Episode 306 - Joseph has dreams - Genesis 37:1-11

Gen. 37:1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

Gen. 37:2 These are the generations of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.

Gen. 37:5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

Gen. 37:9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

This is another one of those “toledot” markers in the narrative that gets translated as “These are the generations.” (v. 2) The attention turns immediately to Joseph, who was the first son of Rachel, the wife that Jacob loved. We already know that Rachel had another son whom Jacob named Benjamin. Rachel died giving birth to him. But that son is likely not old enough to be shepherding with his older brothers. In fact, this event may have happened before Benjamin was born, since the context later seems to indicate that Rachel may still have been alive. At this time, Joseph is seventeen years old and is working with his brothers shepherding their father’s flock. Moses writes that “he was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives” (v. 2). Moses doesn’t include Leah’s sons. So, it’s possible they were not present at this moment. But at least Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher are with Joseph while they are pasturing the flock.

The conflict of this next story develops quickly. The reader is told that Joseph was Dad’s favorite. The three oldest sons certainly haven’t endeared themselves to Jacob, given their actions previously mentioned. But given that Joseph is the first of Rachel’s sons, it’s not too surprising. No one would recognize the favoritism more than the children themselves. However, the conflict is exacerbated by the fact that Jacob makes it painfully obvious that Joseph is his favorite by giving him a multicolored coat. Moses writes that his brothers hated him and could not speak to him peacefully. Could it get any worse? Oh yeah. On this occasion, Joseph gave a “bad report” to his father about the brothers he was with. Perhaps they were being lazy or doing something that would have upset his father. Joseph clearly didn’t attempt to assuage his brothers’ hatred of him by keeping his mouth shut. He narc’d. Either Joseph is a naive, patronizing son, or perhaps he enjoyed rubbing his privilege in his brothers’ faces. We’re not told. We just understand that Joseph is not making anything better between himself and his brothers.

Then, Joseph had two dreams. The first was that he and his brothers were binding sheaves in the field, and his brothers’ sheaves bowed down to his sheave. Even though most people today wouldn’t ever have bound or even seen a sheaf of grain, we understand the imagery, and so did his brothers. You can hardly blame them for disliking him.

The second dream was that the sun, moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to Joseph, and he told it to his brothers as well as his father. You would think that he should’ve gotten a clue to keep his mouth shut after telling his brothers the first dream. Even Jacob’s favoritism of Joseph does not allow him to encourage or accept the idea that he and Rachel would bow down to their own son. He rebukes him.

I’m sure that if Leah’s sons weren’t present to hear these dreams from Joseph’s mouth, the word got to them rather quickly because it’s evident that everyone understands that Joseph is suggesting that these dreams are revealing that he will have authority over all of them.

The situation is ripe for a significant conflict between Joseph and his family. While Moses notes that his brothers were jealous of him, “his father kept these sayings in mind” (v. 11). Why do you think that might be? I think it’s because Jacob has had some pretty vivid dreams himself in which the LORD revealed himself and his plans to Jacob, and Jacob knows by now that the LORD fulfills what he reveals will happen. I suspect that, as ridiculous as this may have sounded to Jacob, these dreams of his son had a familiar vibe to them.

Episode 291 - "Jacob's dream" Genesis 28:10-22

Gen. 28:10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Gen. 28:18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

We pick this story up as Jacob left home in a north-northeastern direction. He is leaving his home before his father Isaac dies, and Esau carries out his threat to kill Jacob for stealing his blessing from Isaac. The plan is to go where his extended family lives to find a wife. At some point, he lay down to sleep for the night and had a dream. The dream was of a ladder between heaven and earth on which angels were going up and down between heaven and earth. At the top stood the LORD, who spoke to Jacob. The first thing he said was, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.” (v. 13) This is important because, first of all, when Isaac had asked Jacob (thinking he was Esau) how he got the meat so quickly, Jacob replied, “The LORD your God granted me success” (Gen. 27:20). Notice that this response speaks more about Jacob’s lack of faith rather than an expression of faith. Secondly, despite Jacob’s apparent reluctance to trust in Isaac’s God, Isaac prays for him upon his departure that God will bless him and give him the promise of the Abrahamic Covenant. So, God ensured that Jacob understood who was speaking to him in this dream.

This introduction is followed by a promise to confer upon Jacob the promises of the covenant the LORD made with his grandfather Abraham and to Isaac, his father.

Why would God appear to someone he knew did not trust him? Furthermore, why would he promise to bless and protect that person? It must be that God knew something that Jacob did not yet understand. God had a plan and assured Jacob that he would fulfill that promise. This dream is so amazing that Jacob woke up. But Jacob didn’t do what we might expect. He didn’t dismiss it as a wild dream irrelevant to reality.

This dream got Jacob’s attention. Jacob’s response to this revelation is one of beginning faith. He believes the LORD was present and that he has just had a very special encounter with the God of his father and grandfather.

In the morning, Jacob had not rationalized away the experience. Instead, Jacob memorialized this place and named it Bethel, meaning “house of El (God).” He then vowed that if the LORD did everything he said he would, “Then the LORD will be my God” (Gen. 28:21). The LORD’s revelation through this dream had ignited in Jacob a fire of faith in the LORD.

What is it about this story that impresses me? This story reveals that Jacob is human. We can identify with someone who is capable of making all kinds of schemes to get what we want. We can empathize with him when the LORD was simply Isaac’s God, but Jacob had his doubts. I’m also impressed that the LORD understood all of that and was so patient with Jacob, and then revealed himself and made him promises before Jacob had turned the corner. Finally, I love Jacob’s positive move toward the LORD after the LORD revealed himself in the dream. I want to be as excited as Jacob when I have those moments of understanding how God has revealed himself and graciously draws me to him.

Episode 260 - The Call of Abram - Genesis 12:1-3

Gen. 12:1 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The recent genealogy we’ve covered has led us to Abram, and now the focus is solely on him. This is evidenced by God speaking to Abram and giving him specific instructions. We know that his father, Terah, was originally going toward Canaan but settled in Haran. Then, Terah died. The LORD’s command to Abram begins with the instruction that he is not to stay in Haran. The LORD’s promise to “make you a great nation” must have been hard for Abram since his wife Sarai was barren. How could he be the father of a great nation with no children?

The LORD continued to make some strong claims. Abram needed to decide whether he would risk the security of his family and his land for a promise of something much better. All Abram had to do was leave his extended family and go. The LORD promised:

1. To show Abram where to go

2. To make him a great nation

3. To bless him and make his name great SO THAT you will be a blessing.

4. The LORD will bless others who bless Abram

5. The LORD will curse those who dishonor Abram

6. In Abram, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

How many people throughout time have emigrated with nothing but a vain hope that something will be better when they arrive at their intended destination? It’s the classic “the grass is always greener on the other side” philosophy. Sometimes it works out for people. But often, it’s a bust.

The text has a message for us supported by the greater context in which it’s set. The message is, “But this is different. This is not vain hope. This is the word of the LORD. He is faithful to fulfill his promises.” This story is among my favorites in all of Scripture: it helps us understand the nature of faith. Faith is not based upon wishful thinking. Faith is based upon following what the LORD reveals.

We understand that this promise in Genesis 12:1-3 is to Abram, and we cannot read ourselves into the story and claim that the LORD will make me a great nation. However, I think we can observe what this reveals about the LORD’s desire for those who will obey him. At the very least, we can trust that if we follow the LORD by trusting Jesus, the LORD will bless us. That does not mean he will give us endless wealth. It means he will give us everything we need so that we can emulate his grace by being a blessing to others.

One final note on verse 3, which says, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Really? Is that true? I think the answer to that is found in John 3:16. It is a descendant of Abram, Jesus, who is the Son that God gave to the world so that they could have eternal life. God provides that blessing to the world. It just needs to be received.