Tehillah Generation Chapel
Daily Manna | Thursday, July 19, 2018 | Topic: Conscience 75
Scripture: And when they saw Joseph afar off, even before he came near to them, they conspired against him to slay him. Genesis 37:18
Note: Joseph’s coat of many colours, given to him by his dad, Jacob, had since its inception, become a definite means by which Joseph was identified among his siblings. A coat that was intricately woven, comprising different colours into a beautiful tapestry of fabric, had suddenly become the definitive way by which Joseph could be identified. The coat of many colours made Joseph to stand out from the rest of the pack. It made him the cynosure of all eyes. It brought identity and recognition to Joseph, making the rest of the brothers suspicious of their father indirectly transferring the authority of the Abrahamic mantle to Joseph.
The coat of many colours made Joseph an obvious target for hatred, envy and jealousy among his brothers. The fear of their comparative seniority over Joseph based on the law seemed to be under serious threat of being usurped. The coat of many colours thus, went beyond its primary description of a beautiful garment meant for covering nakedness and providing warmth to Joseph, to being the basis of a major family feud that was about to cause Joseph his precious life. The critical moment when Joseph suddenly recognised what was at stake, his life pitted against the coat of many colours that had come to symbolise what represented a sense of pride to Joseph, had now turned into a death trap for its owner, seeking to rob him of his life.
The crude, violent and sudden manner in which Joseph was stripped of the coat of many colours summarised the force of the hatred, envy and jealousy seething among his brothers. Joseph could have been slowly released into the waterless pit. Instead, he was violently thrown into the pit, naked. The naked truth in the fact of Joseph still being alive after all the heated banter that went on between Reuben and the rest of his angry brothers, spoke volumes of the grace of God that was at work to bring the purpose of God in Joseph’s life into fruition. Joseph’s condition in the pit was pitiful, but it could have been worse than what he endured. Joseph had everything to be thankful to God for, in sparing his life. This was the first time in Joseph’s life that he had to make do with life without his iconic coat of many colours.
Many people fail to come to terms with the sudden loss of an identity in their lives. The shock of suddenly getting thrown into an era that they’re not prepared for, and neither had they ever anticipated in their lives, is considered a crisis to many. Instead of facing up to the new challenges that life throws at them, they spend precious moments fruitlessly mourning over missed or lost opportunities, sorrowing over what might have been, with some giving up entirely, allowing their pitiful self to sink further into the dark abyss of despair, discouragement and depression. Fortunately for Christian believers, we have not so learned of Christ. For Christ in us is the hope of glory.
Food for thought: The reality of Christ living in the heart of a believer, is truer than the reality of the problems that seem to sink him.
Declaration: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Col 1:27
©Author: Rev Fred Aboe
