Every family has one. The favorite.
In Joseph’s family, it wasn’t even a secret. His father, Jacob, gave him a fancy, one-of-a-kind robe. His ten older brothers got… well, nothing.
Then Joseph made it worse. He told his brothers about his dreams, where all of them bowed down to him.
You can guess how that went over.
The brothers threw Joseph into a pit, sold him to slave traders, dipped his fancy robe in goat’s blood, and told their father he had been killed by a wild animal.
So much for being the favorite.
But here’s the thing. Joseph had lost his father’s favoritism, but he had never lost God’s favor.
In Egypt, Joseph was sold as a slave to Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh. And “the LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered.” Before long, Joseph was running Potiphar’s entire household.
Then Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him, and Joseph landed in prison.
Pit. Slavery. Prison. Not exactly a winning streak.
But even in prison, “the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor.” Before long, Joseph was running the prison too.
Finally, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, and in a single day he went from prisoner to second in command over all of Egypt. Years later, during a great famine, his brothers came to Egypt begging for food and bowed down before him. Just like the dream.
So, what is favor? Here is what Joseph learned: God’s favor doesn’t keep you out of the pit. It keeps you from being defeated by the pit.
Favor is God’s presence in your circumstances, even when your circumstances haven’t changed yet.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank-you for Your favor in my life, in the good times and in the pits. Thank-you for being with me wherever I go, and for turning what others meant for harm into good. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Wikipedia: Joseph (Genesis), Jacob, Potiphar
Look-It Up:
Joseph’s story is told in Genesis 37–50.
The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Free Bonus:
Most of us grew up hearing about Joseph’s “coat of many colors,” the King James wording. The NIV calls it an “ornate robe.”
Joseph’s story inspired the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Their first version was written in 1968 for a school choir.
Dolly Parton’s song “Coat of Many Colors” takes its name from Joseph’s coat. It tells the story of a coat her mother sewed for her from rags.