Joseph also took special care of Israel (50:21). This typifies that during the millennium Christ will take special care of Israel. Israel's specific function on earth is to testify of God. Although Christ is in favor of Israel, today Israel has no faith in Christ. The Jews worship God, but they do not have the proper faith in God through Christ. Instead, they believe in God in their own way. However, whether or not Israel is in unbelief, they are still the testimony of God, even today. There will be many nations on earth during the millennium, but only one nation, Israel, will be God's testimony. For this reason, Christ will take special care of Israel. When He renders this care to Israel, it will indicate that He is absolutely for God's testimony. Likewise, the reason Christ loves the church is that the church is God's testimony. Therefore, in the millennium Christ will satisfy everyone, make everything alive, make everything productive, and take good care of Israel as God's testimony.
Now we come to the line of life. When I first read that Joseph collected money, cattle, and land in exchange for food, I said, "Joseph, you are a robber. You not only robbed the people, you extracted everything from them. You collected their money, livestock, and land. Eventually, you collected their very being. Joseph, what kind of landlord are you?" Joseph alone held the lifeline, and the lifeline was food. Those who wanted food had to give something to Joseph in order to get it. If they wanted satisfaction, they had to pay for it with money, cattle, or land. First Joseph "gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan" (47:14). Verse 15 says, "And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money hath ceased" (Heb.). When the people said this to Joseph, he told them to give him their cattle. Thus, the people brought their cattle to Joseph, and "Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses" (47:17). A year later, the people came to Joseph again in need of food once more. This time there was no need for negotiation because there was a mutual understanding between Joseph and the people. The only thing they had left was their land and themselves. Therefore, they told him to buy them and their land for bread (47:19). Eventually, in Egypt Joseph was the only landlord, banker, and cattle raiser.
Joseph had the supply of life, the supply of food. According to our natural concept, Joseph should simply have given it away. But we should not bring our natural, worldly concept to the reading of the Bible. Joseph had the life supply, and the people needed it. They had to do something in order to get it. Before we see what the people had to do, we need to point out the reason Joseph became so rich and had the life supply. It was because of all his sufferings. From the time Joseph was seventeen years of age, he had been suffering. Even after he had been enthroned and was in power, he was still suffering because he was separated from his father. As we pointed out in the previous message, he had the power and the position to do everything necessary to have his father brought to him. But he refrained from doing so because he was in Egypt to fulfill God's will. In order for God's will to be fulfilled, Joseph had to suffer. Although he was the ruler, he suffered until the day his father was brought to him. Because of his suffering, he had the riches. It is the same today in the church life. It is those who suffer who are able to give others the supply of life. This thought is found in the hymn regarding the grapevine (Hymns, #635). The last two stanzas were arranged by Brother Nee:
Not by gain our life is measured,
But by what we've lost 'tis scored;
'Tis not how much wine is drunken,
But how much has been outpoured.
For the strength of love e'er standeth
In the sacrifice we bear;
He who has the greatest suff'ring
Ever has the most to share.
He who treats himself severely
Is the best for God to gain;
He who hurts himself most dearly
Most can comfort those in pain.
He who suffering never beareth
Is but empty "sounding brass";
He who self life never spareth
Has the joys which all surpass.