Title: The Dreamer/Genesis 37:1-17
Genesis Exposition 69
dreamer
(Genesis 37:1-17)
Starting today, the story of Jacob turns into the story of his son Joseph. Although Joseph is physically the 11th son, he takes on the role of the firstborn spiritually. Therefore, the history of Israel naturally passes from Jacob to Joseph. At the age of 17, he had two dreams containing God's mission and his vision, and because of those dreams, he was hated by his brothers. Hatred eventually leads to Joseph being sold into slavery in Egypt. But it was all God's providence.
At this time, Jacob's family was living in Hebron. Esau leaves as he pleases, and only Jacob is guarding Canaan just like his father and grandfather did. He lived a life that did not forget the promise he made with God. Today's Bible tells the story of Joseph, saying, "This is the pharmacopoeia of Jacob." Because the story of Joseph represents the story of Jacob's family. Although Joseph is young at this time, he begins a journey of suffering to accomplish God's will. He did not know how many hardships and hardships he went through for 13 years until he became prime minister of Egypt at the age of 30.
From now on, it is time to listen to the message of God speaking through the history of redemption unfolded by Joseph. Now, in the first hour, we want to listen to the voice of the Lord by examining Joseph's dream and the nightmare-like story that arises from that dream. Today's Bible can be divided into three themes.
love
Joseph was a person who received special love. (Verse 3) “Joseph was the son of his old age, and Israel loved him more than many of his sons, and made colored robes for him.” Jacob loved Joseph more because he was the son of his old age. My son was born at the age of 91, so it's worthy of that. But most of all, it must have been even more pitiful and pitiful for her mother to die while giving birth to her younger brother Benjamin. When I was young, I did not receive love from my mother, and I loved him even more because he was the eldest son. In that respect, Benjamin was even more so.
There was another reason why he loved Joseph or Benjamin more. This is because they are the reincarnations of Rachel, the lover whom he loved and committed to slavery for decades. He loved Rachel and regarded 7 years as just a few days, so it is natural that his children must have been lovely. Why don't my sons and daughters hate me after arguing with my husband? That's the principle. Joseph is thus a man destined to receive Jacob's special love from birth.
(Verse 12) If we look at the following words, we can see why he was also loved by the Father. I listened to my father very well. Perhaps from a young age, he grew up religiously and followed his father well. When the brothers went to Shechem to tend the sheep, they went on an errand for their father to ask for the safety of the brothers and the flock. It is not easy to get to Shechem from Hebron, but from Shechem, I heard that my brothers had already left for Dothan, so I went to Dothan again. Dothan is an area about 30 km north of Shechem. It's a tough road for a young Joseph. But he faithfully carries out his father's errands.
What father would not love a son like this? There was a special reason why the father loved Joseph more than the other sons. So his father made him a colored robe and put him on. Colored clothes are long clothes dyed with paint and were worn by chiefs at the time. By wearing this robe, Joseph made it known that he was the de facto chieftain and eldest son of the Jacob family.
hate
Where is love only love? He is loved by his father, and his brothers come to him with hatred. Today's Bible tells us the reason for that hatred. (2) “This is the book of Jacob: Joseph was a seventeen-year-old boy with his brother while shepherding the sheep, with his father’s concubine Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, and he told his father their fruits.” No brother would like to tell his father of their mistakes. But this is not the only reason for hate.
Father's favoritism is the cause of hatred. (4) “And when the brothers saw that their father loved him more than their brothers, they hated him, and they complained about him.” That is, love was the reason for hatred on the other side. Love accompanies hate. When there is love, there is also hate. When you are loved, others will become jealous and jealous, which is sublimated into hate. This is because self-interest comes into play. If Joseph is loved by his father, he will be loved, such as making colored clothes for him, but on the other hand, they think that their share will be reduced. If you think that your interests are being taken away from you, you will naturally hate it. EX) Siblings' property dispute
Although treason and favoritism are the reasons why they are exposed, it cannot be said that they are fundamentally the reason why Joseph was hated. There is a more fundamental reason. It's a dream. (5) "Joseph had a dream and told it to his brothers, and they hated him even more." His dream stimulates the other brothers. After all, what is the content of the dream? Isn't it that Joseph enjoys more power and wealth than the other brothers? It means that even parents who are compared to the sun and the moon will kneel under them. So it is natural for the brothers to be angry and hateful. Judging from the words, “They complained about him,” it can be seen that Joseph was severely harassed by his brothers. Still, he is very special to his brothers.
dream
Joseph had two dreams. (7) “We were tying grain in the field, and my sheaf stood up, and your sheaf stood around my sheaf and bowed down.” (verse 9) I saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing down to me.” I had a different dream, but the meaning was the same. The tier of brothers or the 11 stars all refer to the brothers. The sun and the moon, of course, the parents. However, since Rachel, the mother, has already died at this time, it can be seen that this is an expression that puts strength in what it symbolizes rather than an actual parent. He speaks of the day when all his family will bow before his authority.
The fact that he had such a dream and told it as it was, proves that Joseph is still young. It's a naive look. He scolded me, but my father said he took the story to heart. In fact, this dream showed the revelation of God that would take place in the future. In fact, it happened again. (Verse 8) “His brothers said to him, “Will you really be our king or will you really rule over us?” They mocked and hated him, but the dream came true. (Genesis 42:6) "At that time Joseph, as the governor of the country, sold to all the people of the land, and Joseph's brothers came and fell on the ground before him and bowed down."
Joseph is a dreamer. In addition to this dream, he interprets the dreams of the two rulers when they were imprisoned in Egypt (chapter 40), and also interprets the dreams that Pharaoh had dreamed of (chapter 41). . God teaches us what will happen in the future through dreams. Joseph, who saw the will of the Lord in a dream, does his best to achieve that vision and achieves that vision by living a life that only depends on God.
Dear saints,
dreamer! Isn't that cool? But the dreamer must be prepared for a lonely and difficult journey. There is no such thing as just a dream come true. For Joseph, a dream is an act of foreshadowing suffering. Also, those who have dreams must be prepared to hate them. We must move forward to fulfill God's will, the dream, without giving in to any obstacles or hatred.