Tehillah Generation Chapel
Daily Manna | Wednesday, August 1, 2018 | Topic: Conscience 86
Scripture: And when they saw Joseph afar off, even before he came near to them, they conspired against him to slay him. Genesis 37:18
Note: There are many characters in the Old Testament that typified the life of Christ, a reflection that foreshadowed the life of Jesus. The life of Joseph was one that presented many striking similarities with that of Jesus Christ. Both Joseph and Jesus were the firstborn of their mothers. After going through a period of barrenness, God remembered Rachel, listened to her and opened her womb, taking away her reproach with the birth of Joseph (Gen 30:22-24). Jesus was birthed through the virgin Mary by the determinate counsel of God through the power of the Holy Spirit, without Mary ever having known a man, not even her betrothed Joseph, her husband to be.
Both Joseph and Jesus were birthed through the miraculous intervention of the power of God. Their incredible birth stories left no one in doubt that it could only have been possible through the power of God. Their births give hope to many desperate woman looking to overcome the reproach of childlessness and hoping for a miracle of childbirth through the power of God. For God is still in the business of curing barrenness and in the special case of Mary, making what’s scientifically impossible possible. For there’s nothing that’s impossible with God. For with God, all things are possible to them that believe (Mark 9:23).
Both Joseph and Jesus were birthed by mothers who were greatly loved and highly favoured among women. Rachel, Joseph’s mum, was one of four wives that Jacob had. Yet, it was an open secret that Rachel was greatly loved by Jacob, having laboured an extra 7 years for her bride price, after initially getting deceived by Laban and saddled with Leah as his wife instead of Rachel. Many expectant, virgin women in Israel at the time of Jesus, were living in great expectation of being the chosen of God to birth the Messiah. Mary was therefore considered highly favoured and blessed to have been chosen by God. In Luke 1:28, And the angel came in to Mary, and said to her, “Hail, you are highly favoured, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women.”
This prophetic declaration and testimony of the angel attested to the choice of Mary among the women of Israel for the birth of this special child, whose kingdom would span over the whole world and of whose rule there shall be no end. Rachel was the favourite wife of Jacob who was greatly loved. Out of this union, a special child in Joseph was born. Joseph’s dreams only succeeded in courting the hatred of his brothers. Surviving a death scare, he was stolen and sold into slavery by his brothers, knowing that those annoying dreams of his were impossible to come to pass in slavery. Inspite of his tortuous journeys into hardships, Joseph rose out of condemned cells to become the Prime Minister of Egypt, with the whole world depending on him for survival. What Joseph’s brothers hated and feared most came to pass when they had to bowed down to him in Egypt for their survival.
Food for thought: Both Joseph and Jesus ruled over the house of Jacob even though both of them were rejected by the sons of Israel.
Declaration: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Luke 1:33
©Author: Rev Fred Aboe
