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Genesis 37:1-36 - Brotherly Hate - Part 3
- Read part one here
- Read part two here
Let’s continue with the text, and now it’s going to get very interesting picking it up in vs. 12.
Vs. 12-14 - “Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”
“Very well,” he replied.
14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.
When Joseph arrived at Shechem...”
Hebron! Here is where we begin seeing an incredible picture of the Gospel! We begin to see yet another fascinating foreshadowing of Christ beginning to develop. Here we have the FAVORED son, the beloved son, and he’s what? DWELLING with the father. Where is he dwelling with the father? Vs. 14, “Hebron!”
Now Hebron in the Hebrew means “fellowship.” Here’s how this picture is starting. The father is dwelling with the son in fellowship. And vs. 14 tells us what? That he is concerned with the WELFARE of his brothers, and the WELFARE of the flock. So the FATHER is concerned about the welfare of the brothers, concerned about the welfare of the flock and sends the son with a positive word.
“Hey, your father wants to see that all is well with you. He wants to know how you are doing, so he has sent me.”
In like manner, we have Jesus Christ in fellowship with the Father, and He was being sent by the Father unto his brothers, the Jews, to shepherd the flock and bring them the positive word of the Gospel.
This is great stuff! Where are the brothers in this picture? We’re told they are in Shechem. Now Shechem in the Hebrew means: “The place of burdens.” And specifically this Hebrew word refers to the part of the back between the shoulder blades that is to support heavy weight. Get a hold of this... So, here’s Joseph, a type of Christ dwelling with his father in fellowship, being sent to his brothers in the place of burdens in order that he might express their father’s concern for their condition. EVEN AS Jesus Christ was sent from the fellowship of the Father to the place of burdens to carry the exceedingly heavy weight of the sins of His brothers! Awesome!!!
And it gets even better picking it up in vs. 15. Now notice this, a man found him, there’s no name given here, he’s not identified. Mark that well...
Vs. 15-17 - “When Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”
“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.”
What do we know about the Holy Spirit? That the Holy Spirit (John 16:13-14) comes not concerning Himself, the H.S. does not testify of Himself, but points to, elevates, glorifies, Jesus Christ. So the H.S. never speaks of Himself, never draws attention to Himself, never shines the light upon Himself.
Notice here the father has sent the son, and now here comes this unnamed man, no attention drawn to who it is, and this unnamed man finds Joseph and gives Joseph guidance.
And so the picture developing continues to fascinate! You’ve got the father sending the son who is helped by this picture of the H.S., and then Joseph goes and finds his brothers in Dothan.
The hits just keep on coming! Get this, “Dothan,” where he finds his brothers, means “laws and customs.” Now, where did Jesus find His brothers, the Jews? He found His Jewish brothers taking the traditions and the customs of men and teaching them as though they were the laws of God. You know the story. These guys had taken the 10 commandments and had somehow morphed them into 613 rules and regulations in the Mishnah. The Pharisees just hung around the necks of people this unbearable burden.
So the Father sends the Son to find the troubled brothers. He finds guidance from one that no attention is drawn and finds his brothers in a place of unbearable burden. This is the Gospel! This is the scarlet thread of the Gospel being woven throughout this narrative in fantastic fashion! And what happened when Jesus came to the Jews? They conspired to kill Him. (Matt. 12:14; Mark 3:6).
Join us next week as we continue with this text.
Blessings to you all.
Last Update: Aug 09, 2021 8:41 am CDT
