A Dreamer with A Mission

Genesis 37:1-28;

45:1-15

Joseph the Dreamer

We will first examine the life of Joseph from the perspective of “dreaming” in Genesis 37:1-28. Joseph was a dreamer. And then we will conclude Joseph’s life in Genesis 45:1-15, with the perspective of “mission”. He was also a man of mission.

Joseph had two dreams. In the first dream, Joseph and his brothers were binding sheaves in the field. His sheaf stood in the middle while his brothers’ sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to his sheaf. The second dream was even more fascinating. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him.

The two dreams indicated that, in the future, Joseph would be lifted up high and he would govern his brothers. In fact, his whole family would bow down to him. He had two dreams of similar nature, implies that, one day, they will certainly come true.

Joseph was young and inexperienced. He was also his father’s favorite son. As a high-spirited young man, he naturally told his brothers his dreams without reservation. Joseph’s innocence ironically deepened his brothers’ jealousy and hatred towards him.

Genesis 37 records that, one day, Joseph’s brothers went to pasture their fathers’ flocks at Shechem. Joseph went to Shechem from home to visit his brothers to check if they were fine.

When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. They said, “Here comes the dreamer!” But Reuben said, “Let’s not kill him. Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty pit here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.”

So when Joseph arrived, his brother ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. Then they grabbed him and threw him into the pit. They later sat down to eat. Then they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt.

Judah said, “Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood. So Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the pit and sold him to the traders. And the traders took Joseph to Egypt to be sold in the slave market.

The brothers thought they had once for all gotten rid of Joseph. They killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its blood. They sent the beautiful robe to their father with his message: “Look at what we found. Doesn’t this robe belong to your son?”

Jacob recognized it immediately, “Yes,” he said, “It is my son’s robe. A wild animal must have eaten him. Joseph has clearly been torn to pieces. Then he mourned deeply for his son for a long time.

Let’s ponder here: what are the general characteristics of “dreamer”, like Joseph?

First, as the beneficiary of his father’s favoritism, Joseph was given a robe of many colors (37:3). This, of course, resulted in his brothers being jealous of him. A person who wore a robe was not suited for manual labor. This indicates that Joseph was not required to work with his brothers. Rather, he was to supervise them from the sidelines and to report his brothers’ shortcomings to their father (37:2). So Joseph was an outlier. His brothers were jealous of him and so they plotted against him.

Secondly, a dreamer is a visionary person. He foresees and creates the future. If we want to be faithful and forthright servants of God, to some extent, we need to be those who dare to dream or visionary people. Such people are forward-looking and can see the opportunities and threats that lie ahead. Such forward-looking ability creates in them sharp acumen and initiative to work hard and innovate. They will create the future and make dreams come true.

Due to his or her forward-looking demeanor and creativity, a dreamer gives others the impression that he is domineering. As a result, a dreamer may bring a rebound in the lives of others. Joseph’s dreams foretold that one day his brothers would submit to him and be governed by him, had resulted in his brothers’ brutal attack.

Dare to Be a Dreamer

Joseph’s misfortune warns us to be vigilant. As people with dreams, it is inevitable that we will face difficulties and attacks. In spite of that, we must dare to be a dream. We must not give up “dreaming” just because we hit a snag or someone sneered at us.

Throughout history, the great men and women were all dreamers. What were their most cherished and blessed moments? If we were to ask Joseph, he would say, “Being thrown into a pit by my brothers and left there to die!”

Today, if we are in a predicament that is akin to Joseph’s pit, do not forget that this pit will become our stepping stone to blessedness. Just as God preserved Joseph throughout his life, God will come to our aid too. Joseph’s fall into the pit became the opportunity for him to climb up the ranks to become the Prime Minister of Egypt.

Through means that are inconceivable to human beings, God can bring the good out of the evil. From Joseph’s persecution to his exaltation, we can see that the whole process was punctuated by a series of “coincidences.” This highlights to us God’s sovereignty and preservation behind-the-scenes.

At first, Joseph could not find his brothers. Had the story stopped here, Joseph would have escaped a very close call. However, he encountered a man at Shechem who directed him to his brothers (37:15-17). Then, Joseph was nearly murdered but he escaped death through the proposals of Reuben and Judah.

The appearance of the Ishmaelite traders was not by chance either. Joseph was ultimately sold to the Egyptians and through the various twists and turns in Egypt, he emerged as the Prime Minister. God was able to transform into good the evil plot of Joseph’s brothers to accomplish His good purpose.

Today, God is able to preserve us as we journey through our struggles. He guides us and strengthens us.  He helps us overcome all the obstacles, difficulties, and persecutions so that we may stand up again and press on!

As long as we persevere in our dreams and are patient and hardworking, one day our dreams will come true! The fact is that victory and truth belongs ultimately to those who dare to dream.

There is a Mission for the Dreamer

Joseph was sold into Egypt at the age of seventeen. Thirteen years later, his brothers came to Egypt to buy grain because the land of Canaan was experiencing severe drought and famine.

In Egypt, the brothers bowed down before Joseph. At that time, the thirty-year-old Joseph was the Prime Minister of Egypt who was responsible for the distribution of food to the victims of the famine. Joseph recognized his brothers but they could not recognize him for he was dressed like an Egyptian.

At first Joseph played several rounds of cat-and-mouse with his brothers but eventually he reconciled with them in a tearful episode. His first words of reconciliation to his brothers were, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt” (45:4). Obviously, Joseph did not forget the painful experience of the past.

Yet Joseph’s life was not imprisoned by the bitter memories of the past. He pointed out repeatedly that, “God sent me before you” (45:5, 7), and, “So it was not you who sent me here, but God” (45:8).

In other words, Joseph recognized that the events that happened in the first part of his life, including his dreams, were all according to God’s sending. Joseph did not divide his thirty years of existence into two halves – the happy and dreamy juvenile years by God’s grace and the latter thirteen years of dark and difficult years in the hands of his brothers. Perhaps we may consider our lives in this manner but that is not how Joseph saw his own life.

From Joseph’s perspective, God’s sending began from rosy, jolly, dreamy days in his father’s house all through to his brothers’ betrayal.  God’s sending extended from him, being brought into Egypt by the Ishmaelites to, from the slave market, entering into Potiphar’s house. God’s sending included the slanderous charges made by Potiphar’s wife and making acquaintance with Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer. Finally, God’s sending involved him interpreting Pharaoh’s dream and being elevated to the position of Prime Minister.

Joseph knew that these events were all part of God’s plan to send him to Egypt. They cannot be segmented into stand-alone episodes. More importantly, Joseph was clear that God sent him to Egypt to preserve the lives of his family members. Yes, the very lives of his brothers who sold him into Egypt. He realized his dreams and more importantly he lived out the mission of his life.

Today, God has chosen us out of all the people in the world while we were still sinners. It is absolutely not an accident that today we can grow in Christ and receive so much blessing from God, having had our dreams come true! This is all God’s plan. God has a plan for each and every one of us. So we must always have in mind our God-given mission to live out His plan for us.

At the age of seventeen, God sent Joseph from Canaan to Egypt without giving him any explanation or seeking his consent. He did not have a choice. But at the age of thirty, Joseph’s dreams came true. And more importantly, he had a choice to either accept or reject God’s mission for him. He could either forgive his brothers or exact revenge on them. What did Joseph choose?

Joseph did not smooth over his brothers’ fault. He said, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (50:20). The word “good” harkens back to the beginning of the book of Genesis, where God deemed His creation to be “good” (Gen 1:10, 12, 18, 25, 31).

After experiencing the highs and the lows of life, the days of comfort and of trouble, the times of joy and of sorrow, the long time ago dreams came true, Joseph had God’s mission for his life in mind. He was also grateful to God because he saw that he could become a channel of blessing for his family and human society. More importantly, he was able to fulfill God’s plan for his life.

From non-believers to having faith in Christ; in Christ we have grown in many aspects and dreams came true. These advancements are not just for our own good, blessing, and joy. It is all about God’s plan. God chose us to be His children and gave to us the mission of accomplishing His plan.

Let’s seek instruction from the Lord, obey His leading, and consecrate our whole lives unto God. Let’s now resolve to participate in God’s plan, God’s will, and fulfill our God-given mission, whether in season or out of season, in times of refreshing or in times of shortages, so that we may be worthy servants of God.

Only through such commitment and mission-mindedness can we live a life that is being sanctified from the world, set apart for God’s use. This life although is rather short in years, but will be visionary, meaningful and wholesome!