The NIV 365 Day Devotional
Joseph: From Colorful Coat to Quality Character
Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob, is perhaps most famous for his coat of many colors. Some have gone so far as to describe it as “Technicolor.” It was a gift from his father—a not-so-subtle indicator of his status as Dad’s favorite.
This snazzy jacket, coupled with Joseph’s immature boasting, created fierce friction in the family of Jacob. In fact, when his jealous older brothers finally had enough of their cocky young brother, they sold him to a caravan of traders headed west. A short time later, Joseph was a slave in Egypt, working for the high-ranking government official Potiphar.
Even without his fashionable outerwear, Joseph was a good-looking guy, and Potiphar’s wife kept pouncing at him like a cougar. For his part, Joseph kept running away, resisting her advances. Eventually, the scorned woman gave up her chase and falsely accused Joseph of sexual assault. Suddenly he found himself in prison.
There Joseph waited. If he grumbled about his life of many troubles, he kept such complaints to himself. In prison he did what he was told. He helped out wherever possible. He slowly gained the trust of the warden and some of his fellow prisoners.
And so it was that after several years God orchestrated events for Joseph to be released. And because he was a man of many abilities, this non-Egyptian rose to become Pharaoh’s second-in-command. In that position, Joseph ably led a government program to stockpile grain against coming famine. Lo and behold, when the devastating famine hit, who showed up in Egypt to buy grain but Joseph’s brothers. When this ruler called them over, his clueless siblings didn’t realize whom they were addressing.
After toying a bit with them, Joseph revealed his true identity. The brothers were understandably shocked and terrified. But in the reunion that followed, Joseph expressed absolute confidence in the sovereignty of God: “It was not you who sent me here, but God” (Ge 45:8). He was also forgiving, gracious and kind: “Joseph said to them…‘Don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.’ And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them” (50:19,21).
Though he started out with a coat of many colors, Joseph ended up with a character of many qualities. Not a bad trade-off.
Taken from The NIV Lucado Encouraging Word Bible.