Joseph and the Incredible Coat
Part 2
(taken from Genesis Chapters 30 - 50)
By Iverna Tompkins
Transcribed by Jane Vaughn
Everywhere I go, I wear something unbelievers do not wear. The father said to Joseph, “I have made you a royal coat. It’s many colored” (Gen.37:3 – and there is a great deal of symbolism that could be preached with just that much). “It is of manifold colors and when anyone looks at you, they will know that you are” – listen! – “potentially royal.”
In his young years, Joseph was the only of the 12 brothers who had the coat. And with his youthful exuberance, he had only a thimbleful of wisdom :-) in which to wear that coat. Have you ever been there? This preacher has. When the giftings of God and the beauty of God come but we don’t have the wisdom to demonstrate Him by wearing the coat – it’s really not a good place for testimony.
Now, this is a spiritual young man at only age 17. He’s just wearing his coat. I mean, he’s not strutting – sort of :-) . But then, in addition to the coat, he has this marvelous spiritual vision, a dream (Gen.37:5ff). Oh yes. People who have visions can be so “spooky!” :-) Joseph dreamed that the brothers were gathering the wheat sheaves and all of theirs “made obeisance” to his. This represented to him (and rightly so) that one day his brothers would bow down to him.
Joseph was so excited to have had the dream! “Oh! This is magnificent!” Now sometimes, that’s what happens to Christians when they come to really understand the power – of influence. “Do you know who I am? Bless God. You better not cross me! I serve a BIG God!” Well, let me tell you something – they may not cross you, but with that attitude, they don’t want your God either!
I believe Joseph was being sincere. I don’t think he was strutting as much as he was ignorant. When his brothers came in he said, “Hey! Let me tell you about my dream! WOW! You guys are going to bow down to me some day – and I am royal!” We can sing it too, right along with him: “I’m a royal priesthood.” Well, these 11 brothers did not come and bow down before Joseph! On the contrary, they inquired of one another, “Is he crazy?” They were indignant and hated him all the more. “Oh really? We’re going to bow down to you – puny little brother!” (Gen.37:5) It says, “They hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words” (Gen.37:8). Here’s some good advice: watch your mouth! Not only what you say, but how you say it. We’ve said some things that we don’t demonstrate and the reaction of the world is much like the reaction of the brothers here (see Gen.37:8).
Can you take one more heavy truth? The reaction of other believers – the brothers (and sisters) in the Body of Christ – is much like these brothers. I meet people, and so do you if you talk much with anyone, who were once very involved in church, or in churches, and they just have had it up to here with mouths that have spoken beyond their own living levels. We used the word “hypocrites” for years. Their accusation was: “Your church is full of hypocrites.” And then we’d joke back and say, “Well, not since you left!” :-)
But I’m not as concerned about the church here. I mean it’s wonderful when we have many people in attendance on Sundays. And I think there should be more and more until our churches are full. But I don’t have any problem with numbers. I have never been very excited about whether we had 300 or 3000 – I really don’t care how many attend. If the truth be told, what I really get excited about is when I see Jesus in everyone that is there! That’s the key! And I get even more excited when I see Jesus out in the marketplace – in restaurants and at the cleaners or the grocery store – at unusual times when you suddenly become aware – “There’s Jesus!” And when Jesus is there, unhindered and free to move, they’ll see Him in you!
There’s a certain absolute unity that takes place when we all “wear” Him like a cloak. I’ve seen that, I suppose, hundreds of times in the over-40 years that I’ve traveled, when I would meet people I’d never met before, but there was – ::whish:: – just something familiar about them. What it was was Jesus meeting Jesus on this earth as a Kingdom-member!
But it’s not by chance that clear over in the New Testament in James 1 it says (that’s James the brother of Jesus reporting), “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who upbraideth not” – God is not going to put you down for asking – “but giveth to all men liberally.” I don’t think a day of my life goes by that I don’t ask God for wisdom. My nature and make-up and personality could be very crass and really disgusting without His wisdom. I just naturally say things like I see them. I can be pretty quick with a retort or response – I tend to shoot from the hip. :-) And without the wisdom of God to know what and when – I wouldn’t even know how to load the bullets! :-) You can witness too long – at the wrong time – to the wrong person and bear no fruit for the Kingdom.
One plants – one waters – God gives the increase (1Cor.3:6,7). Sometimes, just a simple sentence of encouragement is what God wants from us, but we plow the ground – cram the seed in – stamp it down, and go for the hose! :-) “There’s a hell to pay, you know!” :-) And here the Lord had these people already “tilled” and simply waiting for just a little mustard seed to drop from us because He has someone else over there ready to water it who can do that so much better! And when that sort of teamwork happens, the question isn’t: “Who gets the glory?” That’s already spelled out in the Word. It is HE alone. God gets the glory! He’s the One that brings forth that which has been sown.
So – here’s Joseph. What he’s saying is the truth (Gen.37:7). He’s wearing a royal garment – he has a “right” to say it – but he’s not wise in doing so. And – as we say in our slang expressions – “he turned his brothers off.” Now a day or so goes by and his father says, “Go out to your brothers in the field and see if they’re okay” (Gen.37:12ff). They’re out working in the fields, tending to their father’s sheep, and Joseph goes out to them. He’s willing to be a servant to them – to carry things or messages – whatever is needed. And he goes out but he can’t find them (Gen.37:16f).
In the meantime, they’re having a little get-together (Gen.37:18) :-) and they’re saying things much like we hear people who’ve left our churches say. Things like, “Do you think he was…” “Do you think it’s fair that…” “I mean, do you think that…” “Should father have put a robe on him?” “He wasn’t…” “And that dream…” ::grumble – grumble:: (Gen.37:19,20). “Shouldn’t I have exactly the same talents? I’m a Christian. I’m born again. I’ve given my life to the Lord. How come I don’t have what he has?” And that is the delightful (divisive) language of the enemy! He loves that! In fact, he stands on the sidelines agreeing when we start talking that way and says, “Oh, that’s right! You’re so right! Mmmm! Mmmm! Mmmm!” Just speaking agreement with you. That’s why scripture says, “Gird up the loins of your mind” (1Pet.1:13).
The brothers see him coming and conspire: “We need to get rid of that guy!” Now you may or may not agree with me about this, but I’m right of course. :-) It is interesting to me, all through the generations of time, that the unbelievers as well as those who have turned against God (and there’s a difference between the two – some just don’t receive and others have turned against) these people, as a class if I may, really do believe they can destroy the Kingdom.
Why do you think certain issues are being voted on in our nation today? Like our Pledge of Allegiance? All my life – 76 years – I’ve been able to say: “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” And now they’re saying – “There’s no liberty and justice for the Christian!” And I could mention other issues you already know about (should know about – if you’re literate at all! :-) ). Read your daily newspapers! :-) You do need to be informed! Ignorant, uninformed, uninvolved Christians have allowed certain of our freedoms to be stolen away from us because we just didn’t want to be tainted by the political arena of our land! We slept through crucial debates in the past – let us no longer hide our heads in the sand!
Here’s the good news: they cannot stamp out this fire! They can’t! We are, if we will be, the sparks that shower forth and light somewhere else. It must be more frustrating to them than to us because every time they take a law or situation and make a new law against it that is negative to the Christian church, we can spring up somewhere else! I love that! It’s just – you know – “Sunday’s coming!” You can deny us a church building over here – okay – we’ll go to a warehouse over there. Deny that and we will… We will – because we can’t help it – if we’re living in purpose!
So when Joseph comes out to the fields to find his brothers, they’re all there. They have plotted together – you know the story. Ultimately, two of his brothers save his life (Reuben and Judah; see Gen.37:21-27). Two of those who had been in unity with the others. They had agreement that Joseph shouldn’t be what he was, preferred and favored by the father, and they didn’t like him because of that, and now they’re going to bow to him? They were all agreed together until it came down to the end, and two of them saved his life. One says, “Why don’t we do something other than kill him? We can still get rid of him.” The other one suggested, “Let’s sell him to a stranger.”
Now, if I don’t get anything else across to you – I need to help you to see clearly: not one of these things is outside the plan of God for Joseph! Remember, he was born and named “added to” or “enlarged.” It was all purposeful. Everything that happened. Joseph had the royal robe put on him long before he lived like royalty. Very long. Many years.
One brother says, “Put him in that pit.” Actually it was a cistern and should have been full of water. It should have been. Hello. It just wasn’t. I wonder why! :-) Oh! Is that an amazing circumstance or what? :-) I hope you can laugh at the satire. But now we must be able to look at our own lives and see how God is putting the pieces together of our jigsaw puzzles called “life.” One piece here and one piece there. Can you remember the many times you screamed out because no one could find the piece that fit? When nothing seemed to be right! ::Whine:: “Oh. I missed it. Nothing’s working. I tried. I lost my job. My marriage blew up. I’m sick in body. I can’t do the things I used to do… and… and…”
That’s okay! God still has all the pieces of your puzzle in hand! He gingerly picks up a piece – hear me – for this space and waits for our willingness to receive it, even if it looks like the wrong piece or that it would never fit. There are pieces to your puzzle that aren’t out on the table yet. And it isn’t because God doesn’t know where a piece is or where you are! The Lord remembers you! (see Gen.30:22; 19:29; 1Sam.1:19). This time of seeming confusion of purposes is because something greater is working in your life and circumstances to prepare you for that next puzzle-piece to be placed down in its rightful position. God knows what He is doing and what is needful for us and He knows the timing of it all. He is Lord!!
So, you’re not only formed as Joseph was and you’re not only furnished as he was with this incredible coat – but you’re also finding what it costs to multiply. Joseph is down in the pit – and the brothers’ intention is to destroy him. One of them, who doesn’t understand at all why he’s saying it, suggests an alternative: “Well, there’s a caravan of traders coming. Let’s see if we can get anything for him.”
So the brothers pull him out of the pit and bargain with the traders, saying, “You know, he’d be a good worker. He’s young – about 17 – good looking….” Of course they stripped him of his coat (Gen.37:23) – except – they couldn’t really take it off. Did you get that? Today, in our present culture you should get it – you see all these tattoos today – everywhere – on both men and women. You could strip them naked – but their tattoos would remain. That’s the way we are with God and His favor. We’re divinely tattooed! We are so one with Him – our whole body is tattooed. It says: “Jesus!”
That’s why you’re uncomfortable when you go places you shouldn’t be. And everyone around you is uncomfortable too. You’re thinking, “Why? I’m just doing the same thing they’re doing” – whatever it happens to be. But you see the tattoo is like those little sparkles – that keep on glowing and glowing – like supernatural fiber optics! But we don’t always want to “sparkle.” Sometimes I even look for the “off button!” :-) I don’t always want to be on duty! Sometimes I just don’t want to talk to anyone about anything and I don’t want people to recognize me when I’m just out and about – not because I’m being “bad” – sometimes I just want to be – nothing! :-) Do you ever…? I hope not. Maybe you’re so much higher than I you never have those moments. :-) But I can’t find an off button! He just – flickers – everywhere I go!
And so, Joseph is pulled out of the pit, sold and taken to Egypt. There he’s sold again to an officer who is the authority just under Pharaoh (Gen.37:36; 39:1). Instantly – this is amazing if you can hear it! – instantly he is put in charge of Potiphar’s whole household. He is over all the servants with oversight of everything in the house (Gen.39:4). Why? Potiphar just sees the tattoo (Gen.39:3) and believes “If this man has that divine tattoo, you can trust him.”
Oh Church, please hear it. You can be the best employee your employer could possibly have! He knows you won’t lie, cheat, or steal. The Bible says the only thing Potiphar knew from that moment on was what he ate (Gen.39:6). That is so funny to me – apparently he didn’t give up the menu! :-) And as Joseph is running his house – amazingly – everything prospers (Gen.39:5).
Now I want you to hear this because in church we get the idea that walking the Christian life is ::whine:: so hard – and difficult – and we sing: “I’ve sacrificed a lot of things to walk this narrow way…” NOT! You never have had it as good as when our Lord put that royal tattooed coat on you! It seems like things just begin to fall into place! Sure you’ve had some difficult times, but never have you lost the song inside. It’s there! If you’ll call on it, it’ll spill right out! At some of my lowest moments, I almost make myself angry – by singing! :-) At those times, I just want to be depressed! :-) Things simply are not good! But I can’t help singing! “Ha-le-lu-jah!” And in tongues! “Holy Spirit – turn off!” :-) But tongues flow anyway! I can’t turn Him off!! :-) So I might as well join Him and sing a duet! :-) And let the glory of the Lord rise within! (Isa.60:1). Just like Joseph!
That’s Joseph – going through Potiphar’s house doing his job, and doing it well. And he was a “hunk!” Well, maybe that’s worded a little differently. :-) The Bible does say he was handsome (Gen.39:6 NASB). And here he is walking through the house doing the chores and managing the household for Potiphar. Managing, of course. He’s royalty! Potiphar’s wife looks up one day. She’s got too much time on her hands, her husband is a busy man, and this handsome young kid is… whew! Too much! “He wouldn’t dare say ‘No’ to me! I’m his boss’s wife.” And she makes an invitation she figures he cannot resist! She attempts to seduce him (Gen.39:7).
Here’s a virile young man who has been rejected by his own people – he’s a slave in a strange land – and this undoubtedly beautiful woman (that Potiphar with all his wealth would have chosen for his wife) is there offering herself to him. What will he do? He can’t sleep with her – because he can’t get the coat off! You see, it has nothing to do with whether he felt like it! Of course he felt it! :-) It has nothing to do with desire. It’s the coat! It just marks you! Joseph knows, “I just can’t!” (Gen.39:8,10) And she grabs the coat (Gen.39:12) that she thinks she can rip off – the outer garment – but he fled, rejecting her advances. Irate (scorned?), she determines, “Oh, I’ll get even with you!” and she accuses him of rape! She calls for the servants of the house, shows them his garment and claims, “He tried to rape me. Look, I even have his jacket!”
It was rape! Hers! She raped her husband by what she did in approaching Joseph. And she raped the household of its blessing of his (His) presence. That can happen on a job when jealous co-workers get you fired. That’s rape. But they rape themselves, not you. Come on, loved ones, not you! Don’t let that kind of action take anything away from you. The favor of God is with you! (Gen.39:21).
Soon Potiphar comes home, hears the whole fabricated story, believes his wife and says, “Put him in prison! That’s it!” (Gen.39:20). How would you feel? There – in the will of God, as we call it. Let’s talk New Testament language: doing everything God told us to do, trying to live an upright Christian life, turning our backs on sin, refusing temptation, and suddenly we find ourselves in shackles – in prison – with people who deserve to be there!
Go to Part 3
