August 3, 2023
Thursday
The Garments We Wear: Joseph’s Robe of Sonship
Ephesians 1:3; 3:18-19
3 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.
Along with Noah’s ark, the tower of Babel, the parting of the Red Sea, and other famous stories, Joseph’s “coat of many colors” has attained iconic status. In fact, in the late 1960s, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat—the story of Joseph—was produced and remains one of the most performed musicals on stage.
But the word technicolor betrays what may be an erroneous understanding of Joseph’s famous coat. “Coat of many colours” comes from the King James Version which is based on a hard-to-decipher Hebrew text (Genesis 37:3). In short, no one is quite sure what Joseph’s coat looked like. Rather than “many colours” it may have been an “ornate robe” like that worn by one of David’s daughters (2 Samuel 13:18). Regardless of its appearance, this much is clear: Joseph’s garment was a sign of generosity and blessing from a father to his son. In the same way, we have been blessed “with every spiritual blessing … in Christ” by God our Father (Ephesians 1:3).
All of God’s children are “heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17), destined to be clothed with His righteousness for eternity. No earthly garment can compare with the heavenly one.
A point to ponder…
A true Christian is both a beggar and an heir.
Anonymous
Read the Bible through in a year
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© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich