JOSEPH #4 : JOSEPH'S TWO DREAMS ( Gen.37:5- 11)
Pastor Christopher Choo
Lesson 3600
JOSEPH #4
JOSEPH'S TWO DREAMS ( Gen.37:5- 11)
5 Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to the dream I had. 7 We were tying up bundles of grain out in the field. Suddenly my bundle stood up straight. Your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it.”
8 His brothers said to him, “Do you plan to be king over us? Will you really rule over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream. They didn’t like what he had said.
9 Then Joseph had another dream. He told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said. “I had another dream. This time the sun and moon and 11 stars were bowing down to me.”
10 He told his father as well as his brothers. Then his father rebuked him. He said, “What about this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers really do that? Will, we really come and bow down to the ground in front of you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him. But his father kept the dreams in mind.
Dreams and visions in the Bible were usually of a prophetic nature and carried a warning.
When a youthful Joseph shared his two dreams with his family, they reacted with outrage, not respect.
In the Hebrew translation, Joseph asked his brothers to help him "understand" (Hebrew: shama) his dreams.
Some commentators say he was too brash and cocky. Others say the dreams were clear and needed no further confirmation from others. Still, others say he was using his dreams to boost his headship of the family.
I personally believe Joseph was sincere just asking for an interpretation of his confusing dream, not asserting his position.
But to their minds how can a shepherd boy like Joseph ascend to a throne?
They may be well aware the Abrahamic Covenant promised they would multiply and become a great nation.
But Joseph as their king? It was one thing for him to receive a birthright but royalty too? And why should his elders bow before him including his parents? It was just unthinkable.
What is today's lesson about?
In hindsight, we know such dreams and interpretations were God's spiritual gifting to Joseph.
But to his family, it was just too much - that their father Jacob gave him the birthright of the firstborn was bad enough. Now, God, Himself seems to bless Joseph with kingship over them!
Jacob and sons could have sought God's counsel but instead, they reacted harshly and hastily by reproaching Joseph with sarcasm and scorn.
Jacob personally should have known that God-given dreams were to be taken seriously. He personally experienced such a powerful dream and vision at Bethel. But in this episode, he himself and his sons went against Joseph...and ultimately God.
In our day, even though we have the complete scriptures, with all the fulfilled promises Joseph had, the tantalizing question remains: can we trust our unknown future to a known God? Do we heed the voice of His prophets throughout the ages?
