Finding Christ in the Old Testament - Genesis 49 - 50

Finding Christ in the Old Testament

Genesis 49:29 – 50:26

“Then Joseph fell on his father's face and wept over him and kissed him.” (Genesis 50:1)

As the Book of Genesis closes, the death of Jacob and later Joseph marks not an end but a promise held in trust. Jacob dies in hope, commanding his sons to bury him not in Egypt, but in the land of promise, alongside Abraham and Isaac. This burial is an act of faith: he believes the land still belongs to them by divine oath. Joseph honors his father’s dying wish, showing both filial piety and a faithful heart. But it is in Joseph’s words to his brothers after Jacob's death that the typology is most vivid: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). In this, Joseph becomes a clear prefiguration of Christ, who was betrayed by His own, suffered unjustly, and yet through that very suffering accomplished salvation for many. Just as Joseph does not repay his brothers with wrath but with grace, so Christ intercedes for His enemies and turns their evil into good. The book ends with Joseph's embalming and his hope in God's future deliverance—a confession that God will surely visit His people. This is a faith that trusts in a resurrection not yet seen, a home not yet reached, and a redemption that must be fulfilled. Joseph’s tomb in Egypt becomes a silent testimony to the promise of Exodus, fulfilled in Christ, who leads His people from death to life.

Devotion

Joseph’s forgiveness and unwavering trust in God's purpose through evil reveal Christ's greater mercy. Even in death, Joseph confesses hope in God's deliverance. We, too, await that final deliverance in Christ, who brings us out of sin, out of Egypt, and into the eternal Promised Land. His cross transforms evil into good; His resurrection is our Exodus.

New Testament Verse:
Romans 8:28 (ESV)
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

Collect

O Lord God of our fathers, who in Your providence turned evil into good through the life of Joseph, grant us steadfast faith in Your promise of resurrection and deliverance. Teach us to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to wait with confidence for the homeland You have prepared for us in Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Hymn Verse:
I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever-living head.

LSB 461:1, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives”