True Colors

Based on Genesis 36-37

"Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours." Genesis 37:3

Although Jacob loved his son Joseph in a special way, I'm sure it wasn't to the point of favoritism in a sense that Joseph's brothers would be justified in taking revenge on him...but, that's exactly the decision they made. Unfortunately, the amount of favor that Joseph was shown probably did get the best of him...he even shared a dream where his brothers bowed down to him...now while this dream was a prophetic thing of God, it could have been left unspoken until the right timing...this pushed the brothers over the edge, causing them to push Joseph into a pit, and it seemed as everyone's "true colors" were coming out! But where was God in a this?

"And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams." Genesis 37:19‭-‬20

As bad as this sounds, God had a plan. Just as the coat of many colors, God had many miraculous things which were to come out of this situation. God allows Joseph's brother Reuben to stand in the gap, convincing his brothers not to kill Joseph, but just throw him in a pit. His plan was to come back for Joseph, but again, God adds another twist, just another color to the painting of this scene unfolding...the brothers sell Joseph off to be a slave in Egypt, and the deep, dark color of blood becomes the overwhelming stain upon Joseph's coat...

"And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; and they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no."

Genesis 37:31‭-‬32

Jacob, aka Israel, weeps and laments for his son. This hits him so deeply that he is never quite the same after that...how could the brothers do such a thing? Does it surprise us when people let out their "true colors"? Never fear...God can even use situations like this for His glory! The grim beginning will have many bright colors & glimpses of hope to come as we move forward through these chapters. But we cannot forget about the Blood...and not the blood of some animal, but the Blood of Jesus, which can cover up even the darkest, ugliest colors & stains of our past and wash us white as snow!