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ND his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. 13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. 14 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. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? 16 And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. 17 And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. 18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. (Gen 37:12-18)
I do not believe it necessary to remind you, dear Reader, of the insufficiency of space and time to adequately cover the remarkable ways in which Joseph, the son of Jacob, is a prefigure and type of the Lord Jesus Christ but, after all, I have just done so, haven’t I? Joseph was also a shepherd of the hills, a favorite son of his father and completely obedient to him, he was hated by his brethren (for Christ, the Jews), his brethren did not believe in him and ridiculed him, he was sent to his brethren to see if all was well with them as Christ was sent to us, he was stripped by his brethren as was Christ at His crucifixion, he was sold for a ransom (20 pieces of silver), and many more parallels some of which I shall cover more fully below.
Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors
This COAT is a type in itself of Christ. The many colors represent the many colors of robes worn by Christ. He wears a robe of blue symbolizing the High Priest of God which Christ is today - And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. (Exodus 28:31,32) Christ wore a robe of purple as well - And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe. (John 19:2) Jesus wore a robe of scarlet - And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. (Matt 27:28) Christ wore a pure white robe on the Mount of Configuration - And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. (Mark 9:3) These are the same four colors appearing in five stripes on the fabric gate, door, veil, and ceiling (curtains) of the Tabernacle of Moses. That Tabernacle, too, is a type of Christ in its beauty and detail. Joseph’s father, Jacob, gave Joseph this coat as a special pledge of his particular love for this son of the wife whom he loved – Rachel.
Joseph was sold into Egypt by is brethren rather than suffering death at their hands. (Gen 37:28) Christ, too, was forced to go into Egypt in order to save Him from the wrath of Herod. Joseph was stripped of his garment – ….they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him. (Gen 37:23) Jesus was stripped of His garment – …..And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. (Matt 27:28)
Both began their important work at age thirty: Joseph – …And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Gen 41:46) Jesus – ….And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph. (Luke 3:23)
The brethren of Joseph did not know him when they came before him in Egypt. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. (Gen 42:8) Neither did WE know Jesus: He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. (John 1:10)
Both Joseph and Jesus wept over their people: JOSEPH - And he turned himself about from them, and wept. (Gen 42:24) JESUS - Jesus wept. (John 11:35)
Both Jesus and Joseph supplied all needs for their people: JOSEPH - 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. (Gen 42:25) JESUS - But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19)
Both were discovered alive after being thought dead: JOSEPH - 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 Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. (Gen 45:4-5) JESUS - After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. (John 21:1)Both men were sold into the hands of their enemies in order to save their people.
So far, we have simply looked at direct comparisons between Joseph and Christ, but to consider the perfect similarities and parallels that typify the lives of the two, we must look at what all of this means? Joseph was sold out by those who should have received and loved him most – his brethren. Jesus was sold out by one who was supposed a bosom friend – Judas. Joseph went down into Egypt (symbolically, the land of sin) for a future provision God would make for Israel. Christ did the same by coming down to us to fulfill that perfect provision of God in saving us. Joseph suffered and lived for those who despised him. Jesus suffered and died for those who despised Him. Both were God’s provision for His people – Joseph was a less efficacious symbol of that perfection of Christ which was to come.
There are many, many more comparisons between Joseph and Jesus which time will not allow in this devotion, but you, Reader, have time. Use it to discover truth that God has stored for you for the finding in His Word.
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