39 Now Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian official of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him [a]from the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there. 2 And Yahweh was with Joseph, so he became a [b]successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3 Now his master saw that Yahweh was with him and how Yahweh caused all that he did to succeed in his hand. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and [c]attended on him; and he appointed him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he gave in his hand. 5 Now it happened that from the time he appointed him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, Yahweh blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the blessing of Yahweh was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. 6 So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s hand; and with him there he did not [d]concern himself with anything except the [e]food which he [f]ate.Scale model
A scale model is a physical model that is geometrically similar to an object. Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people. They are often employed in manufacturing and building in order to give a preview of a proposed project; a new model of a car, a proposed building, or even the layout of a city or neighborhood.
Statue of liberty had a scale model.
667 Madison Avenue, New York
This bronze reproduction was made in 2011 from the statue’s original plaster model in Paris. At one-sixteenth the original size, it’s found in front of a Manhattan office building.
Often, after a project is completed, the model are stored away, or are thrown away.
As we have been opening the Word of God each week around the series, “Firm Foundations; From Creation to Christ” we have been emphasizing that the center drama, or story in Scripture is Christ on the cross. His death, burial, and resurrection are the center point of all of Scripture. All that is before the cross are foreshadowings, prophecies, teachings and pictures of what will come. All that comes after Jesus death burial and resurrection point back to it as key to the whole message of the Bible.
And so that is really what we have been emphasizing in the story of Joseph in the Old Testament. Joseph is one of the most perfect scale models of the life of Christ. His life was a small version, preview of what was to come later on a much grander and much more powerful scale. We looked at some key points over the last two weeks.
I. His introduction
Joseph was a shepherd, and Jesus is called the Good Shepherd. Though Joseph was the second youngest son of his father Jacob, he was the favorite son of his father. And his father elevated him above his brethren, ultimately bestowing on him the mantle of family headship. Joseph was given dreams by God that his own family, and ultimately all the world would bow to him.
And in the mystery of the Godhead, Jesus, God the Son, is the beloved Son of God the Father who is ultimately given “a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow.”
Joseph also portrays Jesus in that he was righteous and obedient to his father. He can be trusted by his father to act on according to the father’s will. At an early point of the story, when he is 17, his father sends him to his brothers, who are shepherding the sheep near Shechem. Their father is inquiring after the brother’s safety, say Jacob sends his favorite son to seek them. And Joseph obeyed his father and went to his brethren.
Jesus, God the Son, was also sent to the children of Israel, and the world for their salvation. John 1:11a says
“11 He came to what was His [h]own,” and
Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son,
John 3:16 says that God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son.
But, Joseph and later Jesus was rejected by his brethren.
II. His Rejection
When his ten brothers saw him coming from far away, they recognized that multicolored coat. And they said, “here comes this dreamer.” We can imagine the conversation about him. “I can’t stand Joseph.” “Where does he come off lording it over us?” “How dare our father elevate him up in authority over us.” They were jealous and they resented his position, and the nobility with which him held it. Eventually they were convinced by one of the brother’s Judah, to sell him to some Gentle traders as a slave for 20 pieces of silver.
Jesus was sold by His own Judas, for 30 pieces of silver. And the Jewish authorities of His day, handed Jesus over to the Gentiles.
III. His enslavement
Joseph was, no doubt, bound, then brought to a slave market in Egypt where he was purchased by an influential man named Potiphar. Joseph went from an exalted position in his father’s house, to the lowest position in the house of Pharaoh’s chief bodyguard or executioner. Here was a man who did not carry a sword in vain. He was there to exact immediate punishment and justice if anyone got out of line in the court of Pharaoh. And now Joseph was his slave. Joseph was brought into the house of an idolator.
Jesus, who Joseph modeled, left the splendor of heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father, to come down to the comparative squalor of this earth. And he did not come down to the house of a king, or even a rich man. He was born to a poor family, in a back water town. And as the book of Hebrews puts it, “He learned obedience” to the father.
IV. His faithfulness
But Joseph, even as a slave, proved his worth. He was faithful to whatever master he found himself serving. He was the perfect picture of what Paul would say later to those who were slaves.
Ephesians 6: 5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your [a]masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the [b]integrity of your heart, as to Christ; 6 not [c]by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the [d]heart, 7 serving with good will as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.
Whether in his father’s house, the house of Potiphar, the jailhouse, or the house of Pharaoh, he was faithful. And his employers recognized not only his faithfulness to the task, but to his God. And they noticed that God’s favor rested on him. So, they eventually entrust him with the run of the entire house.
And if we consider Joseph faithful, we know that Jesus was. When Jesus cried out “It is finished” from the cross, He was stating that He had completed every work that the Father had sent Him to do. In Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before the cross, He said this…
John 17:4 4 I glorified You on the earth, [b]having finished the work which You have given Me to do.
V. His temptation
Joseph was also the scale model of Jesus’ life when he was tempted. He ends up being in charge of Potiphar’s entire household. Potiphar would have been a very rich and powerful man in the Egypt of his day. That means he would have owned land, farms, cattle, multiple slaves to manage the property, and multiple slaves to feed and maintain the whole works. Joseph was put in charge of it all, to ensure that it ran smoothly. How long was Joseph in Potiphar’s house before he was elevated to being over the whole house? We don’t know. There is a Jewish extra-biblical text, the book of Jasher that says that he was only in Potiphar’s house for one year. That’s possible, but we don’t know.
Apparently, Joseph, was a good-looking young man. And Potiphar’s wife, a member of the idle and bored rich, looked on him with sexual desire. She began to daily speak to him, enticing him to yield to his flesh, and sleep with her.
He refused. He reasoned with her that this would not only be a sin against his master, but against God. Like David would later say to God, when he succumbed to temptation by committing adultery with Bathsheba,
“against You, and You only have I sinned.”
But Potiphar’s wife kept after him. Until finally one day she caught him in the house when no one else was around. “Lie with me” she said. She could have said, “No one is in the house.” “No one will know.” But Joseph had such integrity, that he fled from her.
Jesus was also tempted and refused to bend to that temptation. Not only was He tempted for forty days in the wilderness, but He was tempted in every way that we are tempted. And His final temptation was to refuse to go to the cross to bear the sin of humanity. This is what he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.Matthew 26:38-40 Legacy Standard Bible
38 Then He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” 39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Today, we take up the story with His imprisonment.
VI. His imprisonment
When Joseph had rejected and fled from Potiphar’s wife this time, she was enraged. Her desire for him turned to a desire for vengeance. When he fled, she had pulled his cloak off of him. She immediately schemes to get her revenge. She screams out to any of the servants who may be nearby. When she has a sufficient audience, she tells them that Joseph, this Hebrew that her husband unjustly set over all the servants, was playing them all for fools. She accuses him of trying to rape her. But she screamed and he ran away. She undoubtedly repeats the story to every new ear that comes along, until finally she tells the rehearsed story to her husband, the chief bodyguard of Pharaoh.
He, in his rage, throws Joseph into jail for attempted rape. And it should be noted that the prison where he was placed was where the king’s prisoners were bound. This detail will play a part as the story unfolds.
19 Now it happened that when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “[p]This is what your slave did to me,” his anger burned. 20 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.
You might also note that Potiphar would have been the one who was ultimately in charge of this prison.
40 Now it happened that after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. 3 So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned. 4 And the captain of the bodyguard appointed Joseph as overseer over them, and he [a]attended to them; and they were in confinement for [b]some time.
Two things. The prison is called the “house of the captain of the bodyguard.” It is likely that the jail was attached to Potiphar’s house. Potiphar is the captain of the bodyguard. So, Potiphar had an immediate means of getting Joseph out of his house; the jail attached to his house. Which leads us back to the idea that though Potiphar was initially enraged when his wife told him that Joseph tried to rape her, he later, likely began to doubt his wife. He could have had Joseph executed, or executed him himself. But, Joseph had proven himself faithful in the past, and I think Potiphar probably came to believe Joseph was innocent. Why do I believe he came to think that Joseph was innocent? Because of those last three verses.
2 And Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. 3 So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned. 4 And the captain of the bodyguard appointed Joseph as overseer over them, and he [a]attended to them; and they were in confinement for [b]some time.
Later, when the chief baker and butler are put in Potiphar’s jail, who does he put in charge of these two prisoners? Joseph
Well, if he thought he was innocent, why did he throw him in jail? Because if he didn’t incarcerate him he was left with a slave in his household accused of attempted rape. And, as far as his reputation was concerned that means only one of two things; either Joseph was guilty, and Potiphar wouldn’t punish him, or Joseph was innocent, and Potiphar’s own wife had attempted to seduce his slave. Neither of those two scenarios painted Potiphar in a good light.
Now, in what kind of circumstances would Joseph have found himself?
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/39-20.htm
“Joseph’s relations to jailer and fellow-prisoners are beautiful and instructive. The former is called ‘the keeper of the prison,’ and is evidently Potiphar’s deputy, in more immediate charge of the prison. Of course, the great man had an underling to do the work, and probably that underling was not chosen for sweetness of temper or facile leniency to his charges. But he fell under the charm of Joseph’s character-all the more readily, perhaps, because his occupation had not brought many good men to his knowledge. This jewel would flash all the more brightly for the dark background of criminals, and the jailer would wonder at a type of character so unlike what he was accustomed to. Eastern prisons to-day present a curious mixture of cruelty and companionship. The jailers are on intimate terms with prisoners, and yet are ready to torture them. There is no discipline, nor any rules, nor inspection. The jailer does as he likes. So it seems to have been in Egypt, and there would be nothing unnatural in making a prisoner jailer of the rest, and leaving everything in his hands. The ‘keeper of the prison’ was lazy, like most of us, and very glad to shift duties on to any capable shoulders.”
Though Joseph ends up in a place of some relative freedom of movement and responsibility, we shouldn’t diminish how difficult and painful this prison was for Joseph. Psalm 105:16-19 describes Joseph’s imprisonment this way.
16 And
He called for a famine upon the land; He broke the whole staff of
bread. 17 He sent a man before them,
Joseph, who was sold
as a slave. 18 They afflicted his feet with
fetters, [c]He
himself was laid in irons; 19 Until the time that
his word came to pass, The word of Yahweh refined him.
He was bound with fetters and irons. He may have been free to do the duties in the jail that were laid on him, but he could not escape. He was confined to a dark and dank building, with all the foulness that a jail of that time would afford. No plumbing, no light, no heat in the cold, or cool in the heat.
How long was he in prison? Again, we don’t know. He was 17 when he was sold into slavery by his brothers. He was 30 when he was brought up to the house of Pharaoh. So, if we believe the book of Jasher, he would be in Potiphar’s house for one year, then 12 years in prison. His imprisonment was, at a very minimum, 2 years as we’ll see in a moment.
But remember that Joseph is a scale model of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus to was imprisoned. At his arrest he was bound and led to several successive trials.
The night of Jesus’ arrest, He was brought before Annas, Caiaphas, and an assembly of religious leaders called the Sanhedrin (John 18:19-24; Matthew 26:57). After this He was taken before Pilate, the Roman Governor (John 18:28), sent off to Herod (Luke 23:7), and returned to Pilate (Luke 23:11-12), who finally sentenced Him to death.
He was mocked, beaten, spit on, killed, then finally imprisoned in the tomb. But even before that we have to consider that He was essentially imprisoned when He came to this earth. We read this passage last week.
Philippians 2: 5 Have this way of thinking [d]in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing [e]to be grasped, 7 but [f]emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men.
Think about it. Before coming to this world, He existed in the form of God. He is God. God has not limits. He is not limited by time, or space, or power, or knowledge. But when God the Son took on the form of a man, in order to be our perfect high priest, He wanted to be tempted and tested in every way that we are tempted and tested. That means He had to “empty Himself” of the privileges of His Godness. He imprisoned Himself in a human body; limited by time, space, knowledge, and power.
Just think about that in terms of space. He went from infinite space, to this much. He went from all power, the power to lift the globe, to being able to lift 100-200 pounds. Now, so that you understand. He did it through obedience. He could have called all of that Godness back to Himself at any moment. “He could have called 10,000 angels.”
He was imprisoned for us.
VII. His ascendance
Well now we finally come to the story that we read for our Scripture reading.
40 Now it happened that after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. 3 So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned. 4 And the captain of the bodyguard appointed Joseph as overseer over them, and he [a]attended to them; and they were in confinement for [b]some time.
So, this story is the beginning of the next way that Joseph was a scale model for the life of Christ. Joseph would go from the prison to the right hand of Pharaoh in one day. Jesus went from the tomb to the right hand of the Father in just one day.
So, how was Joseph raised to the right hand of the sovereign? He has been in prison for years, how many we don’t know. But it is enough time for the chief jailor to see him as everyone who has become acquainted with Joseph sees him; he is trustworthy, hardworking, and loyal. And, it seems that everything he puts his hand to prospers. He has the Midas touch. Everything he touches turns to gold. So, they perceive that that has to do with the God he serves. So, the jailor decides that he can delegate much of his responsibility of prisoner care and responsibility to Joseph.
So, it happens that two very high officials get thrown into the prison and Potiphar himself commands that Joseph watch over them. They are the chief butler, or cup bearer, and chief baker. Now these don’t seem like that important of positions to us. But the chief butler, or cupbearer was in charge of bringing wine to the Pharaoh, and in charge of his wine cellar, and vineyard. In other words, he was in charge of the whole process of getting wine to Pharaoh. And the chief baker was in charge of the whole process of taking the grain, making bread, and getting it to the Pharaoh.
So, they not only had to have necessary knowledge, they also had to be trustworthy. And, they were also influential because they were in to see the Pharaoh potentially every day.
Well, why did they get thrown in jail? Well, one extra-biblical source says that someone tried to poison the Pharaoh. We don’t know this. But it would be easy to imagine that if the Pharaoh got sick after a meal, that suspicions might immediately fall on the ones who bring you your food and drink.
Regardless of the reason for their incarceration, there they are. And Joseph is appointed as their caretaker. And I want you to notice what great care he takes of them.
5 Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in jail, both had a dream the same night, each man with his own dream and each dream with its own interpretation. 6 Now Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them, and behold, they were dejected. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in confinement in his master’s house, saying, “Why are your faces so sad today?”
Joseph notices that they are dejected. That is marvelous to me. Why? Because they are all in jail. What else would you expect a man to be in jail but dejected? You would expect Joseph to be dejected as well. He’s been there for some time now. It takes quite a person to look beyond their own great troubles and see the troubles of others, and to sympathize with them. And Joseph is like our Lord in this. The Bible says,
Hebrews 4:14-16 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us take hold of our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things like we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
So, Joseph is maybe bringing them breakfast. They have just awakened from a night of restless sleep, because each of them has had a vivid dream. Now, the dreams were disturbing enough to each man, but I’m sure it was more disturbing when they told each other their dreams. The dreams parallel each other. The butler, 3 branches of clusters of grapes, and serving Pharaoh from the grapes. The baker, 3 baskets of bread for Pharaoh, birds eating out of the top basket. Not only did that society put more stock in dreams than we typically do, but the fact that they both dreamed similar dreams in one night gave them the sense that this meant something. I’m just going to read this part to you with little elaboration.
7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in confinement in his master’s house, saying, “Why are your faces so sad today?” 8 Then they said to him, “We have [c]had a dream, and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Recount it to me, please.”
9 So the chief cupbearer recounted his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream, [d]behold, there was a vine in front of me; 10 and on the vine were three branches. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out, and its clusters produced ripe grapes. 11 Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh’s [e]hand.” 12 Then Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; 13 within three more days Pharaoh will [f]lift up your head and restore you to your [g]office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer.
To summarize, Joseph tells him that the dream means that in three days he will be restored to his former position. But then Joseph adds this.
14 Only remember me when it goes well with you, and please show me lovingkindness by remembering me to Pharaoh and getting me out of this house. 15 For I was in fact stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the pit.”
And I’m sure the man promised that he would remember Joseph.
16 And the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, so he said to Joseph, “I also saw in my dream, and behold, there were three baskets of white bread on my head; 17 and in the top basket there were some of all [h]sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” 18 Then Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; 19 within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head off of you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off of you.”
This dream’s meaning was not so good. It could be that while they were in prison there had been an investigation, and that someone had indeed tried to poison the Pharaoh, and maybe it was the chief baker.
And everything happens just as Joseph interpreted it. The butler was restored, and the baker hung. But sadly for Joseph the butler forgot about Joseph.
41 Now it happened at the end of two full years (two more years for Joseph in prison) that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. 2 And behold, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and [a]fat; and they grazed in the reeds. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, [b]ugly and [c]thin, and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 And the ugly and [d]thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. 5 He again fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. 6 And behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 8 Now it happened that in the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the [e]magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh recounted to them his dream, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
Jesus arose from the grave to the right hand of God (Ephesians 1:20).