermon, to the north of Mount Zion, is much higher than Mount Zion. The dew of Hermon must descend upon Zion by means of a strong north wind. The dew comes from the north. Do not think that only the snow comes from the north, for dew also comes from that direction. Sometimes the Father sends us the rain and at other times He sends the snow, but more often He sends the dew. Every morning the Lord's mercy is like the dew. This is the reason we must keep morning watch. If you do not attend morning watch, you will miss the dew. After the sun rises, the dew will disappear. If you would enjoy the dew, you must rise up early in the morning. This dew is not as cold, sharp, or troublesome as the snow. It comes from the heavens by the blowing of the north wind. But when it comes, it comes gently and quietly, a little at a time. If you consider your experience, you will realize that you have had some experience of the dew. This dew that comes upon us waters us a little at a time. How gentle and fine it is!
Both Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 33 say that Joseph was blessed "with the deep that lieth beneath" (Heb.). This must refer to the deep springs underneath the earth. The blessings upon Joseph begin with heaven above, proceed to the snow and the dew in the air, and then go on to the springs in the earth. By the mention of the dew and the deep, the springs, we realize that the precious things of heaven above should no doubt refer to rain and snow. According to the New Testament, the real spring is not underneath the earth; it is within us. John 4:14 says, "But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a spring of water welling up into eternal life." We have a spring of divine life welling up from within us. What a blessing! Therefore, we are constantly receiving and enjoying the blessings that come from above, from within, and from the air. Some of the blessings from above are like rain and snow, some of the blessings from within are like springs, and some of the blessings in the air are like the dew. We Christians, today's Josephs, are fully under these blessings.
Deuteronomy 33:14 speaks of the blessing "with the precious fruits brought forth by the sun" (Heb.). The fruits of plants are produced by sunshine. Without sunshine, no fruit tree could grow very well. Many fruits are actually formed and even constituted with sunshine. Since the sun is a type of Christ, the spiritual fruits brought forth by the sun signify all the riches of Christ. In the universe, and especially to us, Christ is the real sun. In Ephesians 3:8 Paul speaks of the unsearchable riches of Christ. Nearly all the riches of Christ are items that have been processed. For example, Christ is our life. But this life is not a "raw" life; it is a processed life. The life which we have received of Christ and by which we are living is a processed life. Christ has many precious fruits, and life is one of them. Patience is another. This patience, however, is a processed patience. Christ is also our submission, but this submission is a processed submission. It is easy to say that Christ is everything to us; however, it is not so easy to itemize all the aspects of what He is to us. We need to come together for the purpose of fellowshipping regarding the riches of Christ and itemizing them. But do not speak about things in an objective way. Instead, itemize all the subjective aspects of Christ.
Fruit is what comes into being after passing through a particular process. All the riches of Christ are fruits, and every fruit has passed through a process. All the riches of Christ are blessings, and we are under these blessings today. Here I am not merely speaking about the riches of Christ, but about the riches of Christ as blessings to us. Every item of the riches of Christ is a blessing. What a blessing it is to be under the patience of Christ! And what a blessing to be under Christ's encouragement! I am encouraged by Christ, and Christ is my encouragement. This encouragement is a processed fruit that I enjoy today. The Bible also says that Christ is our way (John 14:6). Often we feel that we do not have a way to handle a certain situation. But our experience proves that Christ is our way. We need to trust in Him, live by Him, and take Him as our everything. When we need a way out of a difficulty, Christ is the way. He is also the way for us to handle our situations. Is this not a blessing to us? Whatever Christ is, is a blessing. His riches are the precious fruits brought forth by the sun.