Joseph and His Coat of Many Colors

I love Bible stories. Often they pertain to something I am going through so I learn from them. Enjoy reading and learning about Joseph and all of his troubles!

Joseph was Jacob's favorite son

Joseph was his father, Jacob's, favorite son. Joseph was the son of Jacob's beloved wife, Rachel. (as was Jacob's youngest son, Benjamin) Joseph's other brother's were the sons of Leah, Jacob's wife, whom he didn't really love, and also the son's of Leah and Rachel's maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah. Leah's sons were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, and she also had a daughter who was named Dinah. The son's of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel's maidservant, Bilhah's sons were Dan and Naphtali, and the son's of Leah's maidservant, Zilpah, were Gad and Asher.

God gave Joseph dreams

As Joseph grew up he was given many dreams by God. He dreamt that his brothers were bowing down to him, then he made the mistake of telling his brothers his dream. They hated him from this time on. Why? Because they were jealous of him! His dream meant that they were beneath Joseph. It meant that Joseph was a great man! They also knew that Joseph and Benjamin were special to their father. After all, they were the sons of his beloved wife, Rachel. But Rachel had died during childbirth, when she was giving birth to Benjamin, and Jacob missed her terribly. He loved her and she was gone. Leah, however, lived on. Leah, the wife whom he didn't want and didn't love. Leah and Rachel's father, Laban, tricked him into marrying her. She wasn't the beautiful sister. She had poor eyesight. Rachel was the beautiful sister and she's the one who captured Jacob's heart.

His brothers conspired against him

Joseph's brothers conspired against him as when he went out looking for them one day while they were caring for the sheep. When he found them they threw him in a well. When an Ishmaelite caravan came along they sold Joseph to them. Then they took his many colored coat, the coat that Jacob made for him, and they dipped it in animal's blood and went home and told their father that Joseph was killed by a wild animal. Jacob mourned for his dead son, he never stopped mourning for him. He grieved for weeks and months. He loved the son who meant so much to him, his beloved Rachel's son. But he still had Benjamin, his and Rachel's youngest son, the son who he protected and watched over, taking precautions to keep him safe.

The Ishmaelites sold Joseph to Potiphar

Meanwhile, the Ishmaelites sold Joseph to Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Joseph was only 17 years old. The Lord was with Joseph and he became the overseer of Potiphar's house. Joseph, however, wasn't without his troubles. (see Gen. 39:7-23) Potiphar's wife tricked him one day, blaming him for raping her. She wanted him in her bed and he rejected her, so she tore her clothing, pretending that Jacob had done it. He was thrown into prison and was eventually released because he was able to decipher a dream that the Pharoah had. Pharoah dreamt that there were 7 fat cows and 7 lean cows in Egypt. Joseph was able to tell him that this meant there were going to be 7 years of plenty, then 7 years of famine. Because he was able to interpret Pharoah's dream he was released and put in charge of bringing food into the storehouses to prepare for the forthcoming famine. He was given a position of great power.

Joseph was used by the Lord

Joseph was used by the Lord to save the Israelites from starving during the famine. He was loved and trusted by the Egyptians, he married and had children in the land of Egypt, and brought his family, including his father and brother's to Egypt during the time of the famine. The Lord used him mightily despite the troubles he had. The Lord never left him. Pharaoh gave him a position of great authority! Joseph, who was only a teenager when he came to the land of Egypt, was given a position of great authority because he was able to tell Pharaoh what his dream meant. This is why Pharaoh trusted him with important matters in Egypt! When Joseph was busy giving grain to those who were hungry in the land of Egypt, his own family was going without. The family of Joseph had multiplied and grew so large that they could no longer feed everyone. Joseph's brothers had large families but food was scarce so Jacob sent them to Egypt to ask for food. Oddly enough, it was Joseph, the brother whom they threw in a well years earlier, who they had to go to for food to feed their families.

Joseph's brothers come to Egypt

When Joseph realized that the Israelites who met with him were his brothers, he remembered what they had done to him. He played tricks on them in return for what they did to him. He planted riches in their sacks so that it appeared that they were stealing from him. He kept his youngest brother, Benjamin, in Egypt with him while the other brothers returned with food for their families. He wept secretly at the sight of his beloved brother, Benjamin! He thought that he would never see Benjamin again, but here he was, in Egypt where he had lived for many years. He tried to persuade his brothers to bring their father back to Egypt with him, but Jacob (Israel who he was now known as) resisted. He sent the brothers back to get Benjamin, Israel's youngest son. It was during this trip that Joseph finally made himself known. He told them everything, from the earlier days when he was first sold into slavery in Egypt to this time, when the brothers came to ask for food. He finally told Pharaoh the whole story and Pharaoh allowed him to bring his father and the rest of the family to Egypt. Pharaoh blessed Joseph's family by giving them land to live in. He gave them food to feed their wives and children. He blessed the father of Joseph. The Lord's hand was on their lives! (Notice that the dream Joseph had before he was sold into slavery had come true! His brothers were now bowing down to him!)

The Lord can do the same for you and for me

The Lord is able to do this in your life too! No matter what your circumstances, the Lord can use them for good! He can change your life to one of many blessings, just as He did for Joseph. He can make good of the bad in your life! He can fulfill your dreams! But you must trust Him. You must not give up; you must continue to pray and ask Him to bless your life and the lives of your loved ones, just as He did Jacobs and Josephs! But your hearts must be clean, not vile or evil as Leah's sons were. The Father places more importance on the degree of love we have for him than anything else. He loves virtue and integrity, not jealousy, not trickery! Give your life to the Lord and watch His miracles unfold. Do as Joseph did. Be obedient. Be faithful. Then you can begin to experience the miracles of the Lord!

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