III. TRUSTING
Genesis 49:24 also speaks of the Shepherd, the stone of Israel, and verse 25 says, "Even by the God of thy father, who helpeth thee; and by the All-sufficient, who blesseth thee" (Heb.). These verses indicate why Joseph and Benjamin became the ultimate consummation: they trusted in the mighty One of Jacob. They trusted in the Shepherd of Israel, and they stood upon the stone of Israel. They trusted in the all-sufficient One. The New Testament equivalent for trusting in the All-sufficient is Philippians 4:13, which says, "I can do all things in Him who empowers me." The equivalent of the Shepherd of Israel is seen in 1 Peter 5:4, which says that Christ, the Chief Shepherd, will appear. Finally, the New Testament equivalent of the stone of Israel is seen in Christ, the rock of the church. First Corinthians 10:4 says, "For they drank of a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ."
In Jacob’s prophetic blessing of Joseph we see that Joseph’s fruitfulness and victory came out of his trust in the Lord. If we would be today’s Joseph and Benjamin, we must be those who trust in the mighty One, in the Shepherd of Israel, in the rock of the church, and in the all-sufficient One. My conscience testifies that without trusting in the Lord, I can do nothing. If I do not pray about everything I do in the Lord’s recovery, I would have no peace. I pray about everything I do in the Lord’s recovery, praying until I have the peace and the assurance. Before I deliver a message, I pray about it until I am fully inspired and empowered. The life of Joseph is a trusting life, a life that trusts in God for its living. This is the secret of Joseph’s fruitfulness and victory.
Although the language of poetry is economical, Jacob nonetheless used different titles of the God who is worthy of our trust: the mighty One, the Shepherd, the stone, the All-sufficient, and the God of thy father. We are not the first generation to trust in God. Rather, we are one of the later generations. We see the testimony of our forefathers’ trust in their God, and now their God has become our God. Hence, we follow in their footsteps to trust in their God, who is the mighty One, the all-sufficient One, the Shepherd, the rock, and the foundation. Hallelujah, we are standing on Him and trusting in Him! Therefore, we are fruitful and victorious.
(Life-Study of Genesis, Chapter 105, by Witness Lee)
