&

Bible Study Notes: Types of Christ in Genesis

Ed Knorrs Bible study notes. Much of this material comes from the following sources: M.R. DeHaan. ortraits of !hrist in "enesis#$ "rand Ra%ids$ Michigan: Kregel %ublications$ M.R. DeHaan trust$ co%yright &''($ &')) *original+. ,he same author has written numerous e-cellent commentaries. . urge you to add them to your reading list. /illiam MacDonald. 0ose%h Ma1es Me ,hin1 of 0esus#. "rand Ra%ids$ Michigan: "os%el 2olio ress$ 3444. Holy Bible: 5ew .nternational 6ersion7an e-cellent translation. . es%ecially recommend The NIV Study Bible *%ublished by 8onder9an+$ which has lots of study notes *a%%ro-. &:; of a %age of notes %er %age of the Bible$ %lus introductions to the authorshi% and %ur%ose of each of the )) boo1s contained in the Bible+. Ken Ham and <nswers in "enesis Han1 Hanegraaff$ ,he Bible <nswer Man. www.e=ui%.org 9arious other sources %ersonal reflection >ctober 344( and beyond

Early chapters of Genesis. Adam: A type [figure or analogy of Christ.

?ets begin by %aying s%ecial attention to the following 9erses$ noting in %articular the words %attern# and shadow#:
Romans 5:14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come !olossians ":1#$1% &herefore do not let anyone '(dge yo( by what yo( eat or drink, or with regard to a religio(s festival, a New Moon celebration or a )abbath day &hese are a shadow of the things that were to come* the reality, however, is fo(nd in !hrist

5ow that we9e begun to lay a foundation$ lets get into "enesis. .t is im%ortant to reali@e that only a few cha%ters in "enesis are de9oted to creation itself. ,he bul1 of "enesis is s%ent on theme of the reconciliation of man1ind *i.e.$ the restoring of a relationshi%$ and ultimately$ the elimination of sin$ and restoration of all of creation Awhose downfall began only following the sin of <dam and E9e in the "arden of Eden7%rior to this there was no death of man *or animals+B+.
+enesis ":"1$",: )o the -.R/ +od ca(sed the man to fall into a deep sleep* and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man0s ribs and closed (p the place with flesh &hen the -.R/ +od made a woman from the rib he had taken o(t of the man, and he bro(ght her to the man &he man said, 1&his is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh* she shall be called 0woman,0 for she was taken o(t of man 2

!omment on the following statement with res%ect to the sal9ation %lan. 2rom DeHaan$ %. ;3:

3
/hile <dam sle%t$ "od created from his wounded side$ a wife$ who was %art of himself$ and he %aid for her by the shedding of blood.#

+enesis ,:1$%: Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the -.R/ +od had made 3e said to the woman, 4/id +od really say, 05o( m(st not eat from any tree in the garden064 &he woman said to the serpent, 47e may eat fr(it from the trees in the garden, b(t +od did say, 05o( m(st not eat fr(it from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and yo( m(st not to(ch it, or yo( will die 04 45o( will not s(rely die,4 the serpent said to the woman 48or +od knows that when yo( eat of it yo(r eyes will be opened, and yo( will be like +od, knowing good and evil 4 7hen the woman saw that the fr(it of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it )he also gave some to her h(sband, who was with her, and he ate it &hen the eyes of both of them were opened, and they reali9ed they were naked* so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves 1 &imothy ":14$15 And Adam was not the one deceived* it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner :(t women will be saved thro(gh childbearing$$if they contin(e in faith, love and holiness with propriety

<gain$ comment on the following statement with res%ect to the sal9ation %lan. 2rom DeHaan$ %. C&DC(: <dam was not decei9ed. He 1new what he was doing. He 1new the full conse=uences of his act. He 1new it meant his death$ but it was the only way to sa9e his belo9ed bride. <nd this sal9ation would be by the bearing of a child. E9e must become a mother of a baby A!hrist$ futureB$ the seed$ to be sa9ed. <dam was the only one who could bring this about. ... <nd this <dam did 9oluntarily with his eyes wide o%en$ and with full 1nowledge of its conse=uences$ death for himself. But his lo9e dro9e him to assume E9es guilt and bear her %enalty in order to sa9e her.# .n your analysis$ thin1 about how !hrist$ the sinless !reator of the uni9erse$ brought Himself to our le9el$ too1 sin u%on Himself$ and died to ma1e atonement for all of man1inds sin. Reflect on the !reator of the uni9erse dying for His creation. What did <dam and E9e 1now about death$ in a sinless world *u% to that %oint+E Recall that "od told <dam and E9e that they would die if they ate the forbidden fruit. But this was before E9e ate the forbidden fruit. Fo$ did they really 1now what death# wasE Recall that <dam and E9e 1new about the tree of the 1nowledge of good and e9il#$ and this was %rior to E9es sin. /hat did they 1now about good and e9ilE *!om%are to a mom or dad warning their young child to obey them$ and not touch the hot sto9e.+ ,here was also a second tree mentioned in the "arden of Eden: the tree of life#. !omment on this statement: 2or their own %rotection$ "od %re9ented access to the tree of life# following <dam and E9es sinG otherwise$ <dam and E9e could ha9e li9ed fore9er in their sinful state. < thought: !ould <dam ha9e left E9e$ and ho%ed for "od to gi9e him another wife instead$ to maintain <dams sinless life$ and %erha%s ho%e for a %erfect world$ albeit without E9eE /ould E9e ha9e been lost fore9er$ had <dam li9ed a sinless life with another *to be createdE+ womanE Do you thin1 <dam and E9e 1new about the lin1 between sin and re%roductionE

;
+enesis ,:"1 &he -.R/ +od made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them 3ebrews ;:""b 1 witho(t the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness 2

/hat sa9es usE .s it our balance of good wor1s# 9ersus bad when measured on a scale of some 1ind$ or is it "ods graceE !omment on the three elements of an acce%table sacrifice$ and see how !hrist fits into the %icture. 2rom DeHaan$ %age H4: /e re%eat once more the three elements of an acce%table atoning sacrifice: &. .t must be "ods gift$ and His wor1 alone. 3. .t must be by the death of an innocent substitute. ;. .t must be by the shedding of blood.#
+enesis 4:,$1< =n the co(rse of time !ain bro(ght some of the fr(its of the soil as an offering to the -.R/ :(t Abel bro(ght fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock &he -.R/ looked with favor on Abel and his offering, b(t on !ain and his offering he did not look with favor )o !ain was very angry, and his face was downcast &hen the -.R/ said to !ain, 47hy are yo( angry6 7hy is yo(r face downcast6 =f yo( do what is right, will yo( not be accepted6 :(t if yo( do not do what is right, sin is cro(ching at yo(r door* it desires to have yo(, b(t yo( m(st master it 4 Now !ain said to his brother Abel, 4-et0s go o(t to the field 4 And while they were in the field, !ain attacked his brother Abel and killed him &hen the -.R/ said to !ain, 47here is yo(r brother Abel64 4= don0t know,4 he replied 4Am = my brother0s keeper64 &he -.R/ said, 47hat have yo( done6 -isten> 5o(r brother0s blood cries o(t to me from the gro(nd

2rom DeHaan$ %age H&DH(: Fo "od reIected !ains sincere$ earnest religion of wor1s. >n the other hand$ "od acce%ted <bels offering ... /hy res%ect <bels offeringE Fim%ly because he fulfilled "ods re=uirements for an acce%table atonement: &. He brought a lamb *a firstling of the floc1+. 3. He %ut it to death u%on the altarG and ;. .t was by the shedding of blood. ... Fatan decei9ed <dam and !ain$ ma1ing them feel they could do something to be sa9ed$ or at least hel% "od a little bit in the wor1. ... Jet$ until a %erson is willing to admit that he cannot do anything$ but must rely com%letely on the grace of "od$ he cannot be sa9ed.
1 ?eter 1:1@$"1 8or yo( know that it was not with perishable things s(ch as silver or gold that yo( were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to yo( from yo(r forefathers, b(t with the precio(s blood of !hrist, a lamb witho(t blemish or defect 3e was chosen before the creation of the world, b(t was revealed in these last times for yo(r sake &hro(gh him yo( believe in +od, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so yo(r faith and hope are in +od +AN ,:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the -.R/ +od had made 3e said to the woman, 4/id +od really say 2

,he boo1 of "enesis is under attac1 today more than e9er. Did "od create the uni9erse through the %rocess of e9olution billions of years agoE /ere there billions of years of trial and error$ random chance$ mutations$ an e9olution of animals to man$ untold numbers of deaths of animals for millions of years before <dam$ etcE .s the boo1 of "enesis a mythE /as there e9er a "arden

C
of EdenE Did creation fall before$ or after$ <damE !omment on the following statement from DeHaan$ %age H)$ in light of the integrity of the boo1 of "enesis: 5o wonder Fatan so relentlessly and %ersistently attac1s the first few boo1s of the Bible$ and es%ecially the Boo1 of "enesis. <s we see these %ictures of !hrist in this first boo1 of the Bible$ we can see through the De9ils scheme of attac1$ for once he has dis%ro9ed the Boo1 of "enesis$ the whole structure of redem%tion falls to the ground. "enesis is the 9ery roc1 foundation of "ods redem%ti9e %rogram. Dis%ro9e the Boo1 of "enesis$ and we are left without an answer to the creation of the uni9erse$ the cause of death$ and the %resence of sin. <nd without the record of "enesis as to the beginning of sin$ the cause of death$ and "ods %ro9ision$ we are left without an answer to e9ery %roblem of life. .f "enesis is not true$ then where did sin originateE How shall we e-%lain sic1ness$ diseases$ suffering$ warfare$ 9iolence$ bloodshed and deathE ,he Boo1 of "enesis gi9es us the only answer.# The !lood of Noah ,he days of 5oah were days in which the world was filled with 9iolence and sin. 0udgment came in the form of a global flood. ,he days of Fodom and "omorrah were similarG Iudgment came in the form of fire and brimstone.
+enesis #:5$1, &he -.R/ saw how great man0s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the tho(ghts of his heart was only evil all the time &he -.R/ was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain )o the -.R/ said, 4= will wipe mankind, whom = have created, from the face of the earth$$men and animals, and creat(res that move along the gro(nd, and birds of the air$$for = am grieved that = have made them 4 :(t Noah fo(nd favor in the eyes of the -.R/ &his is the acco(nt of Noah Noah was a righteo(s man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with +od Noah had three sons: )hem, 3am and Bapheth Now the earth was corr(pt in +od0s sight and was f(ll of violence +od saw how corr(pt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corr(pted their ways )o +od said to Noah, 4= am going to p(t an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence beca(se of them = am s(rely going to destroy both them and the earth

,he 2lood$ the <r1$ and 5oah and his family were %lanned for$ by "od. "od designed the <r1 himself$ and ga9e instructions for how 5oah and his family could be sa9ed. ,he <r1 is a ty%e of !hrist$ offering sal9ation from Iudgment and destruction. ,here was only one <r1$ and note that it was the only %lace of refuge. .n continuing our discussion on the integrity of the boo1 of "enesis$ and what we tal1ed about last wee1$ comment on the following statement from DeHaan$ %age KK: ,he teaching widely disseminated Ae9en by some !hristiansB ... is that A"enesisB is not an accurate or literal account of the creation of the earth and man$ of the entrance of sin$ and of the early history of <braham. .t is characteri@ed as entirely mythical$ on a le9el with %agan mythology$ fables and fol1lore. ,wo of the areas being most 9iciously attac1ed in recent days are the account of the 2lood of 5oah as recorded in "enesis cha%ters ) to 'G and the record of the destruction of Fodom and "omorrah as recorded in "enesis &'. Jet is was these two e9ents which 0esus singled out to indicate what He thought of the account in the Boo1 of "enesis ... He goes out of His way to %lace His seal of endorsement u%on these two accounts.#

+enesis ,:1 1C&he serpent, )atanD said to the woman, 4/id +od really say

62

,he 2lood is a %icture of the coming HDyear tribulation of the endDtime: "ods %ro9ision for a remnant of %eo%le to be brought through the "reat ,ribulation by 0esus !hrist$ their <r1# of safety. 0esus said:
Matthew "4:,%$,;: As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the )on of Man 8or in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, (p to the day Noah entered the ark* and they knew nothing abo(t what wo(ld happen (ntil the flood came and took them all away &hat is how it will be at the coming of the )on of Man

,here were ; grou%s of %eo%le described in the 2lood: &. ,hose who were removed from the 2lood altogether. 3. ,hose who safely passed through the 2lood: ;. ,hose who perished in the 2lood7all others. ,he first category refers to one s%ecial %erson who was ta1en ali9e from Earth$ right to Hea9en *without dying+. >ther terms for this e9ent are the words translated# or ra%tured#. Many years before the 2lood$ Enoch was ta1en ali9e from Earth to hea9en *circa. ;444 B!+. His son Methuselah is the oldest %erson mentioned in the Bible *at age ')'+G yet note that Methuselah died before his father. ,he answer to this a%%arent %arado- lies in the fact that Enoch was one of two %eo%le mentioned in the Bible who did not die before being ta1en to Hea9enG the other is EliIah *circa. )44 B!+. ,he second category refers to the K %eo%le on the <r1: 5oah and his wife$ and their ; sons and their wi9es. ,he third category is by far the largest of allG it includes all %eo%le on Earth besides those on the <r1$ and of course$ all animals other than those on the <r1. .n what ways do these ; ty%es of indi9iduals mirror those in the future before !hrists second comingE .f your eschatological model of the end times in9ol9es a %reDtribulational ra%ture$ then the ; categories are neatly summari@ed as follows: &. ,hose who are remo9ed from the ,ribulation altogether *ra%tured belie9ers+. 3. ,he remnant who %ass through the ,ribulation *e.g.$ faithful .srael$ i.e.$ 0ews being brought to !hrist$ who acce%t !hrist as their Fa9iour during the ,ribulation+. ,he Tribulation is the HDyear %eriod s%o1en of by the %ro%het Daniel. .t is the ,ime of 0acobs ,rouble$ or the H4th wee1 of Daniel#. ,he Great Tribulation refers to the second half of this HDyear %eriod$ when it is belie9ed that Fatans attac1 will be greatest. ;. < great many unbelie9ers who will %erish. .ncidentally$ DeHaan states that there is not e9en one 9erse in the Bible to indicate that there will be a worldwide re9i9al of nonD!hristians becoming !hristians before the return of !hrist. .n ,he Berean !all# of Fe%tember 344($ %. ;$ Da9e Hunt comments:

"od has we%t for ;$444 years o9er the sins of His %eo%le .srael$ sending His %ro%hets day and night$ year after year$ warning them to re%ent so He would not be forced to %our out His wrath u%on them.# ,odays ad9ancing technology only gi9es man a loftier %latform from which to sha1e his %uny fist in his !reators face.#
Beremiah %:"5 8rom the time yo(r forefathers left Agypt (ntil now, day after day, again and again = sent yo( my servants the prophets Beremiah 11:% 8rom the time = bro(ght yo(r forefathers (p from Agypt (ntil today, = warned them again and again, saying, 4.bey me 4 Beremiah "5:4$5 And tho(gh the -.R/ has sent all his servants the prophets to yo( again and again, yo( have not listened or paid any attention &hey said, 4&(rn now, each of yo(, from yo(r evil ways and yo(r evil practices, and yo( can stay in the land the -.R/ gave to yo( and yo(r fathers for ever and ever

Abraham and "saac

Fome %arallels about how .saac was a type of !hrist$ follow. ?i1e !hrist$ .saac was %romised long before he was born. "od first made his %romise of a son *.saac+ to <braham 3( years before .saac was born. "od %romised the Messiah *!hrist$ Fa9iour+ about C444 years before He *!hrist+ was born. !hrist# and Messiah# both mean the anointed one# *i.e.$ the anointed one of "od: the Fa9iour of the world+. !hrist was born of a 9irgin. .saac was born to <braham and Fara long after <braham and Fara %assed childDbearing years. .n both cases$ this was a miracle. "od named both .saac and 0esus before they were born. .n 0esus case$ his name was mentioned in .saiah H:&C$ about H44 years in ad9ance. <braham wondered when his %romised son *.saac+ would be born. He waited many years$ but it came about. .srael wondered for hundreds of years *actually thousands+ when their Messiah would be born. But$ it too$ ha%%ened at the right moment: in the fullness of time#. ,oday$ the 0ewish %eo%le are still loo1ing for the first coming of their Messiah$ not reali@ing that He has already come$ and will be coming bac1 a second time7again in the fullness of time#. ,his time$ howe9er$ !hrist will not come as a suffering ser9ant$ mee1 and gentle$ but in all %ower and maIesty. ,he 0ewish %eo%le did not reali@e that there were 3 %hases of the Messiahs coming: first as a suffering ser9ant to be offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the world *the lamb slain from the foundation of the world#+$ and second$ in all %ower and glory$ e-ercising Iudgment *the %icture in Re9elation+. Most im%ortantly$ as a ty%e of !hrist$ .saac was offered u% as a sacrifice$ on what we would call the ,em%le Mount *or close to it+ today7as a %icture of what !hrist would do many years later *i.e.$ in ;3 <D+. .n %articular$ as a test *although <braham did not 1now it at the time+$ "od told <braham to sacrifice his son$ his one and only son# *shades of !hrist+$ and to ta1e him to Mt. Moriah for the sacrifice. Mount Moriah and Mount !al9ary a%%ear to be synonymous. 2urthermore$ recall that animal sacrifices too1 %lace at the ,em%le. ,he animal sacrifices %ointed forward to the day when "od Himself would die for his creation.

+enesis "":" &hen +od said, 4&ake yo(r son, yo(r only son, =saac, whom yo( love, and go to the region of Moriah )acrifice him there as a b(rnt offering on one of the mo(ntains = will tell yo( abo(t 4 " !hronicles ,:1 &hen )olomon began to b(ild the temple of the -.R/ in Ber(salem on Mo(nt Moriah, where the -.R/ had appeared to his father /avid =t was on the threshing floor of Ara(nah the Beb(site, the place provided by /avid

<braham was directed to go in faith to Mount Moriah$ and .saac obediently went. .t was a ;Dday Iourney to get to Mount Moriah7shades of the ; days between the time !hrist died on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. During the ;Dday tri% to Mount Moriah$ <braham must ha9e thought that his son was already as good as dead$ es%ecially since <braham brought wood for the sacrifice$ fire for the offering$ and a 1nife with which to slay his son. 5ote that <braham laid the wood for the offering on .saac$ and it is interesting to note that .saac did not a%%ear to offer any resistance.
+enesis "":1$1; )ome time later +od tested Abraham 3e said to him, 4Abraham>4 43ere = am,4 he replied &hen +od said, 4&ake yo(r son, yo(r only son, =saac, whom yo( love, and go to the region of Moriah )acrifice him there as a b(rnt offering on one of the mo(ntains = will tell yo( abo(t 4 Aarly the neEt morning Abraham got (p and saddled his donkey 3e took with him two of his servants and his son =saac 7hen he had c(t eno(gh wood for the b(rnt offering, he set o(t for the place +od had told him abo(t .n the third day Abraham looked (p and saw the place in the distance 3e said to his servants, 4)tay here with the donkey while = and the boy go over there 7e will worship and then we will come back to yo( 4 Abraham took the wood for the b(rnt offering and placed it on his son =saac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife As the two of them went on together, =saac spoke (p and said to his father Abraham, 48ather64 45es, my son64 Abraham replied 4&he fire and wood are here,4 =saac said, 4b(t where is the lamb for the b(rnt offering64 Abraham answered, 4+od himself will provide the lamb for the b(rnt offering, my son 4 And the two of them went on together 7hen they reached the place +od had told him abo(t, Abraham b(ilt an altar there and arranged the wood on it 3e bo(nd his son =saac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood &hen he reached o(t his hand and took the knife to slay his son :(t the angel of the -.R/ called o(t to him from heaven, 4Abraham> Abraham>4 43ere = am,4 he replied 4/o not lay a hand on the boy,4 he said 4/o not do anything to him Now = know that yo( fear +od, beca(se yo( have not withheld from me yo(r son, yo(r only son 4 Abraham looked (p and there in a thicket he saw a ram ca(ght by its horns 3e went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a b(rnt offering instead of his son )o Abraham called that place &he -.R/ 7ill ?rovide And to this day it is said, 4.n the mo(ntain of the -.R/ it will be provided 4 &he angel of the -.R/ called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, 4= swear by myself, declares the -.R/, that beca(se yo( have done this and have not withheld yo(r son, yo(r only son, = will s(rely bless yo( and make yo(r descendants as n(mero(s as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore 5o(r descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and thro(gh yo(r offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, beca(se yo( have obeyed me 4 &hen Abraham ret(rned to his servants, and they set off together for :eersheba And Abraham stayed in :eersheba Romans 4:1;$"" 7itho(t weakening in his faith, he CAbrahamD faced his body was as good as dead$$since he was abo(t a h(ndred years )arah0s womb was also dead 5et he did not waver thro(gh (nbelief promise of +od, b(t was strengthened in his faith and gave glory the fact that old$$and that regarding the to +od, being

K
f(lly pers(aded that +od had power to do what he had promised credited to him as righteo(sness 4 &his is why 4it was

+alatians ,:@ &he )cript(re foresaw that +od wo(ld '(stify the +entiles by faith, and anno(nced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 4All nations will be blessed thro(gh yo( 4 3ebrews 11:11$1; :y faith Abraham, even tho(gh he was past age$$and )arah herself was barren$$was enabled to become a father beca(se he considered him faithf(l who had made the promise And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as n(mero(s as the stars in the sky and as co(ntless as the sand on the seashore All these people were still living by faith when they died &hey did not receive the things promised* they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth ?eople who say s(ch things show that they are looking for a co(ntry of their own =f they had been thinking of the co(ntry they had left, they wo(ld have had opport(nity to ret(rn =nstead, they were longing for a better co(ntry$$a heavenly one &herefore +od is not ashamed to be called their +od, for he has prepared a city for them :y faith Abraham, when +od tested him, offered =saac as a sacrifice 3e who had received the promises was abo(t to sacrifice his one and only son, even tho(gh +od had said to him, 4=t is thro(gh =saac that yo(r offspring will be reckoned 4 Abraham reasoned that +od co(ld raise the dead, and fig(ratively speaking, he did receive =saac back from death

Recall the crucifi-ion of !hrist:

Bohn 1;:1#$1@ 8inally ?ilate handed him over to them to be cr(cified )o the soldiers took charge of Bes(s !arrying his own cross, he went o(t to the place of the )k(ll Fwhich in Aramaic is called +olgothaG 3ere they cr(cified him, and with him two others$$one on each side and Bes(s in the middle 1 !orinthians 15:,$4 8or what = received = passed on to yo( as of first importance: that !hrist died for o(r sins according to the )cript(res, that he was b(ried, that he was raised on the third day according to the )cript(res,

DeHaan %oses some interesting =uestions: How much did the father$ <braham$ actually 1now about the ty%ical %ro%hetic meaning of this sacrifice of his sonE Did <braham understand the meaning of it$ or was he Iust obeying "odE /hile <braham and .saac were certainly obedient$ note abo9e that Fcri%ture says that the gos%el was %reached to <braham. /e 1now that !hrist is referred to in Fcri%ture as the ?amb of "od#$ and the lamb slain from the foundation of the world#. .n other words$ before the world was created$ "od already 1new that his Fon would die for fallen humanity. ?et us re9isit "enesis 33:HDK$ as =uoted abo9e:
+enesis "":%$@ =saac spoke (p and said to his father Abraham, 48ather64 45es, my son64 Abraham replied 4&he fire and wood are here,4 =saac said, 4b(t where is the lamb for the b(rnt offering64 Abraham answered, 4+od himself will provide the lamb for the b(rnt offering, my son 4 And the two of them went on together

,he King 0ames 6ersion of the Bible translates the same %assage as follows:
+enesis "":%$@ And =saac spake (nto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, 3ere am =, my son And he said, :ehold the fire and the wood: b(t where

'
is the lamb for a b(rnt offering6 And Abraham said, My son, +od will provide himself a lamb for a b(rnt offering: so they went both of them together +enesis "":;$1< 7hen they reached the place +od had told him abo(t, Abraham b(ilt an altar there and arranged the wood on it 3e bo(nd his son =saac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood &hen he reached o(t his hand and took the knife to slay his son

DeHaan comments that .saac offered no resistance at all$ e9en though he could easily ha9e o9er%owered his aged father. 3444 years later$ before his death on the !ross$ !hrist %rayed to "od the 2ather: 5ot my will but thine be done.# "i9en the %romise of "od to ma1e <brahams descendants *through .saac+ numerous$ and the %romised seed *!hrist+ to come in the bloodline of <braham and .saac$ <braham must ha9e reasoned that "od would resurrect .saac from the dead7if indeed <braham were to sacrifice his son. /hat do you thin1 is meant by the following Fcri%ture:
Bohn @:5#$5; 5o(r father Abraham re'oiced at the tho(ght of seeing my CBes(sHsD day* he saw it and was glad 4 45o( are not yet fifty years old,4 the Bews said to him, 4and yo( have seen Abraham>4 4= tell yo( the tr(th,4 Bes(s answered, 4before Abraham was born, = am>4 At this, they picked (p stones to stone him, b(t Bes(s hid himself, slipping away from the temple gro(nds

<fter <braham came down from Mount Moriah$ .saac is not seen again after his resurrection# until he goes out in to the field to meet Rebehah$ his bride. DeHaan writes on %age &C'D&(&: But where was .saacE He is not mentioned. ,hen follows "enesis 3;$ recording the death of Farah. *Farah re%resents the nation of .srael.+ But in the whole account of the death and burial of Farah$ .saac is ne9er once mentioned. Furely we can see here the dis%ensational lesson in the death of Farah. <fter 0esus$ the "reater Fon of <braham$ was slain on !al9ary$ He disa%%eared and the nation of .srael is set aside and buried$ as it were$ without her Messiah. ...# ,hen after Farah was dead$ <braham sent his ser9ant Elie@er to bring bac1 a bride for .saac. robably nowhere in the Bible is there found a %icture as com%lete and beautiful of the calling out of the bride for the ?ord 0esus !hrist as we ha9e in this ty%e in "enesis 3C. .saac was <brahams only son. /hen this son was forty years old$ <braham called his ser9ant$ Elie@er$ which means L"ods hel%er or guide$ to go into a far country and bring bac1 a bride for his son. Jou recall how he set out into a far country and brought bac1 Rebe1ah after meeting her at the well in ?abans shee%fold. /hen this ser9ant of <braham$ who ty%ifies the Holy F%irit$ met Rebe1ah$ he showed her the riches of .saac$ and told her the %ur%ose for which he had come ...# &. Fhe was as1ed to belie9e a man AElie@erB she had ne9er met before. 3. Fhe was re=uested to go to a land from which she was ne9er to return. ;. Fhe was as1ed to marry a man whom she as yet had ne9er seen.# "od the 2ather too had an only Fon. <fter He had offered Him u% to die on the cross of !al9ary$ He too sent His ser9ant$ the Holy F%irit$ re%resented and ty%ified by Elie@er$ into the far country of this old$ wic1ed world to call out a bride$ the !hurch$ for His Fon$ the ?ord 0esus. <nd that Fer9ant was sent out on entecost Ai.e.$ the gi9ing of the Holy F%irit to

&4
the !hurch$ on the anni9ersary of the date in the 0ewish calendar in which Moses was gi9en the law *,orah+ on Mount FinaiB and has been on this Iourney now for nineteen hundred years$ as1ing men and women to come and become the bride of the Masters Fon. ...# &. Belie9e a %erson you ha9e ne9er met before A... the Holy F%irit of "odB. 3. "o with Him$ and allow Him to lead and guide you by faith into a far country from which you will ne9er return as you lea9e. ;. Be married to a man whom you ha9e ne9er seen before.# >n %age &(;$ DeHaan writes: Beyond =uestion$ the Iourney which Rebe1ah was as1ed to ma1e with this man$ Elie@er$ seemed long and wearisome and endless at times$ and yet one can but imagine the Ioy which must ha9e thrilled her heart when the Iourney came to an end$ and she found that .saac was far more than all her e-%ectations had e9er been able to imagine.#

#ore Types: $ther Brides

0acob was the second born son of .saac. Esau$ the firstborn$ ga9e u% his birthright$ and %assed it on to 0acob. <dam$ the first man on Earth$ had claim to the dominion of the Earth$ and forfeited his right because of sin7and the second <dam#$ namely 0esus !hrist$ will %ic1 u% this birthright. Hated by his brother$ 0acob fled into e-ile where he married a bride$ and then returned to claim his %ossession. >n %ages &('D&)4$ DeHaan writes: <nd now there follows a beautiful dis%ensational %icture. .n this house of ?aban in the far country were two daughters$ ?eah and Rachel. 5ow these two were to become the wi9es of 0acob. By agreement he was to ha9e Rachel only as his wife$ for whom he labored se9en long years. But at the end of the se9en years he did not recei9e Rachel$ but ?eah$ her sister$ became his first wife. He ser9ed se9en additional years for Rachel. But ?eah became fruitful and ga9e birth to a family of children while Rachel remained barren and childless. 2inally Rachel in her distress and agony began to cry unto the ?ord$ and when she did$ "od heard her %rayer and she too became the mother of children. 0acob had chosen Rachel first$ but she was set aside and ?eah too1 her %lace...# ?eah re%resents the !hurch of the ?ord 0esusG Rachel$ the nation of .srael. He desired her first$ but when He came to %resent Himself to her nineteen hundred years ago$ He did not recei9e her$ but she reIected Him$ and now Rachel is barren and des%ised$ and ?eah$ the !hurch$ is bearing fruit in the millions of the redeemed who are being brought in during this %resent dis%ensation. .srael today as re%resented by Rachel is an em%ty 9ine$ while the !hurch is fulfilling the %ur%oses of "od. But .srael li1e Rachel$ according to Fcri%ture$ shall yet bear. ... ,he time is coming when ?eah$ the !hurch$ will be ta1en u%$ and "od will again begin to deal with .sraelG they shall loo1 u%on Him whom they ha9e %ierced and acce%t Him. He will turn their ca%ti9ity and gather them from all the nations whither they ha9e been dri9en$ and they shall be settled in their own land and become the great and wonderful heritage of the ?ord and the instrument by which millions u%on millions will be turned to 0eho9ah$ their ?ord and their "od.

&&
0ose%h$ the son of 0acob$ was also hated by his brothers$ sold into sla9ery for ;4 %ieces of sil9er$ banished into a far country$ and forgotten. ?ater$ he was e-alted to the second highest %osition in Egy%t. ,here$ he obtained a "entile bride$ and later redeemed the same brothers who had sold him into sla9ery. Moses$ too$ was reIected the first time by his brethren Awhile in Egy%tB$ and then he went away into a fair country where he recei9ed a "entile bride$ and then he returned and was acce%ted by his own %eo%le7leading them out of Egy%t during the E-odus$ and towards the romised ?and. Da9id was anointed as King o9er .srael$ but was reIected by the %eo%leG so$ he fled into the land of the hilistines$ where he recei9ed a "entile bride. <fter the death of Faul$ he returned to be acce%ted by the %eo%le$ and he became .sraels greatest 1ing.

$ther Types: Names

0acob means he decei9es# or he gras%s the heel#. His name was changed to .srael$ meaning the %rince of "od# or he struggles with "od#. !ontrast: 0acob struggling with humans$ and 0acob struggling with "od. *.n "enesis ;3$ 0acob wrestled with "od$ in the wilderness+. ,his may be indicati9e of .sraels history: a struggle with others$ and a struggle with "od. 0ose%h had two names: one gi9en to him at birth *0ose%h$ meaning adding to# or increasing#+$ and another when he was e-alted to leadershi% in Egy%t:
+enesis 41:4"$45 &hen ?haraoh took his signet ring from his finger and p(t it on Boseph0s finger 3e dressed him in robes of fine linen and p(t a gold chain aro(nd his neck 3e had him ride in a chariot as his second$in$command, and men sho(ted before him, 4Make way>4 &h(s he p(t him in charge of the whole land of Agypt &hen ?haraoh said to Boseph, 4= am ?haraoh, b(t witho(t yo(r word no one will lift hand or foot in all Agypt 4 ?haraoh gave Boseph the name Iaphenath$ ?aneah and gave him Asemath da(ghter of ?otiphera, priest of .n, to be his wife And Boseph went thro(gho(t the land of Agypt

8a%henathD aneah means the re9ealer of secrets#. !hrist is the ultimate re9ealer:1nower of secrets. 0esus$ too$ has more than one name:
Revelation 1;:11$1" = saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called 8aithf(l and &r(e 7ith '(stice he '(dges and makes war 3is eyes are like bla9ing fire, and on his head are many crowns 3e has a name written on him that no one knows b(t he himself

%oseph
0ose%h was a she%herd. !hrist is the "reat Fhe%herd. 0ose%h was hated by his brothers because he e-%osed e9il. !hrist also e-%osed e9il$ and many %eo%le *most+ dont li1e Him because of it.

&3
+enesis ,%:" &his is the acco(nt of Bacob Boseph, a yo(ng man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of :ilhah and the sons of Iilpah, his father0s wives, and he bro(ght their father a bad report abo(t them Bohn %:% &he world cannot hate yo(, b(t it hates me CBes(sD beca(se = testify that what it does is evil

0ose%h was belo9ed by his 2ather$ 0acob. 0esus was the belo9ed Fon of "od. ,wo of the dreams 0ose%h had were: *a+ Fhea9es of wheat that bowed down to him Ai.e.$ his brothers bowing down to himB. DeHaan says that the field is the world$ and this dream s%ea1s of earthly so9ereignty. *b+ ,he sun$ moon$ and ele9en stars bowing down to him. DeHaan says this %oints to hea9enly so9ereignty. 0ose%h %oints to 0esus$ who will some day reign as so9ereign ?ord and King o9er all.
+enesis ,%:5$11 Boseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more 3e said to them, 4-isten to this dream = had: 7e were binding sheaves of grain o(t in the field when s(ddenly my sheaf rose and stood (pright, while yo(r sheaves gathered aro(nd mine and bowed down to it 4 3is brothers said to him, 4/o yo( intend to reign over (s6 7ill yo( act(ally r(le (s64 And they hated him all the more beca(se of his dream and what he had said &hen he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers 4-isten,4 he said, 4= had another dream, and this time the s(n and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me 4 7hen he told his father as well as his brothers, his father reb(ked him and said, 47hat is this dream yo( had6 7ill yo(r mother and = and yo(r brothers act(ally come and bow down to the gro(nd before yo(64 3is brothers were 'ealo(s of him, b(t his father kept the matter in mind 2 +enesis ,%:1"$1; Now his brothers had gone to gra9e their father0s flocks near )hechem, and =srael CBacobD said to Boseph, 4As yo( know, yo(r brothers are gra9ing the flocks near )hechem !ome, = am going to send yo( to them 4 4Jery well,4 he replied )o he said to him, 4+o and see if all is well with yo(r brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me 4 &hen he sent him off from the Jalley of 3ebron 7hen Boseph arrived at )hechem, a man fo(nd him wandering aro(nd in the fields and asked him, 47hat are yo( looking for64 3e replied, 4=0m looking for my brothers !an yo( tell me where they are gra9ing their flocks64 4&hey have moved on from here,4 the man answered 4= heard them say, 0-et0s go to /othan 04 )o Boseph went after his brothers and fo(nd them near /othan :(t they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him 43ere comes that dreamer>4 they said to each other

>n %age &)H$ DeHaan writes: 0ose%h$ the Afa9ourite son of 0acobB ... was sent by the father to 9isit his brethren and %resent to them his gift. ,he father was dee%ly interested in the welfare of the brethren$ and sought their good. 0ose%h went to Fhechem where his brothers had last been heard of$ but found them not. Fhechem means fellowship$ and the brothers had mo9ed to Dothan which means law. Here 0ose%h found them in the land of the law. But when they saw him coming$ they were filled with hatred...#

&;
+AN ,%:",$"4 )o when Boseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe$$ the richly ornamented robe he was wearing$$ and they took him and threw him into the cistern Now the cistern was empty* there was no water in it +AN ,%:"@ )o when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers p(lled Boseph (p o(t of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the =shmaelites, who took him to Agypt Bohn 1;:",$"4 7hen the soldiers cr(cified Bes(s, they took his clothes, dividing them into fo(r shares, one for each of them, with the (ndergarment remaining &his garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom 4-et0s not tear it,4 they said to one another 4-et0s decide by lot who will get it 4 &his happened that the script(re might be f(lfilled which said, 4&hey divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing 4 )o this is what the soldiers did

!omment on 0ose%hs coat of many colours$ and how it might be a ty%e %ointing to !hrist. .n Egy%t$ 0ose%h suffered a series of unfortunate circumstances$ including being falsely accused$ and thrown into %rison for many years. ?ater$ through a series of dreams$ 0ose%h was released and inter%reted haraohs dreams which actually described two %eriods of H years: one of great abundance$ and one of great famine. ,hus$ later on$ his brothers from .srael *!anaan+ were facing star9ation$ and came to Egy%t to buy corn. His brothers did not recogni@e himG but 0ose%h recogni@ed them. 0ose%h %retended to belie9e that they were foreign s%ies$ and he made the &4 brothers tell about their family and bac1ground$ es%ecially their missing brother$ BenIamin. 5ote that all brothers e-ce%t his natural brother *from his mother Rachel7BenIamin+ were %resentG BenIamin remained at home with 0acob$ lest 0acob lose his *ne-t+ fa9ourite son. >n %age &H3$ DeHaan writes: 5ow if you su%%ose that 0ose%h was mean and re9engeful in his action$ you are mista1en. He had a %ur%ose and a %lan in it all$ and it was to become a %icture of the future dealing of the Messiah and His %eo%le of .srael in the latter days. ,he %lan began to wor1. !on9iction o9ercame them...# 0ose%h 1e%t one of them in %rison until they brought BenIamin$ to %ro9e that they were not s%ies. Fince the famine was se9ere$ the brothers returned. Fubse=uently$ BenIamin was arrested ... but at this %oint the brothers confessed all *still while not 1nowing that this was 0ose%h they were s%ea1ing with+. ,his was 0ose%hs %ur%ose: a confession of guilt and sin. <t this %oint$ 0ose%h re9ealed himself to his brothers. His family was sa9ed$ and they mo9ed to Egy%t where for a long %eriod of time$ they enIoyed %ros%erity. Fe9eral hundred years later$ the .sraelites AHebrewsB were 9ery much des%ised by the Egy%tians$ and were wor1ed as sla9es ... and Moses a%%eared on the scene to %ro9ide the E-odus *deli9erance from o%%ression in Egy%t+$ and lead the Hebrews toward the romised ?and. !hrist will %ro9ide the ultimate deli9erance from o%%ression *sin+ and will lead us into the romised ?and#. >n %ages &H(D&H)$ DeHaan writes:

&C
0ose%h is not only a ty%e of the Fa9iour of the world$ but the Messiah and the King of .srael. 0esus ty%ified by 0ose%h was the 2athers wellDbelo9ed Fon. .n the fullness of time He sent Him into the field of the world to see1 His brethren.$ He found the nation of .srael in the land of Dothan$ the land of the law. But they reIected Him$ and sold Him for thirty %ieces of sil9er into the hands of the "entiles. /hile in reIection by them He sits on the right hand of the King of the uni9erse$ recei9es a "entile bride$ awaiting the time of the "reat ,ribulation and the day of 0acobs trouble *re%resented by the se9en years of famine+. <fter a dis%ensation of %lenty since the Messiah was reIected$ there will follow the se9en years of earths greatest sorrow$ and the brunt of it will be borne by the nation of .srael.# >n %age &K3$ he adds: .t is indeed comforting to 1now that when we sin and err and stumble$ the ?ord not only stands ready to forgi9e and %ardon$ but e9en shows us afterward that He 1new it all beforehand and made %lans to bring blessing out of the tragedy. ,his does not e-cuse our sin$ but it e-alts His mar9elous grace. <s we loo1 bac1 o9er our own e-%eriences we too can trace the hand of di9ine ro9idence and so9ereign grace in some of the dar1est moments and dee%est trials of our life. ,here were times when e9erything was against us$ when there was no way out$ and we could only sin1 in dar1 des%air. But now the years ha9e %assed$ and we begin to see the design in all of this which the ?ord %ermitted to come u%on us. /e now can see that some of the most trying e-%eriences of life which dro9e us to the brin1 of des%air were "ods way of %re%aring something better for us. Jes$ and as we loo1 bac1 we can see where "od used our mista1es and blunders to teach us the most 9aluable lessons$ and lead us into a9enues of ser9ice which we would ne9er ha9e 1nown e-ce%t for these. ,his$ we re%eat$ does not e-cuse our mista1es and sin...# <nd$ on %age &KC: Jes$ "od has a greater %lan in mind. He A%ermittedB these murderers to %ut to death His Fon$ and made the death of His Fon the only means of sa9ing those murderers from Hell. "od could ta1e the murder of His Fon$ and ma1e it the means of sa9ing the murderers.#
+enesis 5<:1@$"1 3is brothers then came and threw themselves down before him 47e are yo(r slaves,4 they said :(t Boseph said to them, 4/on0t be afraid Am = in the place of +od6 5o( intended to harm me, b(t +od intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives )o then, don0t be afraid = will provide for yo( and yo(r children 4 And he reass(red them and spoke kindly to them

"n his boo& entitled '%oseph #a&es #e Thin& of %esus() *illiam #ac+onald comments: More s%ace is gi9en to 0ose%h in "enesis than to any other %erson. !omment on the following =uotations from MacDonalds boo1$ es%ecially on how they relate to 0esus !hrist: %. &&: ,he mutual lo9e of 0acob and 0ose%h is one of the great themes of this saga.# !omment on this statement$ with res%ect to the relationshi% between "od the 2ather$ and "od the Fon. %. &;: Hated without a cause *"enesis ;H:C+. .f 0ose%h was such a s%lendid fellow$ why did his brothers hate himE 2irst of all$ a family does not always a%%reciate one of its

&(
members greatness. L< %ro%het is not without honor e-ce%t in his own country and in his own house. Matthew &;:C($ Matthew &4:;).
Matthew 1,:5%$5@ And they took offense at him :(t Bes(s said to them, 4.nly in his hometown and in his own ho(se is a prophet witho(t honor 4 And he did not do many miracles there beca(se of their lack of faith

%. &H: His father sent 0ose%h on a s%ecial mission. ... His obedient son res%onded instantly. ... >9er forty times in 0ohns "os%el$ A0esusB said that His 2ather sent Him.# %%. &KD&': /hen it says that a certain man found 0ose%h Lwandering in the field$ it does not mean that he was aimless or lost. Rather it means that he had to loo1 for his brothers where they were not su%%osed to be. ,hey had drifted far. .n that sense$ he was wandering. ,hat is the way it was when 0esus came to the nation of .srael. >nly a few$ li1e Fimeon and <nna$ were awaiting His coming. ,he rest were s%iritually un%re%ared for His ad9ent. ... .nstead of being %leased to see 0ose%h$ his brothers were angry. .nstead of recei9ing him graciously$ courteously$ and fa9orably$ they taunted him as an im%ractical dreamer.#
Bohn 1:11: 13e came to 3is own, and 3is own did not receive 3im 2

MacDonald adds$ ,he noD9acancy sign on the inn was a foreshadow of His nonDwelcome.# %%. 33D3;: ,he only recorded time in the sacred narrati9e when 0ose%h s%o1e out during this encounter with his brothers is when he %leaded for his life.# *"enesis C3:3&+
+enesis 4":"1 &hey said to one another, 4)(rely we are being p(nished beca(se of o(r brother 7e saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with (s for his life, b(t we wo(ld not listen* that0s why this distress has come (pon (s 4 =saiah 5,:% 3e CBes(sD was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mo(th* he was led like a lamb to the sla(ghter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mo(th

%.3(: 0ose%hs brothers sold him to tra9eling Midianite traders for twenty %ieces of sil9er$ twoD thirds the %rice of an a9erage adult sla9e. ... ,he %rice of the Fa9ior was thirty %ieces of sil9er$ the redem%tion %rice of a sla9e who had been gored by an o-.# E-odus 3&:;3
AEod(s "1:," =f the b(ll gores a male or female slave, the owner m(st pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the b(ll m(st be stoned +enesis ,%:"@ )o when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers p(lled Boseph (p o(t of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the =shmaelites, who took him to Agypt

%. ;): A0esusB is the %erfect e-am%le of the Hebrew sla9e who could ha9e obtained freedom but said$ 1= love my master = will not go o(t free2 FAEod(s "1:5G. .t is He who girded Himself with a towel$ the a%ron of a sla9e$ and stoo%ed to wash His disci%les feet. His greatest act of ser9anthood was His death for us all.#

&)
,here is a difference between a hired ser9ant and a bondsla9e. ,he hired ser9ant wor1s for %ay. ,he bondsla9e wor1s because he belongs to his master.#
?hilippians ":,$5 /o nothing o(t of selfish ambition or vain conceit, b(t in h(mility consider others better than yo(rselves Aach of yo( sho(ld look not only to yo(r own interests, b(t also to the interests of others 5o(r attit(de sho(ld be the same as that of !hrist Bes(s:

%%. ;KD;': Blessings to the Gentiles ... "od blessed not only 0ose%h$ He blessed those whom 0ose%h ser9ed. .t seems that whene9er he touched other li9es$ they were benefitted. He was a channel through which di9ine fa9or flowed to those whose %ath he crossed.#
+enesis ,;:5 8rom the time he p(t him in charge of his ho(sehold and of all that he owned, the -.R/ blessed the ho(sehold of the Agyptian beca(se of Boseph &he blessing of the -.R/ was on everything ?otiphar had, both in the ho(se and in the field

%%. (4D(&: 0ose%h ad9ised the 1ing Aof Egy%tB to a%%oint a man to administer the %rogram. said$ LJou are the man. ... 0ose%h was now Lthe lord of all Egy%t.

haraoh

%. (3: .f anyone needed bread$ the word Afrom haraohB was: L"o to 0ose%hG whate9er he says to you$ do *"enesis C&:((+. ,he ?ord 0esus is our 0ose%h. He is the li9ing bread which came down from hea9en *0ohn ):(&+.#
?salm "":"% All the ends of the earth will remember and t(rn to the -.R/, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him

%. (C: A/orshi%B ha%%ens either now or at the 0udgment of the "reat /hite ,hrone. .t ha%%ens either willingly now or it will ha%%en by com%ulsion then.# %%. (KD(': !orget and be fruitful 0ose%h had two sons$ Manasseh and E%hraim. Manasseh means Lforgetting. "od made 0ose%h forget his troubles$ sorrows$ and the wrongs against him. E%hraim means Lfruitfulness. "od caused 0ose%h to be fruitful. .nstead of holding grudges and becoming hard$ cold$ bitter$ and cynical$ he %ros%ered and became %roducti9e for "od. ,he lesson here is that we must forget wrongs against us if we want to be fruitful for "od.# 5o one was more forgi9ing and forgetting than the Redeemer. E9en in the hour of His %assion$ He cried$ 2ather$ forgi9e them for they do not 1now what they are doing.# %%. ('D)4: He has %redicted se9en years of tribulation on the world %rior to His ad9ent in glory. ,hey will surely come to %ass ... 0ust as it was after 0ose%h recei9ed a bride that the famine came$ so it will be after 0esus recei9es His bride at the Ra%ture that the ,ribulation will begin. /ith that in mind$ notice how the %eriods of 0ose%hs life a%%ear to suggest the following flow of history and %ro%hecy: the se9en years of %lenty: the %resent !hurch age 0ose%h recei9es a "entile bride: the %reD,ribulation Ra%ture of the !hurch the se9en years of famine: the se9enDyear ,ribulation 0ose%h ma1es himself 1nown to his brothers: !hrists Fecond <d9ent$ i.e.$ His %reDmillennial coming to reign when .srael will be regathered to the land. His care for his brothers in "oshen: the Millennium when the Messiah lo9ingly cares for His own.

&H

%%. )4D)&: "ge thirty /as it a coincidence that 0ose%h was thirty years old when he stood before haraoh and began his ser9ice for the realmE >r was it the F%irit of "od$ who wrote the boo1 of "enesis$ su%erintending the life of 0ose%h so that he would be an undeniable ty%e AsymbolB of the ?ord 0esusE ?u1e tells us that$ 0esus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age *?u1e ;:3;+. <ge thirty has been a crisis time in the li9es of many of "ods %eo%le. .t is a time when they as1$ L/hat am . doing with my lifeE ... ,hey ha9e tasted what the world has to offer and now they want something better.# %%. );D)C: .n a time of world wide famine$ 0ose%hs father heard that there was %lenty of food in Egy%t. Fo he decided to send all his sons e-ce%t BenIamin to buy grain. ,hey had little choice7it was either buy or die.# ,hey arri9ed in Egy%t and stood before the go9ernor$ little 1nowing he was their brother. He s%o1e roughly to them at first and accused them of being s%ies. <s if shooting an arrow at random$ he as1ed them if their father was still ali9e and if they had another brother *"enesis C;:H+. >f all the =uestions he could ha9e as1ed$ none would ha9e been more unsettlingM# Tribulation with a purpose robably twentyDfi9e years had %assed since his brothers had thrown 0ose%h into the %it. 5ow began a %eriod of trial and trouble for the ten men$ designed to bring them to re%entance and true confession. 0ose%h had %robably already forgi9en them in his heart$ but he would not tell them they were forgi9en until they confessed their sin.# %%. KCDK(: Reconciled at last *"enesis C(:C+. /hen 0ose%h in9ited his brothers to draw near and they res%onded$ there was true reconciliation. ,heir hostility was gone. ,hey were no longer estranged or cut off. Barriers to fellowshi% were torn down. 0ose%h didnt need to be reconciled. He had ne9er ceased to lo9e them. ,hey were the ones whose wic1edness had cut them off from their brother.# ,his has a%%lication for today. Men and women need to be reconciled to "od. <s soon as they draw near to Him in faith$ the conflict is ended$ and they ha9e %eace with "od through the ?ord 0esus !hrist.# .n the boo1 by 2.B. Meyer: #oseph$ Beloved$ Hated$ %&alted *2ort /ashington$ ennsyl9ania: !hristian ?iterature !rusade$ &')4+$ on %age 'K$ the Meyer writes: Fo it shall be one day. ,he 0ews are slowly filtering bac1 to the land in unbelief. Fore troubles await them there$ to %re%are them to recogni@e their reIected Messiah. But the time is not far distant when they shall be %re%ared to hear Him say$ . am 0esus$ your brother$ whom you crucifiedG but be not grie9ed with yoursel9es$ for "od has brought good out of e9il$ both for "entile and for 0ew$ by sa9ing life with a great deli9erance.# <nd they shall loo1 u%on him whom they %ierced$ and mourn because of Him A8echariah &3:&4B#. <nd so Abelie9ingB .srael shall be sa9ed ARomans &&:3(D3)B#.
+enesis 5<:"< 5o( intended to harm me, b(t +od intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives

%. &4C: Are: 0ohn C:(D)B >ne of 0esus early con9erts was the "entile *Famaritan+ woman at the well of Fhechem. 0ohn seems to be reminding us of this connection between 0esus and 0ose%h when he %oints out the setting for this story:#

&K
Bohn 4:5$% )o he came to a town in )amaria called )ychar, near the plot of gro(nd Bacob had given to his son Boseph Bacob0s well was there, and Bes(s, tired as he was from the 'o(rney, sat down by the well =t was abo(t the siEth ho(r 7hen a )amaritan woman came to draw water, Bes(s said to her, 47ill yo( give me a drink64

MacDonald %ro9ides some lessons that we can learn from the life of 0ose%h: Fometimes the best %eo%le are underDa%%reciated. Bad things sometimes ha%%en to good %eo%le. 2or the child of "od$ nothing ha%%ens in life by chance. Be sure that your sin will find you out. "od honors those who honor Him. /e are all tem%ted. ,here is no sin in being tem%ted. ,he sin lies in yielding to it. /e dont ha9e to sin. /e sin only when we want to. ,here is always a way of esca%e.
1 !orinthians 1<:1, No temptation has sei9ed yo( eEcept what is common to man And +od is faithf(l* he will not let yo( be tempted beyond what yo( can bear :(t when yo( are tempted, he will also provide a way o(t so that yo( can stand (p (nder it

"od is %leased when we suffer for doing good$ but not when we deser9e to suffer. Fuffering for righteousness sa1e mar1s us out as distinctly !hristian.
1 ?eter ":"< :(t how is it to yo(r credit if yo( receive a beating for doing wrong and end(re it6 :(t if yo( s(ffer for doing good and yo( end(re it, this is commendable before +od

,he way of blessing is to ac1nowledge our sins %rom%tly$ and obtain forgi9eness.

Closing Comments M.R. DeHaan notes that there are fi9e attributes of "od which must be true if He really is "od: &. 3. ;. C. (. ,he Fo9ereignty of "od *"od is su%reme in authority o9er e9eryone:e9erything+ ,he >mniscience of "od *"od 1nows e9erything+ ,he >mni%otence of "od *no greater %ower+ ,he >mni%resence of "od *"od is e9erywhere at all times+ ,he >mnirighteousness or Iustice of "od *"od is totally righteous and Iust+

!omment on the abo9e. .f "od is missing one of these attributes$ can He be "odE .n %articular$ note:

&'
.f "od is not so9ereign$ then there is someone who is greater than He. "enesis &:& states$ .n the beginning$ "od created the Hea9ens and the Earth.# DeHaan claims that this is the 1ey 9erse for the study of the entire /ord of "od. .f we do not acce%t the so9ereignty of "od$ we ha9e no "od who is worthy of trust and confidence$ and we are left in a ma@e of uncertainty and doubt.# 2urthermore$ A<Bfter "od had created the uni9erse$ He did not ha9e to wait until some of the Lbugs were ta1en out AorB some corrections were made... but e9erything was absolutely %erfect from the time He created it#. .f "od is not allD%owerful$ then it stands to reason that there could be someone who is more %owerful that He$ and then when we %ut our reliance in Him$ we might come to the %lace where He Himself suffers defeat$ and we would be defeated with Him.#