When we don’t understand the reason for the troubles we’re facing, there is great comfort in the story of Joseph. For many of us, his unwavering devotion to God through unjust persecution is a source of inspiration, and our trust in God is renewed by seeing the good He brought out of Joseph’s suffering. Even more, Joseph is ingrained in the history and identity of Israel for his role in saving his family so they could become the great nation God had promised they would be. But what if there is still more to glean from Joseph? As a savior of Israel, could he serve as a pattern and parallel of the Messiah Yeshua Himself? Let’s take a moment to recount Joseph’s story, and afterwards, we’ll compare it to Yeshua’s life. The patterns we discover will help us draw out a truth which both stories share: that God can work despite and even through Israel’s hatred of their God-given savior, and will eventually reconcile them to their deliverer.
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