A Coat Of Many Colors

What, is so significant about a coat of many colors? That’s what I wondered too until God began to speak to me about it and I spent some time researching the colors. The fact that it wasn’t just a special coat made of special animal skins, or a coat made of extra fine cloth, but it was a coat of many colors, spoke to me that there must be something about those colors in the coat.

(Display an artwork image of the coat of many colors)

As I began to look at the Word of God to find evidence of different colors in the scriptures I was struck with the message that those colors carried and God began to reveal this message for me to give to you as well.

Each of the colors mentioned in the Bible mean something to us. By looking at those meanings, I believe that we can get a vision of what a father should think of his children, and what his hopes and dreams for each of them would be.

Let’s look at some of the colors that may have been in Joseph’s coat and see what Israel could have seen in Joseph when it was given to him.

First there is the color of AMBER, OR YELLOW – this color is only mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel 1:4, "And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire." Thus we can see that the color of amber was representative of God’s glory.

What significance could this have for Joseph as Israel prepared the coat? I’m sure that Israel thought of his own vision of God’s glory. His intent was that the yellow in the coat should remind Joseph everyday that God’s glory is real and that the presence of God should never be taken for granted. I wonder if Israel put yellow into that coat because he understood that there would come a day when Joseph would need the presence of God in his life to sustain him through the many dark days ahead.

Next Israel put some BLACK into Joseph’s coat. What was he trying to tell his son with that?

For most of us, when we think of the color black, we associate it with mostly the negative side of life. Black has always been a symbol of death, disease, famine and sorrow – all are the results of sin in your life. The only time in the Bible where the color black is spoken of in a positive manner is when there is a mention of black hair, meaning healthy hair.

Could it be that Israel, by giving Joseph this coat, was trying to tell his son that not only could Joseph enjoy the presence and glory of God, but that unless Joseph were to stay true to God, there would also be many days of “blackness” when his son would wander away from God into the world of darkness and sin.

Another color that would likely have been in Joseph’s coat was BLUE. Blue was used throughout the Book of Exodus to describe the curtains and robes of the High Priest that were to be incorporated into serving the Lord in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Blue can also be taught as second lesson upon the things of heaven.