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 Background

    1. After years of being unable to conceive, Rachel gives birth to Joseph in Genesis 30:22-24
    2. Story appears in Genesis 30:22-24, Genesis 37, and Genesis 39-50
      1. Jacob (Israel) loves Joseph more than any of his other children and gives him a special coat when he is 17. His brothers hate him for it and can’t speak nicely to him.
      2. While tending sheep, Joseph sends a bad report about two of his brothers (sons of Bilhah and Zilpah) back to Jacob.
  • Joseph has dreams that he interprets to mean his older brothers will bow down to him, which angers his brothers.
  1. Joseph’s brothers sell him to the Ishmaelites, who sell him into slavery in Egypt , then the brothers make it look like Joseph has died.
  2. Jacob is wild with grief.
  3. Joseph is sold to Potiphar, one of Pharoah’s officials.
  1. Then Joseph interprets Pharoah’s disturbing dream and warns that after seven good years of crops, a famine of seven years will occur.
  2. Pharoah puts Joseph in a position of power to manage resources in preparation for the coming famine.
  3. Joseph’s brothers hear there is food in Egypt, so they come to Joseph (whom they don’t recognize) to ask for food. He accuses them of being spies and then demands they bring their youngest brother (Benjamin). Joseph puts three brothers in prison while the others fetch Benjamin.
  1. Interesting Facts
    1. The name Joseph means “he will add.”
    2. According to Bob Deffenbaugh, even though the story centers around Joseph and to a lesser extent his brothers, the real focus is how Jacob’s sons became the twelve tribes of Israel.
  2. The Significance of the Coat
    1. Joseph’s coat was a symbol of the authority he was granted over his brothers. Jacob’s preference for Joseph was no secret (37:2-3). The coat his father gave him was regarded as evidence of Jacob’s greater love for Joseph above his other sons. Furthermore, this coat indicated more than preference; it symbolized preeminence and superiority of rank.
    2. “The gift of a coat of many ‘pieces’ (not ‘colors’), or rather ‘the tunic with sleeves,’ was about the most significant act that Jacob could have shown to Joseph. It was a mark of distinction that carried its own meaning, for it implied that exemption from labor which was the peculiar privilege of the heir or prince of the Eastern clan. Instead of the ordinary work-a-day vestment which had no sleeves, and which, by coming down to the knees only, enabled men to set about their work–this tunic with sleeves clearly marked out its wearer as a person of special distinction, who was not required to do ordinary work.” (V.H. Griffith Thomas)
    3. “The outward distinction which the father bestows upon this son is ‘a long-sleeved cloak,’ kethoneth passim. The kethoneth is the undergarment or tunic, which usually was sleeveless–a thing of about knee-length. But passim means ‘ankles’ or ‘wrists.’ Consequently, this tunic was sleeved and extended to the ankles. It was not, therefore, a garment adapted to work but suitable to distinguish a superior, or an overseer. By this very garment the father expressed his thought that this son should have pre-eminence over the rest.” (H. C. Leupold)
  3. Joseph in Charge
    1. “Joseph’s report to his father would be a logical and necessary part of his function and authority as a supervisor. Joseph at 17 was no tattletale. This can hardly be the case. Surely this kind of sibling rivalry would be expected but undeserving of such harsh counter-measures by Joseph’s brothers. If Joseph had been placed in a position of authority (a “white collar” job) by his father, then what could be more logical than a report to Jacob on the performance, efficiency, and reliability of those under him?”
    2. When Jacob asked Joseph to go to Shechem to check up on his sons and on his flocks (verses 12-14), he was not sending Joseph around the corner to spy upon and then tattle on his brothers. It was 50 miles or more to Shechem and about 70 miles to Dothan! Since Shechem had been the scene of the slaughter of the men of that city years before (34:25ff.), Jacob would not have taken such an assignment lightly. It was the kind of responsibility that he would give only to one who had proven his capabilities as a leader. A sensitive and potentially dangerous mission would not be given to a son without reliability and authority.
    3. Jacob’s concern for the welfare of his family and his flocks was not unfounded. Shechem was the city where Dinah had been taken by force and where Jacob’s sons, especially Simeon and Levi (34:30), had slaughtered all of the men. Since Jacob had purchased land there (33:19), it would not be unusual for him to make use of it by sending his flocks there to feed on its rich pastureland under the care of his sons. But there was always the danger of some angry relative of one of those Shechemites who were killed or captured seeking vengeance. This seems to be what Joseph was sent to look into. Only a man with proven skill and wisdom would ever be sent to handle a task as sensitive and volatile as this.
  4. Birthright
    1. Reuben lost his birthright because he slept with Bilhah.
    2. Simeon and Levi lost birthright because of massacre of Shechem
    3. Judah is given rights of first born.
    4. Joseph is given the blessing.
  5. Joseph as a Christ Figure
    1. According to Rev. John Schulz, “Joseph’s life and experiences may be taken as an image of Christ’s salvation of the nation of Israel and ultimately of the whole world.
    2. Parallels between Joseph and Christ
      1. “Christ the beloved of the Father, but He was rejected by His own”; Joseph was beloved of Jacob but rejected by his brothers.
      2. Jesus sold to Roman soldiers for 30 pieces of silver; Joseph sold into slavery for 20 pieces of silver.
  1. Joseph falsely accused of crime (attempted rape); Jesus falsely accused of crime (calling himself a king).
  2. Joseph stripped of his coat and thrown into a pit; Jesus placed in tomb.
  3. Reuben finds the pit empty; Mary Magdalene and the other women find the tomb empty.
  1. Questions for Reflection.
    1. Do you agree that Joseph is a precursor to the story of Christ in the Gospels?
    2. Is the story of Joseph part of God’s salvation history? Why or why not?
    3. If Joseph’s brothers would have spared him, would we still have the same story?
    4. Why did Joseph endure so much suffering, not only at the hands of his brothers but because of the accusations of Potiphar’s wife?
    5. Did Joseph get what he deserved?
    6. Can you sympathize with Joseph’s brothers?
    7. What does the brother’s willingness to allow Jacob to suffer say about their relationship with him?
    8. Do you believe that Joseph was a precursor to Christ in the sense of God’s salvation story being played out from the earliest times of His covenant?
    9. What other parallels, if any, do you see between Joseph and Jesus?
    10. How does this story speak to your own life? What response to this story might God be asking from you?

 

 

Information gathered from and gratefully acknowledged: