“Beginning With Moses, Part 17” by Romans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUnDKD1NMH4
We are concluding, tonight, our Series "Beginning With Moses." Last week we reviewed and examined Part One of the many types, or prophetic forecasts of Jesus, the life of Joseph represented. Let's pick up, tonight, where we left off last week (at type #23):
24.) Only Pharaoh was greater in power than Joseph: Genesis 40:10: “Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.”
In the New Testament, we read the fulfillment of the type, called the "anti-type," inJohn 6:38: “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”
John 14:24 and 28b: “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me...” and “my Father is greater than I.”25.
25.) Joseph was 30 when he began his ministry: Genesis 41:46: “And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.”
In the New Testament we read, Luke 3:22-23: “And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. 23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli...”
26.) Before Joseph demonstrated any competence to distribute food, Pharaoh had faith in Joseph's abilities: Genesis 41:53-55: "And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do."
In the New Testament, also before Jesus had performed any miracles, His mother Mary had similar faith in her Son at the wedding feast at Cana, and she demonstrated that faith with almost the exact same words to the servants at the wedding that Pharaoh used to the Egyptians regarding Joseph: We read in John 2:3-5: "And when they wanted {lacked} wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”
27.) Joseph was given power over everything: Genesis 41:44: “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
Jesus spoke of the fulfillment of this type in Matthew 28:18: “ And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
28.) Joseph's servants bowed the knee before him: Genesis 41:43: “And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.”
The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:9-10: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;”
29.) We read in Genesis 41:45a, “And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah,” which means, “Food of Life,” or “Food of the Living.”
Jesus explained how He fulfilled this type in John 6:47-51 : “ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
30.) Joseph was given a Gentile bride: Genesis 41:45b: “and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.”
We read of Jesus' Wedding Feast in Revelation 19:7-9: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”
Paul identifies the Church as Jesus' Gentile bride in 1 Corinthians 11:2: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
31.) In their first meeting, Joseph's brothers did not know him: Genesis 42:7-8: “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 land of Canaan to buy food. 8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.”
John tells of of Jesus' not being recognized at His first appearance in John 1:10-11: “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”
We also see this in John 8:19: “ Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.”
And Paul spoke of this in Romans 11:7-8: “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.”
32.) When Joseph revealed himself, his brother grieved and were angry with themselves: Genesis 45:4-5: “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. 5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.”
This grief and self-anger was prophecied in Zechariah 12:10-11: “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.”
33.) Pharaoh sent the people to Joseph to survive: Genesis 41:55: “And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.”
When Jesus was transfigured we read in Luke 9:35: “And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.”
And, Jesus, Himself, said in John 6:44: “ No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
34.) Joseph was the only person Pharaoh authorized for the people to go to for bread: Genesis 41:38-40: “And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? 39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: 40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.”
Jesus spoke of His being sent to provide bread for life in John 6:64-68: “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.”
Also in explaining how the lame beggar was healed, Peter said of Jesus in Acts 4:10-12: “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
35.) Joseph provided for his countrymen, family, and strangers: Genesis 41:54-57: “And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. 56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. 57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.”
Jesus went sent to and for all people, and He says so Matthew 11:28: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Jesus repeats His universality in John 6:37: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
And in John 10:16: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”
Paul confirms this in Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
Ephesians 2:11-17: “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.”
And finally, this is confirmed in Revelation 7:9-10: “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
36.) In exchange for Joseph having saved their lives, the people withheld nothing from him: Genesis 47:13-19: “And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. 15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. 16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. 17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year. 18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: 19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.”
We are called to give our all in serving Jesus, Who said in Matthew 10:37-38: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”
Jesus is even more specific in Matthew 19:29: “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”
Notice Jesus' words in Luke 14:33: “... whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”
Paul declares his own surrender of all in Philippians 3:8: “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”
Note: The people recognized and accepted that only Joseph was given the power to keep them from perishing in the famine. They would withhold nothing from him in order to live. But Joseph could only offer physical bread to sustain physical life. Jesus said man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The disciples forsook all, recognizing and accepting that only Jesus was the bread of life, and only Jesus had the Words of Life... Eternal Life!
In Jesus' words, “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever” (John 6:57-58).
37.) We read Joseph's words in Genesis 47:23a: “Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day...”
Paul recognized that we, the Church, are bought in Acts 20:28: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
Paul repeats this in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”
And in 1 Corinthians 7:23: “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.”
38.) We read in Genesis 47:23b: “Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh...”
Jesus saved us for the sake of the Father. He tells us this in John 10:27-29: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.”
Jesus repeats this in John 17:6-10: “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.”
39.) Joseph also provided the people with seed: Genesis 47:23c: “Then Joseph said unto the people... lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.”
In the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4, Jesus speaks of a sower of seed: “(4)... as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.” In Mark 4:14, Jesus explained the symbolism of the seed in the Parable: “The sower soweth the word.”
Joseph gave the people seed, Jesus gave us the Word to sow as we read in Matthew 28:19-20: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
40.) Joseph required tribute from their increase to be paid to Pharaoh: Genesis 47:24: “And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.”
Jesus echoed our obligation to pay taxes to our Government in Matthew 22:21: “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.”
41.) Joseph explained God's hand in his experiences: Genesis 45:4-5, and 7-8a: “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. 5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life... 7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God.”
The New Testament fulfillment of this type is spoken of in these verses:
John 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
John 18:10-11: “Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. 11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”
Romans 5:8: “ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
42.) His brothers meant it for evil, but God meant it for good: Genesis 50:18-21: “And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. 19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.”
That God meant what Jesus experienced for good was prophecied in Isaiah 53:10: “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”
Paul repeats and corroborates this in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
And in Galatians 3:13: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”
The writer to the book of Hebrews wrote, “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:11-12).
Finally, this last aspect of Joseph's life fails as a “type,” per se`, but is, nonetheless, the greatest testimony to Jesus Christ:
43.) Joseph was sent by his father to his brothers, and he obeyed without any expectation of the betrayal, enslavement, false accusation and imprisonment that awaited him. Yet, Joseph remained faithful to God, but was completely in the dark during his trials. Jesus, however, not only knew that He would be both betrayed and crucified, He was a willing participant in the events. When Peter drew his sword to defend Jesus from the mob, we read Jesus' words in John 18:11: “Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”
As Jesus' ministry began, John the Baptist identified Him as the “Lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). But John the Apostle tells us both how that taking away of sin would be accomplished, and that Jesus was aware of God's Plan of Salvation, even before His human incarnation. John refers to Jesus in Revelation 13:8 as “... the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
Jesus spoke of the suffering He fully expected in Mark 8:31: “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
The Apostle Paul writes of Jesus' full awareness of what would befall Him in 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: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
In the Garden of Gethsemane, before the arresting mob showed up, Jesus yielded to the fate He knew was coming when He prayed in Luke 22:42: “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
When the mob arrived, Peter attempted to defend Him from the Temple Guards in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus asked Peter and asked him in Matthew 26:53: “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of (or, 72,000) angels?”
These were available to Jesus to rescue Him from the mob that came to arrest Him, and from the impending merciless scourging and brutal execution that awaited Him. But He did no such thing! Instead, He rebuked Peter for drawing his sword, and then healed the ear of Malchus, the man whom Peter wounded.
In spite of all the wonderful and truly amazing foreshadows of Jesus that existed in the life of Joseph, unlike Jesus, Joseph had no advance notice before the events, and no idea during the events what was happening to him or why. This is why Jesus is so worthy of our unwavering love and devotion, mindful of 1 John 4:19: “We love him, because he first loved us.”
With complete foreknowledge and agreement, Jesus willingly allowed Himself to be subjected to the realization of both the good and the evil foreshadows that Joseph experienced. Far and above remaining faithful to God, Jesus both expected and accepted all that awaited Him, being aware of them from the foundation of the world. He yielded His Will to His Father's Will on our behalf, saying “... the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51).
Joseph's life and experiences, perhaps more than any other individual “type,” provide many truly amazing prophetic foreshadows of Jesus Christ the Messiah and soon-coming King to Whom every knee shall bow.
As we have seen over the course of the 17 Installments in the Series, Beginning with Moses, the Old Testament is filled with prophecies, types (or, prophetic foreshadowings), and symbols of the coming of the Messiah, His eternal pre-existence, His lineage, birth, ministry, opposition, death and resurrection. There simply is no other Book like the Bible, inspired as it is by the Holy Spirit, and “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
This concludes this evening's Discussion, and our Series, “Beginning with Moses, Part 17.”
This Discussion was presented “live” on November 15th, 2023
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