Genesis 41:37-46, “God Raises Up Joseph”

Introduction

The Psalmist said, “Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.” Psalm 113:5-8 God is going to lift Joseph out of the depths of the dungeon of Egypt, the dunghill of Egypt, the poorest of the poor, and set him above the princes of Egypt.

Joseph is a type of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus was the poorest of the poor during His lifetime. When the soldiers crucified the Lord Jesus He only had the clothes on His bloody back and was mocked as one that was filled with the filth of the world. God so highly exalted the Lord Jesus that now He sits on the His throne on the right hand of the Father in Heaven.

Joseph gave Pharaoh wise counsel. Joseph knew that God wanted to help the nation of Egypt and his family. So, Joseph used his talents for the glory of God and was able to help other people. Joseph used his mouth to bring God glory and wisdom to give Pharaoh wise counsel. Proverbs 12:14, “A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him.” We need to be like Joseph. To use our mouth for the glory of God and use wisdom to give other people counsel.

God has tested Joseph. Now Joseph is ready for God to use to help the nation of Egypt. God is going to promote Joseph from the prison to the palace. Psalm 113:7 & 8, “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.”

Joseph is a type of Christ. The Lord Jesus humbled Himself. The Lord Jesus left the glories of heaven and came to earth. The Lord Jesus became like a servant and helped other people. Philippians 2:5-8, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Joseph had this type of mind. Joseph believed that even as a slave, or prisoner, though wrongly convicted, he could serve God in the depths of prison.

The Lord Jesus – A Better Joseph

“Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” Hebrews 1:4 The Lord Jesus was better than the angels, better than Joseph, better than any saint, better than the Law, and better than Moses .

Therefore, the glory due to the Lord Jesus will be better, will exceed and surpass, all of the glory of the angels, the Law, Moses, Joseph, or any other saint.

Verse 37 - 30 Joseph was filled with the Spirit of God

God showed the interpretation of Pharaoh's two dreams to Joseph. Pharaoh knew that God gave Joseph the correct interpretation of the two dreams and that Joseph used wisdom to give Pharaoh counsel. The servants of Pharaoh also knew that God gave Joseph the correct interpretation of the two dreams. The servants saw that the counsel of Joseph was wise.

Joseph was bold in his witness. Joseph gave the glory to God for the correct interpretation of the two dreams. Joseph was filled with the Holy Spirit. Joseph walked in the Spirit. When a person is filled with the Holy Spirit he will witness like Joseph and be able to correctly interpret the scriptures.

As with the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit was with Joseph. Throughout his life, Joseph had the fruits of the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:22 & 23. Joseph walked in the Holy Spirit of God as Paul the apostle taught every saint to walk in the Holy Spirit of God, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25

As the Holy Spirit was with Joseph, the fulness of the Holy Spirit of the Lord Jesus is better than the Spirit given to Joseph. John the Baptist said, “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” John 3:34

Verse 39 God was with Joseph

Pharaoh knew in his heart that God gave Joseph the interpretation of the two dreams. Pharaoh also said that Joseph was discreet and wise. Joseph could discern between hard choices and make wise decisions.

In Acts 7:9 & 10 we read, “And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him. And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.” The brothers of Joseph, as with the Lord Jesus, were moved with envy to destroy him. But, Joseph, as with the Lord Jesus, ‘God was with him’ and delivered Joseph, and the Lord Jesus, out of their afflictions.

As God was with Joseph, in the life of the Lord Jesus, God was with the Lord Jesus in a better way. “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” John 8:29

Verse 40 -44 Pharaoh makes Joseph Governor of the land of Egypt

Psalm 113:7 & 8, “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.” God works in the lives of men, even in the poorest of conditions, and lifts up those into responsible positions of authority in order to help other people.

Now, God will give Joseph ‘favour and wisdom’ in the sight of Pharaoh. Pharaoh understood that Joseph gave the proper interpretation of the dream that God gave him. Pharaoh also understood that God gave Joseph the wisdom, discretion, and understanding that was required to save the nation of Egypt from destruction.

Pharaoh found out that Joseph ruled the house of Potiphar well, he ruled the prison well. Therefore, Pharaoh knew that Joseph could rule the land of Egypt well. Because of the wisdom, faithfulness, and discretion of Joseph in ruling previous responsibilities well, Pharaoh make Joseph ruler over Egypt. The Egyptians then bowed the knee before Joseph in recognition of his authority and position of power in the nation of Egypt.

Joseph is a Type of Christ

The Lord Jesus left heaven, humbled Himself, and became like a servant. Because the Lord Jesus was obedient and died on the Cross of Calvary; God exalted the Lord Jesus. Philippians 2: 9-11 teaches, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ”

Every Knee will bow on the Earth to the Lord Jesus

The glory that Joseph had in Egypt was great. Every knee bowed before him and all of the Egyptians were a witness to his wisdom and discretion in leadership for the physical salvation of the nation.

The glory of the Lord Jesus will be far better than than the glory of Joseph. One day, on the face of the earth, the knee of the people of the different nations of the world, will bow to the Lord Jesus as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. The prophet Zechariah prophesied, “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.” Zechariah 14:16 & 17

The prophecy by the prophet Zechariah of all of the nations, or families, bowing before the King, the LORD of hosts, in Jerusalem, during the feast of Tabernacles, has not been fulfilled, in any sense of the word, since Zechariah penned this prophecy.

Every Knee will Bow in Heaven to the Lord Jesus

One day, at the Great White Throne of Judgment, as written in Revelation 20:11-15, every person that has lived on the earth, will bow the knee before Jesus and confess that He is lord. Revelation 20:11-15 says, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which are written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

The knee of Buddha will bow. The knee of Confucius will bow. The knee of every Taoist will bow. The knee of every lost politician, the knee of every atheist, the knee of every agnostic, the knee of every lost religious hypocrite and false teacher. Every individual from every county, in every culture, will confess that Jesus is Lord to give God the glory.

Verse 45 Joseph gets married.

Joseph was a Hebrew: a Jew. His wife was a Gentile: Egyptians are Gentiles.

The Lord Jesus is a Hebrew: a Jew. The wife of the Lord Jesus, the church, is mostly Gentiles.

Ephesians 3:6, “That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.”

Ephesians 5:23-25, “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

The Bride of Christ is the church. One day, in heaven the church will be without spot or wrinkles, and we will be sanctified wholly. The ‘spot’ and ‘wrinkles’ are the false doctrines, false teachers, false teachings, and insincere motives and lack of holiness and sanctification of the saints in the local congregations. We ought to love the church. If a person loves the Lord Jesus than he will love the church.

Verse 46 Joseph's History

Joseph was 17 years old when his brothers sold him into slavery. Now Joseph is 30 years old and is exalted as the ruler of Egypt. For 13 years Joseph was a slave or in prison. Initially, the brothers of Joseph were going to kill Joseph and the life of Joseph would have ended when he was 17 years old. “And when they [the brothers of Joseph] saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.” Genesis 37:18 If Joseph would have died at age 17 than he would not have been made ruler of Egypt at 30 years of age. At 30 years old, at he prime of his life, Joseph was exalted.

In the history of man, when a person dies, death means the end of his ability to rule, the ability to obtain fame, and the ability to do his will. A lot of men, especially in time of war, are cut down in the prime of life.

Even in death, the Lord Jesus was better. The Lord Jesus was cut down, crucified on the cross, died, in the prime of His life. If the Lord Jesus was an ordinary man than that would have been the end of His career. But, the Lord Jesus was ‘better’ than man and rose from the dead. The resurrection from the dead by the Lord Jesus gives us the eternal hope of eternal salvation and a new body in heaven.

The Lord Jesus was perfect, sinless, and righteous in every aspect of the word in word and deed. And, after He died, was resurrected and then entered into His glory in heaven. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1:1-3

As with Joseph, so will the Lord Jesus rule the world in the proper timing of the Father in heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” The history of the Lord Jesus is far better than the history of Joseph and the end has not been fulfilled as of yet; nor will the history ever be fulfilled. The exaltation of the Lord Jesus will be far better than the exaltation of Joseph in Egypt.