Acts 2:17- Now, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “ 'In the
last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and
daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will
dream dreams.
Let's talk about one of the bible's great dreamers.
Genesis 37: Joseph’s story begins
2 This is the account of Jacob and his descendants. Joseph was a
seventeen-year-old young man. He took care of the flocks with the sons
of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph told his father about the
bad things his brothers were doing.
3 Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because Joseph had been born
in Israel’s old age. So he made Joseph a special robe with long sleeves. 4
Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them.
They hated Joseph and couldn’t speak to him on friendly terms.
Joseph’s first dream
5 Joseph had a dream and when he told his brothers, they hated him even
more. 6 He said to them, “Please listen to the dream I had. 7 We were tying
grain into bundles out in the field, and suddenly mine stood up. It remained
standing while your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down
to it.”
8 Then his brothers asked him, “Are you going to be our king or rule us?”
They hated him even more for his dreams and his words.
Joseph’s 2nd dream
9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he
said, “I had another dream: I saw the sun, the moon, and 11 stars bowing
down to me.”
Dreams (ḥalôm) in Joseph's case.
First, a dream can be how God protects his people or foretells his
provision for them. God warns Laban in a ḥalôm not to harm Jacob
and God uses a ḥalôm to promise Solomon great wisdom and
understanding (1 Kgs 3:5–14.)
10 When he told his father and his brothers, his father criticized him by
asking, “What’s this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your
brothers come and bow down in front of you?” 11 So his brothers were
jealous of him, but his father kept thinking about these things.
12 His brothers had gone to take care of their father’s flocks at Shechem. 13
Israel then said to Joseph, “Your brothers are taking care of the flocks at
Shechem. I’m going to send you to them.” Joseph responded, “I’ll go.”
Joseph goes on a few days' journey to look for his brothers, and finds them
in Dothan.
18 They saw him from a distance. Before he reached them, they plotted to
kill him. 19 They said to each other, “Look, here comes that master
dreamer! 20 Let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and say
that a wild animal has eaten him. Then we’ll see what happens to his
dreams.”
21 Reuben tried to save Joseph and bring him back to his father. Saying let's
not kill him but put him in a cistern.
23-24 So when Joseph reached his brothers, they took his coat and put him
into the cistern or pit.
25 As they sat down to eat, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from
Gilead. They were on their way to Egypt.
26 Judah asked his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother and
covering up his death? 27 Let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites. Let’s not hurt
him, because he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers
agreed.
28 They took Joseph out from the cistern and sold him to the
Ishmaelites for eight ounces or 20 shekels of silver. The Ishmaelites
took him to Egypt.
20 Shekels was the price paid for a slave at that time.
Genesis 39: the account of Joseph in Potiphar’s house.
Joseph had favor-
1 Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had
bought him from the Ishmaelites.
2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man,
3 His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all
that he did to succeed in his hands.
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him
overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.
5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he
had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing
of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field.
Potiphar’s wife tempts Joseph but Joseph doesn't give in. The wife lies
say Joseph tried to take advantage of her.
19 When Potiphar heard his wife’s story, especially when she said, “This is
what your slave did to me,” he became very angry. 20 So Joseph’s master
arrested him and put him in the same prison where the king’s
prisoners were kept. While Joseph was in prison, 21 the LORD was with
him. The LORD reached out to him with his unchanging love and gave him
protection. The LORD also put Joseph on good terms with the warden. 22
So the warden placed Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in
that prison. Joseph became responsible for everything that they were
doing. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care
because the LORD was with Joseph and made whatever he did
successful.
Genesis 40- The account of Joseph’s time in prison with the
Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker.
8 They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret
them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to
God? Please tell them to me.”
He interprets the cupbearer’s dream first, and it is favorable for the
cupbearer, not so for the baker. He asks the cupbearer this:
14 Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the
kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. 15 For
I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I
have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”
Genesis 41: Pharaoh’s dreams
Dream 1
After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the
Nile, 2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven good looking,
healthy cows, 3 then, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the
Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 And
the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh
awoke.
Dream 2
5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of
grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. 6 And behold, after them
sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. 7 And the thin ears
swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold,
it was a dream.
8 So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the
magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but
no one could interpret them to Pharaoh.
The cupbearer remembers Joseph
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses
today. 12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the
guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an
interpretation to each man according to his dream.
Joseph is brought to Pharaoh
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out
of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes,
he came in before Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a
dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you
that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered
Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
Pharaoh tells his 2 dreams to Joseph saying “no one was able to interpret
them.” God gives Joseph the interpretation of the dreams.
29 There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of
Egypt, 30 but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the
plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the
land, 31 and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the
famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32 And the doubling of
Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will
shortly bring it about.
Second, an obscure dream provides the opportunity for someone to
display God-given ability as an interpreter. Joseph is able to interpret
the dreams (ḥalôm) of the royal cupbearer and baker, as well as the
dreams of Pharaoh himself (Gen 40–41). In this way, the dreams also
serve to magnify God in a foreign context. After Egypt’s wise men
prove incapable of deciphering the dreams, Joseph succeeds; he is
exalted and God is glorified (Gen 41).
Joseph’s plan:
34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take
one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful
years. 35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are
coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the
cities, and let them keep it.
Joseph Rises to Power
37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said
to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of
God?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all
this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall be over
my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command.
Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said
to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh
took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed
him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. 43 And he
made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow
the knee!”
Joseph could have very easily thought that this was his own dream coming to pass. While his brothers would rather kill him than bow the knee, we see that here the Egyptians are to bow .
Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh
said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up
hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name
Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of
Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
Joseph is a Hebrew name that means: future of; let him add
1. Zaphnath-paaneah = "treasury of the glorious rest"
1. a name given by Pharaoh to Joseph-the god speaks and he
lives.
1. Asenath (aw-se-nath)= "belonging to the goddess Neith"
1. the wife of Joseph
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh.
Joseph’s sons (Joseph is here now about 36 or 37)
50 Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph.
Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. 51
Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God
has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house.” 52 The
name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in
the land of my affliction.”
We see here that Joseph wasn't convinced that the success that he had with Pharaoh was the pinnacle of his story nor was it the culmination of his dream that the Lord had given him. How? First, observe that his son's name given by him are not Egyptian names but Hebrew names indicating that Joseph never saw himself as an Egyptian but always a Hebrew numbered amongst the chosen people of God. Second, Ephraim named because God has made Joseph fruitful in the land of his prosperity, success??? No in the land of his affliction. No way did he believe that this was all there was to the plan God had for him.
Genesis 45: Joseph reveals his identity (True success for Joseph)
4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they
came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into
Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because
you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the
famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in
which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before
you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many
survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me
a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of
Egypt.
It is clear here that Joseph had a perspective all along that God had brought him here to this place of affliction and the obscurity of his service in the pit and the prison and set him up in authority to preserve life!
Third, dreams are used to relay information about the future or to
provide guidance, and thus are closely related to visions and
prophecies. For example, Joseph sees how his family will eventually
bow down to him (Gen 37).
Genesis 50- Jacob dies and now they suppose Joseph might seek
revenge against them for all they did.
18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they
said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
We see the clear fulfilment of Joseph's dream once again.
Joseph's dream is realized once more.
19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in
order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.