(9) Joseph and Egypt

 

(9) Joseph and Egypt

Joseph was Jacob's eleventh son. From a young age, he received many revelations from God through dreams, which made him the object of envy and jealousy from his brothers.

Genesis 37:1-7 "Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, the land where his father had sojourned. These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph was seventeen years old, keeping the flock with his brothers. He was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And he told his father about their wrongdoing. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made a coat of many colors for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all of them, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. And Joseph said to them, "Please listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves in the field, and, look! My sheaf also stood upright, but your sheaves surrounded it and bowed down to it."

In the phrase "colored garment," the word "colored" does not have a Hebrew origin. When translated into Greek (as in the Septuagint), it is the Greek word "pas" (hand, sole). However, in other translations, "pas" is used as "poikilon" (many colors). However, the meaning of the phrase is that they wore long garments that covered even the soles of their feet. Long garments are reminiscent of the garments worn by priests and symbolize high social status, worn by the aristocracy.

Joseph continues to tell his brothers' dreams, inciting their jealousy to a fever pitch. Genesis 37:8-9 "His brothers said to him, 'Will you really reign over us? Will you really rule over us?' They hated him even more because of his dreams and because of what he had said. Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. 'Behold, I have dreamed another dream, and, look! The sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.'"

So, his brothers sold Joseph to Egyptian traders and lied to their father, saying that he had been eaten by wild animals. Joseph ended up working as a servant in the house of Potiphar, an Egyptian officer and captain of the guard, but because of his wife's misdeeds, he was thrown into prison. In prison, he performed the amazing feat of foretelling the future of the chief baker and the chief butler through dreams.

The Pharaoh of Egypt had a dream, and no one could interpret it.

Genesis 41:1-13) “At the end of two full years Pharaoh had a dream: As he was standing on the bank of the Nile, seven cows, sleek and fat, came up out of the bank of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up with them and stood with them on the bank of the Nile. The ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke and fell asleep again. He had a dream: Seven heads of grain sprouted on one stalk, full and healthy. After them, seven other heads sprouted, thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads swallowed up the seven full and healthy heads. When Pharaoh awoke, it was a dream. In the morning his spirit was troubled. He sent and called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt, and told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for Pharaoh. The chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, ‘I remember my sin today.’ Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he took me and the chief baker to the captain of the guard’s house. While he was in prison, he and I had dreams in one night, each dream having its own meaning. Now there was with us a young Hebrew man there, servant to the captain of the guard. So we told him our dreams, and he interpreted them to each of us according to his own dream. So it came to pass that it came to pass that I was restored to my post, but he was hanged.

Pharaoh listened to the chief cupbearer's words, summoned Joseph, and had him interpret the dream. Joseph interpreted it as meaning seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, just as God had revealed. He advised Pharaoh to prepare for the famine by preparing food during the years of plenty. Upon hearing this, Pharaoh suddenly appointed Joseph prime minister, making the nation prosperous.

When Joseph became prime minister and a famine struck the Near East, every nation except Egypt flocked to Egypt for food, making it the most powerful and prosperous nation. Jacob and his brothers, who were in Canaan at the time, also came to Egypt to live there thanks to Joseph.

The twelve tribes of Jacob, who lived in Egypt (the land of Shechem), expanded into a vast nation, numbering nearly six hundred thousand men and two million women and children. When foreign nations invaded and conquered Egypt, Pharaoh, unaware of Joseph, enslaved the Jews. Consequently, the Israelites began to cry out to God amidst their hardship.

Spiritually, Egypt symbolizes the world, and Pharaoh symbolizes Satan. Joseph became his subject and, as a result, drove God's people into suffering in the material world. Ultimately, Joseph became the one who led the Israelites from Canaan to Egypt, while Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and back into Canaan.

Joseph represents the first man (Christ), and Moses represents the last man (Christ). The first man was Christ, who passed on the fleshly body of sin to later generations. The last man died to the body of sin and was resurrected with a spiritual body of righteousness, granting resurrection life to his people.

The spirits of angels who sinned in the Kingdom of God were imprisoned in flesh and became human, coming into the world through the first human being. This is analogous to Joseph's brothers and family entering Egypt from Canaan. Joseph shared material abundance with them, but the result was spiritual starvation.