Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat—let
me count the places my husband and I have seen this powerful story. Last Saturday at the Fabulous Fox must be the
9th or 10th live production, beginning with a community
presentation at Meramec Community College many summers ago. Seeing the show on the Goldenrod Show Boat
certainly stands out on the list.
Wherever we have seen it, however, what remains the same is the catchy
creativity and wonderful reminder of what is truly amazing: God’s providential working for great good—no
matter how impossible it may seem at times.
The
Biblical account of Joseph unfolds over 13 chapters in Genesis, beginning in
chapter 37. Jacob, a patriarch of the
faith, has 12 sons and favors Joseph—never a good idea. He gives Joseph this amazing colored coat
while his brothers receive nothing. Then
Joseph tells his brothers about his dreams, “and they hated him even more”
(Gen. 37:5). As envy and jealousy set in,
the brothers decide to kill Joseph. Thus
begins a pattern of Joseph rising and falling in various circumstances, finally
chained and alone in an Egyptian prison.
All
the while, Joseph does not lose sight of God’s hand on His life and His
faithfulness to achieve the good He has planned. Even after betrayal, lies and mistreatment, he
clings to his dreams and their inspiration.
While alone and chained in prison, Joseph sings “Close Every Door,” a
stirring confession that no matter how persecuted and thwarted, God will
prevail in it all. A chorus of
prisoners and the narrator then cheer Joseph on, singing:
“Hey
dreamer, don’t be upset
Hey,
Joseph, you’re not beaten yet . . .
Don’t
give up Joseph until you drop
We’ve
‘read the book’ and you come out on top.”
I
love the “read the book” line. Those of
us who have read the Bible story do know that despite these terrible
experiences, God’s going to put things in order and use Joseph to save many
lives. What gets Joseph out of jail is
his God-given ability to interpret dreams—a very useful talent when Pharaoh is
troubled about his own dreams featuring fat and skinny cows. Joseph discerns that the cows represent seven
years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Brilliantly, Pharaoh frees Joseph and
promotes him to supervise storing up the surplus for later use.
When
the time of famine comes, Egypt has plenty for its people and also for others,
including Joseph’s brothers who come for food.
They don’t recognize Joseph and are afraid when he finally reveals
himself to them. But he forgives them
and sees God’s purposes in it all: “you meant evil against me; but God meant it
for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people
alive” (Gen. 50:20).
As
our church service began this last Sunday, the word “resolve” came strongly to
my mind. Later in the sermon, the pastor
shared how her mother had a “strong inner strength.” Webster defines resolve as “determination”
and “a fixity of purpose.” Joseph’s
dreams gave him a sense of being “tapped by God” for a purpose at an early
age. Being shut out and closed in for
years did not shake his resolve. He knows that “Children of Israel are never
alone . . . we have been promised a land of our own.”
Godly
purpose, a strong resolve to trust in God’s faithfulness—gifts of God for the
people of God who like Joseph have, at times, partially perplexing and terribly
trying seasons.
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