The Coat of Many Colours

Mike

Scriptures: Psalm 36:6 Roman 8:28 Genesis 29:7 to Genesis 30:24 Genesis 37:3

In Psalm 36 we read that there is a great depth to God’s judgements, there is so much depth to them that it is impossible for our natural minds to understand what God is trying to do in our lives. The problem then becomes, do we discount the wisdom and doubt the intelligence behind them? When calamity and circumstances arrive, it becomes more difficult to remember that all things work together for good to them that love God.

The story of Joseph is one of the greatest lessons that involves humility and patience. A story that is full of intrigue and deception which clearly shows that if we allow God to work in our lives, He will make us an overcomer in Egypt to fulfil His Glorious Purpose.

Jacob showed much favouritism to Joseph, he loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. He was the son of Rachel, and it was no secret that Jacob loved Rachel best, so Jacob made him a coat of many colours.

On the surface this looks innocent enough, but the translation of the Hebrew word would indicate that it was a long coat or tunic which reached from his wrists to his ankles and was worn by men and women of a royal or upper class. It almost certainly indicated that the birthright had passed to Joseph after it was forfeited by Reuben who defiled his father’s bed.

If the coat did indeed indicate that Joseph held the birthright, and 1 Chronicles 5:1 clearly supports this fact, I doubt very much that Reuben would have seen it that way, he was the firstborn son of Leah. Simeon was the second son of Leah so he could have thought that he was entitled to the birthright. If we now consider that there were four firstborn sons in Jacob’s family, then this whole issue of birthright could start to become a contentious issue since the birthright son inherited everything when Jacob died.

Judah might also consider that he had a right to the position if Reuben had lost the right, and Simeon and Levi had greatly angered Jacob over the massacre of the Shechemites due to the issue with Dinah, Leah’s daughter. (Genesis 34)

Dan was the first-born son of Bilhah, she was Rachael’s hand maid given to her by Laban, and Rachael wanted her to have children for her, (Genesis 30:3).

Later in Genisis it is recorded that Zilpah had two children by Jacob, they were Gad and Asher, so Gad could also have considered that he might inherit the birthright.

Finally, to add insult to injury, Joseph had two dreams telling everyone that they would all bow down to him in time to come. By now the coat of many colours appears to have produced a multitude of colourful reactions from his brothers.

Joseph was sent to Dothan to look after the flocks with his brothers, but they took his coat and put him in a pit, they killed a goat and dipped the coat in its blood and sent it to Jacob. His brothers, however, sold him to the Ishmaelite traders who took him to Egypt. There he was sold into Potiphar’s household, where Potiphar’s wife then tried to seduce Joseph, and, when he refused her, she falsely accused him and he was thrown in prison.

How much would Joseph have thought about his dreams when he was in prison, I imagine he would have been close to doubting the dreams had ever meant anything.

One day the butler and the baker were sent to the prison, as they had upset Pharaoh over some issue. When they both had dreams which they didn’t understand, it was Joseph who interpreted the dreams, telling the butler he would be restored to his position after three days, but the baker was to be hanged after three days, and so it was. Joseph did ask the butler, that, when he was restored, to remind Pharaoh that Joseph was still imprisoned.

It was another two years before Pharaoh had the dreams about the seven fat cattle and the seven thin cattle, and the ears of wheat on the corn stalks. The butler then remembered that Joseph had interpreted his dream, and the interpretation came true. Joseph was called, interpreted the dream and was placed as 2nd in command in all Egypt. Joseph was in the right place for his dreams to now come true.

Joseph was 17 when he left to go to Dothan. He was 30 when he was made overseer. By the time his brothers came to Egypt in the second year of the famine, Joseph was 39. He was probably 41 or so when the brothers came a second time, bringing Jacob with them to Egypt, and the long held dreams were fulfilled.

Joseph himself could not fulfill his dreams or visions, it’s not possible. To all intents and purposes, he was in Egypt, the wrong country, singing from the wrong song sheet. But God knew differently, Joseph was exactly in the right place and at the appointed time revealed Pharaoh’s dreams and became 2nd in command in all Egypt, ONLY God could have done that.

But, how many times could Joseph have tried to control his own destiny, he could have chosen not to go to Dothan to find his brothers, he knew they were angry with him. He could have climbed out of the pit, run away from the caravan train, pleaded his innocence to Potiphar when falsely accused and condemned. Through all these trials, Joseph remained faithful and humble, placing all his trust in the God who never deserted him. Joseph was 110 when he died, having demonstrated Kingdom living all his days..

Prayer:  Lord God, may we, like Joseph, have our eyes fixed on You, keeping in our minds that we belong to Your Kingdom, that You are our sure foundation, that we can place all out trust in You and You alone. Amen