Until we start seeing the true revelation of God's Word in the light of His love, we will end up misinterpreting to interpret scriptures and this exactly what most gullible Christians are doing, which is leading to carnal outburst. Have you ever thought that Genesis 37: 12-16 is the symbolic revelation of Matthew 28: 18-20? You cannot think to reach the knowledge of the Word of God, you can only trust and obey in order to reach the very revelation truth and that is where the knowledge is, because it has to do with deep intimacy (Proverbs 3: 5, 6).
Jacob was functioning in the symbolic picture of God who is the Father of all those who trust and obey Him, while his children as the Chosen Generation of 12 revealing Divine program (You can read more about this in my Book titled, "Divine Programming"). Joseph's brothers' duty in the field where they were sent to feed the flocks (ministering) in Shechem revealed the nature of their job which must follow the intent of their father's description as instructed and must be carried out in obedience based on their father's instructions. Anything contrary to the ordained will certainly present a pattern acting in the way of self. So Jacob sent Joseph his 11th son, as eye witness to bring to him report and as a witness of his father, he also had to take food to his brothers in the field where they were feeding the flocks. It was right in Shechem that the alter for true communion should be built in the course of administering the content of the duty as pertains the father's ordinance even as commanded, not being stagnant in place, but always progressing (missionary assignments) to have the flocks fed well from one location to the other where there are good pastures and in the course of progressing, a lot of risk will be encountered in order to secure the flocks. The flocks will be imbibed with the mindset of not settling at a point like stagnant water for maturity, but will be impacted to have the mindset of always travelling on the field of assignment in order to get the right food which will enhance their growth to maturity, even as they are been led by the shepherd. But what do we have today? A stagnant church that feeds her flocks with the aim for the flock to feed her at a confined place where the flocks becomes so much in population, populating the church even without the church receiving proper sanitation to clean up the messes of wrong ideologies about life, and this will now lead to serious pollution because the church will now end up smelling with fuel odors as a result of the waste from the flocks that are not cleaned but left piling up and these waste is simply the wrong mindsets that are taking us far away from the truth instead of close, all in the name of obeying the command of the Father, Joseph's brother was still living in hate and resentment. The attitude of Joseph's brother reveals what is happening in our present day churches and God will really come to our rescue because it is actually becoming the norm that drives our operating system in our today Churches. We cannot alter God's Word, so we must not design it in such a way to suite our selfish interest, God cannot be mocked. Our churches today should have the missionary kind of mindset; because there are lots of villages around us that people who are living there does not or have not even known or heard the name Jesus, and we end doing church and observing rituals, looking for members who will give fat offerings. How can the gospel go to the uttermost parts of the earth? We have a lot of work to do and we must rise up to responsibilities of preaching the gospel instead of hinging on church projects and trivial things that is not channeled to soul winning. The joy of heaven is soul winning, so let's stop deceiving ourselves with vain rituals, God cannot compromise the standard of His command and until we act in the direction of His command, we are trading the broad path.
Yes! There will be lots of risk to encounter while in the field in order to secure the flocks, even some stubborn flocks that would not go the direction of the command of the shepherd, so the shepherd has to use his staff or shepherd rod (Word of God) to chastise and correct them to follow the ordain path, so as not to get lost. Even when one gets missing, the shepherd will abandon the whole flocks and go after to look for the one missing flock, because his delight is for none to miss and he cannot afford to miss one at the expense of the much.
God cannot afford to lose a soul at the expense of the multitude saved, so He is still at work going after the lost souls and He does that through us, when we obey the command "GO".
Obedience is paramount to doing the mind of God, for we to stay on track in His precepts, we must do His command is one greatest form of obedience that shapes our lifestyles to align with the kingdom principles because it was exactly Jesus came to do to rescue us back to Himself. Hunger and starvation is one of the major challenges which activates Joseph's mandate. So God functioning in the symbolic picture of the father (Jacob is now Israel because he prevailed with God), sent His Very Divine seed (11) and his question points to reality of the revelation pointing to the future.
Genesis 37: 13
And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.
Like Jesus God is actually sending me to the field where my brethren are, to feed them from my Father's mind, but they will seize the opportunity to truncate my life, because they could not stand the reality of my mandate which threatens every bit of their position, but it is all for their good, to preserve them in the time when there will spiritual famine and men will run to and fro and knowledge will drastically increase at this end time when many will be lovers of themselves, boasters, jesters of the things of God, blaspheming and making mockery of God with the ministers of God laughing while these jesters desecrate the alter of God, men who are always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth and men who will have a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. There is a serious chaos in our system of faith, because those who are supposed to be the carrier of the message of the faith we preach have compromised and end up putting finely sown coat as if there are still in active service, while in reality, they are spiritually retired. I am sorry to say this truth, most of our gospel ministers are spiritually retired and God is angry with the church because His of service has no room for part time.
I am called to do my Father's mind, so I don't expect love and I will go deliver the message of my Father to my brethren in the field to feed them from the Father's mind, but I know that they will seize the opportunity to truncate my life, but their intention will be change from truncating to business transaction which will lead them to selling me into a strange land where I will have the opportunities to grow by the help of grace and find favor between and God, not excluding temptations to prove the reality of my identity in I AM.
When people or ministers could not stand the reality of your mandate which tends to make them seem out dated or make them fear of losing market if you are been allowed, they will end up doing everything to annihilate even in their thoughts, because your mandate will threaten their position.
God is maturing me by taking me through the wilderness where the church will be fed for 1260 days with the words of prophesies from the mind of Divinity.