A Suffering Servant and Type of Christ

“And the LORD was with Joseph…” —Genesis 39:2

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” —Isaiah 53:3

One of the more well-known titles for the Lord Jesus Christ is “Messiah, Son of David.” Certainly, Jesus is the King of Israel in fulfillment of that prophecy. Yet, the Jews also had another name for God’s Christ: “Messiah, Son of Joseph,” a reference to the suffering servant of Genesis 37 and Isaiah 53. Joseph, the son of Jacob was, indeed, a suffering servant of God Almighty; however, his life was a prophetic foreshadow of the Christ to come.

JOSEPH’S LIFE: One Fraught with Sorrow

a. Joseph lost his mother during the birth of his younger brother (Gen 35:18-19).

b. Jacob’s special favor upon Joseph (Gen 37:3) only made Joseph’s brothers hate him all the more (Gen 37:4).

c. Joseph’s brothers conspired to kill him (Gen 37:18).

d. Joseph was sold into bondage by his brothers (Gen 37:28).

e. In the house of Potiphar, Joseph was constantly tempted by a seductress (Gen 39:7).

f. Joseph was imprisoned through lies (Gen 39:12-20).

g. Joseph received only empty promises from those he helped (Gen 40:14, 

23).  Continue at Jon J. Cardwell

See Also: Nine Good Purposes in Our Suffering

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