Joseph and the Rock

Joseph and the Rock

 As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD's word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? 

Psalm 18:30-31

There are many words used in the Bible to describe God. Some descriptions are eloquent, and others seem majestic. But one of the simpler and perhaps more descriptive is when God is referred to as the Rock. This simple word signifies strength, dependability, steadfastness, durability, toughness, and hardness. It also is a place of protection or an anchor upon which to build. Today this description of God as the Rock seems to be needed more than ever. Many people are seeking something in this world they can depend on. So, where did the term Rock originally come from? This goes all the way back to Genesis. Jacob was coming to the end of his life, and he called all his sons around him to give them a blessing and a prophecy. Here is what he said about his son Joseph.

"Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father's God, who         helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb. Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers. 

Genesis 49:22-26

Jacob describes his son as a fruitful vine that has been attacked and shot at with hostility. He also says that the reason Joseph has been able to remain steady and strong is because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, his father's God, the Almighty. Recalling Joseph's life, this seems like an appropriate description. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, he worked for years as a servant and was then falsely imprisoned. But through it all, Joseph trusted God. He was Joseph’s rock. Another interesting aspect of these verses is that it also mentions the Shepherd. This word is often used in the New Testament to describe Jesus.

 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 

John 10:11

 The story of the Rock then begins in Genesis. This also is connected with the Shepherd or Jesus. One of the functions of a shepherd is to protect the sheep.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

Psalm 23:4

From the very beginning in Genesis, God has been in the business of protecting his people. Now we need to keep this in context with when this prophecy of Jacob occurred. Joseph had been the number two person after Pharaoh in Egypt for years now. All of his father’s family and descendants now lived in Egypt. All those difficult years Joseph had faced in the past were behind him. Most of the words of this prophecy then were meant to describe what would happen to Joseph in the future. The blessings from the skies above, the deep springs below, of the breast and the womb and greater than the ancient mountains were still to come. But not that many years later, Joseph died.

Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years and saw the third generation of Ephraim's children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph's knees. 

Genesis 50:22-23

So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt. 

Genesis 50:26

Then did this prophecy of Jacob's not come to pass? No, let’s look at what happened in the future. Many generations later, Moses came on the scene. God appointed him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. As we know, Moses led them to the mountain where he was given the Ten Commandments by God. It was then and for the next 40 years wandering through the wilderness that the people of Israel rebelled against God. This is how Moses would describe the situation.

Listen, you heavens, and I will speak; hear, you earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. They are corrupt and not his children; to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation. Is this the way you repay the LORD, you foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. For the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance. 

Deuteronomy 32:1-9

Moses is the second person to describe God as the Rock. God is perfect. All his ways are just. He is faithful and does no wrong. His children, on the other hand, seem to be just the opposite. Moses reminds them that God, the Rock, was their Creator. Towards the end of these verses, Moses talks about God giving an inheritance to the world. God divided up things to all the nations. The Lord's portion of this inheritance was meant for his people, Jacob or Israel and his sons. This also included Joseph and his descendants. Moses then goes on to describe what God had done for the Israelites and what they had done in return.

The LORD alone led him; no foreign god was with him. He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, with curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan and the finest kernels of wheat. You drank the foaming blood of the grape. Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, they became heavy and sleek. They abandoned the God who made them and rejected the Rock their Savior. They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols. They sacrificed to false gods, which are not God— gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your ancestors did not fear. You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. 

Deuteronomy 32:12-18

God had nurtured his children and given them a land of honey and milk. Jeshurun is another name for the children of Israel. But his children abandoned their God and rejected the Rock their Savior. They forgot who created them. This seems to foreshadow what many of the Jews would do many generations later when Jesus came to earth. They would again reject the Rock.

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," and, "A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 

1 Peter 2:7-8

Moses went on to describe in more specific terms what the nation of Israel had done. They had exchanged the Rock for another rock. This explained why they were now being defeated by just a few of their enemies instead of being victorious. Moses also explained that God would someday repay them for what they had done.

They are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them. If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be! How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up? For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede. Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are filled with poison, and their clusters with bitterness. Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras. "Have I not kept this in reserve and sealed it in my vaults? It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them." 

Deuteronomy 32:28-35

The problem was that instead of trusting and believing in God, the Israelites had gone astray and were worshipping another rock, idols. They believed that their new rock could save them. God told them plainly that this was not the case. There is only one God and he is the Rock.

He will say: "Now where are their gods, the rock they took refuge in, the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up to help you! Let them give you shelter! "See now that I myself am he! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand. I lift my hand to heaven and solemnly swear: As surely as I live forever, when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. 

Deuteronomy 32:37-41

When Moses knew that he was coming to the end of his life on earth, he called all the leaders of the tribes of Israel. He then gave each a blessing and prophesy just as Jacob had done earlier. Here is what he said concerning the tribes of Joseph.

About Joseph he said: "May the LORD bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below; with the best the sun brings forth and the finest the moon can yield; with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills; with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers. In majesty he is like a firstborn bull; his horns are the horns of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even those at the ends of the earth. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim; such are the thousands of Manasseh." 

Deuteronomy 33:13-17

If you go back and look at the prophecy that Jacob gave to his son Joseph, you will notice that many of the same things are again prophesied for Joseph. So Joseph’s entire prophecy was yet to be fulfilled and now there were more things added regarding Joseph's descendants. An important thing needs to be mentioned. Before Jacob had died, he officially adopted Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. This meant that they were now on the equal to Joseph's brothers as far as inheritance. Therefore, when you read about the tribes of Israel, you won’t read about the tribe of Joseph but the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. When the Israelites finally made it to the Promised Land, Joshua gave each of the tribes an allocation of land. Instead of Joseph’s descendants getting one allocation, Ephraim and Manasseh each received an allocation of land. This meant that technically Joseph’s descendants received two allocations whereas the other brothers each got one. In addition, the allocation given them was the largest and best compared to the other brothers except for that of Judah. The Israelites then went through many years of trials during the time of Judges. Toward the end of this period, something different occurred.

There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.  He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. 

1 Samuel 1:1-2

Elkanah was an Ephraimite or a descendant of Joseph. He had two wives. One of them had children but the other did not. Every year they went to Shiloh to sacrifice to the Lord. Each year, Hannah would pray and ask the Lord for a child but nothing happened. Then one year, she made a vow to the Lord that if she had a child, she would give him to the Lord. God honored her prayer and she gave birth to Samuel. After giving birth, Hannah prayed and praised the Lord for what he had done.

Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. "There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. "Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. "The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. 

1 Samuel 2:1-4

The prophesy that Jacob gave for his son Joseph seems to echo through what Hannah prayed here. The Rock is there giving strength to those who stumble just as he did Joseph. There is no one like our God. The Rock was continuing to bless the descendants of Joseph all these years after Jacob’s prophecy. Samuel would go on to do many great things in service to the Lord. One his more important actions would be to anoint David to become the King of the Israelites. Here then you have a descendant of Joseph anointing a descendant of Judah. David was a man after God's own heart. He more than almost any other person understood the faithfulness and trustworthiness of God, the Rock.

David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent people you save me. "I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies.

2 Samuel 22:1-4

"As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD's word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way. "I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

2 Samuel 22:31-38

"The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who puts the nations under me, who sets me free from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me. Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. "He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever."

2 Samuel 22:47-51

These few verses describe several times when God, the Rock, was a fortress for David or delivered him from an enemy. God gave him strength and kept his path secure. God was his Savior. God's way was perfect. Even in his very last words, David relays something the Rock of Israel told him.

These are the last words of David: "The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel's songs: "The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: 'When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.' "If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire.

2 Samuel 23:1-5

David wrote about the Rock in many of the Psalms. Here is a list of some of those verses if you would like to read more.

Psalm 18:2                        Psalm 18:30-32                  Psalm 18:46-48

Psalm 19:13-14                 Psalm 28:1-2                     Psalm 31:1-5

Psalm 42:8-11                   Psalm 62:2-7                      Psalm 71:2-3

Psalm 78:32-41                Psalm 89:20-29                Psalm 92:12-15

Psalm 94:22                      Psalm 95:1-2                      Psalm 144:1-3

From all these verses that describe God as the Rock, we can see the importance that David put on basing his life on the Rock. Everything in his life revolved around the Rock. God was his fortress, his protector, his Savior. Unfortunately, many of David's descendants who later became kings did not understand the importance of the Rock. God specifically told David that a king needed to rule in righteousness and in fear of God. But David's own son did not follow this advice and ended up with another rock.

So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.

1 Kings 11:6

As a result of this, God took ten of the tribes of Israel away from Solomon's son and made Jeroboam king of those ten tribes of Israel. Solomon's son became king of only Judah.

About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes. But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. 

1 Kings 11:29-32

Jeroboam was an Ephraimite, a direct descendant of Joseph. If we go back to the prophesies of Jacob and Moses regarding the descendants of Joseph, we can see how God the Rock was faithful and continued to bless Jeroboam. He was now King of Israel. Unfortunately, just as King Solomon, Jeroboam went against God and made idols to worship. God then removed him as king and his family was be cut off.

Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes. You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have aroused my anger and turned     your back on me. "'Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone. 

1 Kings 14:7-10

All this time, God had continued to bless the descendants of Joseph. However, just as the descendants of Judah, the descendants of Joseph rebelled against God. Israel was now a divided kingdom: the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom was made up of the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh and tribes associated with them. Judah was made of the tribe of Judah and the associated tribes. Both would eventually fall. But this division does not seem to fit into the prophesies that God had given to Jacob and Moses for the descendants of Joseph. Would this mean the prophecies were wrong? No, we need to remember that God is just and righteous. This would not be the only time that the Rock would disseminate justice on those who did not remember him. For example, Damascus would face the justice of God in the future.

You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines, though on the  day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain. 

Isaiah 17:10-11

God, the Rock of Israel, always remains faithful to his promises. He is rock solid. His ways are perfect. He is righteous and faithful to his children from the beginning to the end. Here is what God said would eventually happen to the descendants of Joseph and Judah.

The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, 'Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.' Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, 'Belonging to Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him.' Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your      hand. "When your people ask you, 'Won't you tell us what you mean by this?' say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim's hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah's stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.' Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. 

Ezekiel 37:15-23

This is what makes the story of the Rock so important. Throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelations, God has made promises. God made promises to Jacob and Joseph thousands of years ago that he kept. He is still keeping promises today. We can rest in peace that he is going to keep his promises to us also.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. 

Isaiah 26:3-4

"This is what the LORD says— Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come— yes, let them foretell what will come. Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one." 

Isaiah 44:6-8

When Jesus gave the famous Sermon on the Mount, he discussed many things and told many parables. The very last parable he told sums things up very well.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." 

Matthew 7:24-27

This parable is well-known and many of us have heard it many times. The lesson is that we need to not only hear the words of Jesus but to also put them into action. But there is a very important small word in this story that many people, in fact many translations of the Bible, have gotten wrong. It is the small word “the” just before the word “rock”. When some people read this parable, they mistakenly say the wise man built his house on a rock. They say this is a story about building a house. In our NIV translation above though it is translated correctly as "the". The Greek word used here is the word την or hē.  It is what is called a definite article. Articles are the words “the” and “a” or “an” that we use all the time. A definite article is used to talk about a specific item not just any item. In this story, the wise man did not build his house on just "a" rock, but he built his house on "the" rock. As Hannah, Samuel's mother, said...

"There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 

1 Samuel 2:2

This parable is not just about building a house but our lives. We need to build our lives on the one and only Rock. On the very foundation of what we were created from in the beginning, Jesus Christ.

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many. The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. "Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: Instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm. 

Isaiah 51:1-5

What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame." 

Romans 9:30-33