ALL SCRIPTURES POINT TO JESUS (PART III)

-

“In Joseph We See God’s Redemptive Plan”

By Akin Ojumu

I’d probably be a multi-millionaire by now, if I saved up a dime every time I heard a preacher use the story of Joseph to sermonize on how people should have God-sized dreams and not share their dreams with people. Enough ink has been spilled to turn the Atlantic Ocean black in the number of books based on Joseph’s dreams that have been written to teach the importance of dreams, and the roles dream helpers and dream killers play in the actualization of dreams.

This commentary aims to redirect people back to the true essence of Scriptures. Using the story of Joseph as illustration, we hope to show the reader that Christ is the center of Scriptures. The Bible is an autobiographical compendium of the prophecies that spoke of His coming, the Gospels that tell us about His life, ministry, and death, resurrection, and ascension, and the Epistles that show us how to live to His glory.

A thorough exegetical study of the story of Joseph will quickly reveal that the connections between Joseph and Christ are limitless. In fact, no other Old Testament patriarch, with exception of David, is as linked to Christ as Joseph. 

Last time, we examined four of those connections. The focus of today’s commentary will be on two additional parallels between Joseph and Christ.

Connection 5
We read that Jacob made Joseph a coat of many colors, which is a sign of love, dignity and authority. Conversely, the risen Christ is seated around the throne in Heaven with a rainbow around it, and there was a mighty angel (universally understood to be Christ Jesus) with a rainbow over His head, a sign of Christ’s exalted position and authority.

Genesis 37:3
“Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.”

Revelations 4:2-3
“At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.”

Revelations 10:1
“Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.”

Connection 6
Joseph had two prophetic dreams about his future. In one of them, his brothers were bowing down to him. In the second dream, his father, mother, and brothers bowed down to him. Similarly, the Bible tells us the Magi bowed down to Jesus. Also, the enemies of Christ would be made a footstool for His feet and that every knee shall bow at the mention of His marvelous name.

Genesis 37:5-10
““…Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?”…Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?””

Matthew 2:11
“And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”

Hebrews 10:12-13
“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.”

Philippians 2:9-11
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

To those preachers who are in the habit of hijacking the story of Joseph to teach people to dream, you all need to remember that Joseph’s dreams were prophetic in nature. This was God revealing to Joseph in a dream His plan for him. 

In reality, Joseph’s dreams are types and shadows of God’s redemptive plan. These dreams are not a normative pattern we are to follow today. Joseph’s dreams are not meant to be used to teach Christians to also dream about their future. They are not for the purposes of misleading people into thinking they need to have big dreams. Those who teach such nonsense do irrevocable violence to Scriptures.

We’ll take it from here next time. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BECAUSE JOB DIDN’T TITHE, HIS LIFE BECAME TIGHT

-
Image
By Akin Ojumu Being the trust-but-verify guy that I am, while fact-checking a social media post by one of my High School friends, in which Bishop David Oyedepo was quoted to have linked the adversity of Job to his tithing habit, I was shocked, but not at all surprised, to find a 2019 video that did indeed confirm what my good friend shared.  In Bishop Oyedepo's telling, the real cause of Job's afflictions was his failure to pay tithes. According to him, God removed Job's divine security and allowed Satan to buffet him with calamity because the man was a habitual tithe defaulter. Because Job didn't tithe, his life became really tight. Here is the Bishop in his own words: “You can't see anywhere where Job tithed. So, his blessing was not secured. You can't find anywhere where Job tithed. No! He was overly committed to giving liberally to the poor and God was committed to bless him. But there was no security.” Just so it's absolutely clear. Bishop Oyedepo's...
Read more

GOD’S GENERALS DEMYSTIFIED (PART II)

-
Image
“Kathryn Kuhlman: Publicly Pious, Privately Perverse” By Akin Ojumu Considered to be a forerunner to the present-day charismatic movement, Kathryn Kuhlman was a rockstar who drew millions to her miracle crusades in her time. Even now, the Queen of faith healing continues to enjoy godlike status in many Christian cycles. Many modern-day charismatic preachers draw their inspiration from Kathryn Kuhlman, and not a few of them borrowed their techniques, styles, and mannerisms from her. As is the case with many charismatic preachers, Kathryn Kuhlman’s spirituality was performative theater characterized by public piety and private perversity. Not only were her teachings erroneous and based on flawed theology, but the woman also engaged in unsavory behaviors for which she never once publicly repented. Early in her career as a faith healer, Kathryn Kuhlman became entangled in a sordid relationship with a married evangelist by the name Burroughs Waltrip. It all started when the pair began to sh...
Read more

FACT CHECK: DID BOLA TINUBU CALL FOR REDUCTION OF NIGERIANS’ PURCHASING POWER?

-
Image
By Akin Ojumu  With respect to Bola Tinubu’s presidential aspiration, my position is pretty clear. Those who’ve been following my various commentaries on this issue know very well that I’m not a fan of Bola Tinubu and his unscrupulous campaign to become the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  My opposition to Bola Tinubu’s candidacy is visceral and intense. The man is a clear and present danger to the well-being of Nigeria, if he ever becomes president. BAT is an advanced metastatic cancer rapidly growing and spreading in the Nigeria polity. If the country must survive, this deadly cancer must be treated as all advanced cancers are treated; radical excision combined with several courses of radiotherapy and multiple cycles of chemotherapy cocktail in addition to the clearing of all associated lymph nodes. Now, there’s one thing I detest as much as Bola Tinubu’s presidential run, and that’s fake news. I cherish the truth, it’s the compass that guides us to safe s...
Read more