Sermon Tone Analysis

Thursday March 8, 2007

Genesis: Joseph as a Type of Christ in Genesis 42-43

Tape # 293

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 42:1.

This past Sunday, we completed a study of Genesis 45:1-15 and left off with Joseph reconciling with his brothers.

As I noted on Tuesday, before we complete our study of Genesis 45, I thought it would be instructive to study this week the various ways in which Joseph is a type of Christ in Genesis 40-45.

In this study, we will see that many of the events that took place in Joseph’s life that we studied in Genesis 40-45 “foreshadow” or “parallel” the events that took place in the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

On Tuesday we looked at the various ways that Joseph typifies our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Genesis 40.

Last evening we saw Joseph as a type of Christ in Genesis 41.

This evening we will view Joseph as a type of Christ in Genesis 42-43.

Genesis 42:1, “Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, ‘Why are you staring at one another?’”

Genesis 42:2, “He said, ‘Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die.’”

Genesis 42:3, “Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt.”

Genesis 42:4, “But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, ‘I am afraid that harm may befall him.’”

Genesis 42:5, “So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.”

Genesis 42:6, “Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land.

And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.”

Genesis 42:7, “When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly.

And he said to them, ‘Where have you come from?’

And they said, ‘From the land of Canaan, to buy food.’”

Genesis 42:8, “But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him.”

Genesis 42:6-8 records that Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him when they came to Egypt to buy food however, Joseph recognized his brothers, which typifies or parallels the Lord Jesus who knew all men in that they were sinners but the world did not recognize Him as God in the flesh.

John 2:24-25, “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”

John 1:10-11, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”

Genesis 42:9, “Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them, and said to them, ‘You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land.’”

Genesis 42:10, “Then they said to him, ‘No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.’”

Genesis 42:11, “We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies.”

Genesis 42:12, “Yet he said to them, ‘No, but you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land!’”

Genesis 42:13, “But they said, ‘Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no longer alive.’”

Genesis 42:14-15, “Joseph said to them, ‘It is as I said to you, you are spies, by this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here!’”

Genesis 42:16, “Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you.”

But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies."

Genesis 42:17, “So he put them all together in prison for three days.”

Genesis 42:18-20, “Now Joseph said to them on the third day, ‘Do this and live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in your prison; but as for the rest of you, go, carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be verified, and you will not die.’

And they did so.”

Genesis 42:21, “Then they said to one another, ‘Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.’”

Genesis 42:22, “Reuben answered them, saying, ‘Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen?

Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”

Reuben’s statement to his brothers typifies or parallels the statement of the mob who demanded the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Matthew 27:24-25, “When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this Man's blood; see to that yourselves.’

And all the people said, ‘His blood shall be on us and on our children!’”

Genesis 42:23, “They did not know, however, that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them.”

Genesis 42:24, “He turned away from them and wept.

But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.”

That Joseph wept upon hearing his brothers acknowledge their cruel treatment of him foreshadows the Lord crying over the city of Jerusalem since He knew that the city and its inhabitants would be destroyed because of its rejection of Him as Messiah.

Luke 19:41-42, “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace!

But now they have been hidden from your eyes.’”

Luke 19:43-44, “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Genesis 42:25, “Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey.

And thus it was done for them.”

Genesis 42:26, “So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there.”

When Joseph treated his brothers graciously by giving orders to his servants to fill their bags with grain, this typified God treating the believer in grace, in a manner that he doesn’t deserve through faith alone in Christ alone.

John 1:16, “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.”

Joseph gave his brothers provision for their journey home to Canaan, which typifies God the Father providing for the believer’s every need for his journey home to heaven.

Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Genesis 43:1, “Now the famine was severe in the land.”

Genesis 43:2, “So it came about when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt that their father said to them, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’”

Genesis 43:3, “Judah spoke to him, however, saying, ‘The man solemnly warned us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”

Genesis 43:4, “If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.”

Genesis 43:5, “But if you do not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”

Genesis 43:6, “Then Israel said, ‘Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man whether you still had another brother?’”

Genesis 43:7, “But they said, ‘The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive?

Have you another brother?’

So we answered his questions.

Could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down'?’”

Genesis 43:8, “Judah said to his father Israel, ‘Send the lad with me and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones.’”

Genesis 43:9, “I myself will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible for him.

If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame before you forever.”

Genesis 43:10, “For if we had not delayed, surely by now we could have returned twice.”

Genesis 43:11, “Then their father Israel said to them, ‘If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man as a present, a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.’”

Genesis 43:12, “Take double the money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was a mistake.”

Genesis 43:13-14, “Take your brother also, and arise, return to the man and may God Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of the man, so that he will release to you your other brother and Benjamin.

And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.’”

Genesis 43:15, “So the men took this present, and they took double the money in their hand, and Benjamin; then they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.”

Genesis 43:16, “When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his house steward, ‘Bring the men into the house, and slay an animal and make ready; for the men are to dine with me at noon.’”

Genesis 43:17, “So the man did as Joseph said, and brought the men to Joseph's house.”

When Joseph saw Benjamin and gave orders to his servants to bring the men to his house and slay an animal for a banquet, this typified God the Father’s invitation to the nation of Israel to attend the banquet feast during the millennial reign of Christ, and which invitation is accepted through faith alone in Christ alone.

This invitation is illustrated by our Lord in His parable of the dinner recorded in Luke 14:16-24.

Luke 14:16-17, “But He said to him, ‘A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’”

Luke 14:18, “But they all alike began to make excuses.

The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’”

Luke 14:19, “Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’”

Luke 14:20, “Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’”

Luke 14:21, “And the slave came back and reported this to his master.

Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’”

Luke 14:22, “And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’”

Luke 14:23, “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.’”

Luke 14:24, “For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.”

Genesis 43:18, “Now the men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph's house; and they said, ‘It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us, and take us for slaves with our donkeys.’”

Genesis 43:19-21, “So they came near to Joseph's house steward, and spoke to him at the entrance of the house, and said, ‘Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food, and it came about when we came to the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and behold, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full.

So we have brought it back in our hand.’”

Genesis 43:22, “We have also brought down other money in our hand to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our sacks.”

Genesis 43:23, “He said, ‘Be at ease, do not be afraid.

Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.’

Then he brought Simeon out to them.”

Genesis 43:24, “Then the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys fodder.”

Genesis 43:25, “So they prepared the present for Joseph's coming at noon; for they had heard that they were to eat a meal there.”

Genesis 43:26, “When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present which was in their hand and bowed to the ground before him.”

Genesis 43:27, “Then he asked them about their welfare, and said, ‘Is your old father well, of whom you spoke?