Genesis 37:36 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Genesis 37:36

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At the end of the chapter we learn that Joseph was sold by the Midianites into the service of an Egyptian, Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s and captain of the guard’, and we have a chapter of the perfect type of Christ. Even up to this point, Joseph, without blemish – of course, we know it's only a type; Joseph would have had his sins, but they are not recorded here to do justice to the type. He seems to be an ideal son, and in that he is a type of Christ. He reproves the sin of the family, and in that he is a type of Christ who came preaching repentance and remission of sin. He is loved by the father, and in that is a type of Christ. He is sent on a care mission to his brethren, and in that is a type of Christ. His death is plotted and he is sold, and in all these respects he typifies the perfect Saviour who would one day come. They want to kill the one who will ultimately be their deliver. It is obvious that the divine word is so structured as to provide us with a type of Christ, and that is how our forebears all took it and all understood it.

Application

The providence of God for Joseph! Godly father, grandfather, but violent, wicked, dishonest, malicious brothers – what a mixed situation! He has dreams, oracles, from God. He is despised for them; he is beaten by his brothers and sold into slavery. But what a training, when you think of it! He drew his knowledge from Israel, from Jacob, and from Isaac. When he was abandoned, God so overruled that he was sold into slavery on a major trade route right into Egypt. The believer is always in God's sight. It’s not just Joseph; it’s all of us. We are always in God's sight; always in his hands. The great thing about Joseph is his humility and his faith, his trust in the Lord, and so the providence of God had mapped out for him a great future. He maintained his principles. In Egypt his brothers had abandoned theirs, even while still in the house of God, but he maintained his, and the hidden life.

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Genesis 37:36 Commentary and Bible Study