Devotion for Wednesday, August 12th

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Kevin Peterson

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Aug 12, 2009, 5:28:28 PM8/12/09

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Devotional Text: Genesis 37 (To read and even listen to this text for free, click here.)

Verse in Focus: “He said to them, ‘Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 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.’ 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. 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.’ 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?’” (Genesis 37:6-10).

Related Verse: “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.’” (Genesis 40:8).

Devotional Thought:

If you were to do an online search, such as Google, of the word “dream” what do you think you would find? Included in the mix would be the definitive explanation of dreams at Wikipedia, the website for a posh hotel in New York City, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. But, of course, the majority of the top links, not surprisingly, will involve dream analysis and interpretation. Over at YouTube, a similar search might turn up a variety of songs by, for example, the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison, and even an R&B artist who calls himself, “The Dream.”

As interesting as all that is, why bring it up? Well, consider this—apart from the word “dream”, what do all these things have in common? Give up? They all share the same understanding and perspective as to the origin and purposes of dreams. I know that sounds a bit farfetched, but stick with me a bit and soon it will make sense. The NYC hotel is (possibly) where you would dream to stay, Martin Luther King spoke of his dream a better day, and the singers dreamt of romantic love. Then the various dream analysis and interpretation sites explain dreams strictly in terms of being an outgrowth of the dreamer’s subconscious fears and desires. In other words, dreams are simply the product of human imagination.

This is not just a modern take on dreams, however. Notice the reaction of his brothers and fathers, when Joseph tells them of his two dreams. As he starts, he provides no commentary whatsoever on the meaning of his dreams. That he leaves to others. And the interpretation that comes has two parts. The first is that, on each occasion, the images from Joseph’s dream are interpreted as involving the family “bowing” or conceding superiority to Joseph. The second part takes a much more negative turn, ascribing these dreams—not to God—but to the supposed wants and desires of the dreamer. Joseph is reprimanded, both by his brothers and his father, for arrogant overreaching.

To be fair, though, Jacob, in verse 11, does seem to hold out the faint possibility that there might be something more to these dreams. This makes sense, of course, since he himself had the experience of divine intrusion in his own dreams—recalling, for example, his dream of a ladder stretching from earth to God’s throne in heaven, and angels ascending and descending up it (Gen. 28:12). Still, this is more of a mental reservation, rather than an actual acknowledgment that Joseph’s dreams came from God. But, on the other hand, Joseph’s dreams are a far cry from what God has done previously. In the past, God has been pretty direct, showing up in the dream in an open way and getting across just what it is he wants understood. Not so much here. Just some sheaves of grain and some heavenly bodies bowing down before Joseph.

Perhaps Jacob and his sons can be excused for not taking these dreams seriously. But we can’t help but see these dreams as foreshadowing when it comes to the story of Joseph. God clearly is at work here but his purpose is still far out of view, and this whole dream thing will be a big part of it—something even a first time reader, totally unfamiliar with Joseph’s account, would catch. Well, until next time—blessings on your day!

Vaya con Dios!

Pastor Peterson

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