Genesis 37:11

Joseph told his brothers, and his father too, that he dreamed the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to him. His father rebuked him. He seemed to feel that pride on Joseph's part caused the dream, because the implication was plain to him: he, Rachel and his eleven children would bow down to Joseph. But his brothers envied him. Did this not show they were afraid Joseph would have such a place of authority? We know too that it was not only unbelief that moved the Jewish leaders to reject Christ. It was envy as well (Matt. 27:18).

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 He bore witness to His coming glories. Like Joseph, He drew the hatred of the world onto Himself. Before the assembled leaders of Jerusalem the Lord speaks of His coming glories. "From now on," He can say, "you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power." A furious outburst of hatred followed that confession. Priests and elders united to spit in the face of the Son of God.

The recounting of these dreams greatly fanned the flame of hatred, as we see in verses 5, 8 and 11. His father rebuked him, thinking that what the dream pointed to could never happen. Yet the record says that he "kept the saying in mind." He could not put it out of his thoughts. He recognised that there was more in it than he had first thought. He had faith in God, even if it was weak; whereas the brothers had none.

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, and the effect on his brothers was of the enemy. Even to his father the second was distasteful, though he kept it in mind. Everything recorded here marks Joseph as a godly youth. He had moral courage. He was faithful toward those who were going wrong. He had a lowly mind, and wondered at the dreams as much as anyone, or more. And we cannot doubt that God had His gracious purpose in it: to exercise Joseph's spirit and strengthen his heart for the distress and many troubles that would be his before those remarkable foreshadowings came true.

When Joseph tells his second dream, we read that his brothers envied him. It was the same with Christ, the One Joseph pictured. Of Pilate it is written that "he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered Him up" (Matt. 27:18)… How different the spirit shown by John the Baptist, who said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." It was his joy to step into the background, so that Christ his Lord might, as God intends He shall, be preeminent in everything.

What a mercy it was for his half-brothers, who were not brothers in heart, that their cruel purpose took effect only in part. In divine goodness, wisdom and power God turned it to bring about the very exaltation which they hated as much as they envied. Like Cain, they meant to kill their brother. And why? Because, underneath it all, their works were evil and their brother's were righteous.