Finding Christ in the Old Testament - Genesis 37

Finding Christ in the Old Testament

Genesis 37:1-36

"Now Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers... and Jacob loved Joseph more than any other of his sons... So they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him."

Joseph’s story is a powerful type of Christ. His brothers’ jealousy and hatred towards him foreshadow the animosity Jesus would face from His own people. Just as Joseph’s father gave him a robe of many colors, a symbol of favor, Christ is the beloved Son of the Father, and He too would be rejected by those who did not recognize His glory. Joseph’s being sold for twenty pieces of silver parallels Judas’ betrayal of Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Joseph’s being thrown into a pit and later raised up from it is a type of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. God’s sovereign purpose in Joseph’s life, despite the treachery of his brothers, points to Christ’s ultimate victory over death and sin through the cross. What was meant for evil by Joseph’s brothers, God meant for good, a truth most clearly seen in Christ’s suffering and death, which resulted in the salvation of many.

Devotion

Joseph’s suffering was not in vain; it was part of God’s greater plan for redemption. So too, Christ’s suffering was not for nothing—it was the means by which we were reconciled to God. In the face of betrayal, God remains sovereign, working all things together for good.

New Testament Verse:
Matthew 20:18-19 (ESV) "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day."

Collect
O Lord, whose sovereign will brings good from evil, grant that we, in times of betrayal and suffering, may trust in Your plan for our redemption. Just as Joseph’s suffering was part of Your good purpose, so we pray that the cross of Christ, through which we have been saved, may always be our hope and comfort. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Hymn Verse:
"O Christ, our true and only Light,
Enlighten those who sit in night;
Let those afar now hear Your voice,
And in Your fold with us rejoice."

LSB 839:1, "O Christ, Our True and Only Light"