Genesis 37:1-24 “Dreams Are Real”

This morning we start a series on the person of Joseph in the Old Testament. He was the favorite Son of his father, Jacob or Israel. Same person, different names. Joseph is most famous for his dreams that, when interpreted properly, are able to predict his own future. To have a dream that is also predictive is called “precognitive dreaming.” This is quite different than the typical dreams that we have when we sleep.

I have a thought for your consideration: Today we are here in church because we are conscious of an eternal being, namely God. Please consider that we could be able to connect with God not just at a conscious level but also a subconscious level. What would that look like? It would look like a dream.

As science is still struggling with the idea of what dreams are, how they come about, what meaning they should have, the bible seems quite clear. Dreams are times of connecting individually with God as Joseph is able to do. Dreams are times when we can see what is happening in our own lives and leading up to future events.

I find it interesting that when theologians are asked about how we might hear the Word of God that typically they will say that only three avenues exist: One can hear the Word of God come through prayer, Holy Scripture, or by the voice of a trusted Christian brother or sister. Modern theologians seem to have erased or “unendorsed” the idea of receiving a Word from God through a dream or even an angelic visitation. Yet, the Bible is filled with examples of exactly this happening. I have to say that angels are real and dreams are real. The bible tells me so.

It is not just in the Old Testament that we see people receiving God’s Word in a dream. Yes, Joseph has dreams. His father Jacob also had dreams. He dreamt of a ladder going up into heaven. Joseph’s distant relative, also named Joseph in Matthew 2:13 is warned in a dream to take Jesus to safety in Egypt at the time of his birth. The Magi are also warned in a dream not to go back through Jerusalem. In Matthew 27:19, near the crucifixion time of Jesus we see Pilate’s wife having a dream about Jesus so that she warned her husband. Saint Paul had the dream of the man calling for help in Macedonia (Acts 16:9-10), so he goes to Philippi and starts the church there.

I think we have to understand that the Bible itself ends in a dream. The book of Revelation is a dream granted to John on the Island of Patmos by an angel. The whole Book is just one long and very detailed dream.

One of my favorite dreams in the Bible is Acts 10:9-16 when Saint Peter sees a picnic blanket loaded with food descending from heaven! This was the cue that Christians could eat of all foods that God had created for them. Mmmmmm, food dream!

Have any of your dreams ever come true? Melissa shared in Bible Study about how she saw her friend having a baby boy. The friend, however, said that the sonogram showed that the child to be born was a girl. Then, on the day of delivery it turned out that the child was indeed a boy. The dream from God was more accurate than the sonogram apparently.

What Joseph has dreamed is not just about which gender a child will be but rather about how his brothers will become subject to him. Actually we see two dreams, and the second dream seems to state that even the father and mother will be bowing down to Joseph. Some backstory is needed here: Joseph is right now the youngest son of twelve. In that culture the father and then the eldest son are the ones to garner respect from the others. How can this be that Joseph is the favored son in some bizarre twist of fate. That whole story is coming. To be sure, the Fifth Commandment of the Law of Moses is clear that the mother and father are to be honored, not the other way around.

Joseph is Jacob’s favorite son of course. He is born to Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife out of four wives. He is given an honor of a special robe that shows his status to the other brothers as well. Our bible simply states that the robe had sleeves sewn in. In other bibles this Hebrew term is translated as “ornate” or “multi-colored.” The word in Hebrew “פַּסִּֽים “ (passim) is unclear. It literally means that it had “hands” on it. Some depictions of the robe today will have multi-colored hand prints on it and sleeves just to cover any possible translation. To be sure, it had something on it that made it stand out from other robes.

In those days, you pretty much were what you wore. If you had distinctive clothing, then you were indeed special. Today we tell our children the story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” which were no clothes at all. This is to say that what clothes we wear should not matter and are perhaps a matter of hubris and pride. However, back then, and still in other cultures today, you must always dress the part. An example of this we find in the New Testament when Paul instructs us to “put on Christ.” (Romans 13:14). That does not mean that Christ should be some kind of a “put on,” or that our faith is superficial. It means in fact that we should dress the part as a Christian so that others might see Christ on us. What is on the outside also matters–not just what is on the inside.

As a side note, ancient robes could be plain of course, but it would not be unusual to see coats of many colors. When we think of the Middle East today, we tend to think of the white robe and the black burka. Not so back then! Clothes were of all colors. The chosen colors of God that showed the greatest power were the blue and white that we see in the flag of Israel still today. If you have a chance to go to a bible museum and there is a display of ancient cloth you will see all colors stitched or woven in the threads.

In our story today, we see that the brothers take Joseph’s coat before they throw him in the pit. This is to be interpreted as their taking away his specialness.

Getting back to the dreams that Joseph had. He shares them with his family. They are upset by the meaning of the dreams. However, we see something very strange in this indeed: Why does not Joseph get a dream that says, “Hey your brothers are about to take your special robe and leave you for dead in the pit”? Why does Joseph not be forewarned in a dream to escape his brothers?

Here is the critical question: “What good are these dreams?” When Pharoah had dreams later and Joseph was able to interpret them to mean that Egypt would have to stockpile food for a coming famine, that was amazingly practical! Those dreams saved lives. Yet, these dreams about sheaves and stars bowing down to Joseph really seem very impractical. Yet, they set in motion the jealousies that cause the rest of the story to unfold as God would have it.

We might not see the significance of what God tells us in dreams until the very end of the story of our lives. In which case, our dreams might certainly have more meaning to God than to us in the short term. So, we need to hold onto our dreams and tuck them away in our memories for the time that we are to need the dream again.

The aboriginals of Australia have a concept that is called “dream time.” It is a concept that includes all past events and future events together. Anthropologists have suggested that “dream time” is best described as “everywhen.” We know the concept of "everywhere." For dreams we have to understand the concept of things existing everywhen. This idea fits the grammatical construction of Hebrew and to a certain extent the understanding of the future perfect case in Greek. IN OTHER WORDS, dreams are truly timeless.

Again in bible study on Tuesday we went around the room to ask about individual dreams. As it turned out, everyone has had the dream about being able to fly. I do not mean fighting through TSA and sitting on a jet! I mean flying like superman through the air. Is this nonsense, or is it truly precognition?

In Acts chapter one, we see Jesus ascending up to heaven with two angels, one on either side. I wonder if Jesus ever dreamt of flying, and then while he ascended to heaven realized that that was God’s plan all along? Are we not to all fly away one day? Are we not promised to ascend to heaven to be with God?

Okay, I am just putting out a whole lot of ideas about dreams, and suggesting that they may be real. Yes, they must be real to God in heaven! Just think about it. Or, better dream about it.

You know this whole sermon was just a set up for me to be able to close with one of my favorite soliloquies from Shakespeare! The last lines from the play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

“If we shadows have offended,

 Think but this, and all is mended--

 That you have but slumbered here

 While these visions did appear.

 And this weak and idle theme,

 No more yielding but a dream,”

Amen.