“…when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern…” – Genesis 37:23-24 (NLT)
All the brothers, except perhaps Reuben, desired to destroy not so much Joseph as his dream. They had no spiritual understanding of spiritual dreams, so when Joseph approached them, they banded together and stripped him of his colourful coat. They hated the coat with a passion! They despised the fact that their brother could have any authority over them! In essence, they were saying, “Get that coat off of him! We don’t want Joseph having any authority over us!”
Just as Joseph’s brothers resented his youthful authority, you can be sure that the devil will fight to keep you from using any of the authority that Jesus gave to you. The brothers did not stop there. They threw him in a nearby pit and eventually sold him as a slave. The blood of an animal was smeared onto the beautiful coat. A concocted tale was told to their father. Now, his brothers could say, “Joseph has no authority over us!” Or so they thought.
Was there any SHALOM (PEACE) in this family after this incident? Perhaps the brothers could not speak to each other with SHALOM anymore. Joseph and Jacob perhaps played their own parts in contributing to the lack of SHALOM. Now, the brothers have played their parts; the home was not the same anymore.
Joseph’s brothers stripped him of his coat, but there was one thing they could not strip from him: his dream. Do you see how important it is to possess a dream, a God-given vision? Even though Joseph had been removed from his position, he still had a goal and a calling, and he was not destroyed by circumstances. He had his faith in Someone greater than his circumstances. Men and women who have that kind of unwavering faith are the ones God will use to fulfil His purpose on earth.
Joseph held on to his dream, even though he was sold into slavery, and eventually, he ended up working for the Pharaoh’s captain of the guards. In his duties, Joseph practised diligence, quietly nurturing God’s calling within himself, and the Lord began to bless him. The Lord even blessed Potiphar because Joseph was a part of his household. Joseph may have been a dreamer, but he was also a worker, and work is what it takes to bring a Godly vision to pass. Hold on to your dream, work diligently, and watch it come to pass!
Prayer
Father, forgive us for our failures to accept responsibility for our actions. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Read: Genesis 40:8; Acts 2:17
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 86:11-17; Romans 4:16-25; Romans 5:1-11; Amos 6
