Trusting God's Plan in the Waiting: Lessons From the Life of JosephExemplo

GOD-GIVEN DREAMS

Ever wake up with a dream so vivid you can’t shake it? Many times, I’ve dreamed I lost a tooth.  I’d wake up panicked that my tooth was loose only to realize that it was just a dream.  Joseph’s story starts out with a dream, well actually two dreams, but these weren’t any ordinary dreams. They were prophetic glimpses into Joseph’s future, but he didn’t know it at the time.  Let’s back up a bit to set the stage.

Joseph, a 17-year-old Hebrew, was out in the fields of Canaan tending the flocks with a few of his brothers.  Side note, when reading the Bible, I like to ponder every detail.  So right up front, we see the brothers are sons of Jacob’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, former handmaidens. Go back to yesterday’s “A Little Extra” to learn more about this messed up family dynamic.  The point is these wives felt lesser than, and you can bet their sons did, too.  Jacob actually played favorites among his sons, going so far as to make a special coat of many colors for Joseph.

Back to the story, while out in the fields with his brothers, Joseph notices them doing something. He gives a bad report about them to his father. We aren’t sure why he did this, but it’s possible that his dad had asked him to keep tabs on his brothers. Whatever the reason,  the brothers already didn’t like him and this just made it worse. So when he had a strange dream about ruling over his brothers, he told them! 

“We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” (v7)

I’m guessing that’s not the best way to win hearts...or popularity contests! Cue the disgust from his brothers as they said, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?”  So what does Joseph do when he has another similar dream?  He tells them!  “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” (v9)

And if the brothers didn’t hate him after the first dream, they certainly did after this one.  All the while, Jacob tucked that dream in the back of his mind.  He may have realized those weren’t ordinary dreams.  But as we will later read, the dreams, and Joseph mouthing off, were the catalysts in his story.  He may have seen a vision of his brothers bowing down to him, but it would be a very long and difficult road before that was ever fulfilled.  Stay tuned, the story just gets better!

Questions:  

• Have you ever had a dream or possibly a promise you felt was from God?      
• Did you share this with anyone and what was their reaction?  Did it come to pass?     
• What do you see in Joseph’s character that shows he needs to grow?