May 20^th, 1963 “Joseph is a Fruitful Bough” Late Mr. N. Daniel

Gen. 49:22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough.”

If you are a fruitful bough God will rejoice. In my garden I was waiting ten years for a certain tree to bear fruit. But no fruit appeared. So I asked them to cut it down for firewood. That was easily done. Any Christian can spend his life earning money. He may be an engineer, but the value of his life is only firewood-value. Joseph was not firewood but a fruitful bough. From that bough, the father, brothers, nephews and nieces were eating the fruit. They were sustained by the fruit of his life. The whole of Egypt was nourished and the neighbouring countries too. Even today he is a fruitful tree. He is an undying example to both young and old. His example is mighty. Jacob found his own boy to be a fruitful bough. He was very happy. His son was filling his house with plenty in the time of drought. I saw a man In Visakhapatnam who was a paralytic patient. He has a good son. All his material needs are met by that son. A man in Coonoor complained to me of his irresponsible son. I asked him, "Do you have family prayers? Did you teach him the Word of God?" It is the Word of God that makes children bear fruit. Some parents are not interested in teaching the Word of God. They do not tell the children that the Bible is the Word of God. God says in Hosea, "You have forgotten My covenant and I will forget your children." If you do not have the Word of God in your heart, God will not take interest in the details of your life. The former generation in England depended on character and faith in the Word of God. Now they depend on guns and atom bombs. In those days they used to have a day of prayer during a national crisis.

The family that does not believe in the Word of God will get ruined. There will be no faith in God but a clamouring for seats in colleges. A district judge eliminated God from his life. With great difficulty he agreed to a Christian burial. He was a firewood-Christian.

When our children are tender in age, we must give them the Word of God. Deut. 11:18-20. Parents who neglect the Word prepare their children for an early grave. In many Christian homes they have no fear of God. The cinema has introduced sinful love to our children. Novels teach adultery to them. God kept me from evil during my college days. God's Word was in my hand as well as in my heart.

How did Joseph become a fruitful bough? Was it without the example of the father? No! His father Jacob had quite recently become an Israel. Like a prince he wrestled with God. Though Jacob's father was a saintly man Jacob learned to practise deceit. His mother's influence told upon his character. It was because of Rebecca Jacob had to run away to his uncle's house.

Was he running with a new nature? No. With a deceitful nature. There the father-in-law deceived the son-in-law and the son-in-law deceived the father-in-law. The daughters took sides with Jacob conveniently but it brought great havoc. There was no peace in the home because of the deceit in Jacob's heart.

Even if you have 1% deceit you cannot have the full blessing of God. One day you will be put to shame. When the heart is not right with God you will not have strength or courage. Then Jacob realized that God was the only hope of his tangled life. Many of us are like Jacob. We do not realize that God is our only hope. Jacob was self-righteous. He had seen a vision. The devil also gives visions to some people and some answers to prayers also.

Jacob never believed in a holy God. He did not know the nature of God. Now he was repenting. Why? On one side his angry brother was coming to wreak vengeance and on the other side were his brothers-in-law and father-in-law. Until such a situation was created in his life he delayed seeking God.

Repentance is a blessing to cleanse body, spirit and soul. God granted Jacob this repentance. True repentance can cleanse even your blood. The devil sees to it that your sins are multiplied in your children. You can destroy your children. If you repent with the help of the Holy Spirit every part of your body is transformed. Your mind also undergoes a transformation. Job 20:11. Sin enters even your bones. Faith in Jesus and repentance are the best medicines.

II Cor. 7:1 The evil spirit in Jacob went away. There was only the Holy Spirit in him now. Joseph was a prophet from boyhood. His brothers came and fell at his feet. Pharaoh's ministers saluted him. He fled fornication. Those who are careful about this sin and avoid it, will be a blessing to the world. Lev. 16:29. God has appointed a day for our repentance. God wants you to humble yourself, afflict yourself and repent.

What were the blessings of God on Joseph? Genesis 49:24-26.