Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Joseph's life as an example of Christ

I just discovered for myself this amazing message in the story of Joseph. Joseph was most favored, and also was "worshiped" by his brothers and father in his dreams. Joseph was then betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt. Just as Jesus was crucified at the hands of men, His brothers, and took on our sins, and also became limited from His divinity during His time on earth, a sort of Egypt. While Egypt is rich and has comforts and wonders, it is temporary and it worships false gods. That is, they stop short of the ultimate reality. The true God. Instead, they attribute the wonders they see to half-way icons, idols. Just like here on earth. That is what we do.

But Joseph, even though he was in Egypt, he prospered it. He established it. In fact, if you read carefully, it was Joseph who brought Egypt and Canaan under Pharoah's control, and its seemed as if Pharaoh and the other Egyptians weren't doing much at all. It seemed that Joseph brought the lands and servants under Pharoah using economic superiority and also established a 20% tax system (the first national tax ever with priests exempt? at least the first mentioned in the bible - Moses might have later taken this up in the 10% tithe to God, and the Levite concept). We think we do great things on earth. Might it be that it is the Creator of the earth that actually knows how it really works that does these great things for us?

And later, Joseph is instrumental in saving his brothers and father from the famine as he is revealed to them, and also in sharing all that he has in Egypt (the world) with them. How he was once dead but is alive again! And more than alive, he brings his family with him into prosperity. In return, they are to take care of livestock, use their skill to prosper Egypt in kind. Sound familiar? It sounds like Christians, being blessed to bless in return, being saved by Christ in a "foreign land".

Note though, that there is a sense that Egypt is not the final destination for Israel. There is an even greater finality. And that is played out in layers upon layers, cycle upon cycles of biblical records. Moses, David, Judges, prophets, Abraham, Isaac, Joshua amongst others and finally the ultimate reality all these are pointing to - Jesus. Note also that this story of Joseph was probably written by Moses. And he probably had access to some historical records in Egypt to investigate how things turned out they way they did at that time. In faith then, he wrote this down, and we now have the benefit of the the revelation of Jesus to see how when Moses wrote this down, it was truly the Holy Spirit writing in him to tell us of Jesus that is to come. Who He is and what He does. Also, we see how God uses human knowledge to reveal a little of His plans to us. And even more so, we see how those who did not yet have a change to know Jesus at that time, since He had not come yet, could still hope in God through these themes of God's deliverance, and that is credited to them as righteousness through their faith and His faithfulness.

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