A fruitful bough by a well whose branches run over the wall

NOTES FROM A SERMON HEARD ON SUNDAY 24 JANUARY 2016

GENESIS 37 VERSES 1 – 4, CHAPTER 49 VERSES 22 – 26

In Genesis 49 we come to Jacob who is now an old man as he gathers his family around him.  He is going to tell all 12 of his sons what will lie in the future for them.  What a picture this is of us one day when we must stand before the God of heaven and give an account of every deed taken place in this body of ours.  Jacob goes through all his sons – Reuben the firstborn, is his strength, a blessing to the family is as unstable as water, Simeon and Levi are the rods of cruelty.  So Jacob goes down the line.  Then he turns his attention to Joseph.  Verse 22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall.”  Joseph is of course a picture of the type of Christ.  Joseph is an example of the believers.  It is his responsibility to bear fruit for the Lord Jesus.  John 15 “I am the vine, ye are the branches.”  Jesus told his disciples that he was the vine and his disciples were the branches.  There is a progression of fruit in John 15 – the reference is to “much fruit” (verse 5).  This is what the Lord wants for each one of us.  The bible says you and I are the light of the world, the salt of the world but also we are to bear fruit.  You are to bear fruit today not just in the church but also out in the world.  When we think of the vineyard, the vine and the fruit there are 3 things we need – a wall, water and soil.

The soil.  Here is Jacob’s family coming before him and hearing what will happen in the days to come.  As Jacob looks at Joseph he is probably about 45 or 50 years of age.  He sees something special about his life.  As God looks on your life could he say the same of you?  You are born again but have you borne fruit?  Have we come to the place of total surrender?  Not talking about being saved but rather everything I have is given to God to allow me to grow.  We need to be well rooted in the soil.  If the soil is not right there will be no growth.  If the soil is no good there will be no fruit.  “And having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.  And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight. If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.” (Colossians 1 verses 20 – 23)  Notice Paul’s passion – reconciled into the body of his flesh through death.  What God is going to do – present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.  We need to be grounded in God’s redemption.  Is this the soil you are planted in today?  You are not depending on anything else.  Not in any denomination or minister or a profession you made years ago.  “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.  That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length and depth and height.” (Ephesians 3 verses 14 – 18)  Joseph was like a bough planted and bearing fruit.  The location is so important today.  Jesus spoke with a man about a fig tree.  He came seeking year after year but found no fruit on it.  He wanted to knock the tree down but the dresser said “give me an opportunity to fill the right soil around it then you will see what happens.” (Luke 13)  The importance of the soil.  Remember the sower of the seed?  Some seed fell on hard ground – if there is a hardness in our hearts there will be no fruit.  Some seed fell on stony ground that didn’t bear any fruit.  If there is anything else in our hearts the word of God will do no good to us.  We will not bear any fruit for the master.

The well or water.  The tree had to be planted where there was water.  It was the source of life.  Jacob brings this tribute to his son, pictures him as a vine laden down with fruit.  Jacob attributes this to some lovely features in the garden.  The soil first of all then the well that always supplied water to the vine.  When the bough took water from the well it blossomed and bore fruit.  So rich and varied, so valuable to the growth of the vine was the water.  David in the Old Testament scriptures was surrounded by the Philistines, there was no where he could go.  There was one thought that came to him – he wanted to be standing in his own palace in Bethlehem.  “oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem” (2 Samuel 23 verse 15)  Three of David’s trusted soldiers when out and risked their own lives to bring David back a supply of water from that well.  David when he received it poured it out as a sacrifice to God, in recognition of what they had done to get it brought to him.  How precious is the word of God to us today?  Imagine being so close to the God of heaven and drawing from the well of God’s precious word.  There is also the secrecy of drawing as well as the source of the water.  It was growing so fast that it reached over the wall.  Most of the feeding goes on without much notice.  The fruit and foliage come without notice.  The fruit of the Spirit is spending much time in God’s word.  In 2 Kings 4 the widow woman had 2 sons.  Her husband had died and left her a debt.  All she had were her 2 sons to be sold to the creditors.  She came to the prophet Elisha who asked her what she had left in her house.  All she had was a pot of oil so Elisha told her to go out and borrow all the vessels she could from her neighbours.  She was then to pour the oil into the vessels.  She did as she was told and the oil miraculously filled every vessel until there were none left.  The oil never failed.  That is what God can do for you and I.  He will never stop for us.  There is a secrecy in drawing from God, no-one sees it but you benefit from an invisible source.

The wall.  The wall was there for a safeguard.  The vineyard was always open to attack.  “Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines; for our vines have tender grapes.” (Song of Solomon 2 verse 15)  There might be something attacking you, something you cannot get over or around.  There is a safeguard though.  “And he fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof and planted it with the choicest vine and built a tower in the midst of it and also made a winepress therein and he looked that it should bring forth grapes and it brought forth wild grapes.” (Isaiah 5 verse 2)  The child of God is always in contact with danger and that is why we have the safeguard.  The Lord is a wall of fire around Israel.  If you are bearing fruit for the Lord you are ready for attack but never fear, always remember God is our safeguard.  The wall is also a shelter.  There is one who wants to destroy the fruit you are bearing for the Lord.  Perhaps it is disappointment or sickness or something that has changed the circumstances in your life.  Somehow you cannot cope with it.  There is a shelter that is from the Lord.  The wall would also be a support to the fruit.  It bore the bough and the fruit it would bring forth.  It grew up over the wall and if it wasn’t for the wall it would lie in the ground and be prone to insects.  God will be your support in every circumstance.  The Lord doesn’t want us to be idle, fruitless Christians.  Jacob looked at his son and said he was a fruitful bough beside the wall and its fruit climbed over the wall.  God wants you to be surrendered to him but will you?