Joseph & Israel's Other Sons

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Consider Joseph--the favorite son of Jacob—the son who predicted his own prominence and who then became odious in the sight of his brothers.

Think of those years—many years—after Joseph had been left in the pit into which his brothers threw him.

Think now of those brothers--living with their father, Jacob, and holding onto this false narrative: an animal must have killed Joseph; and there was the evidence--Joseph’s coat they took home to Jacob, was covered with blood, a false sign that he was dead. They had thrown him into a pit, taken Joseph's coat and spattered it with the blood of an animal.

These sons of Jacob/Israel—devious and deceptive though they are—are the great-grandsons of Abraham the great patriarch of promise…the grandsons of Isaac and the sons of Jacob who was visited by the angel  and named "Israel." And…. this devious offspring of the patriarchs are to sire the Twelve Tribes of Israel!

​All those many years following at their home, Joseph’s brothers were silent about Joseph. If they discussed him at all, it would be in secret whispers. He was as good as dead.

Except he wasn’t. 

Instead, he was on a rocky start to greatness in the great land of Egypt—all unknown to his family.

If we were to consider whom these figures might represent, we would be looking ahead to the future--numerous and world-wide Israel, would we not? 

Israel after the Time of Christ

Consider the Jews of today and their attitude towards the Messiah/Yeshua. Like Jacob’s brothers, they hardly ever speak of Him, and their silence on him is profound.

The educated Jewish people express themselves a lot. They are verbose. I am continually amazed at the vast numbers of books they write about themselves, their history, their form of Judaism and their politics. They own many publishing houses. I take some of their periodicals/journals, one being “The Jewish Review of Books,” and I’m always amazed at their many perspectives on themselves and their own race. 

But they seldom if ever write or enter into discussion about the most well-known and amazing Jewish individual who ever lived—Yeshua/Jesus.  

QUESTION: What would you say that silence entails?

Now…back to Jacob’s sons.

They are Joseph’s brethren, and they must be carrying a heavy burden of guilt.

They believe that they have committed fratricide—murdering one’s brother--or, at least sold him into oblivion.   

It was the father who sent him? What father? Father Jacob. But we also refer to Yeshua and his brethren. Both were dearly loved/are loved by the father. 

The garments of both were blood-soaked and significant.

QUESTION: So what are we looking at here?

ANSWER: Joseph is a type of Christ. Joseph, through his leadership in Egypt, became a blessing to the world of the Eastern Mediterranean. He distributed food to the hungry peoples.  Christ Jesus is the eternal Son of the Father Who is the Bread of Life.

Some day Jesus' own people will weep because of Him about whom they have been silent for so long. .      

           “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for                    mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one                       mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10 ESV)    

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