Genesis 37:5–10

Next comes the record of Joseph's two dreams. It is remarkable how large a part dreams played in his history. Scripture records no fewer than five of them before the climax, and every one contained a prophecy. Each was therefore produced by the finger of God touching the unconscious mind of the sleeper. Each marked a divine intervention, and indeed a revelation of secret things.

In the ages before Moses there was no written revelation of God's will. He often used dreams to communicate His mind, or to reveal coming events beforehand… Now we have His written revelation, the completed Bible. Only in very rare and exceptional cases can we recognise a dream as having come from God. "For a dream comes with much business," that is, from purely natural causes, Scripture says.

In Joseph's case, we see that his brothers refused his first dream, and yet he in no way softened his testimony… This was simple testimony founded on divine revelation; but it was testimony that brought Joseph down to the pit. He could have held back his testimony, or taken off some of its edge and power, and so spared himself. But no — he told them the truth, and so they hated him.

The dreams that speak of Joseph's future supremacy are a fresh motive for the envy and hatred of the brothers. He had been a witness against them of their evil; now he is a witness to them of his future glory. They will have neither one nor the other. The Lord did the same. He witnessed against the evil of the world and bore witness to His coming glories. Like Joseph, He drew hatred on Himself… Before the assembled leaders of Jerusalem He can say, "From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power." A furious outburst of hatred followed that confession.

Whether it was wise or fitting to repeat his dreams to those who had no love for him may be a question. But the dreams were of God, as the effect on his brothers was of the enemy… The whole record marks Joseph out as a devout youth. He had moral courage. He was faithful toward those going wrong. He had a humble mind, and wondered at the dreams as much as anyone or more… A sign of coming exaltation always provokes adversaries to madness and revenge. Yet, strange as it may seem in their eyes, God turns even their spite and wicked ways to accomplish His purpose.

We may not doubt that God had a gracious purpose in this. He was exercising Joseph's spirit and strengthening his heart for the distress and the many troubles ahead of him, before those remarkable foreshadowings came true… The dreams were simple and striking, and they touched the whole family. If his brothers could not forget them, the sufferer could forget them still less. In the middle of grief and shame he remembered the visions of strange dignity that awaited him.

All this applies in a striking way to the One Joseph pictures, our Lord Jesus. The Jews, His brothers by natural descent, hated Him without a cause and rejected Him when He came among them. Yet the day is coming when they will bow down before Him. But not only this. He is to be the central Object of worship to the heavens as well as the earth. What had been secret is now revealed. We know that God's purpose, according to His good pleasure, is "to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth."

Next comes the record of Joseph's two dreams. It is striking how large a part dreams played in his history. Before the story reaches its climax, Scripture records no fewer than five, and every one of them contained a prophecy. So the finger of God produced each dream, touching the sleeper's unconscious mind. Each one marked a Divine intervention — indeed, a revelation of secret things.

Joseph spoke the truth about their evil ways, and his father loved him. That made him hateful to the sons of the servant mothers. The special robe Jacob gave him did not soften their harshness, and neither did his two dreams. "Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?" Was it wise or fitting to tell his dreams to those who had no love for him? That may be a question. But the dreams were of God, just as their effect on his brothers was of the enemy.

Now, in Joseph's case, we see that he in no way relaxed his testimony because his brothers refused his first dream. "Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more" … "Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers." This was simple testimony founded on divine revelation. But this testimony brought Joseph down to the pit. If he had held back his testimony, or blunted its edge and power, he might have spared himself. But no — he told them the truth, and so they hated him.

The dreams speak of Joseph's future supremacy, and that gives the brothers a fresh motive for envy and hatred. He had been a witness against them of their evil; now he is a witness to them of his future glory. They will have neither one nor the other. The Lord did the same. He witnessed against the evil of the world and bore witness to His coming glories. Like Joseph, He drew the world's hatred upon Himself. Before the assembled leaders of Jerusalem the Lord speaks of His coming glories: "From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power." A furious outburst of hatred follows that confession. Priests and elders unite to spit in the face of the Son of God.

In Joseph's first dream he tells his brothers that he and they were binding sheaves of grain in the field: his sheaf arose and stood erect, and those of his brothers all bowed down to his sheaf (v. 7). Joseph probably did not understand that God meant the dream as a prophecy: his brothers would one day bow to his authority. Genesis 42:6 tells us they did. Of course, the most vital lesson here is that all Israel will yet bow to the Lord Jesus, whom they have despised and hated.

We may not doubt that God had a gracious purpose here. He was exercising Joseph's spirit and strengthening his heart for the distress and many troubles that would be his portion before those remarkable foreshadowings came true… The brothers could not easily forget dreams so simple and striking, dreams that touched nearly the whole family. Still less could the sufferer forget them. In the middle of much grief and shame, he remembered the visions of strange dignity that awaited him within his lifetime and theirs.

Was it wise or fitting to repeat his dreams to those who had no love for him? That may be a question. But the dreams were from God, while the effect on his brothers came from the enemy... Everything recorded marks Joseph as a godly youth. He had moral courage. He was faithful toward those who went wrong. He had a humble mind that wondered at the dreams as much as anyone, or more... Such a sign always provokes opponents to madness and revenge. Yet God turns even their spite and wicked ways to accomplish His purpose.

To tell what his dreams, or his visions in the Spirit, had shown him was from God.

In Genesis 37, what could be simpler or better suited to these men? Joseph's sheaf rises up and keeps standing, while the other sheaves come round and bow down to his sheaf... The dream was so plain, vivid and startling that it needed no interpreter.

Joseph likely did not understand that God meant the dream as a prophecy: his brothers would one day bow to his authority. Genesis 42:6 tells us they did. The most vital lesson here is bigger still. All Israel will yet bow to the Lord Jesus, whom they have despised and hated.

The scene of this dream is the harvest field. It is Christ's kingdom on earth... All the earth shall own His rule... He does not yet openly take up His great power and reign. But He will, when He reaps the harvest of this earth. Now is the day of His kingdom and patience.... He waits in patient grace to see if you will submit to His authority of your own choice. If you refuse Him now, while He is patient, sheer force will make you own His righteous rule in the day of His power.

In Joseph's case, he did not soften his testimony when his brothers refused his first dream... This was simple testimony founded on God's revelation. But it was testimony that brought Joseph down to the pit. If he had held back his testimony, or blunted its edge and power, he might have spared himself. But no — he told them the truth, and so they hated him.

These dreams of their young brother enraged his jealous brothers, and they got rid of him. They sold him to passing merchants, who took the boy to Egypt and sold him as a slave. This did not look like the fulfilment of Joseph's dreams of future greatness. It was indeed a very sorrowful road to the answer of his dreams, but it was THE road.

Joseph was a witness against their evil ways, and his father loved him. That made him hateful to the sons of the servant mothers. The special robe Jacob gave Joseph did not soften their harshness, and neither did his two dreams. Whether it was wise or fitting to repeat his dreams to those who had no love for him may be a question. But the dreams were of God, just as the effect on his brothers was of the enemy.

Joseph tells his brothers his first dream. He and they were binding sheaves of grain in the field: his sheaf rose and stood upright, and the sheaves of his brothers all bowed down to it (v. 7). Joseph probably did not understand that God meant the dream as a prophecy: his brothers would one day bow to his authority. Genesis 42:6 tells us they did. Of course, the most vital lesson here is that all Israel will yet bow to the Lord Jesus, whom they have despised and hated. At the time Joseph's brothers thought it ridiculous that he would ever have dominion over them (v. 8).

And so his sufferings begin. The Lord marks him as the heir of glory. He speaks of the goodness he had found, and of God's high purpose for him. And his brothers hate him. They envy him; and who can stand before envy? They had already begrudged him his father's favour, and now they hate him for God's. They hate him for his words and for his dreams.

Finally, Joseph's brothers hated him for his words. … So too Christ is still the object of a hatred that men cannot hide, however hard they try. … But never forget what lies behind the "harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him": the "ungodly deeds that they have committed in such an ungodly way." The evil lives of Joseph's brothers lay behind the hatred in their hearts and the evil words of their lips (Jude 15).

Now, in Joseph's case, we see that he in no way relaxed his testimony because his brothers refused his first dream. … This was simple testimony founded on divine revelation; but it was testimony that brought Joseph down to the pit. Had he held back his testimony, or blunted its edge and power, he might have spared himself. But no — he told them the truth, and so they hated him.

He was the object of his father's love, and the subject of very high destinies. His brothers' hearts were not in fellowship with these things, so they hated him. They had no share in the father's love. They would not yield to the thought of Joseph's exaltation. In all this they represent the Jews in Christ's day. "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." … They would neither own Him as the Son of God nor as king of Israel.

Joseph was lord. His rule was absolute in that great land. His dreams came true. The other sheaves bowed to his sheaf; sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed to him. His brothers had said, "Let us … throw him into one of the pits … and we will see what will become of his dreams." Well, now they had seen!

Both his dreams foretold his coming greatness and glory. The meaning was so plain that his brothers, and his father too, saw it at once. The drift of the two was the same. But only the second suggested that his father and mother, as well as his brothers, would bow down to him in a day to come. There was a further difference. Sheaves belong to an earthly harvest, while sun, moon and stars are heavenly objects. The sun is a symbol of supreme authority, and the moon of authority derived from it and joined with it. Jacob saw at once how well this fitted the place of father and mother in his large family.

The second dream seems to have raised questions in his brothers' minds. He told them, and told his father too, that he had dreamed of the sun and moon and eleven stars bowing down to him. His father rebuked him. He evidently felt that pride in Joseph had produced the dream. The implication was plain to him: he himself, Rachel and his eleven children would all bow down to Joseph.

The second dream implied a remarkable honour, and it moved Jacob. He could not help storing up its meaning, dim as it still was to him. Joseph was simple and open, with no presumption in him at all. That only made his brothers' spite burn hotter, and it soon found an occasion to break out in outrageous malice. How like the way of the Jews with Him who was long afterwards to be the blessed One that Joseph pictured!

His father rebuked him. He assumed that what the dream pointed to could never happen. Yet Scripture records that he "kept the saying in mind." That shows he could not dismiss it, and that he saw more in it than he had thought at first. He had faith in God, even if it was weak; whereas the brothers had none.

And see what happens next. When Joseph tells his second dream, we read that his brothers envied him. It was the same with the great One whom he pictured. It is written of Pilate, "he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up" (Matthew 27:18). And who can stand before envy, as the proverb asks? The rulers and the Pharisees were jealous of His standing. "Look, the world has gone after him," they said, in alarm.

One dream might have been enough to foretell the glories of Joseph. It would be far too small to picture the glories of Christ. For His supremacy will have a twofold character… The dream of the sheaves bowing to Joseph's sheaf may well speak of that excellent supremacy over all the earth which Christ is destined to wield. Yet this first dream does not set out His supremacy in full. He is destined to be supreme not only on earth, but to hold universal sway over heaven and earth… And this second dream speaks of that heavenly supremacy. It presents heavenly bodies — the sun, the moon, and the stars — bowing down to Joseph.

Jacob's view of the prophetic dream seems limited to his own family. He heard that the sun and moon and eleven stars paid homage to Joseph. He then asked whether he, Joseph's mother and Joseph's brothers would really bow to the ground before him. The sun and the moon were, to Jacob, father and mother. But this dream goes far beyond Jacob's family, or the nation of Israel.