Passing over the chapter that is devoted
to the generations of Esau we open at
Genesis xxxvii. and read:--
“And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his
father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
These are the generations of Jacob.
Joseph . . . . .”.
Jacob’s generations are not written as
from Padan-aram and the house of Laban, but from Canaan, the land of
pilgrimage. Jacob uses this word
“stranger” in xlvii. 9, when he speaks of the years of his
“pilgrimage”. The pilgrim character of
the family of faith is a very “fundamental of dispensational truth”. All the exhortations to leave the world and
its ways, which so characterize the writings of the New Testament, emphasize
this truth.
The second item of importance in this
statement of the generations of Jacob is the fact that it is practically the
life story of Joseph. We do not
read, "These are the generations of Jacob.
Reuben …", but “Joseph”. The
other sons are referred to as “his brethren”.
Joseph is pre-eminently the great type of Christ in Genesis, and this
again leads us to another great fundamental of all truth; whether doctrinal or dispensational Christ is
all. The first great type of Christ in
Genesis is Adam, “who was a figure of Him that was to come”. The last is Joseph, equally a figure of the
same blessed one. Adam’s story is one of
awful failure involving all his seed in ruin.
Joseph’s story is one of suffering as a path of glory with the object
that he may “preserve life”.
It may be interesting to note the complete
little picture that Genesis presents in the seven great types of Christ that it
contains:--
A |
ADAM.—Sin forfeits life.
B
| ABEL.—The accepted offering.
C
| SETH.—Substitution.
D |
NOAH.—Atonement (“pitch”).
C
| ISAAC.—Substitution.
B |
JUDAH.—Suretyship.
A |
JOSEPH.—Sufferings lead to preservation of life.
The record on Genesis xxxvii. does not say, “Now Jacob loved Joseph”, but “Israel
loved Joseph”. Israel, the prince with
God, loved Joseph more than all his children.
Joseph’s position in the family is indicated by the “coat of many
colours”, which his father made for him.
The marginal alternative of the A.V., “pieces”, is to be rejected. The same word is used in Judges v. 30
where it refers to “divers colours of needlework”. The embroidered garments of Aaron—the blue,
the purple and the scarlet, were symbols of the priestly office. Joseph was the heir and the priest of the
family. When Rebekah prepared Jacob to deceive
Isaac and to seek the birthright, she took “raiment of desires”. Throughout Scripture clothing has a symbolic
value. The result of Joseph’s pre-eminence is prophetic of Christ. “His brethren … hated him.”
Joseph’s career cannot be dissociated from
dreams, and they run in pairs:--
1st pair. | Joseph’s dreams of pre-eminence.
| Lead to prison and suffering.
2nd pair. | The prisoners’ dreams being
interpreted.
| Lead to deliverance from prison.
3rd pair. | Pharaoh’s dreams being interpreted.
| Lead to glory and honour.
The words of his brethren at the recital
of his first dream anticipate the words of the enemies of Christ:--
“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” (Gen.xxxvii.8).
The statement made concerning Jacob — “his
father observed the saying” (Gen. xxxvii. 11) — upon the narration of the
second dream remind one of the words concerning Mary that she “kept all these things,
and pondered them in her heart” (Luke ii. 19).
It is very strongly emphasized in the
sequel that the envy and hatred that sought to prevent Joseph’s dreams from
becoming accomplished facts were over-ruled by God to bring about their fulfillment:--
“So now it was not you that sent me
hither, but God: and He hath made me a
father to Pharaoh, and a lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the
land of Egypt” (Gen.xlv.8).
So Peter could say:--
“Him, being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain” (Acts ii. 23).
Joseph’s dreams spoke of rulership over
his brethren. The rejection of Joseph by
his brethren temporarily suspended this prophecy from fulfilment, and during
the interval he became ruler and saviour among the Gentiles, reaching the
destined rulership at a subsequent period.
The “postponement theory” cannot be proved from a type, but the fitness
is nevertheless confirmatory. Christ was
heralded as a King. His rejection as
such was foreknown; and when at length
He is acknowledged King, it will be found that He is Saviour as well.
It is also surely not an accident that it
is one named Judah (Judas in Greek) who suggested selling Joseph for twenty
pieces of silver, while Judas sold Christ for thirty pieces of silver. It was the father who sent his beloved son
Joseph to his brethren, the latter saying, “Come now, therefore, and let us
slay him”. It was the Father Who sent
His well beloved Son to His brethren in the flesh: these received Him not, but rather said, “This
is the heir; come, let us kill Him”.
We learn from the last verse of Genesis xxxvii. that Joseph was sold to Potiphar; and then, before we are told anything further,
a part of the life of Judah is interjected, the theme of Joseph at Potiphar’s house
being resumed in Genesis xxxix. Judah
falls into temptation, and the signet, bracelets and staff which he left behind
are a witness against him. Joseph stands
firm under a similar temptation; and the
garment which he left behind, though used against him falsely, was a witness
really of his integrity. Joseph stands
where Judah falls: how this is repeated
in the temptation of Christ is recorded in
Matthew iv. Those three temptations in the wilderness have
their parallels in the wilderness wandering of Israel, the three quotations
used by Christ being from the book of Deuteronomy.
The pathway to glory for Joseph was via
prison and shame. It was so with his
blessed Antitype too, Who declared that He must needs have suffered these
things and to have entered into His glory.
When Joseph was in the house of Potiphar, we read, “The Lord was with
Joseph” (Gen. xxxix. 2). This is
repeated when Joseph was cast into prison (verse 21). This must have been the great sustaining fact
upon which Joseph leaned during his severe trial. It was the consciousness, too, of the Father’s
nearness that was the great joy of Christ during His earthly ministry. We have reached the lowest depth of Joseph’s
trials. The rejection and the loss are
to be followed by acclamation and honour.
This we must leave until we can devote more space to it.
We conclude this section with the quaint
rendering of an early English version:--
“The Lord was with Joseph,
and he was a luckie fellow” (Gen. xxxix. 2).
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