God's dreams for his children are hard to kill

December 17, 2001

Bible Study for Texas lesson for Jan. 27

God's dreams for his children are hard to kill

___Genesis 37:3-28
___³Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. ⁴ When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
___⁵ Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. ⁶ He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: ⁷ We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it."
___⁸ His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
___⁹ Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."
___¹⁰ When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" ¹¹ His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
___¹² Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem ¹³ and Israel said to Joseph, "As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them."
___"Very well," he replied.
___14 So he said to him, "Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me." Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.
___When Joseph arrived at Shechem, ¹⁵ a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?"
___¹⁶ He replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?"
___¹⁷ "They have moved on from here," the man answered. "I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'"
___ So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. ¹⁸ But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
___¹⁹ "Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other. ²⁰ "Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams."
___²¹ When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. "Let's not take his life," he said. ²² "Don't shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don't lay a hand on him." Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.
___²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe--the richly ornamented robe he was wearing-- ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
___²⁵ As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
___²⁶ Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? ²⁷ Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed.
___²⁸ So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

___By Kyle Reese
___The final brother arrives for the party. He still wears the clothes he wore to work early that morning as he joins the others around the table. Everyone knows what Joseph will receive as a gift from Jacob, the same thing Jacob gives to every son. The work clothes worn by most of the brothers were gifts from their father. Imagine everyone's surprise when Joseph opens the box and pulls out an ornate coat of many colors.
___At first, the brothers try not to laugh. "How ridiculous is he going to look working in that fancy robe?" Soon, the laughter turns into jealousy as Joseph's brothers realize he won't look ridiculous working in the robe because Isaac has no plans for him to work. The jealousy of the brothers toward Joseph builds.
___This fictional tale serves as a way for us to enter the narrative of Joseph. As in the previous stories, family issues continue to play a key role. Jacob, now an old man, gives Joseph the famous coat of many colors. The coat symbolizes Jacob's love and affection for Joseph as well as his favoritism.
___After living through the difficulties associated with Isaac and Rebekah's favoring of their different sons, one would think Jacob would know better. But, as is seen today, family dysfunction is often passed from one generation to another. Despite human frailties, God provides unity in the Joseph story as he has in the previous narratives.
___The robe symbolizes the regal status of Joseph, at least from his father's perspective. Even though Joseph is not the oldest, he holds a special place in his father's heart. Why would we expect anything else knowing the history of Jacob? Jacob chooses to favor Joseph, and his choice provides tension throughout the entire narrative.
___Joseph shares another similarity with his father. Like Jacob, Joseph is a dreamer. In that day, dreams were thought to be divinely inspired and a gift from God; dreams were a way God spoke to people when their defenses were down. Dreams brought with them enticing pictures of a future shaped by God. Dreams also challenged the status quo and invited dreamers to enter into a whole new world. From the beginning, Joseph was destined to dream.
___Dreaming continues to be an important part in people's lives. We dream of peace in our world, happiness for our family and God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. What we dream often inspires our living in the present moment. Decisions are made that will help us achieve the dream before us. If we lose the ability to dream, in some sense, we lose the ability to truly live. God still inspires individuals to dream. God still inspires churches to dream.
___Joseph dreams, and the dream produces enemies. Already infuriated and jealous of Jacob's favoritism of Joseph, the brothers take exception to Joseph's announcement regarding his latest dream. The dream, if it is truly given by God, reminds the brothers their way is not God's way. When human pride and tradition are called into question by a dreamer, conflict is bound to ensue.
___The dream of the sheaves anticipates the future famine that will come into play later in the Joseph narrative. Two words categorize the dream of Joseph and the response of the brothers-- "reign" and "rule."
___While Joseph only speaks of the dream, it is the brothers who provide interpretation. "Are you indeed to reign over us? Are you indeed to have dominion (or rule) over us" (v. 8)? The brothers interpret the dream as threatening their place in the family.
___The interpretation of the dream, and subsequent treatment of Joseph by his brothers shows a disdain for not only the dreamer but also for the Giver of Dreams. A dream always has its enemies.
___The dream of the sheaves is only the beginning. Joseph's next dream is of cosmic proportions. The sun, moon and 11 stars bow down to Joseph. The symbolism of the dream is obvious. The sun and moon represent Joseph's mother and father, while the 11 stars represent his brothers.
___Again, Joseph tells his dream, but someone else provides interpretation for it. Jacob asks Joseph if even his parents, not to mention older brothers, are to bow down to him? His brothers are further infuriated by the latest dream, but Jacob keeps these matters in mind. Joseph's brothers have things as they want them. Societal structures are stacked in the brothers' favor. Joseph is powerless. Joseph has only one advantage, the power to dream.
___Jacob reflects on the account of the dream Joseph gives him. Jacob is aware of God's ability to bring a great reversal in the way things are arranged. While the brothers grow jealous, Jacob grows silent and reflects on his own experience with dreams.
___God intervened in Jacob's life in order to show the possibility of the future. Now, Jacob must consider whether or not God is again moving toward that fulfillment. Jacob joins another notable parent who, upon hearing words regarding her newborn son, "pondered these things in her heart" (Luke 2:19). In receiving Joseph's words, Jacob proves himself open to the possible future depicted in the dream.
___The brothers decide the dream must die. Killing Joseph means killing the threat to their lives. As long as Joseph lives, the unsettling picture of his dreams can become a reality.
___The plan develops as Joseph approaches his brothers at Dothan and they conspire to kill him. The dream and threat hanging over their heads will disappear with the murder of Joseph. When Reuben hears the plot, he quickly encourages the brothers to take another approach, namely, that they "throw him into a pit." Reuben's plan was to rescue him later.
___One wonders at the sincerity of Reuben's remark, since he is the oldest in the family. If Joseph's dream becomes a reality Reuben has the most to lose. Whatever the case, Reuben was in a strategic position and failed to do the right thing.
___As Joseph is handled by his brothers, the first thing to go is the robe. The giving of the robe has been the equivalent of enthronement. Therefore, the stripping of the robe is symbolic of Joseph losing his favored position. He now faces the uncertainty of life without the special status and protection he enjoys from his father.
___As long as Joseph remains in the pit, he is a visible reminder of their collective guilt, so when a caravan of travelers happens by, Judah is quick to suggest getting rid of Joseph. The transaction occurs, and Joseph is on his way to Egypt. In the transaction, the lives of Joseph and an entire people are changed.
___Fred Craddock tells of getting to know a minister who had no arms. He was born without any arms. He was telling Craddock the story of learning to put his clothes on without any arms. He said his mother always dressed him, and he'd gotten to be a pretty big boy. She fed him and she dressed him.
___One day she put his clothes in the middle of the floor and said, "Dress yourself." He said, "I can't dress myself, I don't have ..." She said, "You'll have to dress yourself," and she left the room. He said, "I kicked, I screamed, I yelled, 'You don't love me anymore!' Finally, I realized that, if I were to get any clothes on, I'd have to get my clothes on."
___After hours of struggle, he got some clothes on. He said, "It was not until later that I knew my mother was in the next room crying." Perhaps Joseph wondered where God might be leading in the final events of the story. As the narrative continues, we learn God is closer to the events than Joseph might ever expect.
___The brothers later report to Jacob that Joseph is dead, a victim of a wild animal attack. Finally, in his brothers' mind, Joseph and his dreams are no longer a threat. But God has something different in mind. Still God will use the evil designs of people to bring about good.

Questions for thought and discussion
___ Can you think of something brought into your life that disturbed you and you later found out it was a gift from God for your benefit? How did you know?
___ What dream has God given you for your life? What about for your church? What are you doing to make that dream a reality? Does your pastor know your dream for your church?
___ Most of us have come across dream-killers in our lifetimes. What has allowed you to keep your dream alive?
___ The story of Jacob, Joseph and his brothers involves tensions regarding birth order and place in the family. Does this story speak to your own family situation in any way? How?
___ What parenting "don'ts" can be learned from Jacob?
___ How has God transformed bad situations in your life and used them for good?
___ Are you able to maintain a sense of God's presence even when circumstances are not good?
___ Reuben occupied a place in the family, as the oldest son, that would allow him to do something to save Joseph, yet he didn't. Can you think of times in your life when you could have spoken up about what was right and didn't? Do you have an opportunity to do good right now?

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