Of all the personalities in the Old Testament, none is more loved and admired than Joseph.  Not only was he his father’s favorite son, but his story has very often been the favorite Bible story of Sunday School children for generations.  But Joseph is far more than just a man, for he is well-known type of Jesus Christ.  We say that because Joseph’s life, more than the life of any other Old Testament character, contains incidents that closely parallel those of Christ’s life.  And the character of Christ is clearly emulated by Joseph through all the ups and downs of his life.  So, for that reason, I’d like to spend a couple of weeks studying the life of Joseph.  We’ll begin by looking at the amazing events that so closely parallel and almost foreshadow those of Christ.

1.  Overview of chapter 37

The story of Joseph’s life is found in chapters 37 to 50 of Genesis, and is one of the best-loved stories of all the Old Testament.  Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son.  At first glance, Joseph seems like the typical spoiled child.  He didn’t get along with his brothers and had a reputation of being a tattler.  However, much of Joseph’s troubles were the result of his father.  Lies and treachery played a big role in Jacob’s life.  We recall his dealings with Isaac and Esau, for example.  That deceit has reentered Jacob’s life through the mounting tensions between Jacob’s older sons and Joseph.

• Jacob’s father, Isaac, had the weakness of preferring one son over another-

Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.  (Gen. 25:28, NIV).

Now Jacob was doing exactly the same thing, preferring Joseph over his other children.  The text tells us he was doing this because Joseph was born to Jacob is his “old age.”  However, anther reason could be because Joseph reminded him of Rachel.  The result was a rift between Joseph, who by now was 17, and his half brothers.

This tension between Joseph and his brothers seems at least partly justified because of Joseph’s very own actions.  He had a bad habit of tattling on his brothers, especially on the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, who were already less favored than the others.  On top of Joseph’s big mouth was the issue of a special robe his father had given him.

• This richly ornamented robe is interesting.  The Hebrew phrase, which the KJV poorly translates as “coat of many colors” is ketonet passim.  The first word is easy, for it means simply “coat, tunic, or undergarment.”  The second word, passim, is difficult.  It means “extremity” or “wrist” and “ankles.”  Some translators see this phrase as meaning “a long coat with long sleeves.”  We’re not sure exactly what this robe or coat looked like, but it was probably different enough from what his brothers wore to cause them to resent the fact that he got this special piece of clothing while they did not.
• Joseph was also given to having dreams, which were from the Lord.  Whether out of arrogance of innocent naiveté, he blabbed his dreams to his brother, and this only served to exacerbate the hatred that was festering for him.
• So great was their hatred for Joseph that his brothers planned to get rid of him, making it look like an accident.  This would serve a dual purpose:  eliminate this troublesome brother and nullify the dream.  But, one of the brothers had a conscience, so Reubin secretly planned on saving Joseph’s life.

You all know the story.  Because Judah also grew a conscience, he had Joseph sold into slavery for 20 pieces of silver.  Interestingly, the Midianites got a good deal, for the going price of slave was actually 30 pieces of silver.

On the issue of Judah; even though Joseph is the central character in chapters 37 to 50, the pivotal character is really Judah.  Joseph’s initial dreams put him in a good light and made his family look bad.  However, in the course of time, the Lord fleshed out those dreams and we read this in Genesis 49-

Judah,  your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.

You are a lion’s cub, O Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness-who dares to rouse him?

The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs^]
and the obedience of the nations is his.  (verses 8-10)

So we see that Judah, not Joseph is the key to God’s plan of redemption, for the King of Kings would come from the line of Judah, not the line of Joseph.  We see God’s amazing hand of providence at work here:  He used Joseph to preserve the people of Israel, guaranteeing the survival Judah.  And unlike his brother, Joseph was pleased to be used in such a way.

2.  Foreshadows of Christ

As we examine these events, consider the following-

1.      Joseph was hated by his brothers, but loved by his father (verses 3, 4).  Like Christ, Joseph came to his own, was rejected by them but was loved and accepted by his father.  This is a great consolation to believers, who, though they may be rejected by their family and/or friends because of their faith, they will always be loved by their heavenly Father.

2.      Joseph was hated for his words, yet given more and more visions, (verses 8, 9).  Joseph’s words of wisdom were not accepted by those who heard them.  Stephen was hated and stoned to death by men, but God opened the heavens to him in a vision.  We might be hated more for our words if we were more like Jesus and Joseph, faithfully witnessing to the Truth as revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.  If the Word is not preached, the visions will cease, and that which we have learned will become stale and formal.-James Smith

3.      Joseph was cast into a well, but there was no water in it (verse 24).  The enemy of our souls has no power over us unless it is given him by our heavenly Father.  The fire in the furnace could not burn the three Hebrew children cast into it.  Paul and Silas were cast into a prison, but that couldn’t dampen their faith.  They cast our Lord into the pit of death, but it was to Him the place of eternal victory!

4.      Joseph was sold as a slave, yet was blessed (verse 28, 39:2).  Like our Lord, he became a slave, bartered, sold and mistreated.  Our Lord was sold for 30 pieces of silver, yet the pleasure of the Lord prospered in His hand.  A person is always blessed who succeeds in doing the will of G-d. It doesn’t matter what the world thinks of you or the price they may place on you or your abilities, you will be blessed in God’s sight if you please Him.

5.      Joseph was falsely accused, but God was with Him (39:7-23).  Many blasphemous things were said about the Son of God.  He was crucified on trumped up charges; the pure in heart not only see God, but sometimes they suffer for His sake.  If you are sold out to God, you will encounter resistance from some people, but always remember Matthew 5:11, 12-

6.      Joseph was neglected by the butler, but remembered by the Lord.  If his friends in prison forgot about him, the Lord whom Joseph served remembered him and made all things work together for his good.  A believer doesn’t need to be fearful or discouraged when the world abandons them on account of their faith.  God knows where His faithful servants are; in prison or on a mountaintop.  God needs no letter of commendation and can easily create conditions to cause His followers to prosper.

As believers, we need to be faithful to God where we are, even though it may seem as though God and world is passing us by, or even it seems like we are stuck in some forgotten dungeon.  Did you know that it is possible for us to live so that we may be virtually indispensable to God?   Great men and women of God are often prepared to do great things for God in pits and prisons.  God knows full well what we are good for and He alone knows when and how to lift us up.  Always remember well the words of Proverbs 3:6-

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.