Joseph as a Type of Christ
What is a type?
Dictionary.com defines the noun “type” as: a symbol of something in the future, as an Old Testament event serving as a prefiguration of a New Testament event.
Represent, symbolize, prefigure, and foreshadow are also terms often used to define “type.”
What is the purpose of types within the Scriptures?
Types and shadows were originally offered within the Old Testament as means of pointing men to the Messiah who was to come. Today, these “pictures” of Christ help us to see Christ more fully and to understand His wonderful person and work while on Earth. It must be understood and appreciated that while no one type is perfect, each sheds important light upon the subject being examined. As we study these types and shadows, we may add the light and insight of each to better focus upon the Savior. The fullest value of each type is realized as we apply our newfound understanding to our existing knowledge.
Joseph has been considered one of the strongest types of Christ contained within the Old Testament. While not perfect, this type merits our close examination and consideration.
Text verses: Acts 7:8-10
“…and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into
1. Significant Name
Joseph: great-grandson of Abraham, grandson of Isaac, son of Jacob
Name means increase or fruitfulness; points towards things to come. Many things must transpire, most of which are unseen or unrecognized, before visible increase or fruitfulness is apparent to the eye. This name perfectly describes the life that God
granted to Joseph. His proper preparation and placement resulted in glory and wonderful works.
Jesus: the pre-existent, eternal, only begotten Son of God in the form of flesh
Name translates as “Jehovah is salvation”; God sent His Son for the purpose of redeeming mankind to Him. Jesus was God’s plan of salvation for mankind.
Galatians 4:4-5
“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
Matthew 1:21
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
2. Given Preeminence
Joseph: Dreams Genesis 37
a. Sheaves: Joseph’s sheaf stood upright and the brothers’ sheaves stood round about and gave obeisance to his sheaf.
b. Sun / Moon / 11 stars: All bowed to Joseph’s star
These dreams were God’s way of prophesying what would later occur in
Jesus: Isaiah’s prophecy
Isaiah 9:6-7“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 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.”
John the Baptist’s testimony
John 3:30-31“He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthy, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.”
3. Favorite Sons and Glorified of their Fathers
Joseph: firstborn son of Rachel, Jacob’s favored wife
Genesis 37:3a“Now
Sign of favor: Coat of many colors
Genesis 37:3c“…and he made him a coat of many colours.”
Jesus: God’s only Begotten Son, the Firstborn, Son of the Highest
Signs of favor: Voice from heaven
Matthew
John
4. Hated by Brethren
Joseph:
Genesis 37:4“And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.”
Genesis 37:23-24a“And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was upon him; and they took him, and cast him into a pit…”
Jesus:
John
Isaiah 53:3-4“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”
Matthew 27:1“When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.”
Matthew 27:17-18“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?”
- Joseph’s brethren stripped him of his robe
Jesus laid his robe down willingly for us
John 10:17-18a“Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.”
- Joseph’s robe loss showed him to be a regular servant versus a rich man’s son
Genesis 37:36“And the Midianites sold him into
Jesus chose to take upon Himself no reputation
Philippians 2:6-7“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.”
- Joseph sold by his brethren
Genesis 37:28b“…and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver”
Jesus sold / betrayed by Judas
Matthew 26:14-16“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.”
*Normal price of a servant was 30 pieces of silver (Exodus
- Both loved their brethren despite the brothers’ hatred
Joseph:
Genesis 42:24“And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.”
Jesus:
Luke
Romans 5:8“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
5. Prospered in All Endeavors
Joseph:
Genesis 39:2-4“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. 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.”
Jesus:
Acts: 10:38“…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.”
As God blessed Joseph, Potiphar prospered as well.
As Jesus prospered in His work, the Father’s plan prospered toward fruition.
6. Falsely Accused
Joseph: by Potiphar’s wife
Genesis 39:10-20
Jesus: by the chief priests and Pharisees
Mark
7. Placed in the Earth
Joseph: dungeon
Genesis 39:20“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.”
Joseph saw no corruption in prison. In fact, he continued to prosper, interpreting dreams and being placed in charge of the other prisoners by the jailer.
Jesus: grave
Matthew 27:57-60“When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.”
Jesus also saw no corruption in the earth as no sin was present in his flesh.
Acts
Joseph went to prison as a slave and in shame. He came out with great power and advancement within the kingdom.
Jesus went into the grave as a convicted felon in men’s eyes and came out a glorified King…the Almighty!!
8. Established an Inexhaustible Storehouse
Joseph:
Genesis 41:48-49“And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.”
Jesus:
Laid up Himself as an inexhaustible storehouse of love, compassion, goodness, pity, and grace.
Colossians
Colossians 2:9“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
- Both prevented the total annihilation of mankind
Joseph: natural food;
Jesus: Spiritual sustenance; 100% mortality rate for those without Jesus
Acts
- Both supply and personally administer their storehouses’ goods
Joseph:
Genesis 41:55-57“And when all the
Jesus:
John 14:6“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Romans 5:1-2“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Hebrews 10:19-20“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;”
- Storehouse was / is opened to the whole world
Joseph: Genesis 41:55-57 (see above)
Jesus:
John
Revelation
- Sustenance and Glory
Joseph: Provided sustenance for his people and glory to his lord (Pharaoh). Pharaoh became very wealthy and controlled much of the world as a result.
Jesus: Provided salvation for His brethren and brought glory to His Father.
John 17:1“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee.”
9. Relationship with His Brethren
Joseph: Knew his purpose was to deliver his brothers / family
Genesis 42:6-8“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 saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the
Jesus: Realized the perfect purpose of His Father each day He walked on Earth, and now watches over us continually.Even before we are born, the Bible teaches us that Jesus knows us in our mother’s womb. Long before we are ever capable of having a cohesive thought process about God, He knows us perfectly!
10. Interview
a. Most valued possession was required (prior to blessing)
Joseph: Required Benjamin’s presence. Benjamin was Jacob’s most valued son, the only other son of Rachel and Joseph’s only full brother.
Genesis 42:19-20
Jesus: Requires our most valuable possession (that which we reserve to the very last) prior to salvation.
Proverbs 28:13“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
I John 1:9“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
b. Wept over erring/lost brethren
Joseph: Went out of their presence and wept
Genesis 42:24“And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them…”
Jesus: Wept over
Matthew 23:37“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killeth the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”
Jesus continues to weep over his “lost brethren” of the human race and yearns to save each of them from their sins.
c. Set them in order by their birth
Joseph:
Genesis 43:33“And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marveled one at another.”
Jesus:
Knows all about us even when we don’t know Him at all.
11. Carnal and Spiritual Motivations
What Joseph wanted to provide and Jesus wants to supply is entirely different from what the sons of Jacob / we seek.
Joseph: Brothers were seeking food, but Joseph sought to provide them with a new home and an incredible inheritance
Jesus: We remember seeking the Lord and asking Him to remove the horrible burden from our souls, but how much more did He give us that day!! What He has in store for us is infinitely better than our wildest imaginations. Can we see the magnitude of God’s riches in imagining Jacob’s sons seeking corn and finding a home in the rich deltas of
12. Love and Identification with Their Troubled Brethren
Joseph: Was hidden behind the appearance of an Egyptian, but within had a heart full of compassion towards his brothers and yearned to be among them once more. A filial love pressed him to provide for his family the very best at his disposal.
Jesus: Wants the very best for all of mankind. Because Jesus served His Father in flesh as well as in heaven and is identified both as the Son of God and the Son of Man, He is empathetic to our plight.
Hebrews 4:15-16“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need.”
13. Revelation
Joseph: After his brothers had repented and obeyed all his instructions, Joseph excused all Egyptians from the room and identified himself to the brothers
Genesis 45:1-4“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. And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answerhim; for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near unto me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into
Jesus: After we repent and exercise faith to the fullest, Jesus reveals Himself to us, calls us to Himself, weeping and rejoicing, while referring to Himself as our “Brother”.
14. Inheritance
Joseph: After revealing himself as their brother and friend, Joseph began to tell his brothers of all the mercy and grace that he would bestow upon them. He enumerates what he is planning to do for them, enquires of their welfare and the welfare of their father.
Genesis 45:15“Moreover, he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.”
Jesus: God first showed His love for us by sending Jesus into the world to die in our stead. After we find Jesus to be our Friend and Savior, He spends much time sharing with us what He has in store for us both in this life and the one to come. He teaches us to share His love with each other, assures us that nothing can separate us from His love, and promises that He has gone away to prepare a place for us that we may be with Him forever!
15. Home No More
Joseph: Told his brethren to return to
Genesis 45:19-20“Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Also regard not your stuff, for the good of all the
Jesus: After he saves us, our perspective should change from one of being at home to one of being on the way home. The Bible instructs us that we are sojourners, pilgrims just passing through this land on our way home. He also gives us riches (blessings naturally and spiritually) and apparel (the garments of salvation and robes of righteousness), gives us promises of a rich inheritance (heavenly mansions), and tells us to leave all the stuff of this life behind. It in no wise compares to what is laid up for us in heaven.
Matthew 6:19-21“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through nor steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Where we are going, there is no need of the stuff we accumulate here!!
16. Relationship
Joseph: As long as someone was alive who knew and remembered the works of Joseph, the family’s inheritance and place in posterity was secure. When this relationship was broken or forgotten, trouble quickly arrived.
Exodus 1:8-10“Now there arose up a new king over
Jesus: Our “Joseph” is eternal---from everlasting to everlasting. No power or principality may threaten or endanger His throne. There remains no risk or threat to our relationship to Him as our brother. He will never cease to be exactly who He is and thus, we will never lose our standing and relationship with the Almighty God.
I have many different types of relationships with a wide variety of persons. All of these relationships will cease one day, except one.
