JOSEPH*
By
ARTHUR
W. PINK
[*From the author’s book: ‘Gleanings in Genesis’, pp. 341-408.]
JOSEPH AS A YOUTH
In the first of our articles upon Jacob we called attention to
the fact that each of the great Israelitish patriarchs
illustrated some basic spiritual truth and that the chronological order of
their lives agrees with the doctrinal order of truth. In Abraham we have illustrated the doctrine
of election, for he was singled out by God from all
the heathen and chosen to be the head of the Jewish nation. In Isaac we have foreshadowed the doctrine of
Divine
sonship: Abram’s firstborn,
Ishmael, represents the man born after the flesh, the old nature; but Isaac,
born by the miraculous power of God, tells of the new man, the spiritual
nature. In Jacob we see exemplified the
conflict between the two
natures in the believer, and also God’s gracious discipline which issued, slowly but surely, in the
triumph of the spirit over the flesh. Joseph, typically, speaks to us of heirship preceded by “suffering,” and points forward to the time when
the sons and heirs shall reign together with Christ. There
is thus a beautiful moral order in the several leading truths illustrated and
personified by these men. And it should
be observed that here, as in everything which pertains to God’s Word, its orderliness evidences its
Divine Authorship; everything is in its proper place.
Joseph, then, speaks of heirship and, as another has beautifully expressed it, “And consistently with this, in Joseph, we get suffering before glories. * * * For while discipline attaches to us
as children, sufferings go before us as heirs; and this gives us the
distinction between Jacob and Joseph. It is discipline we see in Jacob, discipline
leading him as a child, under the hand of the Father of his spirit, to a
participation of God’s holiness. It is sufferings, martyr-sufferings,
sufferings for righteousness, we see in Joseph, marking his path to
glories. And this is the crowning thing!
and thus it comes as the closing thing, in this
wondrous book of Genesis - after this manner perfect in its structure, as it is
truthful in its records. One moral after another is studied, one secret after
another is revealed, in the artless family scenes which constitute its
materials, and in them we learn our calling, the sources and the issues of our
history, from our election to our inheritance” (Mr. J. G. Bellett).
Joseph is the last of the saints which occupies a prominent
position in Genesis. In all there are
seven - Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. More space is devoted to the last of these
seven than to any of the others. There
are several reasons for this which appear on the
surface. In the first place, the history
of Joseph is the chief link which connects Exodus with Genesis; the earlier
chapters of Exodus being unintelligible without the last ten chapters of
Genesis. It is Joseph’s life which
explains the remarkable development of the Hebrews from a mere handful of
wandering shepherds to a numerous and settled colony in
“Joseph was the elder son of Rachel (30: 24). Of his early life nothing is recorded. He could not have been more than five or six
years old when his father left
“These are the generations of
Jacob. Joseph being seventeen years old,
was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of
Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought
unto his father their evil report. Now
There are perhaps few portions of Holy Writ with which we are
more familiar than the one now before us.
From earliest childhood many of us have listened to this beautiful but
pathetic narrative. The aged patriarch, his
favourite son, the coat of many colours, Joseph’s dreams, the envious brothers,
their wicked conduct - all so true to life - have been indelibly impressed upon
our memories since we first learned them on our mother’s knee, or from the lips
of our Sunday School teacher. Many are the lessons which may be drawn,
and pointed are the warnings which are found here. But we shall pass from these to something
deeper and even more precious.
As we read thoughtfully the books of the Old Testament our
study of them is but superficial if they fail to show us that in divers ways
and by various means God was preparing the way for the coming of His Son. The
central purpose in the Divine Incarnation, the great outstanding object in the
life and death of the Lord Jesus, were prefigured beforehand, and ought to have
been rendered familiar to the minds of men.
Among the means thus used of God was the history of different persons
through whom the life and character of Christ were to a remarkable degree made
manifest beforehand. Thus Adam
represented His Headship, Abel His Death, Noah His Work in providing a refuge
for His people. Melchizedek pointed to
Him as priest, Moses as prophet, David as King.
But the fullest and most striking of all these typical personage was Joseph,
for between his history and that of Christ we may trace fully a hundred points of analogy! Others before us have written upon this
captivating theme, and from their writings we shall draw freely in the course
of these papers on the typical significance of Joseph’s history.*
* We take this occasion to acknowledge our indebtedness to Dr. Haldeman
and Mr. C. Knapp.
In the verses quoted above from Genesis 37 there are seven points in which Joseph prefigured Christ,
each of which is worthy of our attention, namely, the meaning of his name, the
nature of his occupation, his opposition to evil, his father’s love, his
relation to his father’s age, his coat of many colours, and the hatred of his
brethren. Let us consider each of these
in turn:
1. The Meaning of his Name.
It is most significant that our patriarch had two names - Joseph, and Zaphnath-paaneah (41: 45) which
the rabbins translate “Revealer
of secrets.” This latter name was
given to him by Pharaoh in acknowledgment of the Divine wisdom which was in
him. Thus, Joseph may be said to be his
human name and Zaphnath‑paaneah his Divine name. So, also, the one whom Joseph foreshadowed
has a double name – “Jesus” being His human name, “Christ” signifying “the Anointed” of God, or, again, we have his double name in “Son of Man” which speaks of His humanity, and “Son of God” which tells of His Deity. Let us note how the meaning of Joseph’s names
were typical in their significance.
“Joseph” means adding (see 30: 24).
The first Adam was the great subtractor, the
last Adam is the great Adder: through the one, men became lost; by the other,
all who believe are saved. Christ is the
One who “adds” to Heaven’s inhabitants. It was to this end that He came to this
earth, tabernacled among men for more than thirty years, and then died on the
Cross: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall
into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit” (Jno. 12: 24). The ultimate result of
His Death will be “much fruit,” and at His return this will be gathered into the Heavenly
garner (Jno. 14: 3).
But Joseph’s second name means “Revealer
of secrets.” This was a most
appropriate name. Revealer of secrets
Joseph ever was, not merely as an interpreter of dreams, but in every scene of
his life, in every relation he sustained - when with his brethren in Potiphar’s
household, in prison, or before Pharaoh - his words and his works ever tested
those with whom he had to do, making manifest their secret condition. How
strikingly this foreshadowed Christ, of whom it was said in the days of His
infancy, “Behold this Child is set for the fall and rising again of
many in
In the incident now before us Joseph is seen as the Revealer
of secrets in a double way. First, he
revealed his father’s heart, for he is here seen as the special object on which
Jacob’s affections were centered. Second, he revealed the hearts of his
brethren by making manifest their wicked “hatred.”
In like manner, our blessed Saviour revealed the Father's heart, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father,
He
hath declared Him” (Jno. 1: 18). And in like manner, the Lord Jesus also revealed what was in
the hearts of men. One of the most
striking and prominent features presented in the four Gospels is the fact that everywhere
He went the Lord Jesus exposed all. He made manifest the
secret condition of all with whom He came into contact. He was truly “the Light of the world,” shining in “a dark place” - detecting, displaying, uncovering,
bringing to light the hidden things of darkness. Well, then, was Joseph named the one who added, and the one that revealed.
2.
By Occupation Joseph was a Shepherd,
“feeding the
flock.”
This is one of the prominent lines which is found running through
several of the Old Testament typical personages. Abel, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, were each
of them “shepherds,” and a close study of what is recorded of each one in this
particular relation will reveal that each pointed forward to some separate and
distinctive aspect of our Lord’s Shepherd-hood.
No figure of Christ is more beautiful than this: our favourite Psalm
(the twenty-third) presents Him in this character. One of our earliest conceptions of the
Saviour, as children, was as the Good Shepherd.
The figure suggests His watchful care, His unwearied devotion, His
tender solicitude, His blessed patience, His protecting grace, His matchless
love in giving, His life for the sheep.
Above, Joseph is seen “feeding the flock,” pointing to the earthly ministry of
Christ who, sent unto “the lost sheep of the
House of
3. His Opposition to Evil.
“And Joseph
brought unto his father their evil report.”
It is truly pathetic to find how this action of Joseph has been made an
occasion for debate, some arguing that in doing what he did Joseph acted
wrongly; others defending him. But it is
not as a tale bearer that Joseph is here viewed, rather is he seen as the truth-speaker. Not
by - cowardly silence would he be
the accomplice of their evil-doing.
And here too we may discern a clear foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We will quote but one verse, but
it is sufficient to establish the type: “The world cannot hate you; but Me it
hateth, because I testify of it that the works thereof are
evil” (Jno. 7: 7).
4.
His Father’s Love.
“
- his taking of that long journey into Egypt that he might again look upon
his favourite son ere death overtook him - all tell out the deep love of Jacob
for Joseph. And how all this speaks to
us of the Father's love for
His only begotten Son! Through Solomon
the Spirit of prophecy, speaking of the relation which existed between the
Father and the Son in a past eternity, said, “The Lord possessed Me in the
beginning of His way before His works of old;” and again, “Then I was by
Him, as One brought up with Him, and
I was daily His delight, rejoicing
always before Him” (Prov. 8: 22, 30). How sweetly was this
illustrated by Jacob’s love for Joseph!
Again, when the Son of God became incarnate, and was about to begin His
public ministry, the heavens were opened and the Voice of the Father was heard
saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mat.
3: 17). So, also, when His public ministry neared its
close, once more the Father’s Voice was heard, upon the Mount of
Transfiguration, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him” (Mat. 17: 5). The Son, too,
affirmed the Father’s love for Himself – “Therefore doth My Father love
me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it
again” (Jno. 10: 17). And when the Son had
finished the Work given Him to do, when He had laid down His life and had risen again from the dead,
the Father displayed His love by removing Him from the scenes of His sufferings
and shame, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a
name which is above every name” (Phil. 2: 9).
And not only did God highly exalt His blessed Son, but He also seated
Him upon His own throne (Rev. 3: 21)*, that during these centuries when the
Church is being built Christ might be near to the Father!
[* A-Millennialists
take note. The throne which
Christ will share with overcomers during the coming “age” (Rev. 3: 21;
Luke 20: 35), is not
His Father’s
throne
in heaven where He is presently seated!
The promise of Rev. 3: 21 is to overcomers,
whom He will give the right to sit with Him on His throne during the
millennium - as He “overcame and sat down” with
His Father on His throne in heaven after resurrection; and this event still
awaits the time of the resurrection of saints and the return of “the Son of Man” to this earth – (when the time comes
for His Father to “make the nations” His inheritance, the “ends of the earth” His possession) - and He
will “rule them (the nations) with an iron sceptre,” and “dash
them to pieces like pottery:” (Psalm 2: 8, 9).]
5.
His Relation to his father’s Age. “He
was the son of his old age.”
No line in this picture is without its
own meaning - how could it be, when none other than the Spirit of God drew
it! Every word here is profoundly
significant. We quote from the words of
another: “Old age, translated into spiritual language
and applied to God, signifies ‘eternity.’ Jesus Christ was the Son of God’s
eternity. From all eternity He was God’s
Son. He was not derived, He was
eternally begotten; He is God of God, very God of very God, equal with, and of
the same substance as, the Father.” As the opening verse
of John’s Gospel declares, “In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God and the
Word was God.” And again, in His high-priestly
prayer the Lord Jesus said, “And now, 0 Father, glorify thou Me with Thine own
self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was” (Jno. 17: 5).
The Lord Jesus Christ is no creature, He is Creator (Jno. 1: 3); He is no mere emanation of Deity, He
is the One in whom dwelleth “all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2: 9). He is far more than a
manifestation of God, He is Himself “God manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3: 16). He is not a person
who had His beginning in time, but is Eternal in His being; as the true
rendering of Micah 5: 2 declares,
the One who was born in Bethlehem of Judea was none other than He “whose goings forth have been from of old, from
the days of Eternity.” Christ then was, in the language of our
type “the Son of (His Father’s) old age” - the eternal
Son of God.
6.
His Coat of Many Colours.
Thus far the interpreting of the type has been simple, but
here, we encounter that which is not quite so easy. How gracious of God for providing us with
help on this point! We are not left to
our own imaginations to guess at the meaning of the many coloured coat. No; guesswork is not only vain, but
altogether needless in regard to God’s blessed Word. Scripture is its own interpreter. In Judges 5: 30, we read, “Have they not sped? have they not divided the
prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey
of divers
colours, a prey of divers
colours of needlework, of divers colours on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?” Here we learn
that such garments were to be worn as a mark of distinction. Again
in 2 Samuel
13: 18 we read, “And she had a
garment of divers colours upon
her: for with such robes were the
King’s daughters that were
virgins apparelled.” Here again we get the same thought:
This was the attire of unmarried princesses;
it was a mark of honour, singling out the wearer as one of noble birth. This, no doubt, was Jacob’s object to distinguish Joseph (born of Rachel) from
his half brothers (born of the slave-wives).
How appropriate was this as an adumbration of Christ! He, too, was marked off from all His brethren
according to the flesh, marked off as one of noble birth, marked off by outward
signs of peculiar distinction and honour.
It is blessed to behold what care and pains God took to manifest this
coat of many colours, in connection with His blessed Son. The “virgin’s” Babe was distinguished from all
others born by the Angelic Song o'er
7.
The Hatred of his Brethren.
“They hated
him and could not speak peaceably to him.” It was Jacob’s
love which brought out the heart’s enmity of these men. Joseph then, made manifest both his father’s
love and his brethren’s hatred. So when
Christ came to the earth He did these two things. He revealed the Father’s heart and He
exposed, man’s enmity. And one of two
things always followed: either men hated Him for exposing them, or they accepted
such exposure and took refuge in the Grace which He revealed. When Christ exposed the hypocrisy of the
Pharisees they hated Him; but when He exposed to the woman at the well her
sinful life and condition, she welcomed it, and availed herself of God’s
grace. So it is now: those who hear the
truth of God faithfully preached, the lost and guilty condition of the natural
man fearlessly proclaimed, either they hate it, and seek to hide behind the
filthy rags of their own self-righteousness, or they come out into the light,
bow to God’s verdict, and casting themselves in the dust before Him as
Hell-deserving sinners, believe in the Saviour which the Gospel makes
known. In which class are you found,
dear reader? Are you, like the brethren
of Joseph who hated the son of the father’s love, “despising and
rejecting”
Christ? Friend, make no mistake
here. You either love or you hate the Lord Jesus
Christ! and it is written, “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be accursed” (1 Cor. 16: 22). 0 heed now this
solemn admonition of God, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from
the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put
their trust in Him” (Ps. 2: 12).
Before we turn to consider the special subject of this article
we must first notice three or four points in the first eleven verses of Genesis 37 which, through lack of space, we
omitted from our last.
“And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he
told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this
dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field,
and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves
stood around about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou
indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his
dreams, and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his
brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun
and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his
brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream
that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy
mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the
earth? And his brethren envied him; but
his father observed the saying” (verses 5-11).
Continuing our numeration we may note:
8.
Joseph is hated because of his Words.
There are two lines which are, perhaps, made more prominent
than others in this first typical picture: the love of Jacob for his son, and
the hatred of the brethren. Three times
over within the compass of these few verses reference is made to the “hatred” of Joseph’s brethren. In verse 4 we read, “they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto
him.” Again, in verse 5 we are told, “and they hated him yet the more.”
And again in verse 8:
“And
they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words.”
It will be seen from these references there was a twofold occasion for
their wicked enmity. First, they hated Joseph’s person, because of Jacob’s
special love for him; second, they hated him because of “his words.”
They hated him because of what he was, and also because of what he said.
Thus it was, too, with the One whom Joseph typified.
As we turn to the four Gospels it will be found that those who
were our Lord’s brethren according to the flesh hated Him in this same twofold
way. They hated Him because He was the
beloved Son of the Father, and they also hated Him because of His
teaching. As illustrations of the former
we may note the following passages: “Therefore the Jews sought the more to
kill Him, because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God
was His Father, making Himself equal with God” (Jno. 5: 18).
“The Jews then murmured at Him, because He said, I am the
Bread which came down from heaven” (Jno. 6: 41). “I and My Father are
one. Then the Jews took up stones again
to stone Him” (Jno. 10: 30, 31). Such was their wicked
hostility against His person. And it was just the same, too, in regard to His teaching: “And all they
in the synagogue when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose
up and thrust Him out of the city, and led Him unto the brow of the hill
whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong” (Lu. 4: 28, 29).
“The world cannot hate you., but Me it hateth,
because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil” (Jno. 7: 7). “But now ye seek to kill Me, a man that hath told
you the truth, which I have
heard of God” (Jno. 8: 40).
9. Joseph was to enjoy a remarkable future.
These dreams of Joseph intimated that this favoured son of
Jacob was the subject of high destinies: they were Divine announcements of his
future exaltation. There can be little
doubt that Jacob and his sons perceived that these dreams were prophetic, otherwise
the brethren would have regarded them as “idle tales,” instead of being angered by
them. Note, too, that “his father
observed the saying” (verse 11).
So, too, of the Antitype.
A remarkable future was promised to the One who first appeared in lowliness
and shame. Concerning the Child that was
to be born unto
10. Joseph foretold his future
Sovereignty.
It is worthy of notice that the two recorded dreams of Joseph
contemplated a double sovereignty:
the first dream concerned “the field,” which pointed to the earthly dominion of our Lord; but the second dream was occupied with the
sun, the moon and the stars, and tells, in type, of the Heavenly dominion of Christ, for all power (or
authority) has been given to Him in heaven and on earth.
Joseph’s announcement of his future exaltation only served to
fan the fires of enmity, and gave intensity to his brethren’s hatred. And so it was with the Saviour. The more our Lord unfolded the glory of His
person, the more He spoke of His future exaltation, the more did the Jews - His
brethren according to the flesh - hate Him.
The climax of this is to be seen in Matthew 26: 64: “Nevertheless, I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right
hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
Here was the announcement of His future sovereignty, and mark the
immediate effects of His words on those that heard Him: “Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken
blasphemy.”
11. Joseph was envied by his brethren.
“When his brethren saw that their
father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him” (verse 4). In these words are
found the key to what followed. That
which was the prime cause of the brethren’s hatred was envy: as verse 11 tells us, “And his
brethren envied him.” They were jealous of the partiality
shown by Jacob to their half-brother.
This is a sin which has characterized human nature all down the ages:
the difference between envy and covetousness is this - we envy persons, we covet things.
Here, too the type holds good.
Christ was “envied” by those who were His brethren, according to the flesh. This comes out in His parable of the Wicked
Husbandman, “Having yet therefore one son, His well-beloved, He sent Him
also last unto them, saying, They will reverence My Son. But those husbandmen said among themselves,
This is the Heir; come, let us kill Him, and the inheritance shall be ours”
(Mk. 12: 6, 7).
Again, “For this cause the people also met Him, for that they heard
that He had done this miracle. The
Pharisees therefore said among
themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the
world is gone after Him” (Jno. 12: 18, 19).
How that utterance manifested the jealousy of their hearts! But even plainer is the testimony of Matthew 27: 17, 18, for there the very word “envy” is found, “Therefore
when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I
release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called
Christ? For he knew that for
envy they had delivered Him.”
In our next we shall consider, Joseph betrayed
by his brethren.
* *
*
JOSEPH BETRAYED BY
HIS BRETHREN
GENESIS 37
“And his brethren went to feed their
father’s flock in Shechem. And
12. Joseph
sent forth by his father.
The verses just quoted above introduce to us the second of these
marvellous typical scenes in which Joseph shadows forth the Lord Jesus. Here the brethren of Joseph are seen away
from their father. Jacob says to his beloved son, “Come, and I
will send thee unto them.” How this reveals the
heart of Jacob to us. He was not
indifferent to their welfare. Absent
from the father’s house as they were, Jacob is concerned for the welfare of
these brethren of Joseph. He, therefore,
proposes to send his well beloved son on an errand of mercy, seeking their
good. And is it not beautiful to mark
the promptness
of Joseph’s response! There was
no hesitancy, no unwillingness, no proffering of excuses, but a blessed
readiness to do his father’s will, “Here am I.”
One cannot read of what passed here between Jacob and Joseph
without seeing that behind the historical narrative we are carried back to a
point before time began, into the eternal counsels of the Godhead, and that we
are permitted to learn something of what passed between the Father and the Son
in the remote past. As the Lord God with
Divine omniscience foresaw the fall of man, and the alienation of the race from
Himself, out of the marvellous grace of His heart, He proposed that His beloved
Son should go forth on a mission of mercy, seeking those who were away from the
Father’s House. Hence we read so often
of the Son being sent by the Father, “Herein is love, not that we loved
God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 Jno. 4: 10). And blessed it is to know that the Beloved of the Father came
forth on His errand of love, freely, willingly, gladly. Like Joseph, He, too, promptly responded, “Here am I.” As
it is written of Him in Hebrew 10: 7, “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the
book it is written of Me) to do Thy will, 0 God.”
13. Joseph seeks the welfare of his
brethren.
“And he said to him, Go, I pray thee,
see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks, and bring
me word again” (37: 14). Joseph could not have been ignorant of his
brethren’s “envy”; he must have known how they “hated” him; and in view of this, one had not
been surprised to find him unwilling to depart on such a thankless errand. But with gracious magnanimity and filial fear
he stood ready to depart on the proposed mission.
Two things are to be particularly observed here as bringing
out the striking accuracy of this type: First, Joseph is sent forth with a
definite object before him - to seek his brethren. When we turn to the Gospels we find the
correspondence is perfect. When the
Beloved of the Father visited this world, His earthly mission was restricted to
His brethren according to the flesh. As
we read in John 1: 11, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not”: His “own” here refers to His own people, the
Jews. Again, in Matt. 15: 24, it is recorded that the Lord Jesus
Himself expressly declared, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the House
of Israel.” And again, in
In the second place, observe the character of Joseph’s mission: said Jacob, “Go, I pray thee, see whether
it be well with thy
brethren.” He was sent not to censure them, but to
inquire after their welfare. So, again,
it was with the Lord Jesus Christ. As we
read in John
3: 17, “For God sent not His Son into the
world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”
14. Joseph
was sent forth from the vale of
“So he sent him out of the vale of
The peaceful vale of
15. Joseph came to Shechem (37: 14).
The word “Shechem” means “Shoulder,” being taken
from “the position of the place on the ‘saddle’ or
‘shoulder’ of the heights which divide the waters there that flow to the
Mediterranean on the west and to the Jordan on the east” (Smith’s Bible Dictionary). The meaning of this name conforms strictly to
the Antitype. The “shoulder” speaks of burden-bearing and suggests the
thought of service and subjection. The moral meaning of the term is Divinely
defined for us in this very book of Genesis – “and bowed his shoulder to bear
and become a servant unto tribute” (49: 15).
How striking it is to read, then,
that on leaving his father in the vale of
And again in Gal. 4: 4, “When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth His Son,
made of a woman, made under the law.”
Verily, “Shechem”
was the place that the Beloved of the Father came to.
Moreover, is it not significant that Shechem has been
mentioned before in the Genesis narrative - see 34: 25-30 - especially when we note what occurred there. Shechem was the place of sin and sorrow, of
evil passions and bloodshedding. Little wonder that Jacob was anxious about
his sons in such a place, and
that he sent Joseph to them there to inquire after their welfare.
And how what we read of in Gen. 34 well depicts in terse but solemn summary the history of this
earth. How aptly and how accurately the
scene there portrayed exhibited the character of the place into which the Lord
Jesus came. The place which He took was
that of the Servant; the scene into which He came was one of sin and strife and
suffering.
16. Joseph now became a Wanderer in
the field.
“And a certain man found him,
and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him: saying, What
seekest thou?
And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed
their flocks” (37: 15, 16). In His interpretation of the Parable of
the Tares, the Lord Jesus said, “the field is the world” (Matt. 13:
38). Like Joseph, the Beloved of the Father became
a Wanderer, a homeless Stranger in this
world. “The foxes had holes, and the
birds of the air had their nests, but the Son of man had not where to lay his
head.” What a
touching word is that in John’s Gospel, “And every man went unto his own
house: Jesus went unto the
17. Joseph
seeks until he finds his brethren.
“And the man said, They are departed
hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to
“And Joseph went after his brethren.” How these words gather up into a brief sentence the whole
story recorded in the four Gospels! As
the Redeemer went about from place to place, one end only was in view - He was going
after His brethren. He enters the
synagogue and reads from the prophet Isaiah, and with what object? That His
brethren might be reached. He walks by
the
“And found them in
18. Joseph
conspired against.
“And when they saw him afar off, even before
he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him” (37: 18). The hatred of the
brethren found opportunity in the love that sought them. It is striking to
notice how that a conspiracy was formed against Joseph “before he
drew near unto them.” How this reminds us of what
happened during the days of our Saviour’s infancy. No sooner was He born into this world than
the enmity of the carnal mind against God displayed itself! A horrible “conspiracy” was hatched by Herod in the attempt
to slay the newly born Saviour. This was
in the days when He was “afar off.” Thirty years before He
presented Himself publicly to the Jews.
The same thing is found again and again during the days of His public
ministry. “Then the Pharisees went out
and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him” (Matt. 12: 14), may be cited as a sample.
19. Joseph’s words disbelieved.
“And they said one to another, Behold
this dreamer cometh. Come now,
therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say,
Some evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his
dreams” (37: 19, 20).
The prophetic announcement of Joseph seemed unto his brethren
as idle tales. They not only hated him,
but they refused to believe what he had said.
Their scepticism comes out plainly in the wicked proposal, “Let us slay
him ... and we shall see what will become of his dreams.”
Thus it was with the Christ of God.
After He had been nailed to the cross, “they that passed by reviled Him,
wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyed the temple and buildest it
in three days, save Thyself. If Thou be
the Son of God, come down from the cross.
Likewise, also the chief priests mocking Him, with the scribes and
elders, said, He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come
down from the cross, And we will believe Him” - which was an admission that they did
not believe. The Jews believed
Him not. His teaching was nothing more to them than empty dreams. So, too, after His death and burial. “The chief priests and Pharisees came
together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while
He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore, that the sepulchre be made
sure” (Matt. 27).
When the stone was sealed and the watch was set, the sceptical Pharisees
were but saying in effect, “We shall see what will become of His dreams.”
And is it any different
now in modern Christendom? How do
men and women today treat the words of
the Faithful and True Witness? Do
those who listen to the Gospel give credence to what they hear? Do they set to their seal that God is
true? Do they really believe as true
the Lord’s own words, “He that believeth not is condemned already” (John 3: 18)? Ah, unsaved reader,
dost thou believe that, that even now
the condemnation of a Holy God is resting upon thee? You do not have to wait until the last great
day; you do not have to wait until the judgment of the great white throne. No; God’s condemnation rest upon thee
now. Unspeakably solemn is this. And there is but one way of deliverance. There was but one way of escape for Noah and
his family from the flood, and that was to seek refuge in the
20. Joseph is
insulted.
“And it came to pass, when Joseph was
come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of
many colours that was on him” (37: 23).
How this brings out the wicked hatred of these men for the one who had come
seeking only their welfare. Like beasts
of prey they immediately spring upon him.
It was not enough to injure him; they must insult him too. They put him to an open shame by stripping
him of his coat of many colours. And how
solemnly this agrees with the Antitype.
In a similar manner the Lord of Glory was dealt with. He, too, was insulted, and put to shame: “Then the
soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto Him
the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped Him” (Matt.
27: 27. 28). The same horrible ignominy is witnessed again
at the Cross: “Then the soldiers when they had crucified Jesus, took
His garments” (John 19: 23).
21. Joseph is cast into a pit.
“And they took him, and cast him into a
pit; and the pit was empty, there was no water in it” (37: 24). We quote now from Dr. Haldeman:
“The pit wherein is no water, is another name for Hades, the underworld, the abode of the disembodied dead: of all the dead before the resurrection of
Christ. ‘The pit wherein is no water’
(Zech. 9: 11). ‘For as Jonah
was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of man
be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth’ (Matt. 12: 40). It was here our Lord, as to His Soul, abode between death and
resurrection.”
22. Joseph was taken out of the
pit, alive, in his body.
“And they lifted up Joseph out of the
pit” (37: 28). “The actual order of
the occurrence is that Joseph was first cast into the pit and then sold; but the
moral order of the type is not deranged by the fact; it is in the light of the
Anti-typical history that we make the type to be verified, as well as to verify
it. The lifting out of the pit is one of
those Divine anticipations of the resurrection scattered all through the Old
Testament from Genesis to Malachi” (Dr.
R).
23. Joseph’s brethren mingle
Hypocrisy with their Hatred.
“And they sat down to eat bread.
... And
But mark now this hypocrisy:
“Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and
let not our hand be upon him.”
The parallel to this is found in John 18: “Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas
unto the hall of judgment; and it was early; and they themselves went not into
the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled” (verse 28).
Such deceptions will men practice upon themselves. And again, how remarkable, in this
connection, are the words found in John 18: 31: “Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye Him and judge Him
according to your law. The Jews
therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death!”
24. Joseph is sold.
“They drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the
Ishmaelites” (37: 28).
Is it not exceedingly striking to note that from among the twelve sons
of Jacob Judah should be the one
to make this horrible bargain, just as from the twelve apostles Judas
(the Anglecized form of the Greek equivalent) was the one to sell the Lord!
25. Joseph’s blood-sprinkled coat is presented to his father.
“And they took Joseph’s coat and killed a kid of the goats,
and dipped the coat in the blood; and they sent the coat of many colours, and
they brought it to their father.” “The anticipation of the type is self evident. The blood of Jesus Christ as the blood of a
scapegoat, a sin offering, was presented to the Father” (Dr. K).
In our next, D. V., we shall consider Joseph in
* *
*
JOSEPH
IN
GENESIS 39, 40
Genesis 37 closes with an account of Jacob’s sons selling their brother
Joseph unto the Midianites, and they, in turn selling
him into
It is remarkable that Gen. 38 records the history of
Genesis 39 is more than a continuation of what has been before us in Gen. 37, being separated, as it is, from that
chapter by what is recorded in 38. Genesis in 39 is really a new beginning in the type, taking us back to the Incarnation, and tracing the
experiences of the Lord Jesus from another angle. Continuing our enumeration (see previous
article), we may observe:
26. Joseph becomes a Servant.
“And Joseph was brought down to Egypt;
and Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, brought
him out of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither”
(39: 1). What a contrast from
being the beloved son in his father’s house to the degradation of slavery in
27. Joseph was a Prosperous Servant.
“And the Lord was with Joseph, and he
was a prosperous man, and he
was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made
all that he did to prosper in his hand” (39:
2, 3). Observe, particularly, it is here said, the
Lord made all that Joseph did “to prosper in his hand.” How these words remind
us of two prophetic scriptures which speak of the perfect Servant of
Jehovah. The first is the opening Psalm,
which brings before us the “Blessed Man,” the Man who walked not in the counsel
of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the
scornful; the Man whose delight was in the Law of the Lord, and in whose Law He
did meditate day and night; the Man of whom God said, “And He shall
be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth His fruit in
His Season; His leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever He doeth shall prosper” (Psa. 1: 3).
Manifestly, this spoke, specifically, of the Lord Jesus, in whom, alone, the terms of the opening verses of this Psalm
were fully realized. The second
scripture is found in that matchless fifty-third of Isaiah (every sentence of
which referred to the Son of God incarnate, and to Him, expressly, as Jehovah’s
“Servant,” see 52: 13), we read, “The pleasure
of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.”
How marvellously accurate the type!
Of Joseph it is recorded, “The Lord made all
that he did to prosper in his hand” (Gen. 39: 3).
Of Christ it is said, “The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His
hand” (Isa. 53: 10).
28. Joseph’s master was well pleased with him.
“And Joseph found grace in his sight,
and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand” (39: 4). How could it be
otherwise? Joseph was entirely different
from any other servant that Potiphar ever had.
The fear of God was upon him; the Lord was with him, prospering him; and
he served his master faithfully. So it
was with the One whom Joseph foreshadowed.
The Lord Jesus was entirely different from any other servant God ever
had. The fear of the Lord was upon Him
(see Isa. 11: 2).
And so faithfully did He serve God, He could say, “I do always those things that please Him” (John 8: 29).
29. Joseph, the servant, was made a blessing to
others.
“And it came to pass from the time
that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the
Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the
Lord was upon all that he had in the house and in the field” (34: 5). So, too, the Father
entrusted to the Son all the interests of the Godhead - the manifestation of
the Divine character, the glorifying of God’s name, and the vindication of His
throne. And what has been the outcome of
the Beloved of the Father taking the Servant place, and assuming and
discharging these onerous responsibilities?
Has not the Lord “blessed” the antitypical “Egyptian’s house,” for the sake of that One whom Joseph
foreshadowed? Clearly, the “Egyptian’s
house” symbolized the
world, and how bountifully
has the world been blessed for Christ’s sake!
30. Joseph was a goodly person.
“And Joseph
was a goodly person, and well favoured” (39:
6). How carefully has the Holy Spirit here
guarded the type! We must always distinguish
between the person and the place which he occupies. Joseph had entered into the
degradation of slavery. He was no longer
at his own disposal, but subject to the will of another. He was no longer dwelling in his father’s
house in
So, too, on the Cross, where, supremely, God’s Servant was
seen in the place of shame, God caused Him to be owned as “the Son of
God” (Matt. 27: 54)!
Truly, was He a “goodly person, and well favoured.”
31. Joseph was sorely tempted, yet sinned not.
“And it came to pass after these
things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he
refused and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is
with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand. There is none greater in this house than I;
neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife;
how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? And it came to pass as she spake to Joseph
day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by
her, or to be with her. And it came to
pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house
to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there
within. And she caught him by his
garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled,
and got him out” (39: 7-12).
It is surely not without design that the Holy Spirit has
placed in juxtaposition the account of the un-chastity of
Beautiful is it to mark how Joseph resisted the repeated
temptation – “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
This is the more striking if we link up this utterance of Joseph’s with Psa. 105: 19, “The Word of
the Lord tried him.” So it was by the same Word that the
Saviour repulsed the Enemy. But notice
here one point in contrast: “And he
(Joseph) left his garment in her hand, and
fled, and got him out”
(39: 12). So, the Apostle Paul,
writing to Timothy, enjoined him to “Flee youthful lusts” (2 Tim.
2: 22). How different with the Perfect One! He said, “Get thee hence, Satan” (Matt. 4: 10), and we read, “Then the
Devil leaveth Him.” In all things He has the pre-eminence.
32. Joseph was falsely accused.
“And she laid up his garment by her,
until his lord came home. And she spake
unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me.
And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his
garment with me, and fled out” (39: 16-18).
There was no ground whatever for a true charge to be brought against Joseph, so an unjust one was
preferred. So it was, too, with Him who
was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners.” His enemies “the
chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against
Jesus, to put Him to death. But
found none.” Yet, at the last, “came two false
witnesses” (Matt. 16: 59, 60), who bore untruthful testimony against
Him.
33. Joseph attempted no defence.
“And it came to pass, when his master
heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me: that his wrath was
kindled” (39: 19), though notice, it does not add, “against Joseph.”
In Gen.
37, we beheld Joseph’s
passive submission to the wrong done him by his heartless brethren. So here, when falsely and foully accused by
this Egyptian woman, he attempts no self-vindication; not a word of appeal is
made; nor is there any murmuring against the cruel injustice done him, as he is
cast into prison. There was no recrimination; nothing but a quiet enduring of the wrong. When Joseph was reviled, like the Saviour, he
reviled not again. And how all this
reminds us of what we read in Isa. 53: 7, with its recorded fulfilment in the Gospels, “He was oppressed, and He was
afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth;
He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth!”
34. Joseph
was cast into prison.
“And Joseph’s master took him, and put
him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound; and he was
there in the prison” (39: 20).
“Taking the garment that Joseph had
left behind him in his flight, she used it as a proof of his guilt, and first
to the servants, and then to her husband.
She made out a case against the Hebrew slave. The way she spoke of her husband to the
servants (verse
14) shows the true character
of the woman, and perhaps also the terms of her married life; while the fact
that Potiphar only placed Joseph in prison instead of commanding him to be put
to death is another indication of the state of affairs. For appearance’ sake Potiphar must take some
action, but the precise action taken tells its own tale. He evidently did not credit her story” (Dr. G. Thomas).
Just as Joseph, though completely innocent, was unrighteously
cast into prison, so our Lord was unjustly sentenced to death by one who owned
repeatedly, “I find no fault in Him.” And how
striking is the parallel between the acts of Potiphar and Pilate. It is evident that Potiphar did not believe
the accusation which his wife brought against Joseph - had he really done so,
as has been pointed out, he would have ordered his Hebrew slave put to
death. But to save appearances he had
Joseph cast into prison. Now mark the
close parallel in Pilate. He, too, it is
evident, did not believe in the guilt of our Lord or why have been so reluctant
to give his consent for Him to be crucified?
He, too, knew the character of those who accused the Saviour. But, for the sake of appearances - as an
officer of the Roman Empire, against the One who was charged with being a rebel
against Caesar, for political expediency - he passed sentence.
35. Joseph thus suffered at the hands of the Gentiles.
Not only was Joseph envied and hated by his own brethren, and sold
by them into the hands of the Gentiles, but he was also treated unfairly by the
Gentiles too, and unjustly cast into prison.
So it was with his Antitype, “The kings of the earth stood up, and
the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His
Christ. For of a truth against thy holy
child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with
the Gentiles, and the people
of
36.
Joseph, the innocent one, suffered severely.
In Stephen’s speech we find a statement which bears this
out. Said he, “And the
patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into
37. Joseph won the respect of his jailor.
“But the Lord
was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the
keeper of the prison” (39: 21). Is not the
antitype of this found in the fact that the Roman centurion, the one who had charge
of the Crucifixion of the Saviour, cried, “Certainly this was a Righteous Man”
(Luke 23: 47). Thus did God
give His Son favour in the sight of this Roman who corresponded with Joseph’s jailor.
38. Joseph was numbered with transgressors.
“And it came to pass that after these
things, that the butler of the king of
39. Joseph was the means of blessing to one, but the pronouncer
of judgment on the other.*
[* NOTE. Here we have a judgment before the time of
Resurrection. See Heb. 11: 35b; Luke 20: 35;
Luke 14: 14; Phil. 3: 11. cf.
His fellow prisoners had each of them a dream, and in
interpreting them, Joseph declared that the butler should be delivered from
prison, but to the baker he said, “Within three days shall Pharaoh lift
up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree, and the birds shall eat thy flesh from
off thee” (40: 19). It is not without good reason that
the Holy Spirit has seen fit to record the details of these dreams. Connected with the spared one, the butler, we
read of “the cup” into which the grapes were pressed (49: 10-12), suggesting to us the precious Blood
of the Lamb, by which all who believe are delivered. Connected with the one who was not delivered,
the baker, were baskets full of bakemeats (40: 16, 17), suggesting human labours, the works
of man’s hands, which are powerless to deliver the sinner, or justify him
before God: for all such there is only the “Curse,” referred to here by the baker being “hanged on a
tree” (cf. Gal. 3: 13). So it was at the
Cross: the one thief went to
40. Joseph evidenced his knowledge of the future.
In interpreting their dreams, Joseph foretold the future
destiny of the butler and the baker. But
observe that in doing this he was careful to ascribe the glory to Another, saying, “Do not interpretations belong to God?”
(40: 8). So the One whom
Joseph foreshadowed, again and again, made known what should come to pass in the future, yet did he say, “For I have
not spoken of Myself; but the Father which sent Me, He gave Me a commandment,
what I should say, and what I should speak” (John
12: 49).
41. Joseph’s predictions came true.
“And it came to pass the third day,
which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast
unto all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the
chief baker among his servants. And he
restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s
hand. But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph
had interpreted to them” (40: 20-22). Just as Joseph had interpreted so it came
to pass. So shall it be with every word
of the Son of God, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but His words shall not
pass away. And 0, unsaved reader, just
as the solemn announcement of Joseph concerning the baker was actually
fulfilled, so shall these words of the Lord Jesus be found true – “he that
believeth not shall be damned!”
42. Joseph desired to be Remembered.
Said Joseph to the butler, “But think on me when it shall be well with thee”
(40: 14). So, in connection
with the Supper, the Saviour has said, “This do in remembrance of Me.”
As we admire these lovely typical pictures, like the queen of
* * *
3.
JOSEPH’S EXALTATION
GENESIS 41
Our present chapter opens by presenting to us the king of
First, we are shown that “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of waters. He turneth it whithersoever He will”
(Prov. 21: 1). It was no accident
that Pharaoh dreamed as he did, and when he did. God’s
time had come for Joseph to be delivered from prison and exalted to a position
of high honour and responsibility, and these dreams were but the instrument
employed by God to accomplish this end.
Similarly, He used, long afterwards, the sleeplessness of another king
to lead to the deliverance of Mordecai and his fellows. This truth has been expressed so forcefully
and ably by C. H. M. in his “Notes on Genesis,” we cannot refrain from
quoting him:
“The most trivial and the most
important, the most likely and the most unlikely circumstances are made to
minister to the development of God’s purposes.
In chapter 39 Satan uses Potiphar’s wife, and in chapter 40 he uses Pharaoh’s chief butler. The former he used to put Joseph into the
dungeon; and the latter he used to keep him there, through his ungrateful
negligence; but all in vain. God was
behind the scenes. His finger was
guiding all the springs of the vast machine of circumstances, and when the due
time was come, he brought forth the man of His purpose, and set his feet in a
large room. Now, this is ever God’s
prerogative. He is above all, and can use all for the accomplishment
of His grand and unsearchable designs.
It is sweet to be able thus to trace our Father’s hand and counsel in
everything. Sweet to know that all sorts of agents are at His sovereign
disposal; angels, men and devils - all are under His omnipotent hand, and all
are made to carry out His purposes” ,(p. 307: italics are ours).
How rarely one finds such faith-strengthening sentiments such as these
set forth, plainly, by writers of today!
Second, we are shown in the early part of Genesis 41 how that the wisdom of this world is
foolishness with God. As it
is well known,
Third, the man of God was the only one that had
true wisdom and light. How true it is that “the
secret
of the Lord is with them that fear
Him!” These dreams of Pharaoh
had a prophetic significance: They respected the future of
Fourth: That “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
the called according to His
purpose,” is
writ large across our lesson. And well for us if we take this to heart. But the trouble is,
we grow so impatient under the process, while God is taking the tangled threads
of our lives and making them “work together
for good.” We
become so occupied with present circumstances that hope is no longer exercised,
and the brighter and better future is blotted from our view. Let us bear in mind that Scripture declares, “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof” (Ecc. 7: 8). Be of good cheer, faint
heart; sorrow may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. So
it was with Joseph. For a season he suffered wrongfully, but at the last God vindicated and rewarded him. Remember Joseph then, troubled reader, and “let patience [perseverance] have her perfect work.” But we must turn
from these moralizings and consider the typical bearings of our chapter. We continue our previous enumeration.
43. Joseph, in due time, was delivered from prison.
Joseph had been rejected by his brethren, and treated unjustly
and cruelly by the Egyptians. Through no
fault of his own he had been cast into prison.
But God did not suffer him to end his days there. The place of shame and suffering was to be
exchanged for one of high dignity and glory.
The throne was to supplant the dungeon. And now that God’s time for this had arrived, nothing could hinder the
accomplishment of His purpose. So it was
with our blessed Lord. Israel might
despise and reject Him, wicked hands might take and crucify Him, the powers of
darkness might rage against Him; His lifeless body might be taken down and laid
in the tomb, the sepulchre sealed and a watch set, but “it was not possible that He should be holden of death”
(Acts 2: 24). No; on the
third day, He rose again in triumph
o’er the grave, leaving the cerements of death behind Him. How beautifully this was prefigured in the
case of Joseph. “Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him
hastily out of the dungeon; and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh” (41: 14). Compare John 20: 6, 7!
44. Joseph was delivered from prison by the hand of God.
It is evident that, apart from Divine intervention, Joseph had
been suffered to languish in the dungeon to the end of his days. It was only the coming in of God – Pharaoh’s
troubled spirit, the failure of the magicians’ to interpret his dream, the
butler’s sudden recollection of the Hebrew interpreter - that brought about his
release. Joseph himself recognized this,
as is clear from his words to his
brethren, at a later date: “And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity
in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me hither, but
God: and He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and Lord of all
his house, and ruler throughout all the
* There are other Scriptures which show
that the Lord Jesus raised Himself (John 2: 19 ; 10. 17. 18,
etc.). But, above,
we have quoted those which emphasized the fulfilment of the type.
45. Joseph is seen now as the Revealer of
secrets.
Like the butler and baker before him, Pharaoh now recounted to
Joseph the dreams which had so troubled his spirit, and which the “wise men” were unable to interpret. It is beautiful to mark the modesty of Joseph
on this occasion, “And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God
shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace”
(41: 16). So, in a much higher
sense, the Lord Jesus said, “I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest
Me” (John 17: 8).
And again, “As the Father hath taught Me, I speak these things” (John 8: 28). Once more, “For I have
not spoken of Myself: but the Father which sent Me, He
gave Me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak” (John 12: 49).
Having listened to the king’s dream, Joseph said, “God hath
showed Pharaoh what He is about to do” (41.
25), and then he
made known the meaning of the dreams.
How close is the parallel between this and what we
read of in the opening verse of the Apocalypse!
Just as God made known to the Egyptians, through Joseph, what He was “about to do,” so has He now made known to us, through
Jesus Christ, the things He
will shortly do in this world. The
parallel is perfect: said Joseph, “What God is about to do He showeth unto Pharaoh” (41: 28), and the Apocalypse, we are told, is “the
revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him to show unto His servants
things which must shortly come to pass.”
46. Joseph warned of a coming danger, and urged his hearers to make
suitable provision to meet it.
Joseph was no honied-mouthed “optimist,” who spake only smooth and pleasant things. He
fearlessly told the truth. He
shunned not to declare the whole counsel of
God.
He declared that, following the season of Divine blessing and privilege,
there would come a time of famine, a famine which should consume the land, and
be “very grievous.” And in view of this, he warned them to make ready and be
prepared. So also was Christ the
faithful and true Witness. He made known
the fact that death does not end all,
that there is a life to come. He
warned those who trusted in their earthly possessions and who boasted of how
they were going to enjoy them, that their soul’s would be “required”
of them, and that at
short notice. He lifted the veil which
hides the unseen, and gave His hearers a view of the sufferings of the damned
in Hell [i.e., Gk. ‘Hades’ - in the underworld of the souls of the dead, (Acts. 2:
27. R.V.; Luke 16: 19-31. cf. Rev. 6: 9-11)]. He spake often of that place where their worm dieth
not and the fire is not quenched,* and where there is weeping and
wailing and gnashing of teeth. He counselled men to make provision against
the future. He bade men to prepare for that which lies ahead of all -
a face to face meeting with God.**
[* NOTE. It is a well known fact that there
are two words in the Greek Testament which in
the English Authorized King James Version of 1611, are rendered ‘Hell’ – (1) ‘Hades’= Heb.‘Sheol’ LXX., and (2) ‘Gehenna’.
In the New Testament, our Lord is represented as employing the former of
these only three times – in reference to the humiliation of Capernaum (Matt. 11: 23; Luke 10: 15); to the
deliverance of the ‘Church’ from its power
(Matt. 16: 18); and to the imprisonment of
the disembodied
souls of Dives, (Luke 16: 23)
– albeit in a separate compartment from Lazarus and Abraham. When He uttered His fearful threatenings
concerning the casting of both body and soul into ‘Hell’,
into unquenchable
fire, the term employed by Him was ‘Gehenna’;
see Matt. 5: 22, 29, 30; 10: 28; 18: 9; 23: 15, 33;
Mark 9: 43-47; Luke 12: 5.
**
Therefore, “the salvation of your souls”
(1 Pet. 1: 9, N.I.V.), has to do with “the goal of your faith” (verse 9); and it points forward to the time of Reward and Resurrection - (yet future, see Luke
14: 14; 20: 35. cf. Rev. 6: 9-11) - “when
Jesus Christ is revealed” (verse 13).
]
47. Joseph appeared next as the Wonderful Counsellor.
Having interpreted to Pharaoh the meaning of his dreams,
Joseph then undertook to advise the king as to the wisest course to follow in
order to meet the approaching emergency, and provide for the future. There were
to be seven years of plenty, which was to be followed by seven years of
famine. Joseph, therefore, counselled
the king to store up the corn during the time of plenty, against the need which
would arise when the season of scarcity should come upon them. Thus did Joseph manifest the wisdom given to
him by God, and display his immeasurable superiority over all the wise men of
48. Joseph’s counsel commended itself to Pharaoh and his officers.
“And the thing was good in the eyes of
Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.
And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a
man in whom the Spirit of God is? And
Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this, there is
none so discreet and wise as thou art” (41: 37-39). Pharaoh recognized
that the wisdom manifested by this Hebrew slave had its source not in occult
magic, but in the Spirit of God. Joseph
had spoken with a discretion and wisdom far different from that possessed by
the court philosophers, and this was freely owned by the king and his
servants. So, too, the words of the Lord
Jesus made a profound impression upon those who heard Him. “And it came to pass, when Jesus had
ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine. For
He taught them as One having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mat. 7: 28, 29). “And when He
was come into His own country, He taught them in their synagogues, insomuch
that they
were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom?” (Mat. 13:
54). Just as Pharaoh and his
servants were struck by the wisdom in Joseph. So here, those who listened to the Lord Jesus
marvelled at His wisdom. And just as
Pharaoh confessed, “Can we find such a one as this is?
... there is none so discreet and wise,”
so the auditors of Christ
acknowledged, “Never man spake like this Man” (John 7: 46) !
49. Joseph is duly exalted,
and set over all
“And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch
as God hath showed thee all this, there is none so
discreet and wise as thou art. Thou
shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be
ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou” (41: 39, 40). What a blessed change
this was: from shame to glory, from the dungeon to the place of rule, from
being a slave in fetters to being elevated high above all, Pharaoh alone being
excepted. This was a grand reward for his previous fidelity, and a fitting
recognition of his worth. And how
beautifully this speaks to us of the One whom Joseph foreshadowed! He was here in humiliation and shame, but He
is here so no longer. God has highly exalted Him. He is “gone into heaven, and is on the right
hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him” (1 Pet. 3:
22).
50. Joseph was seated on the throne of another.
How marvellously accurate is the type. Joseph was not seated upon his own throne,- he was not in the place of rule over his brethren. Though he was placed over Pharaoh’s house,
and according to his word was all
“Today our Lord Jesus Christ shares
the throne of the Father as Joseph shared the throne of Pharaoh. As Joseph ruled over Pharaoh’s house with his
word, so today our Lord Jesus Christ rules over the Father’s household, the household of faith, the Church, by and through His
Word. And today, while the Lord Jesus
Christ is on the throne of His Father, He is not on His own throne. Read the passage just quoted in Revelation
again, and it will be seen that our Lord Jesus Christ Himself makes a
distinction between His own throne and the Father’s throne, and promises reward to the overcomer,
not on the Father’s throne, but on His own; and we know, according to the
promise of the angel made to Mary, and the covenant made to David, and the
title He wears as the King of Israel, ‘the Son
of David, the Son of Abraham,’ that His throne is at Jerusalem, ‘the city of the great King.’ On His Father’s throne He sits today as the
Rejected Man, the Rejected Jew” (Dr.
Haldeman).
51. Joseph was exalted to the throne because of his personal worth.
“All this is typical of the present
exaltation of Christ Jesus the Lord. He
who was once the Crucified is now the Glorified. He whom men once put
upon a gibbet, has been placed by God upon His throne. Joseph was given his
place of exaltation in Egypt purely on the ground of his personal worth and
actual service rendered by him to the country and kingdom of Egypt” (Mr. Knapp). And what a lovely parallel to this we find in
Phil. 2 - yet as far as our Lord excelled Joseph in personal worth and service,
so far is His exaltation the higher – “Who, being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation,
and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of
men. And being found in fashion as a
man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him” (Phil. 2: 6-9).
52. Joseph was invested with such insignia as became his new position.
“And Pharaoh took off his ring from
his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine
linen, and put a gold chain about his neck” (40:
42). And thus we read of the Antitype: “Him hath God
exalted with His right hand to be a Prince, and a Saviour” (Acts 5: 31). And again, “But we see Jesus, who was
made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned
with glory and honour” (Heb.
2: 9). Compare, too, the description of our
glorified Lord as given in Revelation 1. There we behold Him, “clothed with a
garment down to the foot, and girt about the breasts with a golden girdle”
(5: 13).
53. Joseph’s authority and glory are publicly
owned.
“And he made him to ride in the second
chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee; and he made him
ruler over all the land of Egypt” (41: 43).
On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the Jews who had condemned and
crucified the Saviour, “Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly, that
God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2: 36).
And it is the part of wisdom, dear reader, to recognize and own
this. Have you recognized the exalted dignity of
Christ and by faith seen that the One who died on
54. Joseph received from Pharaoh a new name.
“And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name
Zaphnath-paaneah” (41: 45), which signifies, according to its
Egyptian meaning, “the Saviour of the world.”
So, to quote once more from Phil. 2, we read, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and
given Him - the Name which is above every name ... Jesus” (Phil. 2: 9, 10). This name He
bore while on earth, but at that time it was held as pledge and promise, “Thou shalt
call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Mat. 1: 21) said the angel. But He
could not “save His people from their sins,” until He had borne them in His own
body on the tree, until He had risen from the dead, until He returned to heaven
and sent forth the Holy Spirit to apply the benefits and virtues of His finished work. But when He ascended on high He became
Saviour in fact. God exalted Him with His
right hand “to be a Prince and a Saviour”
(Acts 5: 31), and therefore did God Himself then give to His beloved Son
the Name which is above every name, even the Name of “Jesus,” which means the
Saviour; just as after the period of his shame was over, and Joseph had been exalted by
Pharaoh, he, then, received
the name which signifies “the Saviour of the world!”
Reader, have you an interest, a personal one, in the value and
saving efficacy of that Name which is above every name? If not, receive Him now as your own
Saviour. If by grace, you have, then bow before Him in adoration and praise.
* *
*
JOSEPH THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD
GENESIS 41
55. Joseph has a wife given to him.
“And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaplinath‑paaneah (the Egyptian meaning of
which is ‘Saviour of the world’); and he gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Potipharah priest of On” (40: 45). It is with some
hesitation and much reluctance that at this point the writer finds himself differing
from other students and commentators.
Many whom we respect highly have regarded Asenath as here prefiguring
the Church. Their principal reason for
doing this is because Joseph’s wife was a Gentile. But while allowing the
force of this, we feel that it is more than counterbalanced by another point
which makes against it. Believing that everything in this inspired narrative has a
definite meaning and typical value, and that each verse has been put into its
present place by the Holy Spirit, we are confronted with what is, to us, an
insuperable difficulty if Asenath prefigures the Church, namely, the fact that
in the very next verse which follows the mention of Pharaoh giving a wife to
Joseph, we are told, “And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt” (41: 46).
Had this statement followed immediately after 41:
14, which records Joseph being brought out of prison to appear before
Pharaoh, and after this we had
been told Joseph received his wife, we should be obliged to regard Asenath as a
type of the Church; but as it is, we believe the typical application must be
sought elsewhere, as we shall now proceed to point out.
The Holy Spirit has here (we are assured, with definite
design) made mention of Joseph having a wife before his “age” is referred to, and before his life’s work began. That the age of Joseph at the time his real work started, pointed to the age of
the Lord Jesus when His public ministry commenced, is too obvious to admit of
dispute. The fact, then,
that the Holy Spirit speaks of Joseph’s wife before the mention of him being thirty years
of age, suggests to the writer that the typical significance of Asenath
must be sought at some point of time before the Lord Jesus entered upon His life’s mission. And that, of course, takes us back to Old
Testament times. And there, we do learn of Jehovah (the Lord Jesus)
possessing a “wife,” even
But against this it will be objected, How
could Asenath, the Egyptian, wife of
Joseph, typify
The issue from Joseph’s marriage appears to us to fit in with the
interpretation suggested above much better than with the common application of
the type of Asenath to the Church. “Unto Joseph
were born two sons” (41: 50), and does not this correspond with
the history of
56. Joseph’s marriage was arranged by Pharaoh.
How perfectly this agrees with what we read of in Matthew 22: 2!
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which
made a marriage for His Son.” The fact that Asenath
is mentioned before we are told
that Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh and began his
life’s work (type of Christ as He began His public ministry), and that the
birth and naming of his sons occurred afterward, suggests (as is so often the case, both in types and prophecies)
that there is here a double foreshadowment. This Gentile wife of Joseph points backward,
first, to Israel’s condition before Jehovah separated her from
all other peoples and took her unto Himself; and, second, the type seems to
point forward to the time when the Lord shall resume His dealings with her, see
Jeremiah
31: 31-34; Ezekiel 16: 62, 63; Hosea 2: 19-23; Isaiah 54: 5-8*). Then, too, shall the names of
Joseph's two sons be found to possess a double significance, for God will “forget” Israel’s past, and Israel shall then,
as never before, be found “fruitful.”
* The spiritual and dispensational condition of Israel at the
moment when God shall resume His dealings with His ancient people, is, again
aptly figured by a Gentile, for they are
termed by Him now, and until then “Lo-ammi” (Hosea 1: 9),
which means “Not My people.”
57. Joseph was thirty years old when he began
his life’s work.
“And Joseph was thirty years old when
he stood before Pharaoh king of
58.
Joseph went forth on his mission from Pharaoh’s presence.
“And Joseph was thirty years old when
he stood before Pharaoh king of
59. Joseph’s service was an active and itinerant one.
“And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went
throughout all the
60. Joseph’s exaltation was followed by a
season of plenty.
“And in the seven plenteous years the
earth brought forth by handfuls. And he
gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the
We doubt not that the saved of this dispensation are far in excess of any previous one. How few were saved during the centuries which
passed from the days of Abel up to the Flood!
How few appear to have been saved during the times of the
patriarchs! How few among
61. Joseph’s exaltation was also followed by a
period of famine.
“And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the
62. Joseph is now seen dispensing bread to a
perishing world.
“And when all the
“Joseph was sent by his father to his
brethren that he might be a blessing unto them, and they refused; then God
turned their sin so that while it should remain as a judgment to them, it might
become a blessing to others. In sending
His Son to fulfil the promises made to the fathers, God would have brought
covenant and numberless blessings to
63. Joseph alone dispensed the Bread of Life.
It is beautiful to observe here how Pharaoh directed all who
cried to him for bread to go unto Joseph: “And when all the
64. Joseph became a Saviour to all peoples.
“And all countries came into
65. Joseph had illimitable resources to meet the need of all.
“And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of
the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number”
(41: 49). How abundant was God’s
provision! He provided with no niggardly
hand. There was to be amply sufficient
for every one that applied for the alleviation of his need. And how this reminds us of those blessed
expressions which we meet with so frequently in the Epistles! There we read of “the riches of
His grace” (Eph. 1: 7), yea, “the exceeding riches of His
grace” (Eph. 2: 7).
There we read of God being “rich in mercy” (Eph. 2: 4), and, again, of His “abundant mercy” (1 Pet. 1: 3). There we read of “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3: 8), for “in Him dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2: 9).
And again we are told, “The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call
upon Him” (Rom. 10: 12).
Thank God, the Saviour He has provided for us is possessed of
illimitable resources. There is no
shortness or strainness in Him. There is
infinite value in that precious blood which He
shed upon the Cross to make an atonement for sin. There is infinite pity in His heart toward sinners.
There is infinite readiness and willingness on His part to receive all
who will come to Him. There is infinite power in His arm to deliver and keep that
which is committed unto Him. There is no
sinner so depraved that Christ’s blood cannot cleanse him. There is no sinner so bound by the fetters of
Satan that Christ cannot free him. There is no sinner so weary and despondent
that Christ cannot satisfy him. The
promise of the Saviour Himself is, “Come unto Me,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mat. 11: 28). 0, sin-sick soul, put Him to the test for yourself,
and see. Come to Christ just as you are,
in all your wretchedness and need, and He will gladly receive you, blot out all
your iniquities, and put a new song into your mouth. May God, in His grace, cause some despondent
ones to prove for themselves the infinite sufficiency
of His Son.
* *
*
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
DISPENSATIONALLY
CONSIDERED
Since we left Gen. 37-38 nothing more has been heard of the family of Jacob. Joseph is the one upon whom the Holy Spirit
has concentrated attention. In Gen. 37 we saw how Joseph was sent by his
father on an errand of mercy to his brethren, inquiring after their welfare;
that Joseph came unto them and they received him not; that, instead, they
envied and hated him, and sold him into the hands of the Gentiles. Then, we
have followed his career in
All of this is deeply significant, and perfect in its typical
application. Joseph foreshadowed the
Beloved of the Father, sent to His brethren according to the flesh, seeking
their welfare. But they despised and
rejected Him. They sold Him, and
delivered Him up to the Gentiles. The
Gentiles unjustly condemned Him to death, and following the crucifixion, His
body was placed in the prison of the tomb.
In due time God delivered Him, and exalted Him to His
own right hand. Following the
ascension, Christ has been presented as the Saviour of the world, the Bread of
Life for a perishing humanity. During
this dispensation the Jew is set aside: it is out from the Gentiles God is now
taking a people for His name. But soon
this dispensation shall have run its appointed course and then shall come the
tribulation period when, following the removal of the Holy Spirit from the
earth, there shall be a grievous time of spiritual famine. It is during this tribulation period that God
shall resume His dealing, with the Jews - the brethren of Christ according to
the flesh. Hence, true to the antitype,
Joseph’s brethren figure prominently in the closing chapters of Genesis. Continuing our previous enumeration we shall
now follow the experiences of the brethren from the time they rejected Joseph.
66. Joseph’s brethren are driven out of their own land.
In Gen. 37 the sons of Jacob are seen delivering up Joseph into
the hands of the Gentiles, and nothing more is heard of them till we come to Gen. 42.
And what do we read concerning them there? This: “Now when Jacob saw that there was
corn in
67. Joseph was unknown and unrecognized by his brethren.
“And Joseph was the governor over the
land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down
themselves before him with their faces to the earth. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew
not him” (42: 6, 8). Joseph had been exalted over all the
house of Pharaoh, but Jacob knew it not.
All these years he thought that Joseph was dead. And now his family is
suffering from the famine, the scourge of God, and his sons, driven out of
Canaan by the pangs of hunger, and going down to
68. Joseph, however, saw and knew his brethren.
“And Joseph saw his brethren, and he
knew them” (42: 7).
Yes, Joseph “saw” his brethren, his eye was upon them, even though they knew him not. So the eye of the Lord Jesus has been upon
the Jews all through the long night of their rejection. Hear His words (as Jehovah) through Jeremiah
the prophet, “For mine eyes are, upon all their ways: they are not hid from My face, neither is their iniquity hid from Mine ‘Eyes’” (16: 17).
So, too, through Hosea, He said, “I know Ephraim, and
69. Joseph punished his brethren.
“And Joseph saw his brethren, and he
knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them
… and he put them all together into ward three days”
(42: 7, 17).
We quote here from the impressive words of Dr. Haldeman: “Joseph
was the cause of their troubles now.
Joseph was punishing them for their past dealing with himself. The secret of all
70. Joseph made known to them a way of deliverance through Substitution.
“And he put them all together into
ward three days. And Joseph said unto
them the third day, this do, and live, for I fear God. If ye be true men, let one of your brethren
be bound in the house of your prison; go ye, carry corn for the famine of your
houses. ... And he took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes”
(42: 17-19, 24).
Once more we quote from Dr. Haldeman’s splendid article on Joseph:-
“On the third day he caused Simeon to
be bound in the place of his brethren, and declared that by this means they might
all be delivered, in the third day era, that is to say, on the resurrection
side of the grave. On the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter presented our
Lord Jesus Christ as the risen one whom God had exalted to be a Prince and a
Saviour unto Israel, declaring that if the latter should repent of their evil
and sin toward Him whom He had sent to be Messiah and King, He would accept His
death as the substitution for the judgment due them; that He would save them
and send His Son again to be both Messiah and Saviour.”
71. Joseph made provision for his brethren while they were in a strange
land.
“Then Joseph
commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into
his sack, and to give them provision for the way; and thus did he unto them”
(42: 25).
Although they knew not Joseph, and although he spoke
roughly unto his brethren and punished them by casting them into prison,
nevertheless, his judgments were tempered with mercy. Joseph would not suffer his brethren to
perish by the way. They were here in a
strange land, and he ministered unto their need. So it has been throughout this
dispensation. Side by side with the fact
that the Jews have been severely
punished by God, so that they have suffered as no other nation, has been their
miraculous preservation. God has sustained them during all the long centuries
that they have been absent from their own land. God has provided for them by
the way, as Joseph did for his erring brethren.
Thus has God fulfilled His promises of old. “For I am with thee, saith the Lord,
to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered
thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee; but I will correct thee in
measure, and I will not leave thee altogether unpunished” (Jer. 30: 11). And again; “Thus saith
the Lord God; although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although
I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little
sanctuary in the countries where they shall come” (Ezek. 11: 16).
72. Joseph was made known to his brethren at the second time.
This was emphasized by Stephen in his parting message to
It is significant that the Holy Spirit has singled out this
highly important point, and has repeated it, again and again, in other
types. It was thus with Moses
and
It was thus with Joshua and
The same principle is illustrated, again, in the history of David. David
was sent by his father seeking the welfare of his brethren;
“And Jesse said unto David his son, take now for
thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these
ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren. And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain
of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge”
(1 Sam. 17: 17-18).
But when he reached them, they resented his kindness, and their “anger was
kindled against David” (See 1 Sam. 17: 28), and it was not until years later that
they, together with all
Each of these was a type of the Lord Jesus. The first time He appeared to
73. Joseph’s brethren confess their Guilt in the
sight of God.
“And
74. Joseph’s brethren were also, at first, troubled in his presence.
“And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am
Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his
brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence”
(45: 3). How perfectly does
antitype correspond with type! When
Israel shall first gaze upon their rejected Messiah, we are told, “And they
shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in
bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first born” (Zech. 12: 10). As
75. Joseph acted toward his brethren in
marvellous grace.
“And Joseph said unto his brethren,
Come near to me, I pray you. And they
came near, And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into
76. Joseph was revealed as a Man of Compassion.
“And there stood no man with him,
while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren, And
he wept
aloud” (45: 1-2). Seven times over we
read of Joseph weeping. He wept when he listened
to his brethren confessing their guilt (42: 24).
He wept when he beheld Benjamin (43: 30).
He wept when he made himself known to his brethren (45: 1-2).
He wept when his brethren were reconciled to him (45: 15).
He wept over his father Jacob (46: 29).
He wept at the death of his father (50: 1).
And he wept when, later, his brethren questioned his love for them (50: 15-17).
How all this reminds us of the tenderheartedness of the Lord Jesus
Christ, of whom we read so often, He was “moved with compassion,” and twice
that He “wept” - once at the graveside of Lazarus, and later over Jerusalem.
77. Joseph revealed himself to
So, too, we are told in Zech. 12:
7, “The Lord also shall save the tents of
78. Joseph then sends for Jacob.
“In
79. Joseph’s brethren go forth to proclaim his
glory.
“Haste ye, and
go up to my father, and say unto him, thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made
me lord of all
80. Joseph makes ready his chariot and goes forth to meet Jacob.
“And Joseph
made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Jacob his father” (46: 29). Says
Dr. Haldeman,
“This is really the epiphany of Joseph. He reveals himself
in splendour and Kingliness to his people.
He meets
81. Joseph settles his brethren in a land of
their own.
“And
82. Joseph’s brethren prostrate themselves
before him as the Representative of God.
“And his brethren also went and fell
before his face; and they said, Behold we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not; for (am)
I in the place of God?” (50: 18, 19).
The prophetic dream of Joseph is realized. The brethren own Joseph’s supremacy, and take
the place of servants before him. So in
the coming Day, all Israel shall fall down before the Lord Jesus Christ, and
say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save
us; this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in
His salvation” (Is. 25: 9).
We close at the point from which we
started. Joseph signifies “Addition,” and
Addition is Increase, and “increase” is the very word used by the Holy Spirit to describe
the dominant characteristic of the Kingdom of Him whom Joseph so wondrously
foreshadowed. “Of the increase
of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of
David, and upon His Kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and
with justice from henceforth even for ever” (Is.
9: 7).
* *
*
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
EVANGELICALLY CONSIDERED
We have grouped together again the last nine chapters of
Genesis, which treat principally of Joseph and his brethren, and have singled
out from them the most prominent and significant of their typical
teachings. In our last article, we
contemplated the dispensational bearings of the type, and this is, no doubt, its
primary application. But there is also a
secondary one, one which we may term the evangelical, and it is this we shall now consider. Joseph here strikingly prefigures Christ as
the Saviour of sinners, while his brethren accurately portray the natural
condition of the ungodly, and in the experiences through which they passed as
their reconciliation with Joseph was finally effected,
we have a lovely Gospel representation of the unsaved being brought from death
unto life. Continuing
our previous enumeration, note.
83.
Joseph’s brethren dwelt in a land wherein was no corn.
They dwelt in Canaan, and we are told, “the famine was in the
84. Joseph’s brethren wished to pay for what they received.
“And Joseph’s ten brethren went down
to buy corn in
85. Joseph’s brethren assume a self-righteous attitude as they come before
the lord of
When they appeared before Joseph he tested them. He “spoke roughly unto them” (42: 7). He said, “Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are
come” (42: 9).
And what was their response? They answered him, “Nay, my lord,
but to buy food are thy servants come.
We are all one man’s sons; we are true men; thy
servants are no spies” (42: 10, 11).
It is thus when God begins His work with the sinner. He wounds before He heals, He wounds in order
that He may heal. By His Spirit He speaks “roughly.”
He sends forth the arrow of conviction.
He speaks that which condemns the natural man. And what is the sinner’s first response? He resents this “rough” speaking. He repudiates the accusations brought against
him. He denies that he is totally
depraved and “dead in trespasses and sins.”
He attempts to vindicate himself.
He is self-righteous. He boasts
that he
is a “true man”!
86. Joseph’s brethren were cast into prison for three days.
“And he put them all together into
ward three days” (42: 17).
This was not unjust, nor was it harsh treatment. It was exactly what they deserved. Joseph was putting these men into their
proper place, the place of shame and condemnation. It is thus God deals with the lost. The sinner must be made to realize what is his just due. He
must be taught that he deserves nothing but punishment. He must be shown that the place of
condemnation and shame is where he, by right, belongs. He must be abased before he can be exalted.
87. Joseph’s brethren were now smitten in their Conscience.
“And they said one to another, We are
verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his
soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us” (42: 21). Notice they said this “one to
another,” not yet
were their consciences active in the presence of God! The analogy holds good
in the experience of the unregenerate.
As God’s work goes forward in the soul, conscience becomes active, there
is deep “distress,” and there is an acknowledgment of sin, but at this stage the
awakened and troubled one has not yet come to the point where he will take the
place of a lost sinner before God.
88. Joseph makes it known that deliverance is by Grace.
“Then Joseph commanded to fill their
sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them
provision for the way: and thus did he unto them” (42: 25). What a lovely touch to
the picture is this! The Bread of Life
cannot be purchased. It must be accepted
as a free gift, if it is received at all.
The terms of the Gospel are “without money, and without price.”
And how beautifully was this shown forth here, when Joseph, as the type
of Christ, orders the money to be restored to those who came to “buy the corn.”
Clearly, this was a foreshadowing of the blessed truth, “By grace are ye saved, through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should
boast” (Eph. 2: 8, 9).
89. Joseph’s brethren now enjoy a brief respite.
“And they
laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence” (42: 26). They had been brought out of prison,
the desired corn was obtained, and they were returning home. Their minds were now at rest, and we may well
conclude that their recently disturbed consciences were quiet again. But not yet had they been brought into their
true rest. Not yet had they been
reconciled to Joseph. Only temporary
relief had been obtained after all.
Deeper exercises lie before them.
And how strikingly this prefigures the experiences of the awakened
sinner! After the first season of
conviction is over, after one has first learned that salvation is by grace and
not by works, there generally follows
a season of relief, a temporary and false peace is enjoyed, before the sinner
is truly and savingly brought into the presence of Christ.
90. Joseph’s brethren soon had their superficial peace disturbed.
“And as one of them opened his sack to
give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in
his sack’s mouth. And he said unto his
brethren, My money is restored, and lo, it is even in
my sack: and their heart failed them, and
they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto
us?” (42: 27, 28).
How true to life again! The type
is easily interpreted. God will not
allow the awakened soul to rest until it rests upon Christ alone. And, so, He causes the experiences of the way
to dispel the false peace. What do we
read of next? “And the
famine was sore in the land. And it came
to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt,
their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food” (43: 1, 2). And again, the analogy is easily traced. The hunger of the Soul becomes more acute in
the one with whom the Spirit of God is dealing; the sense of need is deepened;
the “famine” conditions of this poor world are felt more keenly. And there is no relief to be obtained until,
once more, he comes into the presence of the true
Governor of Egypt.
91. Joseph’s brethren continued to manifest a legal spirit.
“And their father
92. Joseph’s brethren are now made happy again.
“And they sat before him, the
firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth:
and the men marvelled one at another.
And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s
mess was five times so much as any of theirs.
And they drank, and were merry with him” (43: 33, 34).
Ah, what is man! Not yet had sin been
told out. Not yet had a right
relationship been established.
Nevertheless, they could be “merry.”
A superficial observer would have concluded that all was now well. It reminds us of the stony ground in the
parable of the Sower - he “heareth the
Word, and anon with joy receiveth
it; yet hath he not root in himself” (Matt. 13: 20, 21). It is greatly to be feared that there are
many such to-day. God’s saving work goes
much deeper than producing evanescent emotions.
93. Joseph is determined to bring his brethren
out into the light.
“And he commanded the steward of his
house, saying, Fill the men’s sacks with food as much as they can carry, and
put every man’s money in his sack’s mouth.
And put my cup in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his corn
money. And he did according to the word
that Joseph had spoken” (44: 1, 2). There could be no settled or real fellowship between
Joseph and his brethren until the wrong had been righted. There could be no communion of heart until
full confession of guilt had been made.
And this is the goal God has in view.
He desires to bring us into fellowship with Himself. But He is holy, and sin must be confessed and put
away, before we can be reconciled to Him.
94. Joseph’s brethren, at last, take their true
place before God.
They had been in the presence of Joseph, though they knew him
not; they had been “merry” before him, and they were now going on their way light-heartedly. Joseph, then, sent his “steward” after them, saying, “Up, follow
after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?” (44: 4). In like manner, the Lord sends His
Holy Spirit to follow up His work in the heart of the awakened soul. The “steward” brought back the brethren into the
presence of Joseph once more. Thus, too,
does the Holy Spirit bring the convicted sinner back into the presence of God. And mark the
sequel here: “And
95. Joseph made himself known to his brethren.
“Then Joseph could not refrain himself
before all them that stood by him, and he cried, Cause every man to go out from
me. And there stood no man with him,
while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren” (45: 1). How blessed to note
the opening word here – “Then.” Now that his brethren
had acknowledged their guilt, there was no delay. That which had hindered Joseph from revealing
himself sooner was now gone.
Notice, particularly, that as Joseph made himself known unto
his brethren he cried, “Cause every man to go out from me.” Thus it is when Christ reveals Himself to the
self-confessed and needy sinner. None
must come between the needy soul and the Redeemer. Away, then, ye priests, who pose as mediators. Away, ye ritualists who would interpose your ordinances as
conditions of salvation. Away,
all ye human interferers, who would get the poor sinner occupied with any but
Christ alone. Let “every man go out.”
96. Joseph invites his brethren to come near to him.
“And Joseph said unto his brethren,
Come near to me, I pray you. And they
came near” (45: 4). Unspeakably blessed is this. There is no aloofness here. All distance is done away with. So, too, in marvellous grace, the Saviour bids
the poor trembling sinner “Come near” unto Himself. Joseph
did more. He proclaimed in their ears a
wondrous message; he said, “God hath sent me before you to preserve you a
posterity in the earth, and to
save your lives by a great deliverance” (45: 7).
“It is a great salvation, mark. It is not
the limited, partial, mean salvation that some men would make it out to be - saving
only those who help to save themselves, or saving them for a time, and allowing
them to lapse and be lost again. Oh no,
thank God, it is a salvation worthy of Himself, and such a salvation as only
could result from that finished, faultless work of Christ on the Cross. And, what but a great salvation could avail
for sinners such as we? We are all of us great sinners; our guilt was
great, our need was great, and nothing but a great salvation could be of any
use to us. I hope you have it, friend. Don’t neglect it. ‘How shall we escape,’ the Spirit asks, ‘if we neglect so great salvation?’ (Heb. 2: 3)” (Knapp).
97. Joseph tells his brethren of full provision made for them.
He said, “And thou shalt dwell in the
98. Joseph gives proof that he is fully
reconciled to his brethren.
“Moreover, he kissed all his brethren,
and wept upon them, and after that his brethren talked with him” (45: 15).
The “kiss” betokened the fact they were forgiven. It speaks, too, of love. Thus was the Prodigal greeted after he
returned from the far country and owned himself as a sinner.
Notice, it was Joseph who kissed them,
and not the brethren who kissed Joseph. So,
also, it was the Father who kissed the Prodigal. God always takes the initiative, at every
point. How blessed, too, the words which
follow, “and after that his brethren talked with him.” Their fears were all gone now. Reconciled to Joseph, they could now enjoy his
fellowship and converse with him. So it
is with the saved sinner and his Saviour.
99. Joseph’s joy was shared by others.
“And the fame thereof, was heard in
Pharaoh’s house, saying, Joseph’s brethren are come, and it pleased Pharaoh
well, and his servants” (45: 16).
“This is the Old Testament fifteenth of Luke.
Sinners are received and reconciled; the lost is found; it is, as it were, ‘life from the dead’ with souls. ‘And there is joy in the
presence of God.’ God and the angels, like Pharaoh and his
servants, rejoice when sinners are brought to repentance. There is joy all around. Joseph rejoices; his brethren rejoice; Pharaoh
rejoices; his servants rejoice” (Mr. Knapp).
100. Joseph’s brethren now go forth seeking others.
Joseph gave to his brethren an honourable commission. He had said to them, “Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy
son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all
marvellous grace, the Lord commissions those whom He saves. He bids them go forth seeking others who know
Him not. Joseph bade his brethren tell
Jacob that he was alive, that God had made him “lord of
all
101. Joseph gives his brethren a word of admonition as they go forth.
“So he sent his brethren away, and
they departed and he said unto them, See that
ye fall not out by the way”
(45: 24). And how much we need this word of exhortation. The flesh is still in us. The Devil seeks to stir up a spirit of
rivalry and jealousy. But says the
apostle, “The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto
all” (2 Tim. 2: 24).
If each of us were to heed this, there would be no “falling out
by the way”!
We leave the reader to trace out for himself
the typical application of the sequel. Oseph’ brethren were faithful to the commission given
them. hey did
not invent a message of their own as they approached Jacob. They had no need to do so. Joseph had told them what to say; their
business was to repeat the words of
THE END