Egyptian Slavery a Type of Christ and His People

Have you ever wondered why God told Abraham in advance that his descendants would be slaves for four hundred years in Egypt, even before Abraham had a son?  

Although God had promised Abraham that he and his descendants after him would possess the land of Canaan, he did not give him personally any inheritance there, not even a foot of ground, as Stephen said (Ac 7:5). In fact, he lived in tents.

The apostle says, "By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise." (Heb 11:9).

“God spoke to him in this way: 'For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' God said, 'and afterward they will come out of that country [with great possessions] and worship me in this place.'” (Act 7:6-7). These events were determined by God before Abraham even had a son.

God told Abraham that he would live to a good old age, die in peace, and rest with his ancestors (Ge 15:15). He said, “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." (Gen 15:16).

That was one reason the Israelites had to spend four hundred years in Egypt, because the sin of the Amorites had not yet reached full measure, so it was not yet time for God to drive them out in judgment, and give their land to Abraham’s descendants. Another reason is that Abraham’s descendant’s had to go through many hardships before they could enter the Promised Land, which is a type of Christ and His people. Just as Christ suffered for us, we also must suffer through many hardships in order to enter the kingdom of God (Ac 14:22). The descendants of Abraham -- the Israelites -- all had to become slaves and be oppressed, so that God could have mercy on them all. This, too, was a type of sin. “For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.” (Rom 11:32). 

“The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country.” (Act 13:17). It was an impossible situation that needed to happen, so that God alone would receive all the glory for delivering them. Then He endured their conduct for forty years in the desert, testing and refining them, before bringing them into the Promised Land. At that time “He overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance.” (Act 13:19). 

Before the Lord could do that through them, He first had to allow them to go through the harsh conditions of Egypt that would serve as a refining process for them, in order to develop their character. That is why He later told them that He brought them out of the iron smelting furnace, out of Egypt (Dt 4:20; Jer 11:4). 

Consider the fact that if God knew the sin of the Amorites had not yet reached its full measure, He could have waited until it had reached its full measure before calling Abraham to go to Canaan. God could have changed the timing of Abraham's entire life and sojourn in Canaan in order to coincide with the point when the sin of the Amorites would have reached its full measure four hundred years later. 

But if He had done that, and did not allow them to become slaves in Egypt for four hundred years, then the offspring of Abraham would have simply become amalgamated into the polytheistic Canaanite society, adopting their customs and intermarrying with him, which were all things that they later did anyway. But if they had done so at the beginning, then they never would have become a separate, homogenous nation of their own.

By allowing them to become slaves in Egypt, He gave them the chance to multiply as a people into a great nation. Scripture says that the Hebrews multiplied during their time in Egypt, even though they were oppressed. It says that they were fruitful and increased abundantly. They multiplied in numbers and became very, very strong (Ex 1:7-22). And since they lived separately in the land of Goshen in Egypt, they were a distinct people from the Egyptians. 

Those are some of the high, macro-level reasons why God allowed them to become enslaved in Egypt for four hundred years. But at the micro level, the impetus for their going into Egypt was the jealousy of Joseph's brothers, who sold him into Egypt. God knew all of this before their grandfather Isaac was even born. They were jealous, because Joseph was their father's favorite, he was from another mother -- Rachel, whom their father loved more than their mother Leah, and God had given him dreams of his future greatness. They thought they could get rid of him this way, but that only set things up so that he could save them from famine later on. Their jealously led them to do something to him that they meant for evil, but that God meant for good, the saving of many lives.

Putting it All Together

This historical series of events is a type or pattern of the life of those who follow Jesus, and it is also a type of Christ Himself. Let me explain.

It is a type of Christ being called out of Egypt as a child, as it is written, "Out of Egypt I called my Son." (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15). He and his parents suffered oppression even during his infancy, which is why they fled to Egypt, and later were called out of that country back to the land of Israel. Yet even in Israel, Jesus suffered at the hands of sinful men, was crucified, and died on the cross for us all. Then He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, the true Promised Land, where He is seated at the right hand of God.

But this is also a type of us, the saints who follow Christ, being delivered from sin by God, then tested and tried during our lives here on earth, often even while He makes us prosper, before He finally brings us into our promised eternal inheritance in heaven. 

Let this be an encouragement to you in your walk of faith to press on, stay the course, and not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering through that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. "But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed."  (1Pe 4:13)

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible NIV. Image of Israelites in Egyptian bondage may be subject to copyright Sunday School Zone, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes.

Author's note:  Also see The Israelites as a Type of the Church, Israel as a Type of Christ, What Does it Mean to be Hebrew?, The High Priest as a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, Manna as a Type of Christ, Moses as a Type of Christ, Adam as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, Hagar and Sarah as Types, and The Mysteries of the Faith. You can access the Main Directory for Biblical Typology, or my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

__________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Joseph as a Type of Christ

Joseph Ruler of Egypt

Joseph, the son of Jacob, is another type of Christ. I'll begin by assuming you are familiar with the account from Scripture, which is found in Genesis 39-50. If you haven't already read the story, then I recommend you do so. Now let's look at how Joseph was a type of Christ, according to Scripture.

Birth
Joseph’s birth had a supernatural element to it, in that God opened the barren womb of Rachel. “Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. So she conceived and bore a son and said, ‘God has taken away my reproach.’" (Genesis 30:22-23).

Likewise, Jesus’ birth was also miraculous in that God overshadowed Mary with the Holy Spirit while she was still a virgin and caused her to conceive Jesus in her womb apart from any union with her husband Joseph. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18).

Persecuted
Joseph's brothers hated him, which the Lord taught us is the same as murder (Mt 5:21-22). So when they wanted to kill him but then decided to throw him into the pit, that was essentially murder, which is a type of what they did to Christ. Likewise, Jesus was persecuted by His own brothers, as well as the scribes, Pharisees, and elders (Mt 26-27). "For even his own brothers did not believe in him." (Jn 7:5, NIV).

Joseph's brothers persecuted him because they were jealous of him, just as the religious leaders were jealous of Jesus and crucified Him. Scripture says, "Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt." (Ac 7:9a, NIV). And again, "[Pilate]...knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him." (Mt 27:18, BSB).

Joseph was put in prison. “So Joseph's master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king's prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.” (Gen 39:20). Likewise, Jesus was arrested and bound. “So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him...” (John 18:12)

They tried to stop Joseph from fulfilling his calling. “When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death. They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer! Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, “A wild beast devoured him.” Then let us see what will become of his dreams!’” (Gen 37:18-20). Likewise, they tried to stop Jesus from fulfilling His calling as Messiah. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him." (Mt 27:42, NIV).

Joseph was sold into Egypt. “Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.”  (Gen 37:28). Likewise, Jesus went to Egypt, when Joseph fled there with Him and Mary to escape from King Herod. “So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.” (Mat 2:14).

Sun, Moon and Stars Bowed Down to Him
Joseph had a dream about his parents and brothers bowing down to him. “Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, ‘Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’” (Gen 37:9). In the case of Jesus, the sun, moon, and stars actually do worship Him. “Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light!” (Psalm 148:3)

Moreover, in the end, Joseph’s brothers did come and bow before him. “Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.” (Gen 42:6). Likewise, Jesus' brothers eventually did believe in Him and worship Him. Here is how James and Jude identified themselves in their epistles once they came to believe in Him:

“James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jas 1:1)

“Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James…to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:1, 25)

Consider Jacob’s attitude toward Joseph when he had his dreams. “[Joseph] related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, ‘What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?’ His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.” (Gen 37:10-11). Likewise, after Jesus' parents found Him in the temple, and He asked them why they didn't realize He had to be in His Father's house, Mary treasured these things in her heart. “And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:51)

The Blood
The male goat's blood on Joseph’s garment was a type of Christ’s blood. “So they took Joseph's tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood;” (Gen 37:31). That goat had to shed its blood and die for their sin. Likewise, Jesus had to shed His blood and die for our sin: "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith." (Ro 3:25a, NIV).

Ruler of All
Joseph ended up being ruler of all Egypt under Pharaoh, so he was exalted to Pharaoh’s right hand. "But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace." (Ac 7:9b-10, NIV)

Likewise, Jesus is now King of all kings ruling as Lord of all under the Father. He is exalted to the Father’s right hand. “And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’” (Rev 19:16). Elsewhere it says, "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.” (Acts 2:33). And again, “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name...” (Phil 2:9)

Savior
What Joseph’s brother’s meant for evil, God meant for good for the saving of many lives. “But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.’” (Gen 50:19-20)

Likewise, what they meant for evil when they crucified Jesus, God meant for good for the saving of many souls. "Everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (Jn 3:15-16, NIV).

Joseph saved Egypt from perishing in famine, but he also saved Gentiles from other nations that came to buy grain:

“God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.” (Gen 45:7)

“The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.” (Gen 41:57)

And of course, he saved the Hebrews from perishing, as it says in Scripture: “So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.” (Gen 42:5)

Likewise, Jesus is the Savior of all, both Jews and Gentiles. “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Rom 10:12-13)

Forgiveness
Joseph forgave his brothers. Jacob told Joseph's brothers what to say to him:

“‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.” And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.’ And Joseph wept when they spoke to him...Joseph said to them, 'Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?'...And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them." (Gen 50:17, 19a, 21, NIV).

Likewise, Jesus forgave those who crucified Him, and He forgives all who repent and believe in Him. “But Jesus was saying, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’” (Luke 23:34)

“Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:46-48)

Temptation
Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, who tried to seduce him into committing adultery. However, he did not sin, but maintained his integrity. “But he refused and said to his master's wife, ‘Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?"’ (Genesis 39:8-9). It was not just once that she tried to seduce Joseph but repeatedly. "And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her." (Ge 39:10, NIV).

Jesus was tempted by satan again and again, but He did not sin (Mt 4:1-11). “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15).

Falsely Accused
Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife. “Then she spoke to him with these words, ‘The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make sport of me; and as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.’” (Genesis 39:17-18)

Likewise, Jesus was falsely accused. “And they began to accuse Him, saying, ‘We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.’” (Luke 23:2)

Betrayal
The betrayal of Joseph by his own brothers for twenty pieces of silver was also a type of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, one of His own Twelve disciples, for thirty pieces of silver. “Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.” (Genesis 37:28)

Judas treated Jesus similarly: “Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?’ And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him.” (Matthew 26:14-15)

Resurrection
Jacob thought Joseph was dead all those years when he was in Egypt, and all his brothers even said to Joseph that one of their brothers (Joseph) was dead: “'We said to my lord, “We have an old father and a little child of his old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.”’” (Genesis 44:20).

But then they discovered he was actually alive and Jacob rejoiced. “They told him, saying, ‘Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.’ But he was stunned, for he did not believe them.” (Genesis 45:26).

This is a type of Christ’s death and resurrection on the third day. After Jesus died on the cross, "The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it." (Lk 23:55, NIV). And the two disciples met by Jesus on the Road to Emmaus mourned His death saying, "The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him." (Lk 24:20, NIV).

But then the angels met the women at the empty tomb saying, “'He has risen!'...When [the women] came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others....But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.” (Luke 24:9,11)

Concealed Identity
Joseph initially concealed his identity from his brothers when they came to him in Egypt. But later he revealed his identity to them. “Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.” (Genesis 45:3). And "On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family." (Ac 7:13, NIV)

Jesus initially concealed his identity from his disciples after His resurrection like Mary who thought He was the gardener, and the two on the road to Emmaus, whom He initially kept from recognizing Him by appearing in a different form, and then later opening their eyes to recognize Him.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, ‘Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’” (John 20:15).

“While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him...Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.” (Luke 24:15-16, 31)

Closing Words
In our study of Joseph as a type of Christ, we have seen the parallels between their lives in so many uncanny ways. They were both born miraculously, definitely called by God, tempted yet maintained their integrity, hated, and persecuted by those who were jealous of them and who tried to thwart them from fulfilling their divine callings. They were both taken down to Egypt, betrayed by someone close to them, and falsely accused. The blood of the goat that they put on Joseph's garment was a type of Jesus' blood shed for sinners. What others meant for evil for these two men, God meant for the saving of many lives.

They both became rulers of all, forgave those who persecuted and sought to kill them, concealed their identity from others before ultimately revealing themselves to them. And even finding Joseph still alive as ruler of all Egypt was a type of Christ's resurrection as King of kings and Lord of lords. Just as Joseph's own brothers didn't believe in him, but later came and bowed at his feet, so also Jesus' brothers didn't even believe in Him, but later served Him and worshiped Him as their Lord and Savior. Just as Joseph saw the sun, moon, and stars bowing down to him in a dream, the sun, moon, and stars also praise the Lord Jesus Christ.

Studying types of Christ like this can help us grow in our love and knowledge of the Lord. I trust this has helped to accomplish that very goal in your life as you have read this article. I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more articles on the types in the Bible.

Attribution notice: Most Scriptures where noted taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Other Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for commentary and educational purposes only.

Author's note:  Also see Adam as a Type of Christ, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ, and Hagar and Sarah as Types. You can access the Main Directory for Biblical Typology, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.