The Man with the Coat

“God Always Wins” Message One

Genesis 37-50

ETS: God used Joseph in various circumstances in life in order to accomplish His plan.

ESS: We should view our lives (and the circumstances thereof) as a means for God to accomplish His plan.

OSS: [MO: Devotional] {SO: I want the hearers to examine their lives and commit themselves to worshipping God through their stories.}

PQ: What circumstances can we examine in Joseph’s life?

UW: Circumstances

Introduction: As we study the lives of people in the Bible, we are able to see God’s hand at work through their life to accomplish His sovereign and divine plan. As we study Joseph’s life, we will notice that not every circumstance he found himself in or role he played was necessarily “enjoyable” or “desirable” or “ideal.” Yet still, God always won and His plan was accomplished. We see that through Genesis 50:20, a governing verse and memory verse for this study. “You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result- the survival of many people.” (CSB) We will begin our study today by examining the different roles and circumstances that Joseph found himself in. This will help us to familiarize ourselves with his life before we begin to examine the specifics of God winning through him. TS: Let us examine together the circumstances Joseph found himself in:

Joseph was Jacob’s eleventh son. (46:19)

Rachel was Jacob’s “first love” who was barren for quite some time.

Joseph was favored by his father. (37:1-4; 50:20; 30:22-24)

Because of the situation with Rachel, Joseph was favored by Jacob, his earthly father.

His father gave to him a robe (coat) that set him apart from his brothers. The appearance of the robe is debated, but it is most commonly referred to as “the coat of many colors.” According to the FaithLife Study Bible, the robe could have either had longer sleeves, been made from valued material or had many colors. It is commonly referred to as the coat of many colors likely because of the translation in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. FLSB concluded, “Regardless of its appearance, the robe distinguishes Joseph from his brothers and possibly indicates a position of authority over them.” (FLSB, notes under Gen. 37:3)

Not only was Joseph favored by his earthly father, but also by our Heavenly Father, God. Genesis 50:20 acknowledged that Joseph realized that his story was not the result or at the hand of the evil-intended brothers, but the result of a good and sovereign God who desired to preserve many through his life (David Noel Freedman, Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, 1992, section under “C. The Story from Joseph, Son of Jacob.”)

Joseph was hated by his brothers. (37:4-11)

Three times in this short passage the phrase, “they hated him” appeared. This is significant and suggests that it was a definite, strong hate.

Joseph was a dreamer. (37:5-11; ch. 40-41)

This is twofold: Joseph received dreams, but he also had the ability to interpret dreams.

FLSB stated, “Dreams were considered a common means of divine communication in the OT and throughout the ancient Near East (Gen 20:3; 28:12; 31:10-11). Particular dreams, like those Joseph has, were also believed to be prophetic.” (FLSB, note under 37:5)

The context of the story suggests that the dreams from 37:5-11 foreshadowed the coming events. CSBSB noted, “Joseph received two dreams from God during his lifetime. Both portrayed Joseph as gaining a position of supremacy in his family, though the symbols differed greatly. The first dream used an agricultural image (v. 7). The second, more important and wider in scope than the first, was astronomical (vv. 9-10). The pairing of dreams with shared meaning meant that God would certainly make the events happen (Gen. 41:32).” (Notes under 37:5-11).

Secondly, Joseph had the ability to interpret dreams which he acknowledged as God’s power in him: Gen. 40:8b; Gen. 41:16

Joseph was a slave. (37:26-36 and onward)

At the mercy of his brothers, Joseph was sold into slavery and became a slave in Egypt under Pharaoh.

Joseph was an administrator. (41: 37-42:9)

Joseph, because of God’s Spirit in Him (Gen. 41:38-39) was made administrator under Pharaoh, becoming the second in charge in Egypt.

David Freeman in The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary suggested that in the immediate context of the story, Joseph represented the type of administrator that every person in administration should be: not returning evil for evil and seeking revenge even when the opportunity presents itself. (AYBD, 4th par. under section 2: Plot)

CONCLUSION: As we review the circumstances of Joseph’s life, we realize that not all of the circumstances were ideal in his life: he was hated by his brothers; he was sold into slavery; he was lied on; Yet, we see that in the end of his life, God used every part of his story to accomplish His divine plan. Joseph acknowledged that it wasn’t the evil of his brothers that landed him in the difficult circumstances, but rather the good plan of God to preserve the lives of those around him. Sometimes, our situation is not directly a result of evil. It may be that God is allowing us to encounter difficulty (in relationships, in life in general) so that we can impact more people around us for His glory. Today, I want you to examine your life and see how God is using your story for His good, even when it doesn’t feel like it or seem like. Today, let’s worship Him for that. He alone is worthy.