The deeper meaning of Jacob’s special love for Joseph was not revealed to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. Joseph’s tunic of many colors was like a prophetic message to them saying that one day he would serve and in a sense save people from many nations including them. Joseph was a type of Christ amidst his brother for through his life they would be saved.
Ask Jesus Christ to reveal Himself to you in the Bible. He is there. Luke 24:27 says, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Jesus Messiah is the theme of the entire Bible because only in Him is there redemption for Israel and for all people.
Joseph’s brothers hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. Perhaps each one asked himself, “Why can’t I be the one loved of my father more than my brothers?” The world cannot tolerate the fact God has One Beloved Son in whom all people must be saved. How can you say that Jesus is the only way to the Father? I say it because I believe in Him. In John 14:6, “Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 1:18 says of Jesus, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” The word for “declared” Him is the Greek word from which we draw the term for interpreting Scripture, which is to exegete. Jesus is the exegete of Scripture. He is it’s interpreter. We need Him to help us understand the Bible.
“Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. So he said to them, ‘Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed, your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.’ And his brothers said to him, ‘Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?’ So, they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.” Genesis 37:5-8
God gave Joseph prophetic dreams. As he told his brothers his dream he was prophesying to them. They felt toward Joseph what others felt toward Jesus in Luke 19:14, “We do not want this man to reign over us.” They were shortsighted. The Lord anointed Joseph to save them and their children from death and bring them into a rich inheritance. The reign of Christ saves believers in Him from eternal death and brings believers in Him into an eternal inheritance.
“Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, ‘Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.’ So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, ‘What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?’ And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.” Genesis 37:9-11
This passage speaks to those who would think to deify Mary or Joseph. They were the earthly parents of Jesus Christ, but they still needed to believe in Him just like every other sinner needs to do to be saved. Joseph’s father, Jacob, would need to come to Jospeh later in life to be saved from the famine that was ravaging the world at that time. God was using Joseph as a type of Christ in that era to teach people about faith in God.
“Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, ‘Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.’ So, he said to him, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said to him, ‘Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks and bring back word to me.’ So, he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.” Genesis 37:12-14
While Joseph’s brothers shepherded their flocks, the father of Joseph sent him to see how they were doing and report back to him. Here, Joseph serves as a mediator between the father and his children. 1 Timothy 2:5 says of Jesus Christ, “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” So, Joseph is a type of Christ in this way as well.
“Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, ‘What are you seeking?’ So he said, ‘I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.’ And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ So, Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.” Genesis 37:15-17
This passage expresses the humanity and humility of Joseph. Though he had an anointing on his life from God, he was not divine. He was human like you and me. At times, he needed to ask for help from others to accomplish his mission.
“Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. Then they said to another, ‘Look, this dreamer is coming! Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!” Genesis 37:18-20
Joseph’s brothers thought they could overthrow the plan of God for his life. Lamentations 3:36 says, “To subvert a man in his cause — the Lord does not approve.” The Pharisees got Jesus crucified, but they could not keep Jesus in His tomb. On the third day, He resurrected from the dead. Jesus has also ascended to the right hand of the Father, and from there He will return.
“But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, ‘Let us not kill him.’ And Reuben said to them, ‘Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit, which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him’—that he might deliver him out of their hands and bring him back to his father.” Genesis 37:21-22
Reuben, like the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, was Joseph’s stepbrother, but he did not want to see harm come to Joseph. He feigned agreement with them to get them to lessen their sentence against Joseph from death to imprisonment. Later, he would rescue Joseph.
“So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.” Genesis 37:23-24
They stripped Joseph of his garment and cast him into a pit to die. In a sense, the Gospel was being preached to Joseph’s brothers through his life. In the future, other descendants of these brothers would have Jesus stripped of His outer garment, crucified and placed in a cave of the earth... a tomb. Men stripping off the clothes of Joseph and of Jesus demonstrates what was in their hearts. They wanted to rob God’s servant Joseph and God’s Messiah Jesus of the royal positions that God had designated for them. Their victories were short-lived.
“And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. So Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.’ And his brothers listened. Then Midianite traders passed by; so, the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt. Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes. And he returned to his brothers and said, ‘The lad is no more; and I, where shall I go?’” Genesis 37:25-30
Joseph’s hateful brothers heeded Reuben’s advice, but while Reuben was gone, Judah advised them to sell Joseph to slave traders. This Judah’s betrayal prefigures another Judah’s betrayal.
Judas Iscariot, a disciple of Jesus, betrayed Jesus to the priests of Jerusalem for 30 pieces of silver. Jesus referred to His disciples as brothers. So, His “brother” sold Him for 30 pieces of silver. 30 pieces of silver was the going price of a slave. Old Testament Judah got silver for Joseph. New Testament Judas got silver for Jesus. Judas is the New Testament name for the Old Testament name Judah.
“So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, ‘We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?’ And he recognized it and said, ‘It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.’ Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, ‘For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.’ Thus, his father wept for him. Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.” Genesis 37:31-36
Joseph’s brothers dipped his tunic in the blood of a goat to make it appear that an animal had killed him. It is no coincidence that a goat was slain. Its blood symbolized Joseph. A goat is the closest related animal to a sheep. Jesus of Nazareth is the Lamb that was slain to take away the sins of the world.
Jacob mourns for Joseph for many days and refuses to be comforted. Revelation 1:7 says of Jesus, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”
Next, we have the story of God preserving the bloodline of Messiah.
“It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her. So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. And she conceived yet again and bore a son and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.” Genesis 38:1-5
After Judah’s betrayal of his brother Joseph for 20 pieces of silver, he marries a Canaanite woman. They have three sons together.
“Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him. And Judah said to Onan, ‘Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her and raise up an heir to your brother.’ But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the Lord; therefore, He killed him also.” Genesis 38:6-10
Judah loses two of his sons by Shua his wife. Both of these sons were considered wicked by the Lord to the degree that He killed them, meaning they went to their graves early due to the bad choices they made. Judah deprived his father Jacob of his son Joseph and God deprived Judah of two of his sons. Tamar, the woman that Judah acquired for Er his firstborn son, was now a widow and childless. She would have no inheritance in Israel unless she could have a son.
“Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, ‘Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown.’ For he said, ‘Lest he also die like his brothers.’ And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.” Genesis 38:11
God’s Law for Israel was that a brother needed to impregnate his sister-in-law if his brother, her husband, died childless. This was done to preserve his brother’s family line. Judah did not give Tamar, the widow, to his third son when he was of marrying age. He said, “Lest he also die like his brothers.” And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
“Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. And it was told Tamar, saying, ‘Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.’ So she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. Then he turned to her by the way, and said, ‘Please let me come in to you; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.’” Genesis 38:12-16
Judah lost his wife. His time of grieving had passed and he was busy shearing sheep. His daughter-in-law, Tamar, was still without a son to secure an inheritance for herself. She had a plan to resolve the problem. She posed as a prostitute. Would Judah bite on the bait? He did.
“So, she said, ‘What will you give me, that you may come in to me?’ And he said, ‘I will send a young goat from the flock.’ So. she said, ‘Will you give me a pledge till you send it?’ Then he said, ‘What pledge shall I give you?’ So, she said, ‘Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand.’ Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. So she arose and went away and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood. And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her. Then he asked the men of that place, saying, ‘Where is the harlot who was openly by the roadside?’ And they said, ‘There was no harlot in this place.’ So, he returned to Judah and said, I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place.’ Then Judah said, ‘Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; for I sent this young goat and you have not found her.’” Genesis 38:17-23
Judah offered Tamar a goat in exchange for intimacy with her. The brothers of Joseph used the blood of a goat to deceive their father about Joseph’s death. Tamar agreed to a goat as payment for her time of intimacy with Judah. He did not know she was his daughter-in-law.
The men of Timnah testified that there was no harlot in their town. This statement verifies that Tamar did not do for pay from other men what she did for Judah. She was only trying to preserve the inheritance that she should have from Judah’s family line. Little did she know that God’s plan for her was to be in a much greater family line, the family line of Messiah!
“And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, ‘Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot. Furthermore, she is with child by harlotry.’ So, Judah said, ‘Bring her out and let her be burned!’” Genesis 38:24
Judah had not kept his word to give his third son to Tamar. When he learned of Tamar’s moral failure, he did not advocate to spare her from justice. No grace! He was ready to let her burn.
“When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, ‘By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.’ And she said, ‘Please determine whose these are—the signet and cord, and staff.’ So Judah acknowledged them and said, ‘She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.’ And he never knew her again.” Genesis 38:25-26
Oh no! She had Judah’s signet ring, cord and staff. He was the father of the child. He confessed that she was a better person than he. The signet ring symbolized his authority. He signed contracts with it. He did not keep his contract with Tamar. The cord symbolized integrity, while the staff symbolized his power. Judah gave up all of these for a moment of pleasure. [1]
Judah had deceived his father into believing that Joseph had been slain by wild animals. He was in turn deceived by Tamar. Judah should not have betrayed Joseph or lied to his father.
“Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb. And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, ‘This one came out first.’ Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, ‘How did you break through? This breach be upon you!’ Therefore, his name was called Perez. Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah.” Genesis 38:27-30
Tamar gave birth to twins. Perez was counted as the firstborn based on his hand coming forth first before his brother’s body, but his brother, Zerah, had a scarlet thread tied to his hand. The scarlet thread symbolized the blood by which Zerah would be saved by a descendant of his brother’s genealogy, namely Jesus of Nazareth.
Tamar is one of five women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. “Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron…” Rahab [the former harlot], Ruth [the Moabite], the wife of Uriah [Bathsheba], and the virgin Mary are the other four. All five of these women experienced questions about their reputations, but God redeemed their lives and placed them in His Book and in the genealogy of His Son. See Matthew 1:3, 5-6, 16 for more details.
So, you see, it is important to look for Messiah, both for your eternal salvation, and for an accurate understanding of the Scriptures.
May our Heavenly Father bless you to always see His beloved Son, the Messiah, in the Scriptures. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.
[1] Google sources
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