Journal Week Five

JOURNAL WEEK FIVE- JOSEPH AND DOUBLE HINDRANCE

We see with Joseph in Gen. 43 and 45 that although he yearned intensely to reveal himself to his brethren he had to force himself, restrain or limit himself in doing so.  We must ask why would he do so, why would he delay something he has spent decades waiting and yearning for the day when they would come and bow down before him, not desiring the bowing down, but desiring to be with them all once again. When we go to the letters of Paul and see a similar situation, just as Jesus is right now longing to see us bodily but is restraining himself.
Rom.1:13 I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that oftentimes I purposed
to come to you, but something has always kept me back until now.
Rom. 15:22 I have been much hindered from coming to you.  But now having no more place here, and having great desire these many years to come to you.
1 Thess. 2:17 Wherefore we would have come to you, once and again but Satan hindered us.
There are many reasons that they were hindered in seeing one another more fully in the physical realm, in seeing Jesus come back but also in the the operation of the Spirit in revealing Christ so that we can be changed from glory to glory. Joseph had more than one factor that restrained him.
i. unfinished business.  There are things that need to take place first.  In the story of Joseph, the brother's needed to be brought to full repentance or their fate was imminent.  Also Judah repeats the phrase four times saying that Joseph said "you shall not see my face again unless your brother (the only brother left) be with you".  2 Peter 3:9 Jesus is delaying Himself so that none should perish..all would come to repentance.  Hebrews 2:10,11:40, Jesus is bringing many sons unto glory and that we all are going to be presented together, not one of us missing.