Seven Years of Plenty Seven Years of Blessing

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Short Summary
The discourse explores the significance of biblical genealogies, particularly those tracing Jesus’ lineage through Abraham, highlighting their importance in understanding God’s promises and the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. It then draws parallels between Joseph’s life—his trials, dreams, betrayal, and rise to power—and the life and mission of Jesus Christ, emphasizing themes of faith, divine providence, and ultimate salvation for all mankind through Christ’s kingdom. The speaker encourages reflection on these scriptures as a source of hope and spiritual heritage, culminating in the promise of restoration and blessing for both spiritual and natural Israel in God’s future kingdom.

Long Summary
Introduction and Background on Biblical Genealogy
– The discourse begins by referencing the genealogies of Jesus Christ as given in the Bible:
Matthew 1 details 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the Babylonian exile, and 14 from the exile to Christ, emphasizing the lineage through Joseph (husband of Mary).
Luke 3 traces Jesus’ genealogy through Mary, going back to David’s son Nathan and ultimately to Adam, showing two lines: one royal (Solomon) and one bloodline (Nathan).
– These genealogies are important for understanding the fulfillment of God’s promises through generations.
– The promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3: “In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed,” repeated in Genesis 22:18 (“in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed”).
Galatians 3:29 is cited: “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise,” indicating believers in Christ share in Abraham’s blessings without direct lineage.
– The speaker reflects on his own family being fifth generation Bible students, tracing the truth through colporters linked back to Brother Russell’s time, showing the passing down of biblical truth through generations.

Story of Joseph as a Type of Christ
– The main lesson focuses on the story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50, highlighting parallels between Joseph and Jesus Christ:
– Joseph, hated and sold by his brothers, becomes a savior for Egypt and his family, similar to Jesus being rejected and becoming the savior of mankind.
– Joseph’s life was figuratively “taken away” but raised up by God; Christ willingly laid down his life and was resurrected.
– Joseph’s role as preserver of life parallels Jesus as life-giving spirit.

Genesis 37:2 and “These Are the Generations of…”
– The phrase “these are the generations of Jacob” (Genesis 37:2) introduces the Joseph narrative.
– The discourse explains this phrase is typically used in Genesis to introduce new narrative sections, often genealogical or historical accounts that follow. Examples include:
– “These are the generations of Ishmael” (Genesis 25:12)
– “These are the generations of Isaac” (Genesis 25:19)
– The phrase sometimes refers to what has just been recorded (e.g., Genesis 2:4 about creation), but usually introduces what follows.
– Matthew 1:1-2 is referenced to show the continuity from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, to Jesus, emphasizing the living history of God’s promises.

Joseph’s Special Relationship with Jacob
– Joseph was 17 years old and feeding the flock with his brothers when the story begins (Genesis 37:2).
– Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons because he was the son of his old age and Rachel’s firstborn, giving him a “coat of many colors” (Genesis 37:3).
– The coat symbolized honor and distinction, possibly linked to the hope that the Abrahamic covenant would be fulfilled through Joseph’s line (Brother Russell’s commentary).
– The speaker draws a parallel with Jesus, who was likewise honored by God the Father at his baptism (Matthew 3:17): “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Joseph’s Dreams and Their Significance
– Joseph’s two dreams (Genesis 37:5-10): first, his sheaf stands upright while others bow to it; second, the sun, moon, and eleven stars bow to him—symbolizing his family.
– His brothers hate him more because of these dreams.
– Jacob interprets the second dream as his family bowing to Joseph, foreshadowing Christ’s ultimate reign.
– The discourse references Revelation 12:1 where the woman clothed with the sun, moon, and twelve stars represents spiritual Israel, honoring Christ.

Joseph Sent to Check on Brothers – Symbolism of Locations
– Jacob sends Joseph from Hebron to Shechem to check on his brothers (Genesis 37:13-14).
– Joseph is told his brothers moved to Dothan (Genesis 37:15).
– The three cities represent:
Hebron: Burial place of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—symbolizing the Abrahamic covenant and promises.
Shechem: Associated with the Mosaic Law covenant, where Joshua renewed Israel’s commitment to God’s law (Joshua 24:24-26).
Dothan: The place of betrayal and treachery—where Joseph’s brothers conspire against him.
– The man Joseph meets in Shechem may symbolize John the Baptist, the “messenger of the covenant” preparing the way (Malachi 3:1, Matthew 3:3).
– The majority rejected Joseph, just as many rejected Jesus (John 1:11-12).

Joseph Betrayed and Sold into Slavery
– Joseph’s brothers plot to kill him but instead sell him to Ishmaelite/Midianite traders for 20 pieces of silver (Genesis 37:19-28).
– They deceive Jacob by dipping Joseph’s coat in goat’s blood, making Jacob think Joseph is dead.
– This parallels Jesus being betrayed for 30 pieces of silver and rejected by his own people.
– The Jews left Jesus’ execution to the Romans, as they claimed no legal right to carry out death (John 18:13).

Joseph in Egypt – Prosperity, False Accusation, and Imprisonment
– Joseph serves Potiphar, prospers, but is falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and imprisoned (Genesis 39).
– Parallel drawn to Jesus, who was innocent but suffered unjustly and was crucified (1 Timothy 6:13).
– In prison, Joseph interprets dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker, showing God’s control over events (Genesis 40).

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams and Rises to Power
– After two years, Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams about seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine (Genesis 41:17-33).
– Joseph advises Pharaoh to appoint a wise man to manage the crisis; Joseph is appointed.
– Joseph gathers and stores grain during the years of plenty to prepare for famine.
– This is seen as a type of Christ gathering the “jewels” (believers) during the gospel age (“seven years of plenty”) to bless all mankind in God’s kingdom.

Closing Reflections and Future Hope
– The speaker encourages further study of these scriptures, highlighting the hope of future blessing for all mankind through Christ.
Zechariah 12:10 is quoted: “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son,” predicting the eventual recognition of Jesus by natural Israel in the millennial kingdom.
– The message is for both Jews and all nations, emphasizing the coming kingdom and restoration through Christ.

Key Bible Verses Mentioned:
– Genesis 12:3 – “In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”
– Genesis 22:18 – “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.”
– Galatians 3:29 – “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
– Hebrews 11:13 – “These all died in faith, not having received the promises…”
– Genesis 37:2 – “These are the generations of Jacob…”
– Matthew 1:1-2 – Genealogy of Jesus Christ.
– Luke 2:46-49 – Jesus at age 12 in the temple.
– Matthew 3:17 – “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
– Genesis 37:5-10 – Joseph’s dreams.
– Revelation 12:1 – Woman clothed with the sun, moon, and stars.
– Joshua 24:24-26 – Covenant renewal at Shechem.
– Malachi 3:1 – Messenger of the covenant.
– Matthew 3:3 – Prepare ye the way of the Lord.
– John 1:11-12 – Jesus rejected and accepted by believers.
– Genesis 37:19-28 – Joseph sold for 20 pieces of silver.
– John 18:13 – Jews relinquish Jesus’ death sentence.
– 1 Timothy 6:13 – Jesus’ good confession before Pilate.
– Genesis 40 – Joseph interprets dreams in prison.
– Genesis 41:17-33 – Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams.
– Zechariah 12:10 – Future mourning for the pierced one.

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This detailed summary focuses on key themes, scriptural references, typology of Joseph as a type of Christ, genealogical importance, and the hope of the kingdom laid out in the discourse.

Transcript

You know, as we think of our lesson today, we’re going to ask a couple of questions here in the beginning just to get a sense of your background in the Bible student movement. But you know, first off, I wanted to note that if you were going into the first chapter of Matthew, what would you find in there? In that first chapter, you’d find the generations of our Lord Jesus going back to Abraham. You know, you have 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 generations from David to the carrying away to Babylon, and then you have 14 generations from the carrying away of Babylon unto Christ.

And this lineage from Abraham down to Joseph, the husband of Barry, is what’s listed for us there in this lineage, and it goes through Solomon, and so this, wow. This seems to be an important understanding to understand that this generations from generation, how we come down to Christ, and then if you go to the third chapter of Luke, what do you find?

There you have the generations taking you all the way through Mary’s lineage, all the way back through David’s son Nathan, all the way back to Adam. So we have two ways it’s presented to us here, both through Solomon and both through Nathan, both through the kingship and the bloodline. So these seems to be very important to the Lord for our understanding to have a look at these things, and when we think of the wonderful promises that were given to Abraham, we think of Genesis 12:3, it says, There in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed, and then if you were to continue that, it’s repeated several times.

If you go down to the 22nd chapter of Genesis, in the 18th verse, it says, and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice. Because of the faithfulness of Abraham and what he was willing to do, even to sacrificing his son Isaac. You know, in Galatians 3:29, we’re going to visit that here in just a minute. Says, but I wanted to ask you the question, how many generations are between us and these wonderful promises given to Abraham? How many generations?

What are we told in Galatians 3:29, if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise? That doesn’t seem like that we have to go through all these different generations of direct directly through our Lord Christ Jesus. Do we have these wonderful promises given to us that thee and thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed? And this is the wonderful, this is the wonderful privilege that the church is going to have to be associated with our Lord Jesus reigning over the world of mankind and guiding them and blessing them in the age to come in the millennial kingdom, you know, so generations seem to be kind of important to us. We had a little gathering last night at the Goodman home and some of the brethren were over there and we were asking the question, how many generations do you go back in your own family of being part of the Bible student movement and understanding how we understand how the Scriptures are presented to us and the hope for the world of mankind through Christ Jesus and the kingdom.

How many are first generation Bible students? I see just a few hands first. So that means you didn’t get it from your father, you got someone brought it, you heard it from someone else, and that’s how you receive the truth. Well, how many are second generation?

You got it from your parents, how many are third generation? You got it from your grandparents. Wow, there’s quite a few hands there. How many are 4th generations? Got it there.

And I could even go further, how many are fifth generation?

And I can qualify and say I’m a fifth generation Bible student because my great grandparents Macy and Ella Davis received the truth through a colporter, one of brother Russell’s colporters, I think he was a mule skinner, came through Southern California, Brother Sexton, back in the turn between the 1800s and 1900s, he came through Southern California and he gave the truth to my great grandmother Ella, she gave it to her husband Macy, Macy Davis, and he and Ella gave it to Macy’s parents, William and Beulah Davis. So that tells me back to my great grandparents, so great great grandparents. So that’s. So I have that memory that my parents and my grandparents instilled in me how the family came into the truth, you know.

But before they were part of the Bible student movement, they were Quakers. They had moved from the Midwest and had come out to Southern California and were attending a Quaker church in Whittier, California, and then Brother Sextons came through and gave them the truth, and they did an official letter and left the Quaker faith, and so we are, they wrote a letter to them.

And so we are now going to be meeting with the Bible student brethren because we appreciate the way they understand the truth and the hope of the kingdom. So that’s how they, that’s how they began their Christian walk in the Lord and the understanding that we all have been benefiting from our brethren and our families coming down from generation to generation of the wonderful hope we have, and you know, I think of this, we’ll come back to one part of that maybe at the end of the discourse, depending on seeing how our time goes, but I thought that was important. So we’re going to turn now to this wonderful story of seven years of plenty and seven years of famine that’s presented to us in the Old Testament, and this is one of the great stories told in the Bible is a story of Joseph and his brethren.

I’m sure you’ve heard of this story once or twice in the past, how out of their hatred they sold him into slavery only to have him raised up by the providences of God to become their savior and a savior for all mankind. There are many parallels between Joseph life and our Lord Jesus. As Joseph was made a preserver of life, so too our Lord Jesus became a life giving spirit. Just as Joseph’s life was figuratively taken away from him, our Lord willingly and faithfully laid down his life and he too was raised up by the Father. This parallel with Joseph as a type of our Lord Jesus shows us how love in the end triumphs over hatred and deceit and Christ our Lord becomes the source of life for the restoration of all mankind.

All of mankind, and so this morning we’d like to look at just a few of these scriptures in the Old Testament. In this story we’re going to start in the 37th chapter of Genesis where the story of Joseph and his brethren is found, and it continues down to his death at the age of 110 years old, found in the closing verses of the 50th chapter of Genesis. So I don’t think we can go through in detail each part of this lesson.

So we’re just going to pick a few highlights as it’s recorded in the record. We find Joseph when he is at the young age of 17, and this is in Genesis 37:2. The account says there, these are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being 17 years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives.

And Joseph brought unto his father their evil report, and first off, we should note the expression, these are the generations of Jacob. Now some suggest that this expression, these are the generations of, is a closing expression for the recorded history or account that had just previously been presented. But if you take a closer look at the other 10 references to this expression found earlier in Genesis 9 and 10 quite clearly refer to what is about to be presented in the scripture. For instance, in Genesis 25:12 and again in verse 19 of that chapter.

There it refers to the generations of Ishmael and Isaac respectively. In the 12th verse there it says, this is Genesis 25, 12 and 13. Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham, and these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, and then in the 19th verse of that chapter it says, and these are the generations of Isaac.

Abraham’s son Abraham begat Isaac, And Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebekah to wife. In each case, the follow on material goes on to describe the details of the subject matter associated with the expression. Now these are the generations of and so likewise it is used throughout Genesis, it’s repeated many times. Genesis 2, 4, 5, 1, 6, 9, 10, 1, 11, 2, 11, 27, 25, 12, 25, 19, 36, 1, 36, 9 and 37, 2, and except in one case where the context clearly assigns it to the material just presented, that’s found in Genesis 2.

4, where it says, these are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. So that was referring to what had just been previously recorded. But in every other case it’s about what’s just about to be presented in the Scripture. Clearly the context assigns this statement to the preceding chapter there in Genesis 2, 4, chapter 1, where the details of creation of the heavens and the earth are laid out. Now, one might not think it important to make such a distinction on the use of this expression, but when we look at God’s written record to us and the fact that Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and David are linked down through the generations to our Lord Jesus, the distinction becomes quite evident.

The opening verse in the book of Matthew makes it plain to all. Matthew 1:1:2 says, the book of the generations of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham, Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren. This lineage is a link to the past, carried forward in time from one generation to the next, and it is not simply a table of genealogies, that is in the case of Ishmael or Esau, as found in the 25th and the 36th chapters of Genesis. But rather it’s a living history, a memorial, a memorable account worthy of our study and reflection for the lessons presented there for our edification.

And so when we read these are the generations of Jacob found in Genesis 37, 2, it’s not linked with Esau in the previous chapter. But rather the account opens up and continues for us a heritage of our ancestry, from Abraham down to Christ our Lord, and as the Scriptures say in Galatians 3:29, if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. What a wonderful heritage we have to look back upon. Our forefathers strove to carry out God’s will, and they held dear the precious promises he gave them.

Speaking of their faith, we’re told in Hebrews 11:13 it says, There these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth, and so as we look at this young man of 17 years old, we find that Joseph was very special to his father. To his father Jacob. Joseph gave him the report of the misdeeds of his brethren. At first one might think it improper to give a bad report about one’s brethren, but really it reveals a true and upright character, which he apparently possessed, and that his father Jacob could rely on.

And in the third verse it says of Genesis 37 it says, Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was a son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors, and of course he was the eldest son of his love wife Rachel.

It was truly, it was certainly true that Joseph was the firstborn child of his beloved Rachel, and therefore Jacob held a special love for him in his heart. But Jacob had another son, Benjamin, which Rachel bore unto him, and whereby she died as a child was brought forth in childbirth. Possibly this expression son of his old age had a different meaning, intended as suggested to us by the commentary of Jamison, Fawcett, and Brown. There it says, son of old age. What does that mean?

Benjamin, being younger, was more of the son of his old age, and consequently on that ground might have been expected to be the favorite. Literally rendered, it is son of old age to him. Hebrew phrase for a wise son, one who possessed observation and wisdom above his years. An old head on young shoulders, as Fawcett, Jameson, and Brown quotes, it, reminded me of Jesus at the young age of 12. His wisdom and understanding of the Scriptures was well beyond his years.

In Luke it says his parents, and this is found in Luke, second chapter, verses 46 and 47. His parents found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. A young lad of 12 years old, and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers when his mother Mary questioned him, Jesus answered her and said, why is it that you were looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my father’s house? Or as the King James says in Luke 2:49, wist it not that I must be about my father’s business?

As Joseph was brought up in his father’s house, his sincere and upright character must have made quite an impression on his father Jacob. Here was a son whose love and devotion to him was beyond reproach, and so Jacob honored him with a coat of many colors.

Fawcett, Jamison, and Brown describes it as a tunic reaching to the palms of the hands and soles, all the way down to the soles of the feet, and it was formed in those early days by sewing together patches of colored cloth and considered a dress of distinction.

Brother Russell suggests that Jacob probably considered that the fulfillment of the divine covenant, the Abrahamic covenant, would come through Joseph’s line. As the eldest son of his beloved Rachel, as he Comments on Genesis 37:3, as a type of Christ, Joseph would certainly merit this distinction from his brethren, and so he was honored by his father Jacob. Likewise, when our Lord Jesus came to the river Jordan to be baptized by John, coming out of the water, John saw the Spirit of God descending upon him like a dove, and a voice was heard saying in Matthew 3:17, where it says, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

He was indeed honored by the Father. We here don’t suggest that the coat that Joseph wore represents the Holy Spirit resting upon our Lord Jesus. Nothing or no one could ever take that away from him. But indeed Joseph’s brethren would try to take away Joseph’s right to God’s oath bound covenant represented in the coat of many colors, and in the same manner in Jesus day, many would attempt to remove any chance that the covenant of blessing would come through him.

And so as the story progresses, in Genesis 37:5, it says, Joseph tells his brethren of two dreams that he dreamt. In the first dream Joseph tells them, as recorded there in the seventh verse, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright and behold, your sheaves stood and round about, and made obeisance to the sheaf, and his brethren said to him, shalt thou indeed reign over us? And of course his brethren hated him yet the more for his dreams and his words, and then he has a second dream and tells it to his brethren, and says, and this is the ninth verses, behold, I have a dream.

I Have dreamed a dream more, and behold, the sun and the moon and the 11 stars made obeisance to me. Even this dream aroused the rebuke from his father Jacob. But in the 11th verse it says his father observed the same. The interpretation of the dream is given to us in the tenth verse, where Jacob says, this is Genesis 37:10.

Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?

Here the natural seed of Israel is prophetically pictured, giving reverence to Joseph, their Lord and Savior. Likewise, the early church spiritual Israel, clothed with the clear light of the unclouded gospel, is pictured by the Woman of Revelation 12:1, and there it says, and there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon, and under her feet, and upon her head a crown of 12 stars. The sun represented the light of the gospel age, and the moon of reflection of the Mosaic law for Support, and the 12 stars, the 12 apostles, as special lights over the church.

As Joseph’s brethren would give honor to him, so too spiritual Israel honors and gives reverence to our head, Christ our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. Continuing on in the story of Joseph, his brethren go off to feed their father’s flock in Shechem, and Jacob desired to see all of all things, and Jacob desired to see if all things were well with them, and so in the 13th verse, this is Genesis 37:13, he says, do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send thee unto them.

And he said to him, here I am. So he’s referring to Joseph, his son, and I couldn’t help but notice the similarities of this request in Joseph’s response to that of another great and prophetic request to our heavenly Father.

And the response of the Logos says, in Isaiah 6, 8, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, I am here. Send me a prophetic reference to our Lord Jesus. Jesus gave up the glory he had with the Father on the spirit plane and took on human nature as a perfect man, and set out to carry out his Father’s will for him, and so Jacob tells Joseph in the 14th verse of Genesis 37, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren and well with the flocks, and bring me word again.

So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem, and then in the 15th verse it says, and a certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field, and the man asked him, saying, what seekest Thou, and he said, I seek my brethren.

Tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks, and the man said, they are departed hence. For I heard them say, let us go to Dothan, and Joseph went after his brethren and found them in Dothan.

You notice in this account there are three cities mentioned to us. Hebron, Shechem, and Dothan. If you were to look on a map, you would find that as the crow flies, Hebron lies about 19 miles south of present day Jerusalem, and continuing up to the north From Jerusalem, another 28 miles northward, you come to the valley of Shechem, and still further north, another 17 miles, you come to Dothan along the southern plain of Esdraelon.

Now this seems quite a distance of 47 miles from Hebron for Jacob’s sons to take the flock to feed in Shechem. But the account says that they went to Shechem to feed their father’s flock. It’s apparent that the flock was already there. This field in Shechem was purchased by Jacob many years before upon his return from Pademaran, as we’re told in Genesis 33:18 and 19, and so it was Jacob’s property, and his sons had a responsibility to watch over the and care for the flock.

When we look a little closer at these three cities, we begin to see an interesting parallel. Hebron was the place that Abraham and Isaac and Jacob were buried. All the hopes and dreams and promises of God’s covenant to them, the Abrahamic covenant, are pictured by this city. It was from here that Joseph was sent out, and with the coat of many colors, with these promises resting upon him, just the same, Jesus was sent out with all the promises of that covenant to be fulfilled through him.

Genesis 28:14 says, in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Shechem, on the other hand, seems well to represent the law covenant. It was there in Shechem that Joshua gathered the nation of Israel to repent of their sins and swear to follow God’s laws that were set down to them through Moses. It says in Joshua 24:24 26, and the people said unto Joshua, the Lord our God we will serve, and and his voice will we obey.

So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem, and Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God and took a great stone and set it up there under an oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. End of quote. Approaching the field in Shechem Joses brethren are nowhere to be found, and he is met by a man who tells him his brethren have left the field and taken their flock to a strange city called Dothan. Literally, they failed in their responsibility to watch over the flock, to keep it pure and well fed in the land set aside by their father Jacob.

In Malachi 3 1, we’re told about the messenger of the covenant. There it says, behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple. Even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. Looking at this from the aspect of our Lord’s first advent here, John the Baptist may well be pictured by this man that Joseph meets as the one who prepares the way, as one who cries out in the wilderness.

Matthew 3:3 says, Prepare ye the ways of the Lord. Make his paths straight. Like this man. So too John the Baptist in his day found the leaders, the shepherds of the flock, wanton in their responsibilities, they had led the flock astray. But John the Baptist, who also was privileged to meet the true messenger of the covenant.

This covenant no doubt represents the Abrahamic covenant and the opportunity to become part of that spiritual seed of blessing. Like Joseph, who enters Shechem, few there are of the flock that receive his message, certainly not the spiritual leaders of that day. But we are told that there was a remnant that did believe on him in the book of John. We’re told in John the first chapter, verses 11 and 12, he came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

So now the city of Dothan comes into this picture. It was a place known as two Cisterns, and it is where the treachery of Joseph’s brethren is fully realized. Seeing him coming afar off, they conspired one with another and said, behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him and cast him into some pit.

That’s Genesis 37, 1920, and Reuben attempts to mitigate the treachery and suggests that they know that they should shed no blood, but cast him into a pit. No doubt one of these two cisterns. He hoped to deliver Joseph back to his father again. He may well have pictured one of such as Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee, but also a secret follower of our Lord Jesus.

When the Pharisees sought to apprehend our Lord in the temple, Nicodemus reasons with him, and says, doth our law judge any man before it, hear him, and knoweth what he doeth. This is from John 7:51, and so Joseph’s other brethren stripped him of his coat of many colors and cast him into a pit, and the text says the pit was empty, there was no water in it, and this is back in Genesis 37:24.

This event reminded me of something I saw back in 1982 during my first visit to the city of Jerusalem. The scriptures tell us in John 18:13 that when Jesus was led away captive the night before his death, they led him away to Annas first. For he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year, and I remember having the opportunity to visit the ruins of Annas house there in Jerusalem, and what struck my memory as I read this story of Joseph being thrown into this cistern.

Likewise, beneath Annas house was a large cistern, and it was thought Jesus may well have been held in this cistern for a time before being sent off to Caiaphas, the chief priest. When Jesus was finally questioned by him, Caiaphas asked him if he was the Christ, the Son of God, and Jesus response to him was, thou hast said, nevertheless, I say unto you, hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven. This is from Matthew 26:64.

And Caiaphas rent his clothes. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and the other leaders said he was guilty of death. Just as the cloak was rent from Joseph as he was thrown into the pit, so too the spiritual leaders in Jesus day rent their own mind and possibility that Jesus was the long hoped for Messiah, and so the account continues.

In the 37th chapter, verse 26, Judah suggests to his brethren, let not blood be upon our hands, for he is our brother in our flesh. But let us sell Joseph to the passing band of Ishmaelite and Midianite merchants, and so they sold him for 20 pieces of silver, the price of a slave under 20 years of age. Then they killed a goat and dipped Joseph’s coat of many colors into the blood and brought into their father to show that he was dead and Jacob could not be comforted. So too our Lord was betrayed and sold for the full price of a slave for 30 pieces of silver.

But the Jews couldn’t bring themselves to carry out the death sentence themselves, though they were indeed complicit in his death. They left it up to the Romans to actually carry out the deeds Pilate had said to them. In John 18:13, it’s recorded, take ye him and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, it is not lawful for us to put any man to death, and so Joseph was brought down to Egypt and sold into slavery to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officers and captain of the guard.

The account is then interrupted in the 38th chapter with a record of Judas lineage down to Pharaoh’s. In the 39th chapter, we find that our Lord is with Joseph, and he made all that he did prosper in his hand. Potiphar recognizes him, recognizes the right character of Joseph, and makes him overseer of his house. Pilate, like Potiphar, could find no fault with our lord Jesus. In 1 Timothy 6:13, we’re told that Jesus witnessed a good confession before Pilate.

It took the deceitful lies of his accusers to bring Pilate’s judgment against Jesus. Like Potiphar’s wife, Joseph was wrongly accused and put into prison. So too, Jesus suffering the death of the cross, and he entered into the prison house of death, and in this figurative picture in the 40th chapter, Pharaoh’s Butler, the baker, are put into prison for offending their king. Each dreams a dream, and Joseph comes unto them.

And they were both very sad because there was no one to interpret it for them, and Joseph says, as found in Genesis 40, verse 8, do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me then, I pray you, your dreams, and so the butler tells Joseph his dreams, and in the dream there was a vine with three branches that budded and blossomed and brought forth clusters of fruit.

And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into the Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup under Pharaoh’s hand, and Joseph then interprets the dream for him. The three branches are three days, and within three days the butler would be restored as Pharaoh’s cup bearer. Of course, the baker had a dream also.

And it says, in that dream, there were three baskets of bread on my head, and the birds ate the bread out of the top of the basket, and Joseph’s interpretation was that in three days, within three days, the butler’s head would be lifted from his body and would be hanging from a tree, and the birds would be eating his flesh.

Our story continues down into the 41st chapter. We’re told that two full years go by, and eventually Joseph is brought before Pharaoh to interpret his dream. In the 17th verse, Pharaoh tells them to Joseph in this first dream, he sees seven fat cows grazing along the Nile and seven other lean, ugly cows up and eat up the first seven. Then Pharaoh’s second dream, he sees seven good ears spring up from a single stalk. Then seven withered ears sprout up after them and swallow up the seven good ears.

And Joseph then gives Pharaoh the interpretation which was certainly revealed unto him by God. He says, the dream of Pharaoh is one. God has showed Pharaoh what he is about to do, and then in the 29th verse, he says, behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, and there shall arise after them seven years of famine.

And all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine shall consume the land, and then in the 33rd verse, we are told, and Joseph suggested to Pharaoh, look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt, and we know that he put Joseph in charge of all the land, gathering all that was needed for seven years.

They bundled all the wheat and storage grain to last into the seven years that were to come of famine, and so when I think of this lesson, and there’s a lot more to present here, and I’m sorry we don’t have time to consider all of it, we think in our own time period, throughout this gospel age, our Lord Jesus has been gathering the jewels throughout this gospel age period, a seven years of plenty. Think of that gathering into the barn for the purpose of blessing the world of mankind in God’s coming kingdom. So it’s a beautiful picture of how God arranged this, of using Joseph as a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, and how the entire, in Egypt’s case, the entire population was saved. In Jesus case, the entire world of mankind is saved.

What a wonderful hope and promise that is, that the Scriptures lay out for us, and so, dear brethren, if you have opportunity, I suggest you look back to these scriptures when you have time and look upon them. I like in closing, Zechariah 12:10, that tells us, and I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Indeed, in the kingdom, the Jewish, the natural Jewish descendants will eventually come to understand who Jesus is and that the wonderful hope of future life only resides through Christ, and that is the wonderful message we have not only for the natural Jew, but for all the world of mankind in God’s coming kingdom, and may the Lord at his blessing.

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