Trevor S. Ferguson
October 16, 2011
Genesis 37:2-11, 18-20 (KJV)
2 These are the generations
of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his
brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah,
his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph
more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made
him a coat of many colours.
4 And when his brethren saw
that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and
could not speak peaceably unto him.
5 And Joseph dreamed a dream,
and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
6 And he said unto them,
Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
7 For, behold, we were
binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright;
and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
8 And his brethren said to
him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over
us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
9 And he dreamed yet another
dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more;
and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
10 And he told it to his
father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him,
What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy
brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
11 And his brethren envied
him; but his father observed the saying.
18 And when they saw him afar
off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay
him.
19 And they said one to
another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
20 Come now therefore, and let
us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath
devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
INTRODUCTION
The story of Joseph is one of the most moving in
the Old Testament. Its themes include courage, perseverance, personal
integrity, love, hatred, envy, forgiveness and many others. The Genesis account
chronicles the story from his youth (age 17 years) to the time of his death at
110 years old, with Joseph as the main character in 13 chapters, chapter 37 and
then chapters 38-50. A major feature of the life of Joseph was the occurrence
of dreams and the interpretation of dreams. Today, we will reflect upon the
life of Joseph, his dreams and his interpretation of dreams in order to glean lessons
which we may apply to our lives both spiritually and temporally.
EXPOSITION
The Genesis account records six dreams by four
dreamers. It is noteworthy that the dreams came in batches of two and each pair
was either closely related in their meaning or had the same meaning.
Joseph had two dreams. In the first dream, Joseph
and his brothers were binding sheaves in the field when suddenly his sheaf rose
up and stood upright and his brothers sheaves gathered around and bowed down
before Joseph’s sheaf. In the second dream, he dreamt that the sun, the moon
and eleven stars bowed down to him.
Joseph’s dreams were interpreted by his
brothers and his father. It was clear that those dreams suggested that Joseph’s
family would one day become subservient to him. We note the reaction of Joseph’s
brothers to his dreams. He was rebuked and hated. They felt threatened by
Joseph’s dreams and through their hatred sought to kill his dreams. He became
known as the dreamer, but this nickname was more a form of ridicule rather than
an expression of support for his dreams. We note however, that his father while
not openly affirming Joseph’s dream, took note of the dream. The NIV rendition
says ‘his father kept the matter in mind’. I suppose he prayed about it and
left the final result to God. Joseph’s brothers went further than mere ridicule
however; when Joseph went to visit his brothers in the field they conspired
against him, saying clearly: Let’s see
what will become of his dreams.
The next set of dreams occurred while Joseph was
in Egypt. In these occurrences Joseph’s role switches from being the dreamer to
that of the interpreter of dreams. He first interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s
baker and butler and then he interpreted dreams for Pharaoh himself. It was
this ability to interpret dreams that resulted in him being ultimately elevated
to the position of ‘Prime Minister’ in Egypt. Take note of two points not often
highlighted from the narrative: Firstly, on both occasions Joseph clearly
stated that the interpretation of dreams belonged to God, refusing to take the
glory for himself and identifying himself as a witness of the one true God. Secondly,
Joseph used the opportunity to stand before Pharaoh not only to interpret
Pharaoh’s dreams but he also presented to him a proposal as to how the problems
presented by the dream might be overcome ( see Genesis 41:33-36). This proposal
was instrumental in Pharaoh’s decision to appoint Joseph as the man to oversee
and manage the period of famine in Egypt. This tell us that when God inspires us
to speak, we should speak up!!
APPLICATION
Let us now look at some practical lessons that we
can learn from the life of Joseph
(1) When God
gives you a dream embrace it
Sometimes your dreams will appear bigger than
you; it may seem implausible and even impossible. However, if God has placed
this dream in your heart He is more than able to accomplish it. Embrace your dream. Leave the fulfilment
to God.
(2)
Be careful with whom you share your dreams
There are dream killers everywhere. The moment
you begin to express your dream the doubters will begin to shout it down. Don’t
give them that opportunity. Select trusted, mature and positive persons, who
will support you, encourage you and pray with you.
(3)
Don’t let the dream killers kill your dream
Regardless of how hard you try, someone will try
to kill your dream. They will set up road blocks, obstacles, frustrations,
emotional isolation – all in an attempt to wear you down and get you to give up
on your dreams. But regardless of the situation and the setback remember that
you serve a miracle working God. He will open doors that no one else can open,
he will fly the traps of the enemy and in the end he will bring you out.
Remember Habakkuk 2:3 “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall
speak and not lie: though the vision tarry wait for it; because it will surely
come, it will not tarry.”
Remember also that everyone does not have to
believe in your dream. Paul asks a pointed question in Romans 3:3; “For what if some did not believe? Shall
their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?” He the responds in
verse 4 “… let God be true but every man
a liar…” Don’t let the dream killers kill your dream!!
(4)
Don’t be afraid to step into your dream
We note that Joseph was not afraid to step up on
his big day. He was being taken from prison to manage the affairs of all of
Egypt but he stepped up without a fear. We note however that he had good
preparation. He was first put in charge as manager in Potiphar’s house. He
excelled! He was then put in charge of the prison. He excelled! The transition
to the palace was therefore not so difficult for Joseph, by now he was used to
being in charge. Let us not despise small opportunities, they may be providing
the vital experience for our big day.
(5)
When your dream is fulfilled forgive the dream killers
This last point lifts us beyond the ordinary.
Many of us have a natural tendency to exact revenge when we come in to positions
of authority, but the more noble thing to do is to forgive. The Christian thing
to do is to forgive. Joseph forgave his brothers, looked after them and
preserved his family so that they eventually became a mighty nation. We do not
always understand how God acts, but sometimes the things others do to us for
evil, God allowed it for our good. It is all a part of the path to our purpose
and every experience is vital.
CONCLUSION
Today I want to encourage someone to dream, dream
big and leave the fulfilment to God. Let us learn from Joseph. Remember God is
in control, if we put our hands in His hands he will lead us safely to His
purpose!!
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