Of all the sons of Jacob, Joseph alone was faithful to God, and this faithfulness was seen in his resistance of evil. He became in consequence the object of the malice and the attacks of the enemy. But God was his strength and He did not fail, so we read. "The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob." Here was POWER. But not only so, but it is added as a parenthesis. "From thence is the Shepherd." Here was PRESERVATION. He was cared for all the while. And further, "The stone of Israel." Here was PERMANENCE. He did not build on the shifting sand. He was identified with the Rock of Israel, and "that Rock was Christ." And these things were written for our learning.