Item 5
Joseph Chosen Son

Though not recorded as such in the record of the Jews, certainly this was the situation among Joseph's brothers even as it was of Nephi and his elder brothers. Jewish traditions back this fact up (Legends of the Jews, volume II. From his very birth, Rachel, Jacob's wife of chose had prophesied concerning her son, Joseph had had a number of dreams of confirmation and even Jacob had bestowed upon Joseph the rainbow symbol of the covenant, the coat of many colors. Some surmise that Joseph flaunted his position before his brothers, but some also think this of Nephi, though Nephi but spoke as moved upon by the spirit in attempted correction of his brother's wickedness.

Rueben had lost the birthright through a sexual sin which degraded one of Jacob's wives leaving Joseph the heir apparent. Simion and Levi had commeted murders of revenge and where not worthy of the covenant either. As to Leah's sons, this left Judah in line as the eldest son of Jacob. Perhaps Judah so saw himself as the heir of Jacob, particularly if he could rid himself of his younger brother Joseph. Judah was among those seeking to take Joseph's life and it was Reuben who forbid them from kill the lad. But while Rueben was absent in turn at the flocks, it was Judah who seazed upon the oportunity to compile his remaining brothers to self Joseph into slavery. This parallel is significant in that 'Judah/Judas' was also he who did sell the Lord unto the Jews for the price of a slave. And Judah seems to have won the right of head of the family after Joseph's demise.

Yet the Lord would fulfill Rachel's prophecy, Joseph's dreams and Jacob's blessing of the birthright upon Joseph through Joseph's sons, first Ephraim and then Manasseh. And the Lord went with Joseph down into Egypt and not only preserved him but raised him to power over the land that Joseph ruled in the name of the Pharoah when eventually Jacob's sons had to come to Egypt, the land of Joseph to be preserved and saved from the famine. There in Egypt the Lord would fulfill Joseph's dreams in part as his brother's there did bow down before him and became subjects unto their younger brother's ruling over them. And through Joseph's House, the Lord would raise up seed unto Joseph which would eventually fulfill all of Joseph's blessings, the blessing of the covenant Firstborn.

5a. Y'oseph/asaph: What's In A Name?

Perhaps the only place, according to the Old Testament Lexicon-Stong's Number 3084, that the full and propher name of Rachel's oldest son is given is in Psalms 81:5. And that name is 'Y@howceph' (Transliterated word) pronounced yeh-ho-safe' meaning 'Joseph'= "Jehovah had added". Like many propher names in the Bible which begin with 'J' ('Y' in Hebrew), the short contracted 'Y' (or 'Y') stands for 'Jehovah' in the persons name perhaps as a part of committing or anointing that person unto God. The second part of the name, which when prefixed with the leading contraction 'J' is taken to mean 'to add, increase but Strong number 3130, the common form of Joseph's name takes the second form of the name to Strong number 3254- again or to be joined to or added to - again. Without the leading 'J' the corresponding singular word is that of 'asaph'/'oseph' where Hebrew uses no vowel letters, thoses sounds many vary depending in what conjunctive circumstance the word is untilized. But 'asaph', Strong number 622/623, by it self means 'gatherer' or 'gather in'; to collect or to gather. Another word 'Eliasaph' tends to show this same contraction and name meaning variant. Strongs number 460 combines the two 'Eli' meaning God and 'asaph' which at is given to mean 'God adds' but due to the variation meaning of 'asaph' could just as well mean 'God Gathers'. And thus it is also with 'Yeoseh' or Joseph, it could just as well be deammed Jehovah Gathers. Now in terms of the gospel, the 'gathering in' has a much more meaning full depth of connotation than just Jehovah Adds. And in term of Joseph and Joseph's seed, applying that connotation as the meaning of Joseph is much more telling than just 'adding'. Joseph was used to 'gather' in Israel unto salvation from the famine, those of the covenant of Joseph/Abraham of the latter day work to 'gather in' Israel in the process of the 'Gathering'. And Jesus Christ/Jehovah himself has spoken often that he Jehovah would have gathered in Israel as a hen her chick many times throughout history if they but would be gathered. Certainly this connotation of 'Jehovah Gathers' has a much more indepth gospel meaning and personal meaning to the name Joseph than just 'adding', though the two concepts are not that far apart in themselves. Of joining interest both #460 'Eliasaph' which combines 'God' and 'Asaph'; and #3130 Yowceph or Joseph in common form, both lead their second name 'asaph' or 'owceph' to the same word origin #3254 indicating that both 'asaph' of Eliasaph and 'owceph' of Yowceph/Joseph are indeed the same primary root or original word given at #3254 to mean to add, increase - again. But is Eliasaph can alter the meaning to God 'gathers in' then why cannot Yowceph be taken to mean similarly tht Jehovah 'gathers in' when both use the same primary root original word?

Now in short, The etymology of the name Joseph is usually defined as "the Lord addeth" or "increaseth". Yet when Rachel named her son Joseph, it was actually taken from the same Hebrew root word that is 'asaph' which means, 'to gather in' or 'he who gathers', 'he who causes to return' or 'God gathereht' as in Eliasaph. Thus the idea is that Joseph could be looke to to be he that 'gathers in' as in the case of Jacob and his sons families gathering to Egypt to be saved from the famine. Or in the case of Moses, as of the House of Joseph, 'he who causes a return' of Israel to that land of Jacob from whence they had come. And then is the case of Jesus Christ as Messiah ben Joseph, to be the ultimate 'gatherer' past Old Testament', merridian as Jesus Christ would have gathered, and in the end both through Joseph Smith and the House of Joseph to the Church in preparation for the second comeing, and at last in the end when every knee bows and tongue confessings, having been turned or gathered in to Christ in the final judgment. That 'Joseph' does mean 'Jehovah Gathers' has enriched meaning when reading such scripture verses as, 3 Nephi 10:3-7, Matthew 23:37-39, Luke 13:34-35, as well as D&C 43:24-32 and 10:65. All these speak of Christ gathering Israel and even the nations of the earth.

Further that in the name Joseph meaning Jehovah Gathers, it takes on even greater immplication, appication and meaning that it is Jehovah, Jesus Christ who gathers as well as in and through those that serve him in the priesthood when one studies all the scriptures listed in the Topical Guide under Israel, Gathering of. And that Joseph was he so anointed with that name to the gathering of Jehovah Gathers must have heightened significance as to the name and relationship between Joseph of Egypt, Moses, Jesus Christ as Jehovah, Joseph Smith and all those of Joseph who do fulfill the covenant of the fathers, the covenant of Abraham in the Gathering of all mankind unto the Lord. And certainly one cannot leave out Jehovah/Jesus Christ from the name of Jehovah Gathers, of Joseph in that he must be seen as Messiah ben Joseph; 'the Anointed son Jehovah who Gathers' which is the literal meaning of 'Messiah (the Anointed) ben (son) Josph (Jehovah Gatherer). After all what is in a name? So from Joseph - Jehovah Delivers to Messiah ben Joseph - the Anointed son Jehovah Gathers'; Jesus - Jehovah Delivers or Saves.

Finally, concerning the name 'Joseph' and the meaning as to the 'gathering in', another traditional etymology should be considered, which though through Joseph may be the case, it specifically infers that such is but by the Lord ('The etymology given from BR 73, 5-6 has several prophecies found in Rachel's words of Gen. 30.24. "The etymology given there of the name Joseph as "the increase by the Lord" occurs also in Philo, De Josepho, 6.

5b. Joseph of Egypt, a Type of Christ to Come

A number of people have studied the vast parallels between the life of Joseph of Egypt and Jesus the Christ. So astounding and overwhelming are these many similitudes and foreshadowings that they are convinced that Joseph may have been a previous 'incarnation' of Jesus. That is to say a previous appearance of Jesus Christ in the person of Joseph of Egypt. This would imply a belief in reincarnation. Such is not a principle of the gospel. Yet these who have studied and seen the overpowering evidences of just to what degree Joseph the son of Jacob was in the very similitude of the life of Jesus, they must conclude some connection of a strong relationship and nature. How close yet 'no cigar'. The truth is to be found in the fact that Jesus would be the rightful hier and legal seed of the house of Joseph, even Messiah ben Joseph.

Joseph was the heir of the birthright blessings and covenants, that is all the patriarchal blessings of the promises of the fathers of the covenant, from his immediate ancestors, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. And these blessing where passed on to Ephraim over Manasseh under the hand of Jacob through his blessings of the sons of Joseph and the adoptive process whereby Ephraim and Manasseh became considered the sons of Jacob and of the tribes of Israel. Thus the promises of the fathers where preserved and the earth to be blessed by the linages of Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Joseph and thence to Ephraim as assisted by his brother Manasseh.

The relationship between Abraham and his beloved son Isaac was called upon to enact a similitude of the Father's, God's, sacrifice of His Son as the lamb of God when God command Abraham to literally sacrifice his son Isaac. This was additionally testing upon the faith of Abraham, as he himself once laid upon a pagan sacrificial alter resulting from the actions of his father and would have so been killed if Jehovah had not intervened. In the case of Abraham and Isaac, the enactment was stopped short by the hand of God, as Abraham's and Isaac's faith had been tested. But the actual sacrifice of made by the Father and Son of Heaven and Earth was not cut short, as the Savior of all mankind did perform the ultimate sacrifice for he sins of the world and the cup was not removed from him, but was fulfilled in him.

But through Abraham's test of faith, he was selected to be the ancestor of the salvation of the world as all nations would be blessed through him and his descendants which not only included the latter-day saints of the House of Joseph but also the Lord Jesus Christ, even the Messiah. And so was Isaac selected to be the carrier of these patriarchal blessing and responsibilities and so even was Jacob. As he won the birthright from Easu who cared little for it and obtained the covenant blessings under the hand of his father Isaac.

But then Jacob in his own patriarchal blessing of Judah and Joseph seemed to divide the promised covenants of the fathers into two and even the Messiah in two. And as just discussed one of the classical Jewish positions is that indeed there was to be two Messiahs, a Messiah Ben Joseph and a Messiah Ben David, acnestrially stated as Messiah Ben Judah according to the Jewish interpretations. And it did seem that the leadership and patriarchal blessings had been divided between Judah and Joseph and a dichotomy between Judah and Joseph or Ephraim was initiated. Yet Joseph we know to have been the beloved and anointed son of Jacob and not Judah.

Just as Abraham and Isaac's enactment foreshadowed the sacrifice by the Father of the Son, which son was to be of the chosen promised lineage of the covenant, so did the relationship between Jacob and Joseph foreshadow the Father and His Beloved Son. Joseph's entire life was but a forshadowing of the Savior of the covenant to come. Joseph, the son of the covenant blessings of Jacob was the very similitude of the beloved son.

Jacob's wife of selection was Rachel. And her first born son was Jacob's most beloved son. And just as the rainbow with its spectrim of the light of the sun through the life giving water of heaven did spread forth the colors in the bow in the heaveans as the token of the everlasting covenant, so was Jacob's obvious intent portrayed of making of Joseph the son of the birthright covenant blessings in the act of Jacob giving Joseph the rainbow coat of many colors.

And then thence from bestowal, Joseph would have prophetic dreams of the fulfillment of the covenant through him and his seed after him. The Jewish Bible yields but two of Joseph's dreams, but according to traditon, Joseph also had other dreams of even more revealing content. And as Joseph's dreams and their predicted fulfillment foreshadowed Joseph to be of the prime position to inherit the full patriarchal responsibility including being the legal and rightful ancestor to the Savior of the world, the envy and hatred of his brothers grew towards him. And from thence on the numerous aspects of Joseph's life did parallel and where a type of the Messiah ben Joseph who would come thence form the house of Joseph. In the 'Old Testament' student manual for the LDS Institues of Religion = Genesis = 2 Samual, can be found a listing of many ways in which Joseph was a type of the Messiah to come. On page 97 is given a listing of 9 summarized paralleling features of the life of Joseph which do directly correlate and foreshadow the life of Christ in the type of Joseph the son of Jacob renamed Israel. And this listing of 9 can be enlarged upon by a more thurough review of the life of Joseph of Egypt as compared to the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In all over 30 such aspects of the life of Joseph as a type of Messiah to come can be and will be here after listed.

The messianic imagery in the history of Joseph is so clear that the rabbis, who have imaged to divide the Messiah in two since the time of Jesus Christ, have opportunistically taught that the Torah speaks of two Messiahs. Messiah Son of Joseph is to be a Warrior-Messiah, suffering for the sins of His People, betrayed by a dear friend, rejected and handed over to the gentiles and killed. He is to be brought back to life by Messiah Son of David, the King to rule the world in shalom from Jerusalem. The Rabbis have recognized the two aspects of the One Messiah and mistaken Him for two Messiahs. And they have failed to associate an all important asspect that Joseph was taken for dead and was found alive in a second event which ushered in his reign over all from this separate gentile nation. Christ who is deemed by Judaism as having died and is dead, will be found alive still at his second coming, having been resurrected like Joseph from the pit. This parallel the Rabbis baulk against, as they do not accept that Jesus rose again in the resurrection and will come again to so rule and reign as stated in 32 and 33 above.

As one continues to review and learn of Christ and the life of Joseph of Egypt, there will certainly be additional parallels to identify. Some of the forgoing could be consolidated. Some could be further divided and elaborated upon. Yet it is enough to understand that Joseph's life did foreshadow his promised Messianic seed, the Messiah ben Joseph our redeemer. And in closing perhaps an appropriate consideration is this. As a sign of His tender respect for the godly traditions of His People, God sovereignly arranged, that when the Messiah actually came among us to suffer and die for our sins as promised, for the people to ask, "Is this not the Son of Joseph?" (see item 36 ~ John 6:42) And this is where we will end this item by also asking, 'Is not the Messiah the promised son of Joseph?' 'Is not Jesus Christ not only the son of Joseph the carpenter, but also the very promised Messiah and Lord of heaven and earth promised by the covenant of the fathers which continued through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Ephraim to bring salvation to the world by his work of restoration and Second Coming, ushering in the Millennial Reign under the direction of God's selected firstborn, the promised son of Ephraim, and as is carried out by God's selected firstborn, Ephaim of the covenant of Abraham to bless all the nations of the in and through this promised seed?'