The Well and the Wall

The Well and the Wall, or the Fruitful Vine and the Abiding Bow

"Joseph is a fruitful vine, even a fruitful vine by a well; whose branches run over the wall—The archers have severely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him—But his bow abode in strength, and his arms were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob." Genesis 49:22-24

Joseph was an eminent TYPE of two things—

First of our gracious LORD, whom he typically represented in several striking particulars. Joseph was hated by his brethren, as our Lord was hated by his brethren after the flesh. Joseph was sold by his brethren into captivity, as our blessed Lord was sold into the hands of the chief priests for a slave's price. Joseph was cast into prison on a false accusation, as our gracious Lord was condemned to death and cast into prison on a false charge by lying witnesses. Joseph was brought out of prison at the command of the king, as our blessed Lord was raised from the dead by the power of God. Joseph was made ruler over all Egypt and all power was given into his hands, as our gracious Lord now administers all power in heaven and earth by command of the Father. In spite of all their transgressions against him, Joseph loved his brethren, secretly sustained them, and in due time made himself manifest unto them. So the Lord loves his brethren though they have sinned against him, girds them and feeds them when they know it not, and in due time manifests himself to their souls. As Joseph was entrusted with the disposal of all the goods in Egypt and fed his brethren out of the storehouses; so our Lord holds in his sovereign disposal all the gifts and graces of the Spirit, and gives out of his fullness to his brethren every needful supply, as Joseph gave them grain out of the barns of Egypt.

2. But Joseph was also a type of a BELIEVER. He was an eminent believer himself. The graces of the Spirit shone forth conspicuously in him. He therefore stands forth in the Scripture not only as a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, but as a representative also of an eminent saint of God; and it is in this point of view that I shall, with the Lord's help and blessing, this morning consider him. I hope you clearly understand my meaning, or else you will scarcely be able to follow me in my delineation of his character. I view him then as a representative character—in other words, that his spiritual life as drawn by the pen of the Holy Spirit represents the spiritual life of a believer, with its trials and blessings, sorrows and joys, sufferings from man and support from God, together with the exercise of the graces of the Spirit in all vital and practical godliness. Taking our text, then, in this point of view as descriptive of the character of a believer, under the representative form of Joseph, I shall show,

<p align="left">First, Joseph's fruitfulness with its source and maintenance– "Joseph is a fruitful vine, even a fruitful vine by a well; whose branches run over the wall."

<p align="left">Secondly, Joseph's sore grief with its cause and consequence– "The archers have severely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him."

<p align="left">Thirdly, Joseph's strength and its divine Author– "But his bow abode in strength, and his arms were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob."

I. Joseph's fruitfulness with its source and maintenance– "Joseph is a fruitful vine, even a fruitful vine by a well; whose branches run over the wall." The grand distinguishing feature of Joseph, in which as a typical character he represents the child of grace, is portrayed in the words, "Joseph is a fruitful vine;" for this leads us at once to our Lord's striking figure of the vine, and the distinction which he there so vividly draws between the fruitless and the fruitful branches. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John 15:1, 2.) Our gracious Lord there makes a very clear and evident contrast between those branches which are in him by profession, and those which are in him by vital union. Of the former he says, "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit." and of the latter, "Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." It is evident, therefore, that the bearing or the not bearing offruit is the grand distinction between the possessor and the professor.

As they surrounded the bed of the dying patriarch, the brethren of Joseph might be represented by the branches that bear no fruit; but Joseph shone eminently and conspicuously among them as a fruitful vine. Indeed, we cannot read the history of Joseph from the first mention made of him by the Holy Spirit, as bringing to his father, with brotherly concern, "the evil report of the sons of Bilhah, and the sons of Zilpah" (Gen. 37:2) down to his dying bed, when "he took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from hence," (Gen. 50:25) without seeing what an eminent saint of God he was. Nor, indeed, is there any believer whose words and actions are recorded in the Scriptures who shines forth with fewer blemishes or brighter luster. Viewing Joseph, then, as a fruitful vine, let us see how the Christian whom he represents worthily bears such a designation.

A. To be really fruitful, he must be fruitful in heart, in lip, and in life. And first in heart; for there the grand secret lies. That is the real source of all fruit in lip or in life. We see in Joseph's case how fruitful he was in heart; how in early days, when he was but 17 years of age, the grace of God had visited his soul, and what tenderness of conscience he manifested, for he could not connive at his brother's sin. He could not but know that communicating the sad tidings to his father would bring upon himself their hatred and persecution; but his soul was grieved at their iniquities; and if by his father's warning and advice they could be controlled, it would be for their welfare and his own comfort. As he grew up, the grace of God became more and more manifested in him; for the Lord separated him from his brethren in a very significant manner, and gave a prophetic intimation of his future exaltation by the two dreams which he related to them in the simplicity of his heart.

But this very display of the Lord's peculiar favor to him, and the intimation thereby contained that he would be exalted over them, only drew forth their enmity; for that they the elder should bow down to him the younger, inflamed their pride and cut their vanity to the very quick. They could not, indeed, but see that there was something prophetic in these intimations; yet, instead of being awed by the authority of God, they only mocked him as "the dreamer"; conspired "against him to kill him," and though they were induced to spare his life, yet that they might forever defeat the prophecy which they feared, they sold him as a slave into the hands of the Midianites. But when he was taken into Egypt, the fear of God still made itself more and more manifest in Joseph's heart. Refusing to yield to the solicitations of his vile mistress, he turned her into an enemy; and falling under her base accusations, was thrust into prison an innocent sufferer, where he was at first, no doubt, exposed to all those cruelties and hardships which, we know from history, were ever the lot of those confined in those gloomy abodes. And indeed, we expressly read in the book of Psalms, "He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant—whose feet they hurt with fetters—he was laid in iron." (Psalm. 105:17, 18.) It is very expressive in the prayer-book version, "The iron entered into his soul."

Still, even there the grace of God shone upon and through him. The Lord gave him favor in the eyes of the keeper of the prison, bestowed wisdom to interpret the dreams of the chief butler and the chief baker, and no doubt often solaced him in his dark cell with the beams of his presence. But what occasion for patience and resignation to the will of God; first to be cast into this gloomy dungeon by a false accusation, and then to be kept for years with little prospect of release.

But the time comes when Pharaoh has that dream for which no interpreter can be found among all the magicians and all the wise men of Egypt, until the chief butler calls to mind "the young man, the Hebrew, servant of the captain of the guard," who interpreted to him and his fellow prisoner the dreams so fatal to the one, so prosperous for the other. I need hardly remind you how Joseph is brought forth at a moment's notice and interprets at once Pharaoh's dream; how conviction of the truth of the interpretation falls upon the monarch's mind; how Joseph is exalted to be head over Egypt, yet maintains the same quiet spirit he had showed in prison; how when his brethren came to him, submissively bowing down themselves before him with their faces to the earth, and thus fulfilling his dream, though they knew it not, instead of retorting their harsh treatment, his tender heart was softened towards them, though for wise reasons at first he made himself strange and spoke roughly unto them. I need not remind you what tender inquiries he made of them on their second visit, after his father, and the yearning love he felt towards his brother Benjamin. You will well remember when the time came to make himself known, how he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck with many tears, kissed all his brethren and wept upon them, forgiving all their sins against him, speaking kind words to them, and promising them support in Egypt through the famine– that the good of all the land was theirs.

What an example of being a fruitful vine did Joseph manifest. How fruitful in the fear of God, in faith, in love, in every gracious and tender affection, was he in heart. How fruitful inword, by the good words which he spoke to his brethren, all of which flowed out of love and affection. And how fruitful in work, by the good actions which adorned his life and conversation, whether he was a slave in the house of Potiphar, a servant of servants in the prison, or riding in Pharaoh's second chariot as ruler over all the land of Egypt. We, it is true, are not placed in Joseph's circumstances. We have neither his lowly lot nor his lofty exaltation. We have never been thrust into prison, nor are we likely to rule a kingdom. Still we have each our sphere of action, and we may have a measure of Joseph's grace without his iron fetters or his golden chain, without his dungeon or his dignity. The great question is whether we are a fruitful vine, for upon that depends our state and standing for time and eternity.

B. But let us now observe the SECRET SOURCE of Joseph's fruitfulness; for as he is a representative of a child of grace, the source of his fruitfulness must be the source of ours. Let no one think that Joseph brought forth the fruits which made him so fruitful a vine by any inherent strength, or wisdom, or goodness of his own. There was nothing in him naturally to separate him from his brethren, for he was as we are, by nature a child of wrath even as others. Whatever he was spiritually, he was by the grace of God, which was given to him as a sovereign act of God's good pleasure. The Holy Spirit, therefore, leads us at once to the secret source of Joseph's fruitfulness by the words, "Joseph is a fruitful vine, even a fruitful vine by a well."

In those burning climates, trees cannot grow or produce fruit except planted near streams of water. We find, therefore, in Scripture the figure of a tree planted by the waters often made use of. As an instance, David, describing the blessedness of a man of God in the first Psalm, says of him, that "he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which brings forth his fruit in his season." (Psalm 1:3.) In a similar way, the prophet Jeremiah, describing the blessedness of the man that trusts in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is, says, "He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (Jer. 17:8.) This, then, was the secret of Joseph's fruitfulness, that he was planted by a well or a fountain, which was ever gushing forth in living streams of water, so as to keep the ground all around it soft and moist.

But what does this "WELL" spiritually represent? The influences and operations of the blessed Spirit; for all through Scripture, water is made use of as typical of the gifts and graces, operations, and influences of the Holy Spirit. Thus our Lord said, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him– By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive." (John 7:38, 39.) So also spoke the prophet of old, "I will pour water upon him who is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour my Spirit upon your seed and my blessing upon your offspring." (Isaiah 44:3.) Thus as water has been, as it were, consecrated by divine authority to be a standing type of the gifts and graces, teaching and influences of the blessed Spirit, we cannot greatly err in so interpreting the well by which Joseph was planted.

And I may here observe that the word "vine" does not mean so much the branch of the tree as the tree itself; for we shall find as we proceed that it is a vine to which Joseph is compared. Joseph's fruitfulness, then, was given and maintained by his nearness to this well, that well of which our Lord said, "The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14.)

But observe with me that this well was hidden from view, for as the vine was planted by it and its roots were necessarily hidden out of sight, the well also was concealed from human eye. You will, perhaps, remember that among the blessings of Joseph with which Moses, the man of God blessed him, there was not only "the dew" that fell from heaven but "the deep that couches beneath;" that is, the supplies of water couching or hiding themselves deep beneath the soil, and by their secret springs ever keeping it moist and fruitful. The source, then, of Joseph's fruitfulness was hidden from the eyes of men, and could only be discerned by the fruit that hung upon the vine. His brethren saw it and hated it. Potiphar, his master, until turned against him, saw it and approved of it, for he found, "that the Lord was with him, and made all that he did to prosper in his hand." The very keeper of the prison, probably naturally some inhuman wretch, could not but see it; and because the Lord was with him Joseph had favor in his sight. Pharaoh and all his servants could not but see it, though they knew not Joseph's God, for they all rejoiced with him when the fame was heard in Pharaoh's house that Joseph's brethren were come. But none of these knew the source of that fruitfulness with which he was adorned as a vine laden with rich and ripe fruit.

So also it is now with every child of grace. The secret spring of his fruitfulness is hidden from the eyes of men—they can only see his good works, and glorify his Father who is in heaven. But the secret springs of grace which are continually flowing into his soul to keep his faith, his hope, his love, in a word, all his religion alive in his bosom are hidden from all human observation. Bear in mind that your religion, if it is the gift and work of God, will and must have a root to it. Job, amid all his confusion, could still say of himself with all holy confidence, "The root of the matter is found in me." He knew that "the matter," the all-important matter of spiritual and eternal life was deeply rooted in his heart. But whatever root our religion may have, it would all die away root and stock, stem and branch, leaf and fruit, were it not planted by the well.

Two things then are needed to make us fruitful trees; first the root and then the well. And you will ever find that the roots of your religion must dip themselves into the well to draw water out of it. Jeremiah, therefore, as before quoted, describes the godly man "as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out her roots by the river." You know how a tree will spread out its roots in a suitable soil. As the river then flows by, the tree planted by the waters spreads out its roots along the river bank, as if it delighted in the moisture of the stream as it continually bathes its rootlets. So as your faith and hope and love, and indeed every grace of the Spirit in your heart dips its roots into the well and is fed and sustained by the genial moisture ever coming from it, they receive fruitfulness into every pore. Cut off that supply, the root would dry up, the stem would droop, the branches would languish, the leaf would fade, the blossoms would fall, nor would there be any fruit hanging upon the vine. But as long as that source of fruitfulness remains; as long as the well continues full of water and the roots dip down into it and draw spiritual moisture out of it, so long is the vine fruitful.

Your religion, if it is to stand the burning drought of temptation; your religion, if it is not to languish and die; your religion, if your leaf is to be green, if sap is to flow into the stem, if fruit is to adorn the branches, can only be thus supported and maintained by continually dipping its roots into the well; for the Holy Spirit is not only the giver, but the maintainer of all life in the soul. Though we cannot ourselves indeed see or understand how the blessed Spirit maintains the life of God in the bosom, yet we know that he does so by two distinct things—first, by the languishing and withering of every grace in the heart when he withdraws his gracious influences, for when he goes all our religion seems to go with him; and, secondly, by the renewals and revivals which are ever produced by the return of his presence and power. Our Lord, therefore, said, "He who abides in me and I in him (which we can only do by the Spirit's power and influence), the same brings forth much fruit; for without me you can do nothing."

C. But the Holy Spirit has brought before us another marked feature in Joseph, as a representative believer, whereby he was distinguished among his brethren as a fruitful vine—"Whose branches RUN OVER THE WALL." I have already intimated that the vine is the fruitful tree to which Joseph is here compared. As then "the well" represents the blessed Spirit with his secret influences and divine operations upon the soul, so "the WALL" represents the Lord Jesus Christ. But you will perhaps ask me why? Do you not see thatthis wall is necessary to support the vine, to lift it, so to speak, from off the earth, for Jesus is the only support of the believing soul? The vine naturally is a trailing plant; it pushes forth no self-supporting stem, which, like the oak or the cedar, can rise of itself into the air. It needs continual support from its earliest growth; from the time that when as a rooted cutting it sends forth a shoot from the infant bud.

So it is with the new-born soul—it needs support from its earliest birth, or otherwise it trails in the dust, where it might be trodden down and there lie bruised, crushed, and its very life destroyed by the wild beasts of the woods. But there is a wall built on purpose, against which the tender shoot may be trained. Now the moment that this infant shoot finds that there is a wall, a support on which it can lean, to that wall it instinctively clings with all the ardor and tenacity of its young yet vigorous life. But if you watch the shoot thus put forth, you will see attached to it what are called tendrils. These stretch themselves out here and there as if seeking some prop on which to lean; and the moment in which they find it, they clasp it close as if they would adhere to it to prevent the 'leader' falling upon the ground. So it is with the child of God. He is in himself as weak as the tender shoot; his tendency is to trail in the dust, not because he loves the ground, for he loves the wall; but he can no more help himself nor raise himself up than the woman who was bowed together with a spirit of infirmity eighteen years could lift herself upright. (Luke 13:11.)

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