Joseph’s life
was a copy of the life of Christ
in the following aspects:
In his being a shepherd.
In his being his father’s beloved.
In his being sent by his father
to minister to his brothers
according to his father’s will.
In his being hated, persecuted, and betrayed (sold)
by his brothers.
In his being cast
into the prison of death
with two criminals,
one of whom was restored,
and the other, executed.
In his being released (resurrected)
from the prison of death.
In his being enthroned with authority.
In his receiving glory and gifts.
In his becoming the savior of the world,
the sustainer of life
(the revealer of secrets):
First, Joseph was the revealer of secrets.
Then, because he sustained the life of the people,
he became the savior of the world.
In his taking a wife from the Gentiles.
In his supplying people with food.
In his acknowledging his ignorant brothers
and being recognized by them.
In his reigning in the kingdom
over the whole earth.
Joseph, a “master of dreams”,
dreamed that according to God’s view, His people
are sheaves of wheat full of life
and heavenly bodies full of light:
Joseph’s two dreams, both from God,
unveiled to him God’s divine view
concerning the nature, position, function, and goal
of God’s people on earth:
In his first dream
Joseph saw sheaves in the field
bowing down to his sheaf;
this dream reveals
that, at the most, Joseph
was just a sheaf
and that, at the worst, his brothers
were also sheaves;
Joseph was a sheaf,
and his brothers were sheaves:
The only difference between him and them
was that God
had chosen him to reign,
but this does not mean
that he was better than they were;
God’s people
are all sheaves of life in Christ.
God spoke through Balaam,
and Balaam said,
“He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob,
/ Nor has He seen trouble in Israel”
(Num. 23:21a):
This word was spoken
not according to the human view
but according to the divine view;
in the sight of God,
Israel is without fault.
In themselves
God’s people have many defects,
but in God’s redemption and in Christ
they have no defects;
when God looks at His people,
He does not see them
according to what they are in themselves
but according to what they are in Christ
(cf. 2 Cor. 5:16-17).
Elijah complained against Israel, saying,
“The children of Israel
have forsaken Your covenant,
thrown down Your altars,
and slain Your prophets with the sword;
and I alone am left,
and they seek to take my life”;
however, Jehovah replied,
“Yet I have left Myself seven thousand in Israel,
all the knees that have not bowed unto Baal
and every mouth that has not kissed him”
(1 Kings 19:10, 18; cf. Rom. 11:2-5).
If we have seen the heavenly dream,
then we have seen
that in God’s view all His people
are sheaves full of life
to produce food
for the meal offering
to satisfy God and man.
In his second dream
Joseph saw
the sun, the moon, and eleven stars
bowing down to him:
According to their fallen nature,
God’s people are evil and unclean,
but in God’s eternal view,
His people are heavenly bodies
full of light (Rev. 12:1).
The reigning aspect of the mature life
never condemns God’s people;
rather,
it shepherds and appreciates them.
One thing is certain:
whoever condemns the church
or blames the saints
will suffer the loss of life;
however, if we praise the Lord
for His saints
being full of life and light,
we will be the first
to participate in life.
Although God’s people
are positioned in heaven
as the sun, the moon, and the stars,
they are living on earth as sheaves,
for sheaves grow in the field;
today we are the heavenly people
living on earth.
We have to use the “divine telescope”
to see through time
and behold the New Jerusalem,
where there is nothing but
sheaves full of life
and stars full of light.
Although the sons of Jacob
were sinful,
Christ still came in
through them (Gen. 38:27-30; Matt. 1:3).
The more mature in life we become,
the less we will speak negatively
concerning the saints or the church;
we are not the ones
to judge.
Joseph’s dreams controlled his life
and directed his behavior (cf. Acts 26:19):
Joseph behaved so excellently and marvelously
because he was directed by the vision
that he saw in his dreams.
Joseph lived a life
that corresponded to the vision
he saw in his two dreams;
his brothers vented their anger (Gen. 37:18-31)
and indulged in their lust (38:15-18),
but Joseph subdued his anger
and conquered his lust (39:7-23),
behaving as a sheaf
full of life
and conducting himself like a heavenly star
shining in the darkness:
While Joseph’s brothers were drowning
in the water of human anger,
Joseph,
representing the reigning aspect
of a mature life,
lived as a sheaf of life
and emerged from
the death water of human anger.
Judah behaved in a blind way,
indulging in his lust in darkness;
in contrast,
Joseph,
living as a star of light,
overcame his lust.
Joseph’s life under the heavenly vision
was the life of the kingdom of the heavens
described in Matthew 5—7;
by living such a life,
he was fully prepared
to reign as a king;
according to the constitution
of the heavenly kingdom
revealed in these chapters in Matthew,
our anger
must be subdued,
and our lust
must be conquered (5:21-32).
As the kingdom people in the kingdom life,
we are being trained
to be kings,
to be Josephs,
to manifest
the reigning aspect
of the mature life.
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7 replies on “The Life of Joseph as a Copy of the Life of Christ and Living as a Sheaf of Life and as a Star of Light”
Prophecy note, 16 November 2014
In the midst of darkness
we see Joseph
as a bright star
shining in the heavens.
Conducting himself
as a shining star,
Joseph seemed to be saying,
“All you people
are under darkness,
but I am shining upon you.
How can I, a bright star,
do such a dark thing?
I cannot forget my dream.
My dream
controls me
and directs me.
As a heavenly star,
I would never sell
my position.”
Joseph was
not only a dreamer;
he was also
one who practiced,
one who lived out,
what he saw
in his dream.
The function of the vision
is similar to
that of brakes in a car.
In times of danger,
we step on the brakes.
The vision of the heavenly star
is a powerful brake
for our spiritual car.
If we claim
to be the kingdom people,
yet we cannot subdue our anger
or conquer our lust,
we are finished.
But all the kingdom people
subdue their anger
and conquer their lust.
This is
the kingdom life.
In the kingdom life today,
kings are being trained.
We, the kingdom people
in the kingdom life,
are being trained
to be kings,
to be Josephs,
to be the reigning aspect
of the mature life.
Day by day,
instead of agreeing with our anger
or cooperating with our lust,
we reject our anger
and condemn our lust,
because we are
the reigning aspect
of the mature life.
We have
the constitution of Christ
within us,
and we are being prepared
to reign as kings.
Day 6
The anger of his brothers
afforded Joseph the opportunity
to live as a sheaf of life.
While all his brothers were drowning
in the water of anger,
Joseph,
the reigning aspect
of the mature life,
lived as a sheaf of life,
emerging from the death water
of human anger.
The record, under God’s inspiration,
uses fallen anger
as the background
to demonstrate
how much life was in the sheaf.
This sheaf
was filled with life.
When all the rest
had sunk into the death water
of human anger,
this sheaf emerged and survived
in that situation of death.
The second gross sin,
the indulgence in lust,
also afforded Joseph an opportunity.
The indulgence in lust
seen in Genesis chapter 38
is a symbol of darkness.
In this chapter
Judah was utterly in darkness.
Judah behaved in a blind way,
and blindness signifies darkness.
If he had not been in blindness, in darkness,
how could he have committed adultery
with his daughter-in-law?
Where was his conscience?
Where was his eyesight?
His eyes had been blackened and blinded,
and he was in darkness.
That evil woman in chapter 39,
the wife of Potiphar,
was also in darkness.
If she had not been in darkness,
how could she have behaved
in such an evil way?
Thus, in chapters 38 and 39
we have a portrait of darkness.
But in the midst of this darkness
we see Joseph
as a bright star
shining in the heavens.
Conducting himself
as a shining star,
Joseph seemed to be saying,
“All you people are under darkness,
but I am shining upon you.
How can I, a bright star,
do such a dark thing?
I cannot forget my dream.
My dream
controls me
and directs me.
As a heavenly star,
I would never sell my position.”
If you have this light
as you come to these chapters,
you will see
that Joseph was one
who lived a life
that corresponded to his vision.
Joseph was not only a dreamer;
he was also one who practiced,
one who lived out,
what he saw in his dream.
Just as we all have anger,
we also have lust.
If you have no lust,
then you must be a bench or a stone.
Every human being
has lust.
The way to control our lust
is to be subdued, controlled, and directed
by the vision.
The function of the vision
is similar to that of brakes in a car.
In times of danger,
we step on the brakes.
The vision of the heavenly star
is a powerful brake
for our spiritual car.
Joseph’s life under the heavenly vision
was the life of the kingdom of the heavens
described in Matthew 5, 6, and 7.
According to the constitution
of the heavenly kingdom
revealed in these chapters in Matthew,
our anger must be subdued
and our lust conquered.
If we claim
to be the kingdom people,
yet we cannot subdue our anger
or conquer our lust,
we are finished.
Instead of being in the kingdom,
we are on the seashore.
We are those
giving vent to our anger
and indulging in lust.
But all the kingdom people
subdue their anger
and conquer their lust.
This is
the kingdom life.
In the kingdom life today,
kings are being trained.
We, the kingdom people
in the kingdom life,
are being trained
to be kings,
to be Josephs,
to be the reigning aspect
of the mature life.
For this,
we must subdue our anger
and conquer our lust.
What a wonderful picture
Joseph’s life is
of our experience today!
Day by day,
we are subduing our anger
and conquering our lust.
Instead of agreeing with our anger
or cooperating with our lust,
we reject our anger
and condemn our lust,
because we are the reigning aspect
of the mature life.
We have
the constitution of Christ within us,
and we are being prepared
to reign as kings.
Day 5
Although the sons of Jacob
were sinful,
Christ still came
through them (Gen. 38:27-30; Matt. 1:3).
Out of the gross sin
committed in Genesis 38,
two sons were born,
the first of whom
was a forefather of Christ.
Pharez, mentioned in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1,
was one of Christ’s forefathers.
According to the holy word of Scripture,
Christ came through the sinful sons of Jacob.
It is similar to David’s sin with Bathsheba.
The issue of that sin
was Solomon,
who was also a forefather of Christ,
one through whom Christ came (Matt. 1:6).
The mature life
has a reigning aspect.
The more mature in life you become,
the less you will speak negatively
concerning the saints or the church.
When we came into the church,
we had a church-life honeymoon.
The honeymoon, however, never lasts very long.
But one day
the heavenly dream will come,
and your view will be revolutionized.
You will realize
that you dare not say anything negative
concerning the church or the saints.
On the contrary,
you will say,
“This is the church,
and this is God’s people.
In God’s eyes
the believers are all sheaves.
They are also
the sun, the moon, and the stars.”
When you come to this stage,
you will not dare to say anything negative
about the church.
After seeing such a vision,
I have nevertheless said at times,
“Yes, I have seen
that the church is wonderful.
But actually it is not so.”
In saying this,
the “tail” was exposed
and caused me to suffer death.
Eventually,
I was completely subdued and convinced,
and I said,
“Lord, I forget my short sight
and use the divine telescope.
The church is
excellent, marvelous, and wonderful.
There is nothing wrong
with the church.
It is perfect and complete.”
When I speak like this,
I am full of life
and I enjoy life.
To me,
every brother and sister
is wonderful,
and I love them all,
including the backsliders.
The more I speak this way
about the brothers and sisters,
the more I am full of life.
I believe
many of us
have experienced this.
We are not the ones to judge.
God is the Judge.
And He is not judging the saints;
He is working on them
to transform
the “scorpions” into sheaves
and the “gophers” into stars.
Eventually,
we all shall be sheaves and stars.
May we all have this eternal view.
Joseph behaved so excellently and marvelously
because he was directed by the vision
he saw in his dreams.
If even the little ones
are influenced by what they see on television,
then how much more
was the young man Joseph influenced
by the heavenly vision,
the vision that he was a sheaf
rising up full of life
and that he was a star
worshipped by all the other stars!
Joseph’s excellent and marvelous behavior
was due to the vision
he received.
The vision of his two dreams
controlled his life
and directed his behavior.
He behaved as the sheaf
standing up and full of life,
and he conducted himself like a heavenly star
shining in the darkness.
In Genesis 37 through 38
two gross sins
are recorded.
In chapter 37
there is the sin of anger (37:18-28).
Joseph’s brothers seized the opportunity
to give full vent to their anger.
This was
not an insignificant case of anger.
The one Joseph’s brothers were plotting to kill
was not a thief,
but their own brother in the flesh,
the dear son of their own father.
If they had had any human affection at all,
they would never have considered
doing such a thing.
Reuben, however, did think of
how it would affect their father;
and Judah suggested
that they not kill him,
but sell him,
which was far superior to
shedding his blood.
Nevertheless,
in chapter 37
we see the anger of Joseph’s brothers.
In the next chapter, chapter 38,
we have Judah’s indulgence in lust,
even in incest (38:15-18).
After the fall of man,
the first issue to come forth
was the killing
of a brother in the flesh.
And the sin that brought in the flood
as God’s judgment upon the fallen race
was the indulgence in lust.
These two sins,
the sins of murdering a brother in the flesh
and of indulging in lust,
are repeated here.
Day 4
In the Bible
there is the principle of confirmation
by two witnesses.
Thus, Joseph had two dreams.
In Joseph’s second dream
he saw the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars
bowing down to him.
This indicates
that in the eyes of God
all the condemned and accused people
are full of light.
Be careful
not to accuse the brothers and sisters.
The reigning aspect of the maturity of life
never condemns others.
Rather,
it shepherds and appreciates them.
It says,
“Oh,
the church life and all the saints
are wonderful!
The saints are sheaves
full of life.
How nourishing and satisfying
they are!
Furthermore,
they are heavenly luminaries
full of light.”
If you say
that it is a lie
to speak this way
and that you cannot do it,
it means
that you have not seen
the dream, the vision.
You are lacking
the heavenly view.
Perhaps some years ago
you felt positively
about all the brothers and sisters,
but not today.
Today you need
the view of the heavenly dream.
In Genesis 37
there are two dreams.
One is
of sheaves full of life,
and the other
of the heavenly host full of light.
This is
God’s view, the heavenly view, of His people.
Because I have this heavenly view,
I am greatly encouraged.
I am not working with “gophers” and “scorpions.”
I am serving the sheaves,
I am under the sun and moon,
and I am walking among the stars.
The dream Joseph saw
is similar to the vision in Revelation 12,
where God’s people
are signified by the woman
clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and with the crown of twelve stars upon her head.
We need such a vision
to see God’s people
from the heavenly viewpoint.
One thing is certain:
Whoever condemns the church
or blames the saints
will suffer the loss of life.
There is not
one exception to this.
You may be right,
and the church may actually be wrong.
The condition of the saints
may be that of “gophers” and “scorpions.”
But if you condemn them,
you will suffer
the loss of life.
However, if you say,
“Lord, I praise You
because Your people
are full of life and light,”
you will be the first
to participate in life.
For this reason,
I dare not say
that the brothers and sisters
are not good.
Rather, I always say,
“Praise the Lord!
How good the saints are!”
When I do this,
I enjoy life.
But if I were to criticize
the brothers and sisters,
I would immediately suffer death.
No one who speaks negatively
concerning the church or the saints
enjoys life.
On the contrary,
all those who speak negatively
suffer death.
We need to say,
“Praise the Lord,
my brother will be a heavenly light!
If he is not so today,
he will be in the future.”
With God
there is
no time element.
There is
no clock in heaven,
only eternity.
As God views His people
from the standpoint of eternity,
He sees them all
as sheaves
full of life
and as the sun, moon, and stars
full of light.
Although God’s people
are positioned in heaven
as the sun, the moon, and the stars,
they are living on earth as sheaves,
for sheaves grow in the field.
Today we are the heavenly people
living on earth.
We are God’s people.
I have been
encouraged, strengthened, and edified by this.
I have complete faith in you all,
and I expect to see you all
in the New Jerusalem.
I like to have an eternal view,
not the view from the earth.
If you use the “divine telescope”
to see through time,
you will behold the New Jerusalem
where there is nothing but
sheaves and stars.
In the New Jerusalem
there are no “gophers” or “scorpions.”
There, everything is full of life and light.
When we consider Joseph’s dreams,
we realize
that no human mind
could have conceived
the book of Genesis.
Only God
could have caused Joseph
to have these dreams.
Day 3
If you had been Joseph,
would you have considered your brothers
heavenly and full of life and light?
In Genesis 37:2
we are told
that Joseph brought to his father
an evil report regarding his brothers.
Furthermore, according to chapter 37,
Joseph’s brothers
were full of hatred and anger,
and according to chapter 38,
they were full of lust.
In chapter 37
we see
the hatred and anger of Joseph’s brothers,
and in chapter 38
we see
Judah’s lust.
Joseph saw the evil of his brothers
and reported it to his father.
But Joseph had two dreams.
In the first dream
Joseph saw sheaves in the field.
This dream reveals
that, at the most, Joseph
was just a sheaf
and that, at the worst, his brothers also
were sheaves.
God gave Joseph this dream,
and in it
he had God’s view of his brothers.
God came to give Joseph a dream,
and He seemed to say,
“Joseph, in My eyes
you are the same as your brothers,
and they are just as good as you are.
You are a sheaf,
and they also are sheaves.
The only difference between you and them
is that I have chosen you to reign.
But this does not mean
that you are better than they are.”
If we do not have experience,
we shall not be able to understand
the word in the Bible
regarding Joseph’s dream of the sheaves.
The more
you love the church
and care for the saints,
the more
“gophers,” “turtles,” and “scorpions”
you will see.
Then you will say,
“Lord, what is this?
Lord, the situation in the church
is pitiful.
Not even the elders
are any good.
And look at all the sisters!
I don’t want to sit near them
in the meetings.”
At such a time
you need a heavenly dream.
When the dream comes,
the Lord will tell you,
“You are not any better,
and the others are not worse than you.
You are all
sheaves of life in Me.
There are
no ‘gophers,’ ‘scorpions,’ or ‘turtles’
among My people.
All are sheaves
full of life.”
If I had not seen
such a heavenly dream,
I would have quit long ago.
But I have seen the dream.
I have seen
that I am a sheaf
and that all those
who in my eyes are “gophers”
are sheaves also.
In the eyes of God,
they are sheaves.
Years ago,
I prayed many accusing prayers to the Lord;
I reported to Him the evils
I had seen.
But the Lord said,
“I don’t look at them
from your view.
I see them
from My view.
In the New Jerusalem
there are
no ‘gophers’ and ‘scorpions.’”
According to the book of Numbers,
the children of Israel
had done many evil things.
Balaam was hired by a heathen king
to curse Israel
and to expose the evil in Israel.
But God spoke through Balaam,
and Balaam said,
“He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob,
/ Nor has He seen trouble in Israel”
(Num. 23:21).
God seemed to be saying,
“I have not beheld
any iniquity in My people.
I do not see
any perverseness in them.”
Elijah complained against Israel
saying,
“The children of Israel
have forsaken Your covenant,
thrown down Your altars,
and slain Your prophets with the sword;
and I alone
am left,
and they seek to take my life”
(1 Kings 19:10).
Elijah was accusing Israel before God.
Being displeased with this,
the Lord replied,
“I have left Myself seven thousand
in Israel,
all the knees
that have not bowed unto Baal
and every mouth
that has not kissed him”
(1 Kings 19:18).
Do not go to the Lord
in the way of accusing others before Him.
Instead,
you should say to Him,
“Lord, since You see no iniquity,
I do not choose to see any either.
All the ‘gophers’ and ‘scorpions’
are sheaves,
and I love them.”
If you have seen
the heavenly dream,
then you have seen
that in God’s view all His people
are sheaves full of life
to produce food
for the meal offering
to satisfy God and man.
Day 2
Joseph’s betrayal
was followed by
a period of confinement,
a period of imprisonment.
Joseph was with two criminals,
who typified the two criminals with Christ,
one of whom was restored
and the other executed.
It was the same with Christ.
After Christ was betrayed,
He was put into the prison of death.
He was crucified between two criminals,
one of whom was saved
and the other perished.
Christ was confined in the prison of death
for three days and three nights.
As a type of Christ,
Joseph had the same experience as Christ.
He was rejected by his brothers,
sold by them,
and eventually cast into prison.
Christ suffered the same things.
Joseph typified Christ
as the One resurrected
from the prison of death.
Christ was not arrested
and cast into prison.
Rather,
He walked willingly into prison,
that is,
He went into the prison of death voluntarily.
Although He entered into death willingly,
the gates of Hades,
which is the power of death,
the authority of darkness,
immediately rose up
and sought to keep Him there forever.
But as Acts 2:24 says,
it was impossible for Him
to be held by death.
Christ could not be held by death
because He is resurrection (John 11:25).
Resurrection is
definitely more powerful than death.
Therefore, Christ walked out of death.
To Him, this walking out of death
was His resurrection.
As Joseph was released
from the dungeon,
so Christ was also released
from the prison of death.
Joseph also typified Christ
as the One enthroned with authority.
On the same day
Joseph was released from the dungeon,
he was enthroned to be the actual ruler
over the whole land of Egypt.
In like manner,
after Christ was resurrected,
He was enthroned with authority.
Acts 2:36 says
that the crucified and resurrected Christ
has been made
both Lord and Christ.
This refers to
Christ’s enthronement.
When Christ was enthroned,
He received glory (Heb. 2:9).
Joseph also typifies Christ in this regard,
for when he was released from the dungeon,
he received glory (Gen. 41:42).
Joseph’s opposers
not only sold him and despised him,
but cast him into a dungeon.
In chapter 41
the prison is called a dungeon.
The living conditions in Joseph’s dungeon
were far worse than
the conditions of the prisons in this country today.
The dungeon into which Joseph was cast
was a pit.
Those who put him there
did so with the intention
that he would be severely distressed.
But God lifted him up
and not only placed him on the throne
but also gave him glory.
You may be wondering
how we can prove
that Joseph received glory.
The proof is in the fact
that he was clothed with beautiful garments
and made to ride in the second chariot of Pharaoh.
His being clothed with fine linen
was in contrast with
his being stripped by his brothers
of his coat of many colors.
When people saw him
clothed with such beautiful garments
and sitting in Pharaoh’s chariot,
they must have realized
that here was a man in glory.
When Joseph was released from the dungeon
and uplifted to the throne,
he received gifts (41:42).
Christ also has received gifts (Acts 2:33).
Many Christians know
that Christ resurrected,
ascended,
and has been crowned with honor and glory,
but not many know
that after Christ’s ascension, enthronement, and glorification
He also received gifts.
Acts 2:33 says
that Christ received of the Father
the promise of the Holy Spirit,
which He has poured out.
What Christ received of the Father
was a gift.
In ancient times,
many centuries before Christ,
the same thing happened to Joseph.
Joseph was not only glorified
but also received gifts.
Day 1
Joseph is the perfect type of Christ
because he portrays
the constituted aspect of a mature saint.
If the aspect of you
which is constituted of Christ
is not perfect,
then surely no part of you
could be perfect.
In us
who are fallen, saved,
called, redeemed, and regenerated
there is nothing perfect
except the constituting Christ.
Hallelujah,
we have Christ’s constitution within us!
This aspect,
Christ constituted in the matured saints,
is perfect.
Hence, it perfectly typifies Christ.
Joseph, like Abel,
was a shepherd.
This typifies
the aspect of the constitution of Christ
in the mature life
that is the shepherding life
to take care of others.
In chapter 37
Joseph not only fed and shepherded the flock;
he was sent by his father
to also shepherd his brothers.
Thus, Joseph shepherded
not only his father’s flock,
but also his father’s sons.
The Lord Jesus also
came as a shepherd.
The reigning aspect
is firstly the shepherding aspect.
If you do not have the burden
to shepherd others
and to feed them,
you will never be able to reign.
Reigning authority
comes from the shepherding life.
Eventually,
Joseph reigned over his brothers.
But he did not reign over them
until he had already shepherded them.
He was sent by his father
to shepherd his brothers
and to feed them.
In like manner,
Jesus came
not as a King
to rule others;
He came
as a Shepherd.
As the Shepherd,
Christ was killed
by His own people.
This is revealed
in John 10,
where we are told
that the good Shepherd
gives His life for the sheep.
Jesus came
as the Shepherd
and was killed,
giving His life for His flock.
In principle,
the same thing happened to
Joseph in Genesis 37.
Although he was sent to shepherd his brothers,
they nearly killed him.
Joseph gave his life
in order to carry out
this kind of shepherding.
It is good
that we have a shepherding life within.
But if you are to shepherd others,
you must be ready to be killed
by those you are caring for.
Joseph, the one with the shepherding aspect,
was also his father’s beloved.
Likewise,
Christ was
the Father’s beloved Son.
Only that aspect of us
that is constituted of Christ
is beloved in the eyes of God.
This part of us
is beloved of the Father.
You have had the deep sense
that God the Father
was present.
Whenever you have this sense,
it is a proof
that you have
the constitution of Christ,
which is pleasing to the Father.
Of that part of your being
the Father will always say,
“This is
My beloved.”
In Genesis 37:12-17
we see
that Joseph ministered to the brothers
according to his father’s will.
In this matter also
Joseph was
a type of Christ,
for Christ came down from heaven
to do the will of the One
who had sent Him.
If you read
this section of the Word,
you will admit
not only that Joseph
was a type of Christ,
but that his biography
is virtually the biography of Christ.
Joseph’s life
was a copy of Christ’s.
Although Joseph was
a shepherd
and the father’s beloved
and although he ministered to his brothers
according to his father’s will,
he was hated and harassed
by the brothers
to whom he ministered.
The same was true of Christ.
Christ was sent
to minister to the children of God,
but they hated Him.
According to the Gospels,
the Jewish leaders hated Christ,
conspired against Him,
and plotted to kill Him.
This was also
Joseph’s experience with his brothers.
In Genesis 37:19 and 20
his brothers said,
“Here comes
this master of dreams.
Now then,
come and let us slay him.”
Thus, they conspired and plotted
against their brother Joseph.