Dreams are nothing new in the Bible. Both Abraham and Jacob had dreams. Like his father and great-grandfather, Joseph has a dream, too. But his dreams are different. They are filled with figurative imagery, contain no direct speech from the Lord, and initially are not attributed to God. Because of this, some commentators think this is just a dream of Joseph's active imagination—a pizza dream; that he had eaten too much spicy lamb for dinner. But the dream is fulfilled years later. They are clearly from the Lord. Rather than sharing Joseph's evident joy over his dreams, the brothers hate him. Why? Unlike the other dreams in the story of Joseph, this one needs no interpretation. The brothers know what the dreams mean: Joseph will be exalted, and they will be abased; they will bow before him. Joseph's dreams are not just foretelling, but they are also foreshadowing. They declare that God is about to partially accomplish his covenant promises in a spectacular fashion. Joseph will fulfill, in part, God's covenantal promise to Abraham and Jacob. He will rule the most powerful country in the world and take dominion over the barren land as Prime Minister of Egypt. His rule will point to a greater fulfillment in the coming of Jesus the Messiah. Jacob and his sons should know this. A few years earlier, the Lord had renewed his covenant with Jacob and specifically included the promise of a king. But they are either forgetful, rebellious, or unbelieving. The brothers respond with hatred and then envy, which will lead to even greater sin. Jacob, however, "observed the saying," implying that he believes the dream may be from God and will watch and wait for its fulfillment.
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Kurt Snow serves as a ruling elder at Covenant Reformed Church of Sacramento (RCUS). He served as a member of the Board of Governors of City Seminary of Sacramento from 2000 to 2020.
