Yes — Joseph's suffering and rise to power in Egypt were central to God's sovereign plan to preserve Israel and to foreshadow Christ's rejection and future recognition.
God used Joseph's brothers' envy and their sale of him into slavery to place him in Egypt, where he rose to power and stored grain for the coming famine. This preserved Jacob's family and allowed them to become a great nation. At the same time, Joseph's rejection by his brothers and later reunion with them pictures Israel's rejection and future recognition of the Lord Jesus, as Les Feldick teaches.
Genesis 45:1-2 — Joseph's emotional revelation to his brothers is the climactic moment of the story, showing that his suffering and rise led to family reconciliation.
Genesis 45:5 — Joseph's own explanation reveals that God sent him before his brothers to preserve life.
Genesis 46:3 — God's promise to Jacob in Egypt links Joseph's rise to the birth of the nation.
Genesis 50:24 — Joseph's dying words tie his life and rule in Egypt back to God's covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Acts 7:9-10 — Stephen's summary makes explicit that God was with Joseph and delivered him from affliction.
Zechariah 12:10 — Les connects this prophecy to the future recognition of Christ, echoing Joseph's reunion.
The book of Acts records that Joseph's own brothers 'moved with envy' and sold him into Egypt, yet God was with him, delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, who made him governor over Egypt (Acts 7:9-10). When a dearth came over Egypt and Canaan, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt for grain (Acts 7:11-12). Joseph, unable to refrain himself, made himself known to his brothers with loud weeping (Genesis 45:1-2). He told them, 'Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life' (Genesis 45:5). God later assured Jacob, 'Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation' (Genesis 46:3). Joseph's dying words to the families of Israel were that God would surely visit them and bring them out of that land to the land He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 50:24). Zechariah 12:10 describes Israel's future mourning over the One they pierced.
Les Feldick teaches that Joseph's suffering and rise to power in Egypt were thoroughly under God's sovereign control. Joseph himself told his brothers, 'Don't blame yourselves, God did it.' Les emphasizes that God set up the whole sequence—including the seven good years and the seven years of famine—so that Joseph would end up in Egypt and be ready to provide for his family (Clips 2, 3). He stresses that God is sovereign, holy, and righteous, and we dare not question what He does (Clip 3). The purpose was preservation. Because Joseph was in control of the grain, the famine forced Jacob's sons to go to Egypt (Clip 1). God prepared Joseph in advance to preserve his family, keep their posterity alive, and save their lives through a great deliverance. Under Joseph's authority, the family came into Egypt, and God made them a great nation there (Clip 4). Joseph's dying words show that the end goal was always the Promised Land (Clip 5). Les also notes that the brothers' sin sent Israel into a pagan land, from which God would have to redeem His people (Clip 7). Most significantly, Joseph is a type of Christ. Just as Joseph was hated, rejected, and considered dead by his brothers before becoming the means of their preservation, the Lord Jesus went through rejection to accomplish the plan of salvation. The weeping reunion of Joseph and his brothers is connected with Israel's future realization of the One they rejected, as Zechariah 12:10 foretells (Clip 0). Stephen's account in Acts 7 likewise shows how the Old Testament patterns prove New Testament truths (Clips 2, 6).
Les teaches that Joseph's brothers sold him into Egypt out of envy, but God was in control. Joseph later told his brothers, 'Don't blame yourselves, God did it.' According to Les, God set it up so that Joseph would end up in Egypt, sending the seven good years to prepare for the seven years of famine (Clip 3). Stephen's account in Acts 7 shows the same truth: the patriarchs moved with envy, but God was with Joseph and delivered him out of all his afflictions (Clip 2). Les stresses that God is sovereign, holy, and righteous, and we dare not question what He does (Clip 3).
Because Joseph was in control of the grain in Egypt, the famine forced Jacob's sons to go down to Egypt for food (Clip 1). Les points out that without Joseph's position, the family could not have survived. God prepared Joseph in advance to preserve his family and keep posterity alive. Once the family came to Egypt, God told Jacob he would make of him a great nation, and in Egypt Israel multiplied and became a nation (Clip 4). Joseph's dying words show that the end goal was always the Promised Land (Clip 5).
Les teaches that Joseph's experience portrays the rejection and later recognition of the Lord Jesus. Just as Joseph was hated, rejected, and considered dead by his brothers before becoming the means of their preservation, Christ was rejected and crucified before becoming the means of salvation. The reunion of Joseph and his brothers—marked by weeping—is connected with Israel's future realization of the One they rejected, as Zechariah 12:10 foretells (Clip 0). Stephen's account of Joseph's rejection and elevation also points to this pattern (Clip 6).
Joseph's Weeping Reunion and Israel's Future Recognition
Les connects Joseph's weeping reunion with his brothers to Zechariah 12:10, teaching that this prefigures Israel's future mourning and recognition of the Messiah they pierced.
Brothers Forced to Come to Joseph
Les explains that because Joseph became governor and stored grain, the famine forced his brothers to come to Egypt, showing how his rejection resulted in provision for the family.
Stephen's Account in Acts 7
Les cites Stephen's summary that the patriarchs sold Joseph out of envy, but God was with him, delivered him, and made him governor—demonstrating that the Old Testament proves New Testament truths.
God's Sovereignty and Joseph's Words
Les emphasizes Joseph's statement 'Don't blame yourselves, God did it' and God's sovereign arrangement of the seven good years and seven years of famine.
Israel Becomes a Great Nation in Egypt
Les shows that Joseph's rejection led to the family's move to Egypt, where God made them a great nation, fulfilling His promise to Jacob.
Joseph's Dying Faith in the Promise
Joseph's final words to his brothers point beyond Egypt to God's covenant promise to bring Israel back to the Promised Land.
Joseph and Daniel: Jews in Gentile Government
Les notes how a Jew like Joseph could rise to top government in a Gentile land, a pattern also seen with Daniel, and uses Stephen's account to reinforce the parallel.
Sin of the Brethren and Israel's Need of Redemption
Les teaches that the brothers' sin in selling Joseph sent Israel into a pagan land, from which they would need to be redeemed—showing how suffering fits into God's redemptive plan.
Genesis 45:1-2: Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.
This is the moment Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, weeping over their reunion.
Genesis 45:5: Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
Joseph directly tells his brothers that God sent him ahead to preserve life.
Genesis 46:3: And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
God assures Jacob that going down to Egypt is part of His plan to make a great nation.
Genesis 50:24: And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Joseph's dying words tie his own life and Egypt to God's covenant promises.
Acts 7:9-10: And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
Stephen summarizes Joseph's account, emphasizing God's presence and deliverance.
Zechariah 12:10: And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Les connects this prophecy of Israel's future mourning to Joseph's reunion with his brothers.
No. Joseph told his brothers, 'Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life' (Genesis 45:5). Les Feldick highlights Joseph's words 'Don't blame yourselves, God did it' to emphasize God's sovereign plan.
There was a famine in Canaan, but there was grain in Egypt because Joseph had stored it. Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain (Acts 7:11-12). Eventually, all of Jacob's family came down to Egypt, where God made them a great nation.
Les Feldick teaches that Joseph was hated and rejected by his brothers, yet later became the one who preserved them. This pictures the Lord Jesus, who was rejected by Israel but will one day be recognized by them as their deliverer, as Zechariah 12:10 describes.
Watch the Teaching: Joseph as a Type of Christ: The Hidden Prophecy in Genesis 37-46