From: harwood@umiacs.umd.edu (David Harwood)
Newsgroups: alt.messianic
Subject: the story of Joseph (was Re: suffering lately?)
Date: 8 Jan 93 13:59:10 GMT
Organization: UMIACS, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742

In article <930107120805.2e002bb5@ASTRO.CS.HH.AB.COM>  writes:
>
> The account of Joseph in Genesis 39-42 is a great one for Believers in
> Yeshua. The life of Joseph reminds us of a biblical principle that applies
> to those who are willing to follow Yeshua. That principal is that when we do
> right (like believe in Yeshua) and when we obey God, the situation in which
> we find ourselves may look like we didn't do right. But if we are patient
> and wait on the Lord, He will show that we have acted righteously.
>
> To the observer of Joseph, it would seem as though he was a sinner. He was
> treated badly by his brothers, and sold into slavery. He found himself in
> Egypt, away from all that was familiar to him, as a slave. Scripture tells
> us what the reality is though, "God was with Joseph."

\\\\\\
The story of Joseph was of special significance for both ancient Christians
and Jews. Joseph was was specially blessed by Jacob, among his brothers,
and long with Judah, also blessed by Jacob, was subject of ancient Messianic
traditions (leading to speculations about two Messiahs, or two appearances
of a Messiah; by the way, I note another dual appearance - Moses came down
twice from the presence of God, to give the Torah; the the first time he was
made to suffer because of sins of the people; the second time he came down,
appearing to be shining with God's glory. Also, you find this interpretation
given in some Rabbinical literature to the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 52-3,
Joseph who suffered because of his brothers' sin and rejection, being
vindicated and exalted by God.)

Anyway, among extra-Biblical Christian writings of the first two centuries
is a story likening Jesus to Joseph. (cf Charlesworth (ed), _Old Testament
Pseudepigrapha (2 vol. scholarly collection of intertestamental writings;
including I Enoch (cited in the NT), 3 Enoch so-called -influential in
Jewish mystical tradition, and the Odes of Solomon -semi-gnostic Jewish
Christian writings, comparable to John, as well as primitive legends about
an 'anti-Christ' (a Jewish false Messiah, not a Roman emporer, not a
Gentile leader at all, as per popular uninformed speculation; the fear
among ancient Jewish Christians was that a false Jewish Messiah would
revive the (recently) destroyed Israel/Temple cult, misleading the people
with miraculous powers such as attributed to Jesus, and persecute the 
Christians, as an opponent of Jesus. There are several fragments of such
legends. Anyway, enough of this remark.)

In the ancient story of Joseph (and Aseneth), Joseph like Moses is
said to appear shining with God's glory, riding upon his chariot (a frequent
Biblical figure of speech, of God's power (or motive force or governance)
in the world- like a king riding upon his chariot, accompanied by his
armies. So God is said to "ride" upon His chariot, like the clouds of
heaven, accompanied by his "Armies" (angelic "hosts"); the NT says that
Jesus is accompanied also by these hosts, as he appears with God's glory.
(The most famous Biblical passages employing this figure are in Ezekiel
(ch 1 - "the Rider of teh Chariot, with an appearance, part human and
part glorious), Daniel's interpretation of this as the "son of man"
(the Messiah and "Son of God", according to the great medieval rabbi
Nachmanides), and of the Psalms, among other passages, such as the
Song of Moses.)

In the conclusion of Genesis, we read a famous promise of Jewish
tradition: when Joseph is reconciled with his brothers, although he
remains a great leader among the Gentiles, he tells them to be sure
to recover "his bones" and bring them back to his homeland, when God
"remembers" them and before the Exodus, they return home. And so at
last they do return his bones to his home, from which he was exiled.
(I like this because I notive that Hebrew words are similar in form
to "bones" - and after somone dies we are left, not only with their
bones, but with their "words.")

This is my last posting. (I have too many things to do.)
D.H.