What if Joseph Gave His Coat Back – or Said Yes to Potiphar’s Wife?

“Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. This is the story of the family of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.” Genesis 37:1-4

Jacob, also known as Israel, had twelve sons, and one daughter. He was proud of his sons, mostly. He was proud of all of his sons, but one of his sons was more special than the others – Joseph. We are told in the scriptures that Jacob loved Joseph more because he was the son of his old age. When a father loves one child more than the others, he often will do things for them that he might not do for the others. This isn’t right, but it is just the way humans function. For Jacob, the one thing he would do for Joseph was to have a special coat made for him. It was a fancy coat – a coat with long sleeves – and as some call it, a multi-color coat, or the “Coat of Many Colors”. For Joseph it was a prized possession. For his brothers, it was a source of scorn.

Joseph wasn’t the most perceptive person, at least when it came to the actions of his family. We know Joseph was a dreamer, and he could interpret dreams. But he could not read the tea leaves that would have made it clear that his brothers were jealous of his status with their father. As such, what if Joseph had not accepted the coat of many colors, or had returned it to his father once he noticed it brought hatred and jealousy from his brothers?

It is the coat of many colors, and his dreams that finally sets into motion the fate of Joseph. He is jumped by his brothers while they are far from their father. He is sold into slavery to Ishmaelites. From there he ends up in the family homestead of Potiphar. Joseph’s life had taken a sudden and unexpected turn – from favorite to feeling forsaken. One moment he seemingly was unable to do anything wrong. The next moment he could be asking G-d “What have I done wrong to deserve this?” He goes from checking on his brother’s safety, to hoping he might safely get out of a pit – and then safely get out of the hands of Ishmaelites — and then safely out of the house of Potiphar — and then safely out of the hands of Potiphar’s wife. At each turn he could have lost hope, he could have cursed G-d, or he could have given in to temptation.

All through his journey, Joseph must have been tempted – tempted to escape – tempted to kill his captors – tempted to give up hope. But Joseph never gives in to temptation. By the time he encounters Potiphar’s wife, Joseph had made the best of all he had suffered. By giving in to temptation at that point, I believe Joseph’s character, trust, and faith would have suffered a fatal blow. If Joseph does not persevere, then his visions would have gone unfulfilled. If his visions go unfulfilled, then Joseph does not become second in command of Egypt – and does not save his brothers – and most importantly, save his father. And so he does not give in to temptation – and instead he finds himself on the wrong end of justice – landing in jail and in the company of the Pharaoh’s baker and wine steward. All along the way Joseph is noted for his wisdom, his ability to interpret dreams, and his dashing good looks. And, it will be his ability to interpret dreams that will win favor with Pharaoh – so much so that he is set up as number two of the kingdom. This leads to his family coming to reside in Egypt – and they are saved from a horrific famine. If Joseph had returned the coat, he would not have been in such a bad way with his brothers….though his dreams of being greater than his family may have still gotten him in trouble. And if he is not in Pharaoh’s jail, he would not have interpreted his dreams, and instead of saving many people from the famine, many people would die from the famine.

Joseph will say, eventually, that what his brothers intended for evil, G-d uses for good. But without the character to avoid temptation and the character to completely trust the Lord, we would not have this amazing story of one man’s test of will, courage, and faith.

Pastor Dave