Genesis 37:1-11 – The Dreamer
Jacob has finally returned to the land of his fathers, the land promised him by God, the land of Canaan. Now, the writer of Genesis turns our attention away from Jacob to one of his sons, Joseph. Joseph is one of the only two children that Rachel had. Because of this he is specially loved by his father, but he must also have been greatly loved for his own sake, because Jacob didn’t even care for Benjamin (Rachel’s other son) as much as he did for Joseph. However, as much as Joseph is loved by his father, he is hated by his brothers. They are jealous and envious of Joseph, and it probably doesn’t help that Joseph brings a bad report of them to their father.
Joseph is going to have to go through much trouble in his life, and God gives him these dreams at a young age to be an encouragement to him about the future. God often prepares His people ahead of time for the trials that will come to them. Joseph’s first dream has to do with his brother’s sheaves bowing down to his sheaf. This looks ahead to when they come to Joseph in Egypt asking for grain. He also dreams that the sun, moon, and stars bow to him. This points to not only his brothers but also his parents bowing to him in the future.
Joseph doesn’t seem to tell these dreams because he wants to brag, but because as a young man, he is really amazed and wants to find out what his family thinks. Unfortunately, his brothers don’t think too highly of these dreams – it just makes them hate Joseph even more. But God is working, whether they want to accept his prophecy of what will happen or not.
Questions
- Who was Joseph’s mother?
- What did Jacob give Joseph?
- Why did Joseph’s brothers hate him?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks for the encouragements God gives us in His Word.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.