Bridal Love

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

June 6, 2011


 *JOSEPH UPDATE - BRIDAL LOVE - JUNE 3, 2011*


 *1. Genesis 49:22-26 (49:1-27) BRIDAL LOVE: FOUNDATION LAID. “Joseph is a
fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a fountain; His branches run over the
wall. 23 The archers have sorely grieved him, And shot at him, and
persecuted him: 24 But his bow abode in strength, And the arms of his hands
were made strong, By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From thence is
the shepherd, the stone of Israel), 25 Even by the God of your father, who
shall help you, And by the Almighty, who shall bless you, With blessings of
heaven above, Blessings of the deep that couches beneath, Blessings of the
breasts, and of the womb. 26 The blessings of your father Have prevailed
above the blessings of my progenitors Unto the utmost bound of the
everlasting hills: They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of
the head of him that was separate from his brethren” (ASV '01). *This is a
remarkable prophecy! It is the same length as that which the Holy Spirit led
Jacob to speak over Judah. This is no mistake. To study the history of
Israel in the light of Judah and Joseph, is to see the importance of these
two prophetic foundations.* **Hallowed be your :name!*


 *2. Deuteronomy 33:13-17 (33:1-29) BRIDAL LOVE: MIXED IN WITH MESSIAH TO
COME. “And of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be his land, For the
precious things of heaven, for the dew, And for the deep that couches
beneath, 14 And for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, And for
the precious things of the growth of the months, 15 and for the chief things
of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the everlasting
hills, 16 And for the precious things of the earth and its fullness, And the
good will of him that dwelt in the bush. Let the blessing come upon the head
of Joseph, And upon the crown of the head of him that was separate from his
brethren. 17 The firstling of his herd, majesty is his; And his horns are
the horns of the wild-ox: With them he shall push the peoples all of them, even
the ends of the earth: And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they
are the thousands of Manasseh.” **This* is the Word of God through Moses for
Joseph! *What* a word! But we can understand it better when we realize that
it was God who made Joseph a strong type of His Son our Lord Jesus! *Your
:kingdom come!*


 *3. Exodus 13:19 (13:17-22) BRIDAL LOVE: NOT FULLY TYPIFIED. “And Moses
took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of
Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and you shall carry up my
bonesaway hence with you.”
*It is at this point among others that Joseph as a type does not fully line
up with Jesus! For *Jesus*' body did *not* suffer corruption as did that of
Joseph and David - but God raised Him on the third day! *Your :will be done,
As in heaven, so on earth!*


 *4. Psalm 78:67-68 (78:1-72) BRIDAL LOVE: MOVED BY GOD TO JUDAH. “Moreover
he refused the tent of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim, 68 But
chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.” *It takes much
meditation and prayer over the Word to see the significance of this passage
from God's point of view. Because of the sin of Reuben, his birthright went
to Judah; his blessing to Joseph; and his Priesthood to Levi! Yet - God did
*not* completely forsake Reuben. He became the leading tribe on the South
Tabernacle side, over Simeon and Gad. And Joseph did not gain the
birthright, but the blessing: as seen in the verses above. *Our :daily
:bread give us this day.*


 *5. 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 (5:1-10) BRIDAL LOVE: MOVED FORWARD BY REUBEN'S SIN.
“And the sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel (for he was the first-born;
but, because he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given unto
the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be
reckoned after the birthright. 2 For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and
of him came the prince; but the birthright was Joseph's).” *God is the
Potter! We are the clay! So *He* shapes us - the clay- into the vessel that
pleases Him! So though originally the birthright went from Reuben to Joseph
- yet finally the decision of God was to let Judah have it! For - from the
tribe of Judah - not Joseph - the Prince Messiah came! *And forgive us our
:debts, as we also have forgiven our :debtors.*


 *6. Psalm 105:17-19 (105:17-31) BRIDAL LOVE: UNDERGIRDED BY SUFFERING. “He
sent a man before them; Joseph was sold for a servant; 18 His feet they hurt
with fetters: He was laid in chains of iron, 19 Until the time that his word
came to pass, The word of Jehovah tried him.” *Like Job, God allowed *serious
testings* to come upon Joseph. He who God would use - *must be* prepared
even like Jesus! Suffering is a blessing when we see it from this
vantage-point. *And bring us not into temptation!* (Yet - if to become like
Jesus only testing and suffering will achieve this goal - then Father - Your
:will be done!)


 *7. Hebrews 11:21-22 (11:17-31) BRIDAL LOVE: UNDERGIRDED BY FAITH! “By
faith Jacob dying blessed each of the sons of Joseph; and worshiped,
leaningupon the top of his :staff.
22 By faith Joseph, at his end, made mention of the departure of the sons of
Israel; and gave commandment concerning his :bones” (NNT). *Ponder this
passage! In a sense, Joseph lines up with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - in the
tremendous part he played in the establishment of Israel as a nation from
the 12 tribes. Only in heaven will we begin to understand God's true
perspective on all these truths! *But deliver us from the evil one.*


 *NOTE: *Joseph - among the 12 sons of Jacob - is absolutely unique. There
are more linkages between Jesus and Joseph than any of the others, even
including Judah, though rich indeed.


 To do a study of the Temperaments based on the 4 Gospels, but emphasizes
this uniqueness. On a score of 50 for each Gospel, Jesus is 50 - 50 - 50 -
50! But from a human vantage point, Joseph is a balance in the 4 gospels
that is above the other 11 sons. God has set him forth as a picture of the
coming Son of God and Son of man - that is unique.


 We can individually take Judah with Matthew; Ephraim with Mark; Reuben with
Luke; and Dan with John - and together - all 4 - show a composite picture of
the coming Son of God. But Joseph uniquely does this all by himself! To read
the prophecies of Jacob over Joseph in Genesis 49; and Moses over Joseph in
Deuteronomy 33 - is to see an amazing picture.


 Those of us who regularly read the Bible through in a Year - are all deeply
moved when we come to the portion starting with Genesis 37. When it comes to
the time when he reveals himself to his brothers as their long rejected
brother Joseph! Well - when we read Zechariah 12:10-14, and see how Israel
will mourn when they recognize that Jesus who they crucified is indeed the
One who He said He was - the Son of God who came the first time as the Son
of :man in the Name of Jehovah!


 Now as one can see, there are 14 lists of the 12 sons and tribes of Jacob
in the Bible. Their births are in Genesis 29-30; Jacob's blessings over them
in Genesis 49; *but* their order around the Tabernacle in the book of Exodus
and Numbers - replaces Joseph and Levi with Ephraim and Manasseh; the latter
2 are on the breastplate with the 12 stones in the same Tabernacle order.


 Levi then becomes God's glue to hold the 12 tribes together through the
5-fold ministry. And Joseph? He remains difficult to place, for he is set by
God to illustrate Christ's heavenly origin as well as His earthly travail.
Reconciliation was the act of Joseph to save his brothers to become a nation
- the nation of Israel. And Jesus who Joseph pre-figures, came to Reconcile
us as a lost race back to God. He came as a Jew, and Israelite - but *far
wider* was His true Commission from the Father - *all* nations upon earth
are being reconciled by Him as of Calvary.


 So really, the life of Joseph is but a dim prefiguring of the eternal
Redemption and Reconciliation wrought by the Son of God!


 So what Jesus has actually done; and Joseph pre-figured - is to unite the
church to the Son of God as His Bride - the One New Man - and a number of
other symbols. And then in Christ - we are united with God! Bridal Love
indeed - in a 2-fold manner! J.A.Watt



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