Years ago I saw “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, written by Tim Rice and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. With a masterful performance by Donny Osmond as Joseph, this coat was dazzling; like the colors on the color wheel. We tend to think of Joseph’s coat in vivid colorization, but the original Hebrew has it as a “long-sleeved tunic, probably linen, going down to the wrists and feet”. It was an upper coat. And the term “phasyes ” means “the flat of the hand or foot”; hence palm or sole.
The value of this coat was not in its color, property, stitching, etc.; the value is not in what is was, but who gave it, so please come to the House of Jacob, where a coat rips apart a family, but ultimately unites a nation.
Coat of the Father’s Favor
Joseph was beloved as a son of Jacob’s old age and his favorite wife, Rachel. Joseph was probably 15 years old when his mother died, so I can relate to this tough time in Joseph’s history.
Notice the change of the name of Jacob. It is noted as “Israel”, not Jacob. Israel is the name God gave him in Genesis 32: 27-28, when Jacob was wrestling with God in anticipation of seeing his twin Esau again. This leads Jacob to another wrestling match – with God. Unresolved conflict always leads us to a place of fighting with God. We cannot go forward without victory over the past. After the fight, God tells Jacob he is a prince and gives him a new identity – there is a spiritual component here. 2 Corinthians 5: 17 says “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” NASB
Jacob makes the coat for Joseph
In Genesis 35: 33 – Rueben, the first born of Jacob and his first wife Leah, sleeps with Jacob’s concubine and Jacob hears about it. Rueben has defiled his father’s bed and loses the right of the first born, the double portion of inheritance and blessing (1 Chronicles 5: 1, 2). Jacob then makes the coat for Joseph which is a sign to the brothers that Joseph is now the head of the family and will receive the double portion inheritance. When someone makes something personal for you, it is regarded with higher value, as was in this case. It also singles the person out in the minds of others expecting or wanting anything from an inheritance. In a family it can mirror to others what they feel they’ve been denied. Their focus is now on the item, even if they don’t like it.
Coat of the Foe’s Behavior
This coat brought out the worst in the brothers. Joseph was in the field with Bildah’s and Zilpah’s sons and told of the brothers’ sins to Jacob. This added to the brothers’ fury at Joseph’s squealing, even though he was correct in his assessment of the facts. Later Jacob sends Joseph to check on his brother’s in the field, elevating Joseph over them in the field work.
Joseph was hated because he was loved.
The brothers’ couldn’t do the right thing and obtain favor by that, so they sought to remove the problem – Joseph. Hate is not the opposite of love; indifference is. Hate is love spurned – a seeming rejection (which truly was against Jacob), but as it often does, emotion comes out sideways. Believers and non-believers can hate us simply because we display the love of God. Don’t always look for a deeper reason. (Matthew 5: 11-12)
Coat of the Fabulous Savior
Jesus is the direct object of the love of the Father. Jesus was sold for the price of a slave (Exodus 21: 32) and his clothing ripped from him (“take” meaning to “aggressively receive”) and his tunic sold in lottery. In that gift He clothed us in the linen tunic of righteousness. He gave us a new identity in Him. Jesus loved us because He loved us, not for what we did to earn his love.
In the wrestling match of eternity, Jesus prevailed for us. He overcame for us. The word “overcame” means to “take the weapon out of the hand of the adversary”. In this case, He took out rejection and gave it back to the devil, who knows rejection well. He was evicted from heaven. Now the Lord had made Him (Jesus) both Lord and Christ.
The tunic of righteousness covered every part of the body except these:
- Head – Jesus is the Head of the church, brains and thought
- Hands and feet – The Church is the extension of the Head.
- Everything else is covered by the righteousness:
- hands of reaching out and reaching up,
- feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
This tunic was made by the Father-He made it by hand and through the palms and soles of His Son.
The value of this coat is in the Maker – the Giver. In an old Philadelphia farm house attic there was found old frame with a historic document: the Gettysburg Address. On the original paper used, there was a scribbled little note that took ten minutes to write. On “Antiques Roadshow” we continually learn that the value is in the author – whoever wrote or made it. This week, anything written or done by the late Lady Bird Johnson has escalated in value, because death increased the value. Jesus died and rose and His value skyrocketed.
The value of our salvation is in the One who gave it to us. Thank God.