Golden text:

Genesis 39:2 (NKJV) The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man, and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.

Joseph’s prophetic dreams

Jacobs dysfunctional family

Genesis 37:1-4 (NKJV) 1 Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the
land of Canaan. 

2 This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. 

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also, he made him a tunic of many colors. 

4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

V2 Joseph was not snitching but was thrown into bad company, where the boundary had to be drawn.

Joseph has a connection with his father; unlike his brothers, he wants to do the will of his father. They are stealing, lying, and cheating on their father, no doubt! So it becomes our business.

V 3 Joseph had the favor of the father for a reason. Who else is going to have the favor? (Simeon or Levi, who murdered a whole village?)

Those who do the will of the father have the favor of the father.
V4: Jealousy is a killer.

(B) Conflict over Dreams V5-11
I believe telling the dreams was something Joseph had to do.
Although it’s hard on the prophet and his words aren’t received,
When they are fulfilled, 

God is glorified, his word is confirmed, and the prophet is vindicated.
2 plots to harm Joseph

(A) conspiracy against Joseph, v12-20
Read v18-20
We shall see what becomes of his dreams.

(B) Betrayal of Joseph, V21–27

Read verses

Reuben was the firstborn; all he had to do was stand up against the mob. He carried the influence of the firstborn!
But he wasn’t man enough to stand up.

Unstable as water.

Instead, he just has a secret plan to come back and rescue Joseph. V25, they sit down to eat.

Judah suggests they sell him to the approaching Midianites.

(3) Joseph Sold Into Slavery.

(A) the cruelty of Joseph’s brothers. 

V28-32

V28 sold for 20 shekels of silver. (Jesus was sold for 30.)

V31 Killed, a kid dipped his coat in the blood.

Remember how Jacob deceived his father Isaac with a kid and blood to get Esau’s blessing?

Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) Do not be deceived; God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, he will also reap.

(B) Jacob’s Grief for His Son

v33-36
V35 Jacob said he went to his grave in grief.

(How the Father must have grieved for Jesus.)

 V36: He is sold to Potiphar.

Chapters 37 and 38

Joseph and Jesus

1. Joseph was a shepherd (37:2); Jesus is the Great Shepherd (John 10).

2. Joseph was opposed to and exposed evil (37:2); Jesus did the same.

3. Joseph was loved by the his father (37:3-4); Jesus was beloved by the Father.(Mat. 3:17; 17:5; John 10:17; Philippians

2:9)

4. Joseph was hated by his brothers (37:4); Jesus was hated by His brothers (John 1:11; Luke 19:14).

5. Joseph was hated for his words (37:8); Jesus was hated for His words of truth. (John 7:7; 3:32)

6. Joseph was promised a remarkable future (37:7-12); Jesus looked passed the cross to the joy set before Him (Isaiah 9:6,

7; Luke 1:31-33; Hebrews 12:2).

7. Joseph foretold of his future sovereignty (37:7-12); Jesus did the same. (Mat. 26:64)

8. Joseph was envied by his brothers (37:11); Jesus was envied by His. (Mat. 27:17-18)

9. Joseph was sent by his father to his brothers (37:13); Jesus was sent to the ‘lost sheep of Israel,’ by His father (John

4:34; 5:30; 6:38-40; 12:48-50; 17:21)

10. Joseph seeks out his brothers (37:14-17); Jesus sought out His (Luke 19:10)

11. Joseph seeks the welfare of his brothers (37:14); Jesus came not to condemn but that the world might be saved through

Him. (John 3:17)

12. Joseph seeks his brothers until he finds them; Jesus seeks us until He finds us. And this at the initiative of the f(F)ather. 

13. Joseph was conspired against (37:18); Jesus was also conspired against. (Mat. 12:14)

14. Joseph’s brothers did not believe his dreams (37:19, 29); Jesus’ brethren did not believe His words. (Mat. 27:39-43;

John 3:18, 36)

15. Joseph was stripped of his coat (37:23); Jesus was stripped of His coat. (Mat. 27:27, 28; John 19:23)

16. Joseph was cast into a pit (37:24); Jesus was thrown into a grave.

17. Joseph was taken out of the pit, alive in his body (37:28); Jesus was bodily-resurrected from the tomb (pit).

18. Joseph’s brothers mingled hypocrisy with their hatred (37:27); the Jews did the same with Jesus (Mat. 27:35, 36; John

18:28, 31)

19. Joseph is sold for the price of a slave(37:38); Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver (the price of a slave).

20. Judah suggested the idea of selling his brother (37:26-28); the Greek name for Judah is Judas (Mat. 1:2-3).

21. Joseph’s blood sprinkled coat (goat blood) is presented to his father (37:31); Jesus is our scapegoat and His blood was

presented to the Father as a sin offering. (Leviticus 16:8-10)

Chapter 39

22. Joseph becomes a servant (39:1); Jesus became a servant (Philippians 2:6, 7)

23. Joseph was a prosperous servant (39:2, 3); Jesus was also a prosperous Servant (Isaiah 52:13; 53:10)

24. Joseph’s master was well pleased with him (39:4); the Father was always pleased with what Jesus did (John 8:29).

25. Joseph, the servant, was made a blessing to others (39:5); Jesus was a blessing to the world.

26. Joseph was a goodly person (39:6); Jesus came as a servant into the world and yet lived a goodly (perfect) life.

27. Joseph was sorely tempted and did not sin(39:7-12); Jesus was tempted and did not sin (Mat. 4:1-11; Heb. 2:18; 4:15) 28. Joseph was falsely accused (39:16-18); Jesus was falsely accused (Mat. 16:59, 60).

29. Joseph attempted no defense (39:19); Jesus gave no defense at His trials (Isaiah 53:7).

30. Joseph was cast into prison, though he was innocent(39:20); Jesus is sentenced to death though Pilate found no fault in

Him (John 19:4, 6).

31. Joseph thus suffered at the hands of the Gentiles (first by his brethren then by the Gentiles; Jesus was sold by His

brethren then suffered at the hands of the Romans (Gentiles.

32. Joseph, the innocent one, suffered severely (Psalm 105:17, 18); Jesus suffered by crucifixion.

33. Joseph won the respect of his jailor (39:21); Jesus won the respect of a Roman centurion standing at the cross (Luke

23:47).

Chapter 40

34. Joseph was numbered with transgressors (40:1-3); as it was prophesied about Jesus (Isaiah 53:12) and as it was (Mark 15:28).

35. Joseph was the means of blessing to one, but the pronouncer of judgment on the other (40:16, 17, 19); as Jesus was a blessing to one of the thieves He was crucified between (Luke 23:43).

36. Joseph evidenced his knowledge of the future and gave credit to God alone (40:8); as Jesus did the same on earth (John 12:49).

37. Joseph desired to be remembered by the butler (40:14); as Jesus said, “This do in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19)

Chapter 41

38. Joseph was put in prison (the tomb) but God would not allow him to remain there because God’s purpose for Joseph was not yet fulfilled. So it was with Jesus Christ, God would not allow Him to remain in the tomb (Acts 2:24). Joseph changed his prison clothes for clothes of glory as did Jesus Christ (John 20:6, 7).

39. Joseph was delivered from prison by the hand of God (God sending a dream to Pharaoh and Joseph’s testimony in 45:7-9); as God raised Jesus from the tomb (Acts 2:32; 10:40).

40. Joseph is seen now as the Revealer of secrets; compare 41:16 with the words of Jesus in John 17:8; 8:28; and 12:49.

Compare 41:25 with God revealing what He would shortly do through Jesus Christ in Revelation 1:1.

41. Joseph warned of a coming danger, and urged his hearers to make suitable provision to meet it (41:33-36); as did Jesus

Christ warned His hearers that death did not end all but there was a life beyond the grave that one should prepare and

be ready for now.

42. Joseph is portrayed as a Wonderful Counselor in giving wisdom to Pharaoh (41:33-36); as Christ is known as the One

“in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3).

43. Joseph’s counsel commended itself to Pharaoh and his officers (41:37-39); as did Jesus’ teaching while He walked on

earth (Matt. 7:28-29; 13:54; and compare John 7:46 with Genesis 41:38).

44. Joseph is exalted, and set over all Egypt (41:39-40); as God highly exalted Jesus (1 Peter 3:22; Philippians 2:5-11).

45. Joseph was seated on the throne of another; as Jesus shares the Throne with the Father. “Today our Lord Jesus Christ shares the throne with the Father as Joseph shared the throne of Pharaoh. As Joseph ruled over Pharaoh’s house with his word, so today our Lord Jesus Christ rules over Father as Joseph shared the throne of Pharaoh. As Joseph ruled over Pharaoh’s house with his word, so today our Lord Jesus Christ rules over the Father’s household, the household of faith, the Church, by and through His Word.

46. Joseph was exalted to the throne because of his personal worth; as Jesus was highly exalted for His personal worth (Philippians 2:6-9).

47. Joseph was invested with such insignia as became his new position (41:42); as was our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 5:31; Hebrews 2:9; Revelation 1:13).

48. Joseph’s authority and glory were publicly owned (41:43); as Peter publicly declared the Lordship of Jesus Christ on Pentecost (Acts 2:36; Philippians 2:10)

49. Joseph received from Pharaoh a new name (41:45); as God gave Jesus Christ a new name (Philippians 2:9, 10; Matthew 1:21; Acts 5:31). True is was the name “Jesus” given to Him at His birth. Jesus means Savior, but Jesus could not save His people from their sins until after His death, burial, and resurrection. As Joseph did not become his people’s savior until after his “death,” “burial,” and “resurrection.”

50. Joseph was thirty years old when he began his ministry (41:46); as Jesus was thirty when He began His public ministry (Luke 3:23).

Chapter 41

51. Joseph’s exaltation was followed by a season of plenty (41:47-49); as their (is) a season of harvest now after Jesus’ exaltation as LORD. This time period is known as “the time of the Gentiles.” (Romans 11:25; John 12:24).

52. Joseph’s exaltation was also followed by a period of famine (41:53-54); as ‘the time of Gentiles’ will come to an end and ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’ (Jeremiah 30:7) will begin. (See Daniel 12:7; Mark 13:19-20 (it will a very grievous time (as in Genesis 41:31)). It will be a time when the whole earth (a picture of all of Egypt) will be tried. (Revelation 3:10). See Amos 8:11-12 for the kind of famine coming (or may already be here) – a famine of the Word of God.

53. Joseph, alone, is now seen as dispersing bread to a perishing world (41:55); as Jesus is the One who alone disperses the Bread of Life (Acts 4:12; Matthew 17:5 ‘. . . hear Him.’

54. Joseph became a Saviour to all peoples (41:57; 54); as Jesus is the Savior to all peoples (John 3:16; Revelation 5:9). 55. Joseph has unlimited resources to meet the need of all the people (41:49); as we read of the riches of Christ’s grace in

passages such as Eph. 1:7; 2:7; 2:4; 1 Peter 1:3; Eph. 3:8; Col. 2:9; Romans 10:12.

Chapter 42

56. Joseph’s family is driven out of their own land (42:1-3, 5); this is in fulfillment of God’s prophecy in Genesis 15:13. And so, a few years after Joseph’s brothers rejected him they are forced out of their country as were the Jews after a few years after rejecting Christ were scattered into the world by the Romans.

57. Joseph was unknown and unrecognized by his brethren (42:6, 8); as Jesus today is not recognized by the Jews. Joseph was exalted over all the house of Pharaoh, but Jacob knew it not. All the seyearshethought(assumed)thatJoseph was dead! Today, Jews ‘b elieve’ Jesus to be dead and do not know that He has been exalted as LORD over all the world.

58. Joseph, however, saw and knew his brethren (42:7); so too, Jesus’ eye is on the Jews even today (Jeremiah 16:17; Hosea 5:3).

59. Joseph punished his brethren (42:7, 17); as God (Jesus) is dealing harshly with the Jews today (Hosea 9:17; Matthew 23:35-36, 38-39. “Joseph was the cause of their troubles now. Joseph was punishing them for their past dealing with himself. The secret of all Judah’s suffering during the past centuries is to be found in the fact that the rejected Messiah has been dealing ‘roughly’ with them.”

60. Joseph made provision for his brethren while they were in a strange land (42:25); as God (Jesus) promised to provide for the Jews while they are scattered (Jeremiah 30:11; Ezekiel 11:16)

From Gleanings in Genesis by A. W. Pink