Joseph, The Dreamer

JOSEPH, THE DREAMER

MOVING FROM PAIN TO PURPOSE

So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as

a foreigner. This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was

seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his

half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph

reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.

Jacob[a] loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph

had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift

made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. But his brothers hated Joseph because

their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind

word to him. One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers

about it, they hated him more than ever. “Listen to this dream,” he said. “We

were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood

up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!” His

brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you

actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more

because of his dreams and the way he talked about them. Soon Joseph had

another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had

another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before

me!” This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but

his father scolded him. “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your

mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground

before you?” But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father

wondered what the dreams meant.

Genesis 37: 1 – 11, NIV)