“And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father.”
For the time being, God’s place for His people was to continue in Goshen — not in Canaan, the land of ultimate promise. As Canaan speaks, typically, of the land where Israel will eventually find its full place in God’s counsels, so Goshen speaks of an intermediate point in its history in which God has a place of refuge where all who are of Israel’s lineage may turn and find blessing, together with the Gentiles, in the “Saviour of the world.”
Jacob and his family had experienced the devastating famine in their own land, a picture of Israel in Old Testament times, getting farther and farther from God and bringing upon themselves spiritual famine when cut off from the blessing of God for a season. At the close of that part of their history, the Messiah of Israel came to them, as foretold by their prophets, but they said: “Away with Him; we will not have this Man to reign over us.” They cast Him out, just as Joseph’s brothers had done to him long before. In rejecting Jesus as the Son of God, they put themselves nationally outside the sphere of God’s blessing and forfeited all claims to such until the time when in His grace He will restore them again to their land, a chastised and repentant people.
As the true Joseph cast out, the Lord Jesus now proves to be their only hope of salvation — yet it is in the place where He is dispensing blessing to the Gentiles that He is to be found. This is seen, in type in the sons of Jacob turning to the Gentile land to find their Joseph, to bow before him, to acknowledge him, to confess their sins, and then to prove his love and goodness.
A Jew now who feels the burden of his sins, confesses them and owns the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and the atoning value of His work on Calvary, must do so in exactly the same manner as a Gentile. In the Church, composed of all true believers, this distinction between Jew and Gentile is removed. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free.” 1 Corinthians 12:1313For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13). Again, “But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometime were far off (Gentiles) are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who hath made both one (Jew and Gentile), and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” Ephesians 2:13,1413But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; (Ephesians 2:13‑14).
To add beauty to the types of Christ found in Joseph he is here seen returning with all his brethren to Egypt and Goshen. Although his own heart’s longing was toward Canaan, the time had not yet come to return to that land. Meanwhile he will delight to show them his favor in the midst of Gentile surroundings.
ML 03/03/1968