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Joseph
Genesis 43
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Jesus
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Comparison
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43:1 Now the famine was still severe in the land. 2 So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little more food."
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John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
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Joseph's literal famine prophetically declared the spiritual famine in Israel for which Jesus came to rescue the people.
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3 But Judah said to him, "The man warned us solemnly, `You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'
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Mark 9:42 "And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.
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Jesus warned us to take care of our brothers (particularly little ones) or we would be destroyed. Joseph warned the brothers to bring their brother with them. In a spiritual sense, we are to help our brothers find salvation.
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4 If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you.
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Luke 10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy- two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
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Christ instructed us on the approach of evangelism. We can accomplish more when we do not work alone, recognizing we need His help as well. There is strength in numbers and this is true for spiritual matters as well.
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5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, `You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'"
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see v.3 above
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see v.3 above
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6 Israel asked, "Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?"
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no parallel seen
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no parallel seen
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7 They replied, "The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. `Is your father still living?' he asked us. `Do you have another brother?' We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, `Bring your brother down here'?" 8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die.
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John 4:.7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water , Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink ?" ..17 "I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." 19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet.
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Joseph and Jesus both asked penetrating questions that exposed they knew more about the brothers (or sisters) than the brothers knew of them.
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9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life.
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Matthew 27:25 All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"
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The brothers are quick to take responsibility, even though it has not been carefully prayed or thought out. When we believe we are doing God's will, we need to be certain.
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10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice."
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Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. 14 Do everything without complaining or arguing,
John 6:43 "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered.
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God (Jacob) the father was in control yet the sons complained, as do we. Christ corrected the disciples when they grumbled, although they should have trusted Him.
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11 Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift--a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.
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Matthew 2:11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh .
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The 'wise men' coming to see Jesus as an infant offered similar gifts as those Joseph's brothers were told to give him by their father. What prompted the 'wise men' to make such gifts? Was it not prompting by God through the star? The greatest gift by both Jesus and Joseph was salvation.
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13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved."
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1Timothy 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
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God entrusts us with the souls of our brothers, a sobering thought.
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15 So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph.
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Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
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At this point, Joseph's family was willing to give up everything to receive nourishment from him. Christ has one expectation from us, that nothing comes ahead of Him.
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16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare dinner; they are to eat with me at noon."
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Revelation 19:9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: `Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God."
Luke 14:23 "Then the master told his servant, `Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.
Matthew 22:4 "Then he sent some more servants and said, `Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'
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When Joseph saw the depth of his brother's commitment to him, he prepared a great celebration. Similarly, when we give up everything for Christ, we look forward to the same.
Brothers are compelled to come.
Both made ready the great feast.
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17 The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph's house.
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2Kings 2:11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.
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This servant of Joseph's likely represents an angel, a servant of God. We may be escorted by angels to Heaven when we die, as was Elijah.
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18 Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, "We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys."
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Romans 14:11 It is written: "`As surely as I live,' says the Lord, `every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'" 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
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This is a portrayal of the true fear of God. The brothers were in great fear of one so powerful. Mercy is all we have to stand on in God's presence if we know His Son, Jesus Christ.
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19 So they went up to Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20 "Please, sir," they said, "we came down here the first time to buy food. 21 But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver--the exact weight--in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. 22 We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks."
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discussed above
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discussed above
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23 "It's all right," he said. "Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver." Then he brought Simeon out to them.
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Luke 12:48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much , much more will be asked.
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.
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The Genesis scripture acknowledges that God is the source of the treasure we have. This is true even though the servant knew that they were the ones who actually put the silver in the sacks, giving God the credit He deserves. Everything we have comes from God.
Perfect love, as exhibited by both Joseph and Jesus, drives out fear. We love Christ because He first loved us. Joseph's brothers loved him only after Joseph exhibited great love for them.
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24 The steward took the men into Joseph's house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys.
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John 13:14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet , you also should wash one another's feet .
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Minister to the brothers, as the Lord taught.
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25 They prepared their gifts for Joseph's arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there. 26 When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground.
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Luke 7:37 When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears . Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
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The presentation of gifts to Joseph is similar to offering the expensive perfume to Christ and, again, washing His feet with her tears exhibiting great humility, as did Joseph's brothers as they bowed down to the ground.
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27 He asked them how they were, and then he said, "How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?" 28 They replied, "Your servant our father is still alive and well." And they bowed low to pay him honor.
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John 17:2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, " All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
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Here the brothers acknowledged Joseph's authority as he predicted years before. All authority from the father was given to the son. The knowledge of the father was important to the brothers.
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29 As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, he asked, "Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son." 30 Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.
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Matthew 12:48 He replied to him, " Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers . 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." 13:1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.
Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed .
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Joseph loved Benjamin, as Christ loved us, perhaps similar to John, 'the disciple whom Jesus loved'. These scriptures display the extremely deep care Jesus had for us, similar to Joseph's love for Benjamin. In 13:1 it implies Christ was deeply moved and sat by the lake in great contemplation over His brothers' well being.
At times, both needed to withdraw from their brothers.
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31 After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, "Serve the food."
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Matthew 13:2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed...
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Continuing from the Matthew verses above, Christ began feeding the crowd similar to Joseph's banquet for the brothers.
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32 They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians.
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Matthew 13:36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
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Joseph would leave the brothers to feed, Christ would often leave the disciples for spiritual renewal and nurturing His relationship to God the Father.
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33 The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment.
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John 4:18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." 19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet .
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Joseph knew the different ages of the brothers to their astonishment. Christ knew details of the 'woman at the well's' life to her astonishment.
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34 When portions were served to them from Joseph's table, Benjamin's portion was five times as much as anyone else's. So they feasted and drank freely with him.
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2Corinthians 12:20 For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy , outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.
Matthew 20:1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard...
Luke 15:24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
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Joseph knew of the brother's jealousy towards him. He knew of his father's increased love for Benjamin. He now tested the brothers by inciting jealousy of Benjamin by giving him 5 times more than his older brothers. Of course, jealousy is a sin that we should attempt to overcome. Joseph saw that his brothers did overcome their sin as they reacted without jealousy but with appreciation, something we will again be confronted with when we get to heaven. There will be no jealousy there, as taught in the parable of the workers who were paid for their labors.
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