Joseph's Dreams

Story: Joseph’s Dreams

Passage: Genesis 37:1-11

Characters: Jacob, Joseph, Joseph’s brothers

Summary: Joseph brought a bad report of his brothers to Jacob. Jacob loved Joseph and gave him a colorful robe. His brothers hated him. Joseph had a dream where they were binding sheaves and his sheaf stood up and his brothers’ bowed down to his. His brothers hated him more. Then he dreamt that the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to him. His father rebuked him, but he kept the dreams in mind.

Notes: The passage contrasts the previous chapter in that while Esau settled far away, we read that Jacob lived in his father’s land. Joseph was seventeen during these events. I found it interesting that he brought a bad report to his dad of his brothers. His brothers probably deserved it, but still this was probably a major contributor to the tension between Joseph and his brothers. No one likes a tattle tale. Jacob’s dysfunctional favoritism continues as he favors Joseph, his second youngest more than anyone else. This robe he gave Joseph is significant not because of the colors, but because of the length of the robe and it’s sleeves. This was a long sleeved robe reaching to Joseph’s ankles. This signified that Joseph was not a working man, but that he was privileged and favored. It was Jacob’s way of saying that Joseph had his birthright. His ten older brothers were obviously jealous of this favor their younger brother was receiving. It only gets better though. Joseph seems a bit oblivious to me! His brothers instantly knew the meaning of the first dream. They knew it implied he would rule over them. I don’t think they doubted this at first, they just despised it. They knew Jacob was giving Joseph whatever he wanted and he would become powerful, but the brothers were not happy about this. This dream also involved wheat. This is interesting since Joseph’s later interactions with his brothers would revolve around food. His second dream had the same meaning with an important difference. This dream included his mother and father. Joseph showed even less wisdom and more pride in sharing this dream. He knew how awesome this revelation was for him, but didn’t think about how it would sound to others. What God had told him did come true and it was real, but it would have been wiser and more humble for him to keep it to himself. This is not the first or last time the sons of Israel are represented by stars. Ever since Abraham, his descendants have been compared to stars, and we see the imagery again in revelation. You might have noticed that Rachel should be dead at this point, but she is still present in Joseph’s dream. It is possible that we have backtracked a bit here. It is possible that when the passage said these are the generations of Jacob that Jacob’s own account ended and Joseph’s began. However, Joseph’s dreams also included 11 other sheaves and stars implying that Benjamin was born, which would imply that Rachel was indeed dead. This story begins the long story of Joseph’s struggles. We will find that he never loses his focus even in the midst of incredibly unfair affliction. We can learn a lot from Joseph’s example, just not in this passage.

Questions: Why did Joseph tell his family his dreams? Did Jacob not see the negative effect his favoritism was having? Was Joseph oblivious or prideful? Remember he was only seventeen.

Lessons: If God tells you something, you need to evaluate how important it is for the general public to hear. If it is specifically for you, it might be wise to keep it to yourself and a select few friends or family members. You do not want to create jealousy or discouragement in others. Sometimes, if someone hears how God is doing something awesome for you, they might be disappointed that a similar thing isn’t happening to them. It is important to use wisdom when God does something in your life when you choose who to tell. If pride is your motivation, keep it to yourself. IF the edification of the church is your motivation, go for it.