Christ in Joseph - The effective servant

"And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand." (Gensis 39:1-3)

Joseph now begins the period of his life as a servant in Egypt. How far removed all this seems from the exalted position revealed to him by the Lord in the two dreams. However, it fol­lows the biblical principle which would be lived out by the Son of God, “but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be ser­vant of all” (Mark 10:43-45). Joseph again pictures for us the One who “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7), and said to His disciples, “I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:27).

There are three repeated key phrases in the section before us that are instructive as to the pathway of the perfect Servant. First we note that in Genesis 39:2,3,21,23 it states that “the Lord was with Joseph”. In this lowly place of servitude, it was evident that the divine presence was with him. The Pharisee Nicodemus would make a similar observation concerning the Lord Jesus as he visited Him by night, “for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” (John 3:2). Not only was this evident to onlookers, but the Lord told His disciples this was so, saying “yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me” (John 16:32), the second significant phrase in this section refers to Potiphar, Joseph's master, committing to him “all that he had” (Gen. 39:4,5), and twice in Genesis 39:6. Such was the ability, skill and faithfulness of Joseph, that his master entrusted him with everything.

The Lord Jesus too, we are told by the apostle John, was also entrusted with great responsibility by the One he called Master, fulfilling the prophetic word of Psalm 16:2: “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand” (John 3:35). Our final key phrase “the Lord made all that he did to pros­per” is repeated in Genesis 39:3,23. This would again take us back to the fruitful man in Psalm 1:3 who, just like Joseph, the “fruitful bough”, would have the experience that “whatsoever he doeth shall prosper”. Joseph here clearly is a picture of the Servant of Jehovah, so beautifully described in the Servant songs of Isaiah's prophecy. God says of Christ “Behold my servant ... he shall not fail” (Isa. 42:1, 4).

M.A.