The Coat Of Many Colors
(7 minutes)
This is the story of the family of Jacob, who had settled in the land of Canaan, where his father Isaac had lived as an immigrant.
Jacob's son Joseph was seventeen, and he served his older half brothers, the sons of his father's wives Bilhah and Zilpah, helping them watch over the flocks. One day Joseph went to his father with a bad report about their behavior.
Now Israel's love for Joseph surpassed that for his other sons because he was born to him in his old age. So Israel had made him a richly ornamented robe (a coat of many colors).
When Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, they hated him and would not speak a kind word to him.
One night Joseph had a dream, and when he shared it with his brothers, they hated him even more! (Genesis 37:1-5)
Israel lived in the wilderness with his twelve sons. Joseph was special to Israel because he was born to him by Rachel, his original love affair. And one day Israel gave Joseph a coat of many colors. Listen to the way Dr. Simmons describes this coat in the footnotes of The Passion Translation:
"a long-sleeved tunic that went down to his feet. Most tunics worn by men would only go down to the knees and were often made without sleeves. This robe was not something one would wear at work but was considered to be a robe of special significance for a prince. The same Hebrew word is found in 2 Sam. 13:18 referring to the robe of a princess."
I think it's important to note that this coat/tunic/robe was long-sleeved and went down to the feet. This coat was designed to cover every part of the wearer.
"Joseph is his father's favorite. Joseph is loved more than everyone else by his father. His father identifies him as the one whom he loves. The difference between Israel and Abba is that Abba is big enough for all of us to be His favorite. And I need you to understand this: the fact that Joseph is being identified as his father's favorite is going to open something up to him that's not open to the other kids." (Pastor Tim)
Something was made available to Joseph that was not made available to the other kids, simply because he was identified as one beloved of his father.
"It matters that Joseph is identified as the favorite. It matters what you believe God believes about you. It matters if you believe God loves you the same way He loves Jesus. We say these things out of our mouths, but do we believe it in our hearts?" (Pastor Tim)
If you believe that you are God's favorite, it's going to open something up to you.
What will it open up?
The ability to dream. Joseph could dream big dreams, and it turns out Joseph was the only one who could identify himself as Daddy's favorite. That's no coincidence. Abba is trying to give us a key in this story. What if our ability to have hope and dream Kingdom-sized dreams depends solely on our ability to be rightly identified as Abba's favorite?
Joseph had a significant realization at age seventeen that set him on a different path than his brothers. When his father wrapped him up in a costly coat of many colors, Joseph understood that he was beloved. And Joseph's coming into this understanding that he was deeply loved by his father gave him permission to dream big dreams.
"If I asked you if God loves you, you would nod your head in agreement, but here's how you determine if it's true. How big you dream communicates how deeply you believe God loves you. The dreams you dream communicate how deeply your heart believes that Abba loves you. What does that mean if we aren't dreaming for anything?" (Pastor Tim)
This is so significant. This truth deserves to be pulled into intimacy with Abba today as you take the walk with Him. Because the foundation for having hope restored is getting wrapped up in your beloved identity. Have you allowed Abba to place this coat of many colors on you? This coat is designed to touch every part of you. Is beloved identity covering every area of your life? It matters. Because having hope restored and dreaming dreams again relies on our being fully convinced that we are deeply loved by Abba with the same exact measure of love that He has for Jesus.
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Worship: "I Am Your Beloved" by Jonathan David & Melissa Helser
Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place
Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!