ALL SCRIPTURES POINT TO JESUS (PART VIII)

-

“Joseph and Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness”

By Akin Ojumu

Repeatedly in this commentary series, the point has been stressed that the entire Scriptures are about Christ. For the most part, stories, events, and characters in the Old Testament are simply types and shadows that point people to future events that would culminate in the Person and life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Earlier in the commentary, we did allude to the fact that of all the Old Testament patriarchs, the man Joseph is one whose life, by far, most parallels that of Christ. When you take a bird’s eye view of Joseph’s life story, what you see is a beloved son who basked in the glory and splendor of his father, lived a cherished and sheltered life, whose life was subsequently upended when he was sold as a slave to a foreign land where false witness was brought against him that landed him in prison, but who later on experienced a change in fortune when he was restored to glory, exalted to the second highest office in the land, and made to sit at the right hand of the king.

In so many ways, this high-level summary of Joseph’s life has an uncanny parallel to that of Christ. The Lord Jesus laid down His glory, took on the form of a slave, endured hate and persecution, suffered shame, humiliation, and death, rose again from the dead, ascended to Heaven, and then restored back to glory, and made to sit at the right hand of the Father in Majesty.

These similarities are the subject of this commentary series. There are so many dots to connect, it’s virtually impossible to connect them all in one commentary series. The readers are encouraged to, on their own, dig into Joseph’s story and connect the dots we might have missed. 

Last time, we stopped at Connection 20 which is the parallel between Joseph’s death (as believed by his father) and the Lord Jesus dying on the Cross. Today, we’ll take it from there.

Connection 21
Even as an ordinary slave in Egypt, Joseph was highly favored. He was full of wisdom and successful in all he did. Everything Joseph blossomed. In similar fashion, Jesus grew up full of wisdom and stature. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
 
Genesis 39:2-6
“The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.”

Luke 2:40-52
“And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him…And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”

Acts 10:38
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

Connection 22
At his weakest moment, while he was far away from home and alone as a slave in Egypt, Joseph resisted the temptation of his master Potiphar’s wife who wanted him to sleep with her. Joseph refused to fall for Satan’s deception, even when no one was looking.

Similarly, when Christ was at His weakest moment, being alone in the wilderness (i.e., symbolic of Egypt) hungry, having been fasting for forty days and forty nights, He resisted the temptations of Satan who wanted Jesus to rebel against God. Even when no one was looking, the Lord Jesus refused to fall for the lies of Satan.

Genesis 39:7-10
“And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.”

Matthew 4:1-11
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God…”””

Stay tuned for more.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

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

HEZEKIAH AND JOSIAH: A CONTRAST IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S ANGER

-
Image
By Akin Ojumu This commentary is an exchange I had with a good friend of mine who was puzzled by Hezekiah’s callous response to the prophecy of destruction that was going to come upon his people and asked what I thought about it. My Friend’s Concern: The response of King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:19 puzzles me greatly. How does a father think this way? I tried to contrast it with Josiah's response in 2 Kings 22:19-20 and 2 Kings 23. Josiah was promised a quiet death, yet he still acted! What made the difference? What’s the lesson here for me? My Own Response: Your perplexity is not misplaced. It’s absolutely in order to find disquieting, the response of King Hezekiah to the terrible things that was going to happen to his offspring and his nation in the future. I share your dismay. Below are my two cents on these two kings of Judah and the issues you’ve raised. Beyond being of the lineage of David and kings of Judah, Hezekiah and Josiah, his great grandson, have a lot of things in comm...
Read more