“The Dreamer’s Dilemma” Genesis 37 Pastor Bob Leroe
Introduction: What do we do when our lives get turned upside-down? Where is God when our hopes are shattered? He’s still around, still involved, still has a purpose for our lives, even our trials. In spite of everything he suffered, Joseph seems able to accept God’s will; rather than ask God “why?”, his main concern is “What do I do now?” We learn from Joseph that with God’s help, any situation can be turned around and used for good, even when others intend it for evil.
We see Joseph as a confident, though naïve young man, the last-born child of Jacob. Joseph is described as the “child of Jacob’s old age”, the son that came from the only wife he truly loved, Rachel. Jacob was tricked and coerced into marrying Rachel’s sister Leah. For many years Rachel appeared to be barren, unable to conceive. Infertility was a terrible reproach in those days. To compensate, she encouraged Jacob to have sons from her 2 slave girls, Zilpah and Bilhah. The slave girls were like surrogate mothers and their children were regarded as Rachel’s, legally though not biologically. These servant girls became Jacob’s concubines and the mothers of Gad, Asher, Dan, and Naphtali. Benjamin came along as an extra, a surprise “bonus” son…so Joseph wasn’t exactly the last-born, but for a good while he was raised as such; and he was the first-born of Jacob’s union with his beloved Rachel. At the time of this conflict, Joseph was about 17 years old.
Last-borns often enjoy the limelight, the center of attention. They are likely to be given preferential treatment—coddled and spoiled. They may not realize that their older siblings would also like some of the limelight now and then. This appears to be Joseph’s problem. He seems oblivious to the fact that his coat sets him apart from his older brothers. Then without thinking of how his revelation might be received, he impetuously shares his dreams with his brothers. He appears blindly pleased with his status and unaware of his brothers’ jealousy.
In Joseph’s time most robes were knee-length, short-sleeved and plain—in other words, work clothes. Joseph’s “coat of many colors” was a richly ornamented, long-sleeved coat, not suited for manual labor in the fields. It was the kind of garment suitable to distinguish one as an manager or overseer, i.e. a superior. Such a coat indicated exemption from common labor, which was the privilege of the heirs of Middle-Eastern clans—in other words, the first-born sons. It was as though Jacob had gone to a lawyer and changed his will in Joseph’s favor. And for good reason—the true first born Reuben was not in good favor with his Dad—In chapter 35 he had an incestuous relationship with Jacob’s concubine Bilhah.
In light of Reuben’s sin, it appears that Jacob was giving consideration to transferring the birthright, which meant appointing the privileges of first-born status from Reuben to Joseph. Joseph’s coat made him look like royalty…and his brothers in contrast looked like his “royal subjects”. By giving this coat Jacob was clearly showing favoritism and expressing his preference that Joseph should have preeminence over his older brothers. Some parents tell each of their kids that they are the “favorite”. Jacob unwisely shows obvious preference for Joseph.
Back in the 60’s the Smothers Brothers, a musical comedy duo, had a famous routine around a familiar family conflict: “Mom always liked you best!” The fact that they were adults made it more laughable, yet it shows that time doesn’t always heal the wounds of childhood.
Joseph gladly accepts and wears his new coat. This distinction bestowed upon Joseph developed in his brothers a growing hatred; verse 4 says that they “could not speak a kind word to him”. Their enmity came to a boil when Joseph unwisely shared his dreams. As the son of Jacob and Rachel, Joseph was to the others a half-brother, which may have increased the animosity. He was not the son of their mothers. In verse 2 we see that Joseph “told on” his brothers. We don’t know the details; we can assume that it was a situation where not telling would be wrong. At any rate, Joseph’s report likely resulted in disciplinary consequences and resentment.
Dreams were highly respected in Bible days as a source of divine revelation. As if things couldn’t get worse, Joseph has 2 dreams which do not require much imagination to interpret—he obviously thinks he will rule over his brothers. The brothers are offended; they interpret the dreams as “delusions of grandeur”. Joseph indicates that he will gain supremacy over his entire family. His dreams came true in Egypt.
I knew of a Major who’d been passed over for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. He was thinking of getting out of the Army, even though he’d been assured he could stay in and retire at his present rank. But he didn’t savor having to work for people who were junior to him, or who had been his peers but advanced in rank and who might end up one day as his supervisor. We can appreciate the Major’s feelings.
How do the brothers respond? They hear Joseph’s dreams and basically say, “Not if we have anything to do with it!” Some time passes, and Joseph is sent 60 miles away, from Hebron to Dothan, to check on his brothers who are shepherding Jacob’s flocks. When they see him coming—vs. 19—they cry in mocking rage, “Here comes the dreamer! Let’s kill him and throw him into a cistern and say a wild animal killed him! Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams!” They recognized his coat from a distance, and likely figured that their father had sent Joseph to oversee and appraise their work.
These brothers had slaughtered an entire family as an act of revenge, as recorded in chapter 34. Their blood-thirst extended to their hated brother, and they were certainly capable of murder.
Just as last-borns are often spoiled, first-borns normally develop a keen sense of responsibility. Reuben likely felt usurped by Joseph; the first-born was normally the most highly-favored, #1 in the pecking order. First-borns also usually feel a strong sense of right-and-wrong. Reuben asserts his leadership by halting the plans of his brothers. He did not want to bear the burden of guilt over Joseph’s murder. As the oldest, he would also be held accountable should Jacob learn how Joseph really died. Jacob compared Reuben to water, which has no stable shape but which conforms to its container. Reuben went with the flow and was easily swayed by his younger siblings.
The brothers strip Joseph of his fine coat, the despised symbol of their father’s favoritism, and throw him into the empty cistern. Their initial plot was to leave him there to die of exposure and starvation. Their distasteful deed didn’t take away their appetite, however. They eat, then Judah comes up a less reprehensible course of action, which has the same end result—the elimination of pampered, favored Joseph. Judah chooses the “lesser of two evils”—he changes the conspiracy from blood-shed yet gets rid of Joseph. And he makes some money in the process!
Note: Reuben and Judah were the sons of Leah, who would have passed along higher ethical principles than the pagan concubines, Zilpah and Bilhah, the mothers of the others.
Caravans were common in those days, and the one approaching the cistern was headed to Egypt, carrying spices used in medicines and embalming. Though Joseph’s brothers spared his life, it’s unlikely they expected him to survive long as a slave. If the journey didn’t kill him, his treatment as a slave just might! Just as Americans treated African slaves as less-than-human, as merchandise in our nation’s shameful past, slave-owners were often just as cruel in Bible days.
Joseph’s brothers figured they’d seen the last of their spoiled brother. Reuben, the oldest, wasn’t around when they made their deal with the Ishmaelite merchants. Perhaps he’d been sent away on some pretense by Judah, to keep him from interfering with this business deal. When Reuben discovers what they did, he tears his clothes as a gesture of despair and says in effect, “What am I going to do now?” He’s more concerned about himself than his younger brother’s plight: “I’m gonna get it now!”
The brothers cover-up their evil by deceiving Jacob their father into thinking Joseph was killed by a wild animal. Sir Walter Scott wrote, “O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!” Where did they learn this deception? From Jacob, their father, who had a history of deceiving others, and now found himself on the receiving end of deception. They stain Joseph’s coat with the blood of a goat. This was the same animal Jacob used to deceive his father Isaac, back in chapter 27, in order to steal the birthright of Esau, the first-born. As Reuben did earlier, Joseph also tears his clothes, but in an attitude of inconsolable grief.
Conclusion: Sometimes life just doesn’t seem fair. Joseph’s brothers felt a sense of injustice, which led them to envy and to the elimination of their younger brother. Joseph must have felt the unfairness of being sold as a slave. When we’re convinced that life isn’t fair, it’s time to trust in God, Whose ways often differ from ours. While Jacob was crying “Woe is me!” and Joseph was feeling rejected, God was working all things together for the good of Jacob, Joseph and these wayward brothers. We need to trust God’s purpose when life takes an unexpected course. God may send us into Egypt, but He has a plan for us there.
Prayer: Almighty God, help us to recognize that whenever life takes a nasty turn, thanks to Jesus, we are never alone in the world. Help us to trust, even when we cannot understand. Comfort us when we’re left with shattered plans with the assurance that You have better plans. Let us depend on Your love, not on our ability to figure out why in the midst of smashed hopes. Grant us confidence in Your faithfulness to us--in an uncertain world, on an uncharted course, toward an unknown future. In the Name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, Amen.
