Category: Joseph and his brethren

The Assyrian #2

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

“For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod” (Isaiah 30:31 KJV).

Who is this “Assyrian?”

In Isaiah chapter 52, verse 4, we read the following comment: “For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.” Of course, Jacob and his household migrated down into Egypt in Genesis chapter 46 to meet his son Joseph and family. For centuries, the 12 tribes of Israel had a pleasant experience among the Egyptians because Joseph was in the favor of Pharaoh and his successors.

However, there came a turning point in Exodus chapter 1: “[6] And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. [7] And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. [8] Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. [9] And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: [10] Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. [11] Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. [12] But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.”

Once Joseph and his brethren passed off the scene, a new Pharaoh came into power, and the Israelites were mercilessly persecuted and their male newborn babies were slaughtered (see Exodus 1:15-22). Isaiah 52:4, which we read already, designates this Pharaoh as “the Assyrian.” Moreover, Isaiah knows of another “Assyrian”—and, today’s Scripture, he writes of yet another “Assyrian.” The identity of the Assyrian of today’s Scripture can be better appreciated by looking at the other Assyrians of Isaiah’s massive Book….

Joseph and Jesus #12

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

“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” (Genesis 37:2 KJV).

Let us search the Scriptures to see how Joseph is a type of the antitype Jesus….

We Berean Bible students have seen how Joseph and Jesus are alike in excess of 20 specific traits and circumstances. This is certainly not coincidental. To those who want to see, hear, and believe, it is as clear as can be. Joseph served as a template, foreshadow, preview, pattern, or outline: by nature, that is a type in the Bible. Centuries later, the antitype (Jesus Christ) shared those same qualities and underwent those very situations. By studying the one, we better appreciate the other, rejoicing how the LORD God was omniscient, knowing well in advance what would occur all along. Joseph’s whole life—even seemingly insignificant attributes and situations—prophesied what another beloved Son would be like and what He would experience.

“Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (1 Peter 1:10,11). Like the other Old Testament prophets, Moses (who wrote about Joseph in Genesis) possessed limited knowledge. He had no idea the Holy Spirit was using him to present Messiah’s two comings with such vivid details—one arrival to suffer and die, and a return to conquer and reign. Stephen, speaking in Acts 7:9-16, had more light than Moses, for by that time the Lord Jesus Christ had already come once and the saints in early Acts were anticipating His reappearance. With a completed Bible canon, we have even greater insight than Moses and Stephen combined. May we be thankful!

Joseph is just one of several types of Jesus Christ: other examples include Joseph’s brother Benjamin, plus Adam, Abel, Noah, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samson, David, and Solomon. While beyond the scope of this study, they too are equally fascinating.

Joseph and Jesus #11

Monday, January 30, 2023

“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” (Genesis 37:2 KJV).

Let us search the Scriptures to see how Joseph is a type of the antitype Jesus….

Read Acts 7:9-16. “But God was with him” (verse 9). Though Joseph’s brethren did not know him and refused him the first time, “at the second time” they recognized and accepted him. Likewise, though Israel did not identify and receive Christ in faith at His First Coming (John 1:10-12), the opposite will be true at His Second Coming (Zechariah 12:10; Matthew 23:39).

When Joseph reunited with his brethren 20 years later, he told them: “For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (Genesis 45:7,8). “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:20). While Joseph’s brethren were free moral agents, having willingly chosen to harm him, the LORD turned that sad situation into a benefit after all: without Joseph in Egypt, they would have all starved (Jacob’s family in Canaan, and the Egyptians with Joseph down south)!

Similarly, Father God used the Lord Jesus’ rejection—in which sinful Jews and Gentiles participated (see Acts 2:22-24; Acts 3:13-15; Acts 4:10-12,25-28; Acts 5:29-31; Acts 7:52)—to bring about His finished crosswork on Calvary. Christ’s shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection would ultimately take care of our sin problem and Israel’s sin problem! Father God can now form a people for Himself in the Earth (redeemed Israel) and another people for Himself in the Heaven (us, the Church the Body of Christ): “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (Colossians 1:20).

Let us conclude this devotionals arc….

Joseph and Jesus #10

Sunday, January 29, 2023

“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” (Genesis 37:2 KJV).

Let us search the Scriptures to see how Joseph is a type of the antitype Jesus….

Indeed, young Joseph was envied, hated, betrayed, and imprisoned. He was in a foreign land, amongst a pagan people, and employed as a lowly slave, yet the most important fact (and, dear friends, we dare not forget it!) is recorded in these few verses that follow: “But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison…. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him [Joseph], and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper” (Genesis 39:21,23). No matter how rough and tough his circumstances became, the LORD was with Joseph every step of the way—and it was the only reason Joseph survived any of it.

As the perfect Man, the Lord Jesus Christ lived in this world surrounded by sinners and, just think, He was treated far worse than Joseph ever was (more than we will ever know!). Just like the LORD blessed Joseph’s efforts, in spite the extreme satanic opposition, so Father God endorsed the Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry and it was exceeding fruitful. Peter the Apostle commented as the Spirit of God gave him utterance: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). Christ Himself stated, “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me” (John 16:32).

Now, having taken a quick run through the numerous references, we will summarize this devotionals arc….

Joseph and Jesus #9

Saturday, January 28, 2023

“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” (Genesis 37:2 KJV).

Let us search the Scriptures to see how Joseph is a type of the antitype Jesus….

Observe Genesis 45:21,24-28: “And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way…. So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way. And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.” In chapter 46, all of Jacob’s household joins Joseph in Egypt.

As Joseph gathered Israel that was scattered, so Jesus at His Second Coming will physically reunite them by bringing them into the Promised Land: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:30,31). See also Deuteronomy 30:1-5, Jeremiah 31:10-14, Jeremiah 32:37-41, Ezekiel 11:16-20, Ezekiel 20:33-42, Ezekiel 28:24-26, and Ezekiel 34:11-16. These passages anticipate New Covenant restoration, unity, and blessings in Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.

Yet, there are still more likenesses between Joseph and Jesus….

Joseph and Jesus #8

Friday, January 27, 2023

“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” (Genesis 37:2 KJV).

Let us search the Scriptures to see how Joseph is a type of the antitype Jesus….

Joseph was 17 when his brethren sold him into slavery in Egypt (today’s Scripture). He serves in Potiphar’s house before going to prison, but is ultimately freed to work in Pharaoh’s court. “And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 41:46). In like manner, Jesus was approximately 30 years old when His public ministry started: “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,…” (Luke 3:23).

On several occasions, Joseph wept (Genesis 42:24; Genesis 45:2,14,15; Genesis 46:29). Similarly, according to the Gospel Records, Jesus wept (Luke 19:41; John 11:35; cf. Hebrews 5:7). As much as 20 years after his brethren betrayed him, Joseph reunites with them and forgives them even though do not deserve it (Genesis 45:1-15). With the Lord Jesus hanging on Calvary’s cross, utterly rejected of Israel, He cries out on their behalf: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

While Joseph inhabited Egypt, a famine afflicted both it and Canaan (where Jacob and his other sons were living). Joseph’s promotion in Egypt was the LORD God’s way of preparing them all for the impending food shortage (see Genesis 41–44). “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 that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 45:7,8). Also, Jesus is Israel’s Saviour, “Jesus” being the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew “Joshua,” “for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Believe it or not, the comparisons continue….

Joseph and Jesus #7

Thursday, January 26, 2023

“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” (Genesis 37:2 KJV).

Let us search the Scriptures to see how Joseph is a type of the antitype Jesus….

Pharaoh, impressed by Joseph’s wisdom, promotes him to become the second in command in Egypt: “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. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. 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; 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” (Genesis 41:40-43).

Similarly, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Second Member of the Godhead, plays a subservient role to Father God: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 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, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11).

Joseph suffered pitifully then reigned magnificently. Also, Jesus’ horrific suffering precedes His glorious exaltation to a throne (see 1 Peter 1:10,11). However, they merge even more fully….

Joseph and Jesus #6

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

“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” (Genesis 37:2 KJV).

Let us search the Scriptures to see how Joseph is a type of the antitype Jesus….

Joseph was arrested, shackled and imprisoned (Genesis 39:20). Nearly 17 centuries later, the Lord Jesus was also detained and chained as a convict (Matthew 27:2; Mark 15:1; John 18:12).

Ponder Genesis 40:1-4: “And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward [jail] in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.” While incarcerated, Joseph met two criminals. Likewise, the Bible says of Jesus: “Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left” (Matthew 27:38; cf. Mark 15:27; Luke 23:32,33; John 19:18).

Once the chief butler and the chief baker have their respective dreams, the LORD God enables Joseph to interpret them (see Genesis 40:5-23). The butler is redeemed, restored to fellowship with Pharaoh (verses 9-15,20,21)—but the baker is condemned and hanged (verses 16-19,22)!

Likewise, one thief crucified with Jesus was saved, and the other was lost: “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:39-43).

The resemblances continue still….

Joseph and Jesus #5

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

“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” (Genesis 37:2 KJV).

Let us search the Scriptures to see how Joseph is a type of the antitype Jesus….

Read Genesis chapter 39. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, purchased Joseph as a slave; Joseph began serving and prospering in Potiphar’s house down in Egypt. Unfortunately, Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. When Joseph refused her sexual advances, she falsely accused him of rape, so Potiphar had Joseph imprisoned! Suffice it to say, Joseph was tempted (tried, tested) and was proven faithful to his master (Potiphar) and his God (the LORD).

Observe Matthew 4:1 now: “Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” Also, Luke 4:1,2: “And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil….” In Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13, we learn how Satan himself tempted (tested, tried) Jesus using the lust of the flesh (satisfying physical hunger with bread), the lust of the eye (gaining power over the earthly kingdoms), and the pride of life (angelic deliverance causing a spectacle) (see 1 John 2:15-17). The Devil was unsuccessful in distracting the Lord Jesus from His Heavenly Father’s plan for Him! As Joseph was dedicated to his master’s work, so Jesus was wholly devoted to Father God’s will.

Nevertheless, honorable Joseph was wrongly accused of misconduct (noted earlier). Likewise, false witnesses charged sinless Jesus with evil: “Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days” (Matthew 26:59-61). Christ was also labeled a “blasphemer,” another baseless allegation (verses 63-65).

In their immense pain, Joseph and Jesus are even further united….

Joseph and Jesus #4

Monday, January 23, 2023

“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” (Genesis 37:2 KJV).

Let us search the Scriptures to see how Joseph is a type of the antitype Jesus….

After scheming to kill him, Joseph’s brethren change their minds. They realize they can make a profit by selling him alive as a slave to the Gentiles! “Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt” (verses 27,28, that which follows today’s Scripture).

In striking similarities, the nation Israel betrayed Jesus, turning Him over to the Gentiles after His “friend” Judas Iscariot “sold” Him for pieces of silver (the value of a slave)! “…The Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver [hand over, betray!] him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again” (Matthew 20:18,19). “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him” (Matthew 26:14-16). Check also John 18:28-35.

After Joseph was traded off to the Gentiles, he was removed from the land of Canaan and taken down into Egypt (as noted earlier in this study). In like manner, little boy Jesus had left the land of Israel to inhabit Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). Both Joseph and Jesus suffered at the hands of sinful, unbelieving men, but Father God was still working mightily in each life….