Click to Play Movie
The popular animation movie, “The Prince of Egypt” is no stranger to many. However many will be surprised to discover that it is a Biblical account of the life of Joseph, the son of Jacob (Israel). The account of Joseph’s life has precious significances to both Christians and Jews alike. For the Christian it is a type of metaphor and picture of Christ Jesus. The key to Joseph’s conduct was his godly character, and the basis for that character was his recognition that he belonged to God and served Him (Genesis 39:9). “The LORD was with Joseph” is often repeated (Genesis 39:2, 3, 21, 23).
Joseph was greatly loved by his father (Genesis 37:3; Matthew 3:17), hated and envied by his brothers (John 15:25; Mark 15:10), plotted against, sold as a slave, arrested unjustly, and made to suffer. But he went from suffering to glory and became the Saviour of the people who had rejected him.
Most would remember Joseph for his “many coloured coat.” However throughout Joseph’s life he wore other garments of which are also of equal importance that many glimpse over. Each change of these garments brought him closer to his destiny and purpose.
The Garments:
Garments of many colours – Gen. 37:3
The coat of many colours was a symbol of Jacob’s love (like our heavenly Father’s love for us) and favour for his beloved son Joseph. Joseph was Jacob’s lovechild that he had always desired from his wife Rachel. He loved her desperately and was so overjoyed to have a firstborn son by her and so he personally made the coat/garment for Joseph. This garment produced envy in his half brothers. Gen. 37:4 it became a symbol of hate to them and was used as a tool of deception when they sold their brother into slavery and bloodied his garment. Gen. 37:31 it makes you think of Jesus when he was like a lamb led to the slaughter. Treachery and hate were the garments that his brothers wore.
Garments of Slavery – Gen. 39:9,12-18
Gen. 39:12-18 Potipher’s wife had lustful desires for Joseph and tore his garment from his body.
She used his garment as a tool of treachery against Joseph. His garment of a favoured slave (he had special privileges above all the other slaves in the house) was ripped from his body and he entered yet another season, prison.
Garments of Prison – Gen. 41:14
We can see ourselves at times in this situation where we are falsely accused. Joseph had to die to self. He was bound and seemingly forgotten. But even as things were beginning to look bleak for Joseph, Gen. 39:21 …the LORD gave him favour.
Garments of audience with Pharaoh - Gen. 41:14
Joseph changed his own garment to go before Pharaoh (we must strip off our filthy garment – our old lifestyles, flesh to go before our King).
Garments of Royalty – Gen. 41: 42
His gift had made room for him and authority was granted to Joseph, Gen. 41:40. His boyhood dream long ago had spoken of his destiny. He was clothed in the finest of raiment, fit for rulership and royalty.
Garments of grave clothes – Gen. 50:25-26
Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. Even the threat of death cannot hold us back from our destiny and purpose in God IF we trust that his ways are higher than our ways. The Hebrew author writes, “By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.”
Garments of the Resurrection
All Christians should eagerly await!!!
There’s far more to life for us. We are citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Saviour, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He will make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.
Our current earthly garment will be no comparison to our new resurrection bodies. In 1 Corinthians 15:50-57, we see that our natural, earthy lives don’t in themselves lead us by their very nature into the kingdom of God. Their very “nature” is to die, so how could they “naturally” end up in the Life kingdom?
But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I’ll probably never fully understand. We’re not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes—it’s over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we’ll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. Then the saying will come true:
Death swallowed by triumphant Life!
Who got the last word, oh, Death?
Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now?
It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank you!
It is better to flee and lose your garment than fall and lose your character.
The popular animation movie, “The Prince of Egypt” is no stranger to many. However many will be surprised to discover that it is a Biblical account of the life of Joseph, the son of Jacob (Israel). The account of Joseph’s life has precious significances to both Christians and Jews alike. For the Christian it is a type of metaphor and picture of Christ Jesus. The key to Joseph’s conduct was his godly character, and the basis for that character was his recognition that he belonged to God and served Him (Genesis 39:9). “The LORD was with Joseph” is often repeated (Genesis 39:2, 3, 21, 23).
Joseph was greatly loved by his father (Genesis 37:3; Matthew 3:17), hated and envied by his brothers (John 15:25; Mark 15:10), plotted against, sold as a slave, arrested unjustly, and made to suffer. But he went from suffering to glory and became the Saviour of the people who had rejected him.
Most would remember Joseph for his “many coloured coat.” However throughout Joseph’s life he wore other garments of which are also of equal importance that many glimpse over. Each change of these garments brought him closer to his destiny and purpose.
The Garments:
1. Garments of many colours – Gen. 37:3
The coat of many colours was a symbol of Jacob’s love (like our heavenly Father’s love for us) and favour for his beloved son Joseph. Joseph was Jacob’s lovechild that he had always desired from his wife Rachel. He loved her desperately and was so overjoyed to have a firstborn son by her and so he personally made the coat/garment for Joseph. This garment produced envy in his half brothers. Gen. 37:4 it became a symbol of hate to them and was used as a tool of deception when they sold their brother into slavery and bloodied his garment. Gen. 37:31 it makes you think of Jesus when he was like a lamb led to the slaughter. Treachery and hate were the garments that his brothers wore.
2. Garments of Slavery – Gen. 39:9,12-18
Gen. 39:12-18 Potipher’s wife had lustful desires for Joseph and tore his garment from his body.
She used his garment as a tool of treachery against Joseph. His garment of a favoured slave (he had special privileges above all the other slaves in the house) was ripped from his body and he entered yet another season, prison.
3. Garments of Prison – Gen. 41:14
We can see ourselves at times in this situation where we are falsely accused. Joseph had to die to self. He was bound and seemingly forgotten. But even as things were beginning to look bleak for Joseph, Gen. 39:21 …the LORD gave him favour.
4. Garments of audience with Pharaoh - Gen. 41:14
Joseph changed his own garment to go before Pharaoh (we must strip off our filthy garment – our old lifestyles, flesh to go before our King).
5. Garments of Royalty – Gen. 41: 42
His gift had made room for him and authority was granted to Joseph, Gen. 41:40. His boyhood dream long ago had spoken of his destiny. He was clothed in the finest of raiment, fit for rulership and royalty.
6. Garments of grave clothes – Gen. 50:25-26
Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. Even the threat of death cannot hold us back from our destiny and purpose in God IF we trust that his ways are higher than our ways. The Hebrew author writes, “By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.”
7. Garments of the Resurrection- All Christians should eagerly await!!!
There’s far more to life for us. We are citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Saviour, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He will make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.
Our current earthly garment will be no comparison to our new resurrection bodies. In 1 Corinthians 15:50-57, we see that our natural, earthy lives don’t in themselves lead us by their very nature into the kingdom of God. Their very “nature” is to die, so how could they “naturally” end up in the Life kingdom?
But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I’ll probably never fully understand. We’re not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes—it’s over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we’ll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. Then the saying will come true:
Death swallowed by triumphant Life!
Who got the last word, oh, Death?
Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now?
It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank you!
