a dreaming teenager, Joseph

Genesis 37:1-36

Jacob had 12 sons. The 11^th son, Joseph, 17 years old, was tending the flocks with his brothers, and he brought their father a bad report about them (2). Now Israel (=Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, and he made an ornate robe for him (3). Because Jacob loved Joseph more than any of other brothers, they hated him (4).  Joseph had a dream (5^a) that his 11 brothers bowed down to him (7). After Joseph told this dream to his brothers, they hated him all the more (5^b, 8). In his 2^nd dream the entire family bowed down to him (9).

Joseph sold as a slave to Egypt by his brothers as shown in v12 ~ 28. His brothers got Joseph’s robe in the goat’s blood and took it to their father (31, 32). Jacob thought some ferocious animal had devoured him and mourned for many days (34), refusing to be comforted (35).

Meanwhile, Joseph was sold in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard (36).

Here, two dreams double confirmed that the message in them was certain and not by accident. If similar signs or dreams are given to us twice, we may be more certain about the message contained in them.

When Joseph was sold as a slave in Egypt through his brothers’ sin, it appeared the beginning of misery in Joseph’s life, who had to go through slavery and unjust imprisonment (Genesis 39), but it actually was the beginning of fulfilment of his dreams (Genesis 40, 41^a). He became the prime minister of Egypt after 13 years (Genesis 41^b) and Joseph’s brothers came and bowed to Joseph (Genesis 42).

The dreamer Joseph had been a slave and a prisoner for 13 years! Let us be patient. What dreams do you have in God? Have you been going through hard times in life while waiting for the dreams come true? Let us endure hardship as discipline of a father who loves his son (Hebrews 12:4-13). Let us trust God who loves us and gives what is best for us.