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The Joseph Process: From Promise to Pit to Potiphar's house to Prison to the Palace.
By Janine Scott-Lowe, MD.
Week 1: The Promise
Genesis 37:5-6: One night Joseph had a dream "Listen to this," he PROUDLY ANNOUNCED. "We were out in the field binding sheaves, and my sheaf stood up, and your sheaves all gathered around and bowed low before it."
Genesis 37:9: Then he had ANOTHER dream and told it to his brothers. "Listen to my latest dream," he BOASTED. "The sun, moom, and 11 stars bowed low before me!" This time, he told his father as well as his brothers; but his father rebuked him.
In these Scriptures, Joseph was given two dreams from the Lord, showing him a future in which he would become great, and others (including his brothers and father) would bow down to him. Joseph went to tell his family his dreams, but, unfortunately, instead of them being HAPPY for his promised future, this made them HATE him (actually, EVEN MORE because they ALREADY disliked him because their father, Jacob, treated Joseph BETTER than they, showing his FAVORITISM by giving Joseph a special coat), and his father even REBUKED him.
What's the problem here? Shouldn't Joseph be able to share good news, especially with his family? Shouldn't they be HAPPY for and with him? Well, let's look at this a little closer to see...
God DID give Joseph the dreams, therefore, they WERE going to come to pass, that's a fact. So, the problem was NOT that the dreams were not true--No, the problem was JOSEPH'S ATTITUDE when telling the dreams.
Genesis 37:6 says that Joseph PROUDLY ANNOUNCED his first dream to his brothers. Verse 8 says that when Joseph told his brothers the dream, "they hated him BOTH for the DREAM, AND HIS COCKY ATTITUDE." Verse 9 says that Joseph BOASTED when he told them of his second dream. Seems to me that the issue was NOT mostly the dream itself, but HOW JOSEPH HANDLED HIMSELF WHEN HE RECEIVED HIS PROMISE.
Maybe that's the point for US too? God has made MANY promises to us. We may not have had literal dreams (though some have), but we are given many in His Word. As God said it and He CANNOT lie, what He has promised WILL COME TO PASS; that we can be sure of. I think the problem comes when we become PRIDEFUL, COCKY, BOASTFUL, and ARROGANT towards others because of the promises, dreams, or blessing that God gives to us in our lives.
What we must remember is that God blesses us with His promises NOT because of ANY GOODNESS OF OUR OWN, but just because He is GOOD. Remember, OUR righteousness is like FILTHY RAGS. It is NOT OUR goodness, but GOD' S GRACE that He has chosen to BLESS us and USE us. Ultimately, it is NOT JUST for us, but for HIS GLORY.
When God promises us a blessing, let us walk in HUMILITY and remember His MERCY towards us in bringing GOOD into our lives, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T DESERVE IT. Let us NOT become PRIDEFUL, as the Word says that "Pride goes before DESTRUCTION and a HAUGHTY SPIRIT before a FALL." (Proverbs 16:18) Joseph's PRIDE WILL cause him TROUBLE as well, as we will see in the next part of the process--the PIT; coming to a "Week's Word" near you. SMILE!
Until then, be BLESSED!
**Just another little point that I thought of when I read this chapter. We must have WISDOM in WHO we share our dreams and God's promises to us with. Genesis 37:4 says that Joseph's brothers ALREADY HATED HIM so much, even BEFORE he told them his dream, that "they couldn't say a kind word to him." So, when he told them the dream, this "aroused even deeper hatred," and, after having the second dream, they were "fit to be tied concerning the affair." Let us use WISDOM in WHO we share our dreams with, as, unfortunately, NOT EVERYONE will be happy for, or supportive of us. But, what's GREAT is that even though THEY may not be, GOD IS, and their outright hatred, or even passive indifference makes NO differnce in our dream coming to pass (Hallelujah!) I THANK GOD for a WONDERFULLY SUPPORTIVE family, but this passage also shows that our dreambusters DON'T have to be enemies from withOUT, but can also be those from withIN our very own family/clan. Let's just remember to be HUMBLE and walk in WISDOM when it comes to our dreams.
Ok, now I'm REALLY done! Be BLESSED!
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