Judah was preferred before Reuben, the elder son, of whom Jacob said, "Thou art my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power c." Reuben was set aside because he defiled his father's bed a. "Thus saith wine-press alone—their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment 9." When Jacob, then, said, "He washed his garments in wine and his clothes in the blood of grapes;" this part of his prophecy appears to have related to the second advent of Christ. "His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk 10" "It shall come to pass in that day," says Joel, "that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk"." This prophecy of Joel refers to the establishment of Christ's kingdom. Isaiah, inviting all persons to partake of "the waters" of salvation, adds, “Come buy wine and milk without price 12." When Jacob said, "Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass's colt to the choice vine;" as Judah was the "choice vine 13," the "pleasant plant,” and as Zechariah says, “Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, behold thy King cometh, riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass 14;" this part of Jacob's prophecy may have referred to Christ's entrance into Jerusalem, when he rode on an ass with a colt the foal of an ass 15. 9 Isaiah, Ixiii. 2, 3. 10 Gen. xlix. 12. "I Joel, iii. 18. 12 Isaiah, lv. 1. 13 Gen. xlix. 11. 14 Zech. ix. 9. 15 Matt. xxi. 5. c Gen. xlix. 3. d Gen. xlix. 4; xxxv. 2. the Lord, Israel is my son my first-borne;" "I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn;"" Israel is defiled;" they have dealt treacherously against the Lord, for they have begotten strange children." The setting aside Reuben, then, appears to have prefigured the casting aside Israel, and the taking away its kingdom. Joseph, whom Israel loved more than all his children, was cast into a pit from which he was afterward lifted. Christ, the beloved Son of GOD, descended into the pit', from which he was raised. Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver; Christ was sold for thirty pieces of silver. Joseph's coat was dipped in the blood of a kid P; the vesture of the Son of God was dipped in blood. The master of Joseph "made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his handTM; "the Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand." Joseph was tempted, yet he sinned not t;" Christ was tempted, but he repulsed the tempter". e Exod. iv. 22. f Jere. xxxi. 9. 8 Hosea, v. 3. h Hosea, v.7. i Gen. xxxvii. 3. * Matt. iii. 17. m Matt, xxviii. Acts, ii. 31, 32. Joseph was cast into prison upon false testimony, and the keeper of the prison committed all the prisoners into his hand**; false witnesses ap * Gen. xxxix. 14—23. * Among these prisoners, were "the chief butler" and "the chief baker" of Pharaoh'. And each of these two servants of Pharaoh "dreamed a dream"." "And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said unto him, In my dream behold a vine was before me; and in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes; and Pharaoh's was in cup hand; my and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup; and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days; yet within these three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head and restore thee to thy place, and thou shalt deliver the cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler 3." "In the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red, and he poureth out of the same 4; "this is "the cup of the Lord's right hands," it is the cup of the Lord's fury, the winecup of trembling 7; it contains" the wine of the wrath of GOD which is poured without mixture into the cup of His indignation." When "the clusters?" of the "ripe grapes 9" of the "vine of the earth 9" are pressed in "the great wine-press of the wrath of GOD 9," Christ is He that "treadeth the winepress 10" Christ, then, presses the grapes of the vine into "the cup of the Lord's right hand;" he was raised within 7 Isaiah, li. 17. Jere. xxv. 1 Gen. xl. 1—3. 2 Gen. xl. 5. 3 Gen. xl. 9-13. 4 Psalm lxxv. 8. 5 Habak. ii. 16. 15. 8 Rev. xiv. 10; xvi. 19. 9 Rev. xiv. 18-20. 10 Rev. xix. 13, 15. peared against Christ, and He, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit',' "went and preached unto the spirits in prison";" he was sent "to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness from the prison-house." Joseph was taken out of the prison, and was set by Pharaoh over his house and over all the land of Egypt, and he said to him, "Only in the throne will I be greater than thoub," and he made him to ride in the second chariot that he had; so Christ being raised from the prison-house of death, and being set by his Father over all His kingdom, is second to Him only, that sitteth upon the thronef. Pharaoh put his ring upon the hand of Joseph 5, and they cried before Joseph, Bow the knee1; Christ has the seal of the living God', and it is three days" from the prison-house, and was restored to his former place at GOD's right hand 12. But the chief baker of Pharaoh was hanged on a tree 13; Christ, who giveth the bread of life 14, was also hanged on a tree 15. 11 1 Cor. xv. 4. 12 Acts, vii. 55, 56. Rom. viii. 34. Eph. i. 20. Colos. iii. 1. * Matt. xxvi. 60. y 1 Peter, iii. 18. 2 1 Peter, iii. 19. Isaiah, xlii. 7. b Gen. xli. 14, 40, 41. c Gen. xli. 43. d Acts, ü, 24. 13 Gen. xl. 19, 22. 14 John, vi. 35, 51. e Matt. xxviii. 18. Eph. i. 20-22. f Rev. v. 13. ¡ Rev. vii. 2. 1 ordered that at his name 66 every knee should bowk." "Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh1;" Christ had been as many years upon earth in the flesh, when he entered on his ministry. Joseph gathered all the corn into storehouses m; Christ shall" gather his wheat into his garner"." Joseph opened all the storehouses," and fed the people, when "the famine waxed sore in the land";" they that come to Christ" shall never hunger," for he will give bread, " that a man may eat thereof, and not die." "Joseph bought all the land for Pharaoh';" Christ hath bought us, we are a purchased peoplet: "Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price"." When Joseph's brethren implored his forgiveness for their conduct towards him, he said, "Ye thought evil against me, but GOD meant it unto good, to bring to pass as at this day, to save much people alive";" so Christ forgave those who conspired to kill him: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." In condemning Christ |