The Leading of the Lord

'So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God' (Gen. 
45:8).

Introduction

        To many things there are two sides, just as there are two sides 
to a coin.  Often we may try to simplify truth and not take into 
account that it may be approached from more than one angle.  
For example, 'We love Him, because He first loved us' (1 John 
4:19).

        If we consider guidance, basing our thoughts on Proverbs 
3:5,6, we may consider problems when we are faced with two 
courses of action.  We work from the basis that we have a right 
to choose, and if we rely on our own wisdom we might make the 
wrong choice.

        The disciples had the right to choose, but did they become 
disciples because they decided to follow Jesus Christ?  Our Lord 
told them, 'Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you' 
(John 15:16).

        Do we believe that we are members of the church which is the 
Body of Christ?  Did we decide to join that church?  Or was the 
choice made for us by our Lord?  In Ephesians 1:4 we read, 
'according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of 
the world'.

        So, when we consider the leading of the Lord, do we have 
regard to those occasions when we have to make a choice?  This 
is one aspect, but we have to remember that when the Lord leads, 
He is in control, and this is because He loves us and has a 
purpose for us.  His grace provides for us and this is not the 
result of our choice.  Having been bought with a price, we belong 
to Him and we are not our own (1 Cor. 6:19,20; 7:23).

Joseph

        The long story of Joseph is recorded in chapters 37 to 50 of 
the book of Genesis, and we read that the Lord was with him 
(39:2,21).  Through all his troubles and difficulties, the Lord was 
leading him, but we may ask whether Joseph had many decisions 
to make.  His father Israel loved him very much and gave him a 
coat of many colours, which probably indicated that he was the 
heir.  No doubt this was the reason his brothers hated him.  
Joseph had two dreams that were signs that he would have 
authority over the family.

        Israel asked Joseph to go and find his brethren who were 
feeding the flock at Shechem (37:12-14).  This was an occasion 
when he had a choice, although he could hardly have refused.  So 
Joseph obeyed quite willingly, although knowing his brethren 
hated him, he must have accepted the risk.

        We will now follow an outline of the story, and it seems that 
the events were not the result of choice by Joseph, but were 
outside his control.  (Many of the events, of course, reflect the 
life of Jesus Christ).

        When the brothers saw Joseph approaching, they plotted 
against him and intended to kill him.  After taking off his coat of 
many colours, they threw Joseph into a pit, but instead of killing 
him, they sold him for twenty pieces of silver.  Eventually he was 
sold to an officer of Pharaoh's guard, named Potiphar, but the 
Lord was with Joseph and he prospered and was promoted to be 
the overseer of Potiphar's house.

        Then trouble came again.  Potiphar's wife had designs on 
Joseph, but he refused her overtures.  One day the wife took hold 
of his coat, and to escape, Joseph left his coat in the hands of the 
wife, who then pretended that he had attacked her.  When 
Potiphar heard the wife's lying account of the incident, he sent 
Joseph to prison, but the keeper of the prison favoured him and 
appointed him to take care of the other prisoners.  The Lord was 
with Joseph and blessed him, although he remained in prison 
(Gen. 39:23).

        Next, we read that Pharaoh was angry with two of his 
servants, his butler and baker, so they were sent to the prison 
where Joseph was.  After some time each of the servants had a 
dream which Joseph interpreted.  The butler was restored to his 
office, but the baker was hanged.  Joseph had asked the butler to 
remember him when he was liberated and to tell Pharaoh that, 
although he was innocent, he was still in prison.  The butler, 
however, forgot Joseph.

        After two years, Pharaoh had two dreams but no one could 
interpret them.  The butler suddenly remembered how Joseph had 
interpreted his dream and told Pharaoh.  Pharaoh then sent for 
Joseph who, after washing and changing his clothes, appeared 
before him, and interpreting his dreams told Pharaoh there would 
be seven years of plenty and seven years of famine.  He advised 
the king to store surplus corn for the seven years of plenty and 
then use the store during the years of famine.  Pharaoh appointed 
Joseph to organise the plan, and he became head over Pharaoh's 
house, Pharaoh saying that only in the throne would he be greater 
than Joseph.  He rode in the second chariot and the people cried, 
'Bow the knee', and he became ruler over all the land of Egypt.  
His name was changed to Zaphnath-paaneah, which in the Coptic 
means 'A revealer of secrets'.  The Companion Bible says it is 
Egyptian for 'abundance of life', or 'abundance of food for the 
living'.  Another translation is 'Bread of Life'.

        Joseph was thirty years old when he commenced his office in 
charge of the collection of corn, and second only to Pharaoh.

        The next few chapters (42 to 45), are taken up with the detail 
of Jacob, and his sons who were sent to Egypt for corn.  The 
brothers came before Joseph and bowed down, according to 
Joseph's dreams.  Although they did not recognise Joseph, he 
knew his brothers and understood their conversation as they 
spoke to each other in Hebrew.  Space will not allow for all the 
details to be related, but eventually Joseph could contain himself 
no longer, and he revealed himself to his brothers; 'I am Joseph: 
doth my father yet live?'.  At first the brothers were troubled as 
they realised that Joseph had become a man of great power, but 
he spoke kindly to them:
        
'Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that 
ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve 
life' (Gen. 45:5).
        
'So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and He 
hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a 
ruler throughout all the land of Egypt' (Gen. 45:8).

Articles by Charles H. Welch

        In the early volumes of The Berean Expositor, there are 
several articles on:
'The Leading of the Lord', to which we refer briefly.

Vol. 11: page 47.       One test is that if we are led by the Lord, we 
shall not act in a way that disobeys Scripture.  Proverbs says:

        1.      In all thy ways acknowledge Him
        2.      And He shall direct thy paths.

        C.H. Welch gives an illustration from Acts 16:6-10, where 
Paul was not allowed to go to preach in Asia or Bithynia, but 
received a call to Macedonia.

Vol. 13: page 172.      We are referred to the pillar of cloud and the 
pillar of fire (Exod. 13:21,22), and four features are explained:

        1.      The leading was personal.  'The LORD went before them'. 
        		'So the LORD alone did lead him' (Deut. 32:12). 

                The Lord promised Moses, 'My presence shall go with 
				thee' (Exod. 33:14,15).

        2.      The leading was attached to a need.
        3.      Leading is part of redemption.
        4.      The pillar of cloud regulated all Israel's journeyings.
        
Vol. 19: pages 95 and 111.      Psalm 23 -- leading beside still 
waters; and in the paths of righteousness.  Mention again of the 
pillar of cloud.  Redemption and atonement -- the way out and the 
way in.  We quote from page 95:
        
'Here (Exod. 13:21) you have redemption, the "way out" 
whereas in Exodus 40, you have atonement, the "way in".  We 
have therefore two presentations of the Lord's leading -- one by 
reason of redemption, and one by reason of restored fellowship.  If 
we are the Lord's redeemed He will lead us whether we realise it 
or not.  It is part of the purchase of the blood of the Lamb'.

Vol. 20: page 14.       The quotation from Psalm 107:7 is described 
as fundamental: 'He led them forth by the RIGHT way'.  Man 
may be unable to discern the right way.
        
'Every way of a man is right in his own eyes' (Prov. 21:2).  
        
'There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end 
thereof are the ways of death' (Prov. 16:25).

Exodus 13:17,18 shows that the right way may not be a direct 
way, it may be a roundabout way.  The path may not be easy, 
but at the end, it will be well (Deut. 8:15,16).  As Isaiah 57:18 
says, 'I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him'.

Vol. 20: page 31.       Psalm 25:4,5 asks for leading in Thy ways, 
Thy paths and Thy truth.  C.H. Welch reverts to Proverbs 3:6, 
then quotes:
        
'Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a PLAIN path' 
(Psa. 27:11), and then the well known words:
        
'Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I' (Psa. 61:2).

Vol. 20: page 90.       The previous line of thought is continued and 
the following references added:
        
'O send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me' 
(Psa. 43:3). 
        
'I will guide thee with Mine eye' (Psa. 32:8).

Vol. 20: page 145.      This concluding article begins with the 
relationship of the sheep to the shepherd, as revealed in Psalm 23 
and John 10.  The Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  He 
loves them and has bought them with His own blood, so they are 
His own.  Where He leads them they follow.  He calls the sheep 
by name, which is an example of a personal relationship.

C.H. Welch proceeds to emphasise the importance of Romans 
8:14:
        
'For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons 
of God',

and concluding the series of articles he considers the words of 
Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1:
        
'Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ'.

Saul and David

        At first glance, one might imagine that these two characters 
would have much in common, for each was anointed to be king.  
We can refer to them only briefly, and consider Saul more 
particularly.

        The children of Israel told Samuel that they wished to be ruled 
by a king like other nations, but Samuel was grieved and told 
Israel that they were rejecting the leadership of the Lord.  The 
Lord, however, instructed Samuel to anoint Saul to be king.

        Samuel was old when Saul became king.  In speaking to the 
people, he presented Saul as the king appointed by the Lord.  He 
added that if the people would fear the Lord, obey and serve Him, 
He would bless them and Saul would continue to be king.  If, 
however, they would not obey the word of the Lord, then His 
hand would be against them (1 Sam. 12:13-15).

        If Israel were told they must obey the Lord, how much more 
important that the king, Saul, should set an example and obey 
God.  Yet within a few years we find Saul was disobedient.  It 
was agreed that at a certain time, Samuel would come and offer a 
sacrifice; Saul waited but Samuel did not appear, whereupon 
Saul proceeded to make the offering himself.  Then Samuel came, 
and he rebuked Saul for his disobedience and told him that he 
would not continue as king (1 Sam. 13:13,14).  On another 
occasion Saul was told to destroy Amalek and all that they had, 
but Saul did not kill Agag, and the people also took the best of 
the sheep and oxen.  When Samuel arrived, he asked what was 
the bleating of sheep and the lowing of oxen he could hear.  
When he heard Saul's excuse, Samuel said, 'To obey is better 
than sacrifice', and told Saul that because he had rejected the 
word of the Lord, the Lord had rejected him from being king 
(1 Sam. 15:23).

        We cannot recite the long story of David who suffered much, 
was hated by Saul, and was opposed by Absalom his son.  But 
David's heart was right (or perfect) with the Lord his God.

        Thus, in both cases, opportunity after the anointing was 
before them but Saul disobeyed God and lost the kingdom, 
whereas David served the Lord with his whole heart, and the 
house of David was established.

Conclusion

        The Lord has a plan and a purpose for each of us, and if we 
are faithful, we will contribute to the completion of the whole of 
God's great plan.  We were chosen in Christ before the 
foundation of the world, long before we were born! (Eph. 1:4).  
We are saved by grace and should bear fruit in our lives.  God 
has 'before ordained' that we should exhibit 'good works' (Eph. 
2:8-10).

        Whether we realise it or not the Lord is leading us all the time.  
Sometimes one has to make a choice, and then there is the need to 
ask for guidance, but all the time the Lord is leading and 
controlling, and His presence is with us.

        Let us therefore give thanks to Him, be obedient to Him and 
His word.  Let us continue in faith, believing that He will show 
us His will and His way.

G.T. FOSTER