Great Moments in Bible History

Number 55

Acting Things Out in Advance

The story of Joseph is one of the longest stories in the Book of Genesis, but Joseph is also unique for another reason. He is the only major character in the book whose sins are never mentioned. All the other major characters—Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and several others had sins that are specifically mentioned in the story. We do not know of a single sin that Joseph committed. Of course, we know that he must have sinned. Everyone since Adam has sinned. But God chose not to mention his sins in the story. That is true of only a few people in the entire Bible. Jesus, or course, is the most notable. In His case, no sins are mentioned because he didn’t have any. He was the only sinless human who ever lived. Depending on how you define “major character,” there are only a few other characters in the Bible whose sins are never mentioned. Daniel and Nehemiah are two that come to mind. In the New Testament, Jesus is the only one to have that distinction.

Joseph is also the first of a line of leaders whom God chose to save His people but who were rejected by the very people they were trying to save. Among others, that list includes Moses, David, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and John the Baptist. The ultimate rejected leader—the one that all the others were pointing to—was Jesus. As you study the life of Joseph and compare him to Jesus, it becomes clear that God intended his story to be a foreshadowing of the life of Jesus. Here are some of the parallels between Joseph and Jesus.

·          Joseph was his father’s favorite son (Genesis 37:3) just as God called Jesus, “my beloved Son,” (Matthew 3:17).

·          Joseph was tempted (Genesis 39) just as Jesus was tempted (Matthew 4:1).

·          Joseph’s brothers hated him (Genesis 37:4-8) just as the world hated Jesus (John 7:7).

·          Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill him (Genesis 37:18) just as the Jewish leaders plotted to kill Jesus (Matthew 26:4).

·          Joseph’s brother Judah, one of Jacob’s 12 sons, suggested selling Joseph for money (Genesis 37:27). The New Testament name Judas is the same as the Old Testament name Judah. It was Judas, one of the Jesus’ 12 apostles, who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-15).

·          Before throwing Joseph into a pit, his brothers stripped him of his robe (Genesis 37:23) just as Jesus was stripped of His clothes before being crucified (John 19:23).

·          Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit (Genesis 37:24). In the Old Testament the word “pit” often symbolizes death (for example, Psalm 30:9). Joseph also called the dungeon where he was later held “the pit.” In both cases Joseph was going through an experience that foreshadowed the death of Jesus.

·          As far as Joseph’s father was concerned, he really was dead (Genesis 37:33).

·          Two criminals (Pharoah’s cupbearer and baker) were imprisoned with Joseph (Genesis 40:3), just as two criminals were crucified with Jesus (Matthew 27:38).

·          Just as Joseph predicted, the cupbearer was later released while the baker was executed (Genesis 40:21-22). In Jesus’ case, He predicted that one of the criminals would be with Him in Paradise (Luke 23:43), while the other went to his death unrepentant.

·          Joseph was 30 years old when he was given the job of saving Egypt from the coming famine (Genesis 41:46). Jesus was about 30 when He began His work of preaching the gospel (Luke 3:23).

·          When Joseph was rescued from “the pit” and exalted to be ruler over all Egypt, Pharoah gave the order that everyone must bow their knees to Joseph (Genesis 41:43). After Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended to the Father, God “highly exalted him...so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:9-10).

·          Joseph provided bread for the famine-ravaged world (Genesis 41:54) just as Jesus was the “bread of life” (John 6:35).

·          When Joseph looked back on all that had happened to him, he explained to his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20). Jesus could say the same thing. God used the sins of Judas Iscariot, the Jewish leaders, and Pilate to bring salvation to the world through His Son Jesus.

This is not the first time we have seen people act out in advance what God would later do in His Son. We saw similar parallels with Jesus when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22). And this is certainly not the last time, either. Over and over in the Old Testament God had His people act out things in advance that would not be fully understood until they were fulfilled in the life of His Son Jesus. God wanted to make sure that everyone understands that He planned what was to happen to His Son long in advance. It was not some tragic accident but God’s plan of the ages. It was absolutely essential for our salvation (Acts 4:12).

Bible Themes in Genesis

In the previous article we saw that Joseph was the first of many rejected leaders who were sent by God to save His people. That is not the only major theme that is introduced in the book of Genesis. Here are some others that we have studied about in previous issues of this paper.

·          The theme of a new creation. The original creation is told about in Genesis 1 and 2. A second “creation” is described at the end of the flood in Genesis 8:6-19. In both accounts the story begins with water covering the earth. Later Old Testament writers apply the creation theme as they predict the coming Messiah. For example, Isaiah 42:5 and 65:17. In that second Isaiah passage God says, “I create new heavens and a new earth.” That prediction is finally fulfilled in Revelation 21:1.

·          The theme of evil people hating righteous people. The first time this happens is when Cain killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4). The same thing was repeated in the life of Joseph, first being hated by his brothers, then later hated by Potiphar’s wife.

·          The theme of God using water to divide the righteous from the wicked. Noah’s flood is the first instance of that theme (Genesis 6-8). It is repeated at the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14). In the New Testament, Peter applies the same theme to baptism (1 Peter 3:20-21).

·          The theme of a family (and ultimately, a nation) chosen by God to save the world. This was introduced in Genesis 12 when God called Abraham. It is repeatedly referred to in later books, especially in the prophets. In the New Testament, Jesus is the fulfilment of that family as He comes to save the world. The family of Jesus (Christians) then become the family that proclaims that salvation to the world.

·          The theme of the barren woman. Abraham’s wife Sarah was the first of a number of women unable to have children. There are two others in Genesis and several others after that. The last one in the Bible is Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. The point of this theme is that the promised descendant who will save the world will not come through human effort, but only through God’s powerful actions. All of them point forward to the most miraculous birth of all—the birth of Jesus to a virgin.

·          God’s rejection of the oldest son in favor of a younger son. Abraham’s son Isaac was actually his second son, but God treated him as Abraham’s only son. Before Isaac’s two sons were even born, God chose the younger one. This choice happens a few more times in the Old Testament. The point God is making is that He is the one who does the choosing, not us humans (Romans 9:10-13).

·          The theme of faith being counted as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). This theme is rare in the Old Testament, but it becomes a major one in the book of Romans. Paul explains that we are saved by faith rather than by works (Romans 4:3). We need to remind ourselves, though, that the Bible nowhere teaches the popular modern perversion that as long as you mentally believe in Jesus, you can commit all the sins you want and still be fine. Bible faith is not like that at all. Bible faith includes the determination to obey God (James 2:14-26).

·          The theme of a human sacrifice. When God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, it was the only time in the Bible that anyone was commanded to do that. In fact, human sacrifice was later strictly forbidden in the Law of Moses. But in Isaiah 53 we learn that the predicted Messiah will be a sacrifice for the sins of His people.

My hope and prayer is that as you read and study the rest of the Bible, you will notice some of these themes as they reoccur. It will enhance your insight into God’s word. It will increase your faith in His word. And may it stir you up to greater service in His kingdom.

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Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible.