A FAMINE IN THE LAND
Genesis 41:53-42:3, Amos 8:11-12
Have you ever been REALLY hungry or thirsty? Can you think of a time when you were REALLY, REALLY hungry or REALLY, REALLY thirsty?
I can honestly say I KNOW REAL THIRST! As you know I keep a glass of water handy when I preach – I have this medicinal PUMP implanted in my abdomen, which delivers constant medication to my spine for chronic pain. Early on, the Dr. told me one of the medication’s primary side effects is DRY MOUTH – “YOU AIN’T JEST WHISTLIN’ DIXIE DOC!” - I get SO dry – my lips stick together and I have to pry them! I try to wet them with my tongue – but it gets stuck to the roof of my mouth! My MOUTH and throat feel like the arid, parched, SAHARA desert, with it’s dry dust, prickly cactus, and tumbling tumbleweed! When I try to swallow – there’s nothing there! So I seldom go ANYWHERE without something to drink, and when I do, it’s not long before I’m looking to buy something! I’m NOT COMPLAINING mind you – in fact I’m EXTREMELY grateful for this technological blessing from God. And whenever this medically induced MAN-SIZED THIRST is flung upon me – I seldom go more than 30 minutes without relief!
IMAGINE how TERRIBLE it would be to go for days, even weeks – without adequate food or drink! The people of ISRAEL KNEW! They KNEW FAMINE in the land! They KNEW HUNGER! They KNEW THIRST! Even WORSE – they knew SPIRITUAL FAMINE!
Now - Think for a moment about all the gospel preaching and teaching available over the radio, TV, and Internet TODAY. Imagine the plethora of Christian books, magazines, and tapes at arm’s reach. Consider that the average American home has SEVEN (7) bibles in it. Understanding that 96% of Americans have a church within 2 miles of their home; that there is a Church BUILDING on practically every corner; and there are twice as many PREACHERS as there are CHURCHES; -- answer this – QUESTION? COULD THERE BE A SPIRITUAL FAMINE IN OUR LAND? You be the JUDGE!
1. First, CONSIDER JOSEPH’S PAIN.
There was a man – his name was Joseph. He was a son of JACOB, and became one of the TWELVE TRIBES of Israel. He was a favored son of his father, causing jealousy among his brothers. Thus, he was rejected and betrayed and thrown into a desert pit! Then his brothers sold him into slavery to the Egyptians. These were the brothers who were to inherit the COVENANT PROMISE of God through Abraham. Joseph’s brothers continued to live the good life in Canaan with their father’s blessing while HE languished as an accused sex offender in a foreign prison! WHAT’S UP WITH THAT?
PAINFULLY, it seemed that Joseph was under God’s judgment. Bryan Huppert says “his soul had entered into the irons and the word of the Lord came and tested him.” In that dark, stinking, dungeon like prison, Joseph learned the secret of ABIDING moment by moment in the secret place of the MOST HIGH. Many scholars believe that Joseph was a CHRIST TYPE – and that he was seated in the HEAVENLY PLACES in Christ long before his earthly exaltation to the throne of Egypt. In the MIDST OF HIS PAIN – Joseph learned to ABIDE IN God!
WELL, If JOSEPH is a CHRIST TYPE – then we MUST also CONSIDER Christ’s PAIN! I imagine His was the most “GUT-WRENCHING” cry of PAIN and LONELINESS in history! It came from a hill called Golgotha – the place of the skull. It came from a CROSS - a cruel and wretched instrument of death! It came from the MESSIAH Himself! “My God, WHY have YOU ABANDONED Me?” No other words have so much PAIN, so much HURT! Jesus had been with God for ETERNITY – and now He was ABANDONED, ALONE – and DYING in PAIN! Jesus endured the physical and emotional abuse, including the beating with a “cat of nine tails.” He remained strong through the mock trials. He watched in silence as those He loved ran away! He didn’t cry out when they pierced His hands and feet! But -- when His Father turned His head – it was more than JESUS could take!
QUESTION? “WHY?” -- “WHY?” Why did He do it? Why did Jesus SUFFER such PAIN, AGONY, and ABANDONMENT?
I BELIEVE He did it for US! Jesus’ heart was broken for every time folks like you and me cast despairing eyes toward a dark Heaven and cry out “WHY?” Could it be that His heart was broken for the HURTING? Could it be that His desire to take on YOUR PAIN – propelled Him to the CROSS? Beloved, it was YOUR PAIN – and MY PAIN – which caused Jesus to fall under the weight of that Crossbeam. He died on that Cross so He could SHARE your PAIN!
From my personal experience – it’s like I see Jesus -- bending close to me when I hurt. I can imagine Him intently listening to my cries for help. I picture His eyes misting and feel Him wiping away my tears with His NAIL-SCARRED HAND! There may be times when He offers NO answer, times when He solves NO dilemma. There may be times when it seems my cries freeze painfully in mid air – BUT I’M TELLING YOU – JESUS – the One who once SUFFERED HORRIFIC PAIN – for ME – HE understands! HE FEELS MY PAIN! HE SHARES IT WITH ME!
Imagine a DOUBLE YOKE HARNESS for oxen. Whatever the situation, Jesus is sharing the burden with you. Jesus says "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
WOW! WHAT AN AWESOME SAVIOR!
QUESTION? What is the LESSON for us? – In the MIDST OF HIS PAIN – Joseph learned to ABIDE IN God! In the midst of our PAIN – our challenge is to learn to ABIDE IN JESUS!
The Greek “hupomeno” literally means "to abide under" and signifies "to remain in a place instead of leaving it, to stay behind," or "to persevere unto the end"; or "to endure bravely and trustfully." It suggests endurance and longsuffering under something which is burdensome or PAINFUL.
OK, preacher, Joseph learned to ABIDE in God; certainly Jesus knew how to ABIDE in God; and WE need to ABIDE in Jesus. – WHY? WELL – LET’S
2.IMAGINE JACOB’S PREDICAMENT.
Back to Joseph – ABIDING in God while stuck in a dungeon prison. God first prepares him, then promotes him to the very throne of Egypt where he served as a virtual father to Pharoah! You see, what his brothers intended for EVIL God used for GOOD (Romans 8:28).
Only Joseph could interpret Pharoah’s dream concerning the coming ABUNDANCE of grain and the FAMINE soon to follow. Joseph devised a plan to gather and store the grain for use in the famine. In fact, he stored so much grain it couldn’t be counted. The Egyptian “bean counters” couldn’t handle such large calculations of grain! WHAT A BLESSING FROM GOD!
In scripture, GRAIN often represents the WORD OF GOD – GRAIN is a TYPE for the Word of God. The Bible compares the Word to SEED. JESUS the WORD MADE FLESH – is called the BREAD OF LIFE!
Jacob’s predicament was this: he had eleven sons and all their families to feed, seventy in all, but there was a FAMINE in the land of Canaan! A famine is a lack of available food because of DROUGHT, which is a lack of RAIN! It was so bad- they didn’t plant or harvest for seven years! So they were not only lacking in food, but also in water! They were STARVING!
Jacob heard there was plenty of FOOD AND WATER in Egypt, so he sent ALL HIS sons except the youngest (who? - Benjamin) to buy grain in Egypt.
They didn’t recognize Joseph, who in charge of the grain sales, and he ACCUSED them of being SPIES. He tested his brothers’ sincerity before he revealed himself to them. He realized they were genuinely sorry for their plot to get rid of him, and he forgave them. He exemplified God’s forgiveness for us!
QUESTION? WHAT IS OUR PREDICAMENT? God PROMISES that a FAMINE of HEARING the WORD of GOD is coming!
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.””2 Timothy 4:4
"We know the Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that’s exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism. We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism. We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it a choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the airwaves with profanity and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment." (prayer by Joe Wright)
Let me tell you something, folks – our world has turned God and Jesus into nothing more than a business! Ask the folks who went to Israel! Was Jesus a BUSINESS? Muslim Arabs were selling Catholic Rosary’s and Christian Crosses and JESUS TEE SHIRTS! And Americans have done the same thing! WE HAVE WATERED DOWN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST! WE HAVE CHEAPENED THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS OF CALVARY! We have created a FAST FOOD version of CHRISTIANITY! And we have used words like TOLERANCE, and INCLUSIVENESS, AND ECUMENICAL TO MAKE OUR FAST FOOD RELIGION PALATABLE TO EVERYONE! That’s MOOSE NUGGETS!
Far too many people, INCLUDING some of YOU here today, I’m afraid, hold to a FORM of RELIGION but DENY – BY YOUR VERY LIFESTYLES – the POWER of CHRIST to TRANSFORM lives! You REFUSE to let HIM CHANGE your HEART and thus your LIFE! The time will come when – just like Joseph’s Brothers, YOU TOO will be shown to be BARREN of GRAIN! IN FACT – MANY are there ALREADY.
QUESTION? Are you FEASTING ON THE WORD OF GOD – or living in FAMINE? Do you have the WORD OF GOD in you? Are you a TRUE CHILD of the COVENANT? Do you POSSESS a GENUINE FAITH in GOD? Do you have an INTIMATE relationship with the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS? Are you personally FILLED with the HOLY SPIRIT?
THERE’S A FAMINE IN THE LAND! THERE’S A FAMINE IN THE LAND! So much of the world – and a great deal of the church world is ABSOLUTELY STARVING for the BREAD OF LIFE! But PRAISE GOD, there IS an ANSWER to our PREDICAMENT! We can
3. REJOICE IN GOD’S PROVISI0N.
There is GRAIN in EGYPT! GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES! REJOICE! Even when Joseph’s evil brothers thought they were getting rid of the FAVORED SON, with his MULTI-COLORED coat, GOD was using it for GOOD to DELIVER His COVENANT PEOPLE from STARVATION and DEATH.
Just like Joseph’s starving brothers, the lost and the carnal Christians will come to beg or buy GRAIN, only to be first confronted with the true state of their LUKEWARM LAODICEAN HEARTS! Just like King David, when Joseph’s brothers kept silent about their SIN, they did NOT PROSPER. When they CONFESSED their SIN, they were RESTORED to HEALTH! The BROTHERS waited for CERTAIN JUDGMENT, but INSTEAD they received UNCONDITIONAL FORGIVENESS! Joseph EMBRACED them, and seated them at the KING’S table to FEAST on HIS GOODNESS! And Joseph WEPT because he had a TENDER HEART OF MERCY! Isn’t that JUST LIKE JESUS! “His MERCIES are NEW EVERY MORNING!”
Beloved, it is in TIMES of FAMINE that you RELEARN to FOCUS on the BASIC NECESSITIES OF LIFE!
I believe the ABUNDANCE of Grain in Egypt was a foreshadowing of TRUE DISCIPLES/FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST having an abundance of the presence of the Lord while the rest of the world is STARVING for “BREAD.” This is a picture of being so filled with the Holy Spirit of God that you naturally – or SUPERNATURALLY – overflow with His presence. Doesn’t He promise that “out of their bellies will flow RIVERS of LIVING WATER?” (John 7:38) Doesn’t He PROMISE through the Psalmist - my cup runs over.”
He told us through Paul - "My GRACE is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. I have become a fool in boasting; you have compelled me.”
I believe God has some JOSEPH’S whom He has been preparing for the FAMINE! Joseph’s who have been tried and tested and found faithful! The Lord is storing the GRAIN of His WORD in their HEARTS to speak a TIMELY word in SEASON. They are able to SHARE the BREAD OF LIFE because they themselves are FILLED with the BREAD OF LIFE!
GOD is ANOINTING HIS JOSEPH’S so they can BRING forth from the storage bins of their hearts the LIFE-GIVING Word of SALVATION and HOPE and SUSTENANCE to His people!
HE WILL HONOR THOSE WHO HONOR HIM! He will HUMBLE the PROUD and EXALT those who have humbled themselves in SERVICE under HIS MIGHTY HAND!
God is SEEKING those who will WORSHIP Him in SPIRIT and TRUTH. He PLACES His HAND OF FAVOR upon those who have FULLY given themselves to HIM. The LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE TRULY HIS!
QUESTION? Will you HUMBLE yourself before God today? Will you allow Him to work a mighty work of GRACE in your life – and CHANGE YOU – and DRAW YOU – UNTO HIMSLEF? For the JOY set before you – will you ENDURE the CROSS? Will you be one who has GRAIN while the rest of the world LANGUISHES in FAMINE?
Through JESUS, GOD invites WHOEVER WILL – to COME and “BUY BREAD WITHOUT MONEY.”
His BANQUET table is SET right now for those who will SEEK HIM with all their heart!
He will set up a BANQUET table in the WILDERNESS – in the very PRESENCE of your ENEMIES and ALLOW you the FREEDOM to FEAST upon HIS GOODNESS!
THERE’S A FAMINE IN THE LAND! THERE’S A FAMINE IN THE LAND!
QUESTION? ARE YOU FEASTING OR STARVING? DO YOU HAVE SPIRITUAL BREAD FOR THE HUNGRY? Can you offer the spiritually emaciated the nourishing bread of life? WILL YOU SHARE THAT BREAD? INVITATION
Copyright © 2002 Danny Presswood, WOW! Ministries. Permission to reproduce this material is automatically granted on the condition that credit is given to the author, it will be used for non-commercial purposes, will not be sold, and will be distributed for the sole purpose of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Any other use requires the written permission of WOW! Ministries.
