Joseph, the one with the shepherding aspect, was also his father's beloved (37:3-4). Likewise, Christ was the Father's beloved Son (Matt. 3:17; 17:5). Only that aspect of us that is constituted of Christ is beloved in the eyes of God. Praise the Lord that we have Christ's constitution within us! This part of us is beloved of the Father. You can testify that at times you have had the deep sense that the Father was present with you, and you could sense Him saying, "This is My beloved." The words spoken of the Lord Jesus at His baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration have also been spoken to you. You have had the deep sense that God the Father was present. Whenever you have this sense, it is a proof that you have the constitution of Christ, which is pleasing to the Father. Of that part of your being the Father will always say, "This is My beloved."
Although you may be young in the Lord, I believe that you have experienced the Father God in heaven being very happy with you and pleased with you. However, now you may not be pleased with yourself, considering your shortcomings and faults. The reason for this is that we have two constitutions, the constitution of Christ and the constitution of the old Adam. When you are with the constitution of Christ, you can hear a heavenly voice saying, "This is My beloved," because God the Father is pleased with you. But when you are with the old constitution, the constitution of Adam, not even you are pleased with yourself. Rather, you hate that aspect of your being. Joseph represents the very constitution of Christ in the matured life of Israel, that part which is called by the Father, "My beloved."
In 37:12-17 we see that Joseph ministered to the brothers according to his father's will. In this matter also Joseph was a type of Christ, for Christ came down from heaven to do the will of the One who had sent Him (John 6:38).
There is not a word in the Bible saying that Joseph was a type of Christ. However, if you read this section of the Word, you will admit not only that Joseph was a type of Christ, but that his biography is virtually the biography of Christ. Joseph's life was a copy of Christ's.
At this point I would like to say a word regarding allegorizing the Bible. Some Bible teachers say that we should consider as types only those things in the Old Testament that the New Testament specifically says are types. I followed this teaching for a number of years, but I was eventually released from it, having realized that it went too far. Although there is not a word in the New Testament saying that Joseph was a type of Christ, no one in the Old Testament was a more exact type of Christ than Joseph was. This indicates the fact that some things in the Old Testament are types which are not referred to as types in the New Testament. Because of this fact, I no longer hold this teaching. Joseph was a shepherd, the father's beloved, and the one sent by the father to minister to his brothers. In all these aspects he was the same as Christ.