Consider the life of Joseph. Pastors today often tell the wonderful stories of his life and trust in God. Is that all that we should gain from the huge Genesis account of his life? Why would there be such great detail given and over 13 chapters in Genesis dedicated to his story? What was God's purpose? One answer is that the account prophetically "shadows" the life of Jesus Christ, with simply unbelievably specific detail, verifying the claim that scripture is truth. If the Bible shows itself to speak detailed truth, then when it says Christ is the only way, this must be considered true. It is true, despite today's political correctness and our uncomfortable malignment as people who 'hate' exactly those people we want to save from a terrible place in eternity. How could that be hate?
Take a look at the following comparisons between the lives of Joseph and Jesus. Ask yourself, could these similarities possibly be strictly by chance? Could anyone else be the Messiah, in the past or future, even if we ignore all the numerous other prophecies regarding the Messiah in the Old Testament? Who else in all of history could fit this detailed description thousands of years before Jesus? Isn't it amazing that the very first book of the Bible predicted the way to salvation through Christ in incredible detail, long before His life on earth, as you see this unfold.
- Both loved by their fathers
- Shepherds of their father’s sheep
- Both born through miracles
- Sent by fathers to their brothers
- Hated by their brothers
- Not received by their brothers
- Brothers conspired to kill them
- Brothers reject their claim to preeminence
- Both were bowed down to in the end by their brothers, in fear
- Both left their fathers’ home of comfort to go to the brothers
- Both had personal robes taken from them (stripped) – Jesus also gave up His glorious robe, made man, Joseph the 'coat of many colors'
- Both sent to Egypt in their youth (Hosea 11- talking about the Exodus!) both- a matter of survival, both had an Exodus out of Egypt- Jesus, a spiritual exodus
- Both were sold for the price of a slave (Joseph- 20 shekles of silver, Jesus- 30 pieces) (Exodus 21:32) if you kill a slave adds 50% to the price!!!! (Zachariah 11:12)
- Both subjected to temptation, both refused (Hebrews 4:15)
- Both falsely accused
- Both were delivered to the Gentiles (Gen 37:28)
- Both placed with 2 other prisoners, one was saved and the other was lost, the one killed was hung on a tree as did the robber who died with Christ
- Both began their life’s work at the age of 30 ( Gen 41:46, Matthew 3:23)
- Both were exalted by God after suffering (Gen 41:41-43, Phil 2:9-11)
- Both forgave those who wronged them
- Both were sent by God to save their people
- Both returned good for evil
- Both men’s destiny’s were set up in a way to demonstrate the awesome sovereignty of Almighty God
- Both sat at the right hand of the most powerful ruler when exalted, both came from humble beginnings
- Both born under miraculous circumstances, Rachel’s ‘womb was opened’, Christ hasd the virgin birth
- Both cared for the fellow prisoners
- Both ‘brothers’ covered their sin of selling Joseph or having Christ killed by the blood of a goat. Joseph’s brothers smeared his coat with a goat’s blood to blame wild animals. A male goat is the sin offering at Passover as an atonement for their sins, occurred at the time of Christ’s death (Numbers 28:22, Romans 8:3)
- Both were in the pit for 3 days
- Jacob accepted Joseph’s Gentile sons as his own
- Both did the right thing when situational ethics would have said to do otherwise
- The Bible records no sin in the life of Joseph when other famous characters did great evil
- When being punished, both were serving
- Joseph married an Egyptian woman, the bride of Christ is the church, including many Gentiles
found at: http://dutyisours.com/josandjesus.htm
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