Dreams & Famines
In my previous post I left off at Chapter 31 of Genesis between chapters 31-36 are some interesting stories and although there were a few parts that made me go humph especially chapter 34 I’ll skip them and put in my 2 cents on the story of Joseph. Besides the fact that its a classic Bible Story its just too interesting to pass up. Anyway we are told at the beginning of chapter 37 that Joseph was 17, we are also told the following about Joseph:
- he brought a bad report about his brothers to his father (he was a tattler)
- his father loved him more than his other children and made him a richly ornamented robe and;
- his brothers hated him.
In verse 5, Joseph had a dream and we are told that when he told his dream to his brothers they hated him all the more. Why did they hate him because of his dream? well this wasn’t any old dream, in this dream he dreamt that his brother’s sheaves gathered around his sheaf and was bowing down to it. In the second dream, the sun, moon and eleven stars were bowing down to him. Here he was the youngest kid in the family, the one who got the others in trouble by gabbing on them and now he’s claiming that they are going to bow down before him, signifying that he will rule over them. I’ve always wondered what would have happened if Joseph would have kept his mouth shut at this point. Was it prudent for him to tell his brothers his dreams especially after their first reaction? How did he felt after he told them? I’m also reminded of my own follies as I read this part of the story. I’m a bit of a dreamer myself. Don’t worry I haven’t dreamt of anyone bowing down to me that I can remember but on more than a few occasions I’ve foolishly told my dreams to others without thinking first and have found myself in some awkward situations or have had people relate to me strangely afterwards. I guess the big lesson is don’t tell everyone your dreams and some of them are best kept to yourself. Hard to remember but after a few incidents I’ve become less eager to share dreams with others. In the most recent case of my forgetfulness, I have a friend that seems to be using my dreams to suggest things that she think that I ought to do/ be doing. Now I’ve got a situation on my hands. After relating the dreams to his brothers, Jacob sent Joseph to go find his brothers and bring him back a report on what they are doing. Basically, he went to spy on his brothers… Besides the fact that I’ve always thought that Jacob should not have encouraged this type of thing, I’m more annoyed with Joseph for doing this. No wonder when his brothers saw him coming from afar they plotted to take his life (remember these were the same brothers who murdered the men at Shechem back in chapter 34).
Reuben intervened and convinced the brothers to leave him in an empty cistern (Reuben was planning to rescue him later and take him back to his father). They placed him in the cistern but later changed their mind and sold him for 20 shekels (8 ounces) of silver to some Ishmaelite merchants who took him to Egypt. To cover this up, they got Joseph’s ornamented robe, slaughtered a goat, dipped it in the blood and went home and gave it to their father Jacob who assumed from the blood and the condition of the robe that Joseph had been devoured by some ferocious animal (guess this wasn’t uncommon at the time)…Meanwhile poor Joseph is on the way to Egypt. I know this wasn’t exactly in his dreams. In chapter 39 we are told that Joseph was bought from the Ishmaelites by a man named Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, captain of the guard. Potiphar put Joseph in charge of everything in his household, and entrusted to him everything he owned. We are told that the Lord blessed everything Potiphar owned because of Joseph. Now Potiphar had a wife and seeing that Joseph was well built and handsome she couldn’t resist trying to get him to sleep with her. We are told that she pestered him day after day and unlike some people I know Joseph actually resisted these advances. Things got so bad for Joseph one day he ran out of the house naked, leaving his cloak in the woman’s hand. Her parting gift to him was to lie on him and claim that he was trying to abuse her. This of course resulted in Joseph being put in jail. Some time later, Pharaoh’s cupbearer and chief baker offended Pharaoh and he had them put in jail. While in jail they had a dream and Joseph who was put in charge of all those in the prison (he seems to be put in charge just about everywhere he goes), came to them and saw that they looked dejected. When he spoke to them they told him their dreams and he interpreted the dreams for them. The results of the dreams happened just had Joseph had interpreted it. The cupbearer was restored to his position and the chief baker was hanged. Two years went by and Joseph was still “doing time” then the big moment happened… In Chapter 44: 1-7 we are told that Pharaoh himself had a dream: “Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. And lo, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and fat; and they grazed in the (A)marsh grass. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly and gaunt, and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. The ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. He fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. Then behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream”. Pharaoh was of course disturbed and sent for the magicians and dream interpreters throughout Egypt who of course could not interpret the dreams. The chief cupbearer finally had a memory spurt and next thing you know he remembers his own dream and Joseph in prison. They of course sent for Joseph and after he washed up and shaved he came to present himself before the king. Pharaoh told Joseph the dream, Joseph informs him that God will give him and answer and he interprets the dream. Essentially the interpretation was that there would be 7 years of plenty and another 7 years of famine in all the land. Joseph not only interprets the dream but gave a course of action. In return he’s rewarded by being put in charge, Specifically, Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. He had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, “Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt. Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.
To make a long story shorter, Joseph’s brothers shows up in chapter 42 to buy grain during the years of famine, Joseph of course recognized them and give them a little grief but not too much then finally his brother Benjamin and his Father came down and saw him and yes they did have to bow down before him (so his dream came true after all). After the death of their father Jacob, Joseph’s brothers became concern that Joseph would take revenge on them for what they had done to him. We are told in 50: 19-21 that Joseph said ” Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. “So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
His brothers settled in the territory of Goshen which sets the stage for the Exodus, the topic for the next blog. We are told at the end of 50 that Joseph made his brothers swear an oath not to bury him in Egypt then he died at the age of 110. Not bad for a dreamer hey!
Matthew 22 Taxes & Resurrections:
I’ll cover the last few chapters of Matthew next blog but for now I have to pick on chapter 22 just a tad. Its tax time, my favorite season of the year NOT! I don’t like sitting there and figuring this stuff out no matter how easy it has become of late it still for some reason takes me a whole day to do this. In chapter 22: starting at 15, the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus asks if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar or not. Substitute uncle same, the IRS or Bush if you want here. Jesus ask them for a coin then asks them whose portrait and inscription was on it. They reply Caesar’s. He replies
“give to Caesar what is Caesar’s , and to God what is God’s” So as much as I hate to sit down and plug and chug those numbers gotta give to the IRS what is the IRS’s.
The second story is interesting since I have a fascination with eschatology. The Sadducees, who say their is no resurrection, came to Jesus and ask him a question. Essentially, Moses said,
IF A MAN DIES HAVING NO CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER AS NEXT OF KIN SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE, AND RAISE UP CHILDREN FOR HIS BROTHER.’ Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother; so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh.”Last of all, the woman died. “In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”
Jesus answered them saying “
You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven”
. I’m like what are angels like exactly? I guess I can say that angels aren’t married but what did Jesus mean that they are like angels? I’ve never seen one of these or know what they are like so I’m not surprised that the Sadducees were a but stumped with that answer. It always amazes me how Jesus speaks as if he’s literally living in two parallel worlds. I realize that he was technically but he also spoke like it. What do you do with this? Jesus goes on to say
“But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
Again, I’m sure Jesus knew Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was alive and well even though to us on this side they are dead but there he goes again speaking of things not of this world.
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