What man intended for evil, God intended for good.
Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he had been born to him in his old age, and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him (Gen. 37:2-4).
You know the story. Joseph had two dreams. In one he and his 11 brothers were represented by sheaves of wheat. During the dream, their sheaves all bowed down before his. In the other, the sun, moon, and 11 stars were all bowing before him. Jacob interpreted this to mean that these celestial bodies represented him, Joseph’s mother, and the 11 brothers. This further incensed them making their rejection complete. One day when Jacob had sent Joseph to find his brothers and inquire about their wellbeing they conspired against him, captured him, and threw him into a pit. Then they sold him to slave traders bound for Egypt. They faked his death, showing their father his fancy robe all covered in blood as evidence of Joseph’s untimely demise. As far as Jacob was concerned, his beloved son was dead.
You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down
Arriving in Egypt, Joseph was purchased by Potiphar, the captain of Pharoah’s guard and quickly rose to a position of trust in his household. Angered because Joseph refused her sexual advances, Potiphar’s wife had him thrown into jail on false charges. Again he rose to a prominent position, overseeing the entire prison operation. While there he interpreted the dreams of two prisoners and when his interpretations proved correct he was called to the attention of Pharoah, who had also had a disturbing dream. Joseph interpreted this dream as a prediction of 7 good harvest years to be followed by 7 years of famine so severe they would wipe out all the gains of the good years and then some.
Pharaoh appointed Joseph, a man without station or influence, to devise a strategy to save the people from this famine and made him the number 2 authority in all Egypt subject only to Pharoah. During the good years, Joseph married the daughter of an Egyptian priest and by successfully implementing his strategy when the famine came, Joseph saved them all from certain death, enabling Pharoah to take possession of Egypt and all its wealth in the process.
What They Intended For Evil, God Intended For Good
When the famine reached the land of Caanan, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to purchase food. Not recognizing the one from whom they were buying as their long lost brother, these 11 were put through a series of disastrous events contrived by Joseph to place them entirely at his mercy and permit the revelation of his true identity. A highly emotional reunion resulted in Jacob and the 70 members of his family being given the most favored land in all of Egypt. By the way, Joseph’s dreams did come true. Jacob and his wives, and the 11 brothers and their wives and all their children bowed down before Joseph, who had saved them all and brought them into a land of plenty where they enjoyed generations of peace and prosperity.
I Spoke To The Prophets, Gave Them Many Visions, And Told Parables Through Them (Hosea 12:10)
Although our Lord Jesus was sent by his Father to His brothers to see to their well being, they rejected Him, conspiring against Him and causing His death. He was consigned to Hell, sold as a slave to sin. He had no earthly station or influence but was appointed to save the world from their sins. He was given a position of prominence on earth receiving all power and authority subject only to the will of His Father. By successfully implementing His strategy He saved us all from certain death, enabling His Father to regain possession of the world and all its wealth in the process. After taking a Gentile Bride He will put His brothers through a series of disastrous events contrived to place them entirely at His mercy and permit the revelation of His true identity. A highly emotional reunion will result in Israel again receiving the most favored land in all the Earth where they will enjoy 1000 years of peace and prosperity
Tell Me A Story, Daddy
Parables are heavenly truths put into earthly context and the Bible abounds with them. The ones Jesus told are mostly stories He devised for the purpose, but the Lord told Paul that He often orchestrated real-life events in Israel to help teach us about Him (Rom 15:4 & 1 Cor: 10:11). Put the Heavenly Players in place of the earthly ones to gain the lesson and see the Old Testament come alive as never before. Jacob and his family represent Israel, Joseph the Messiah, and Pharoah the Father. Joseph’s gentile bride is the church and Egypt the world. The seven good years are the Age of Grace during which the Gentile Bride is taken, the 7 bad years the Tribulation period where the Messiah is revealed to Israel. The land of Goshen is the Kingdom Age. We’ve just scratched the surface here; there are over 100 clear truths being modeled. The rest is up to you.
And now you know the adult version.