Genesis-123-Joseph’s Dream

The Word of God: Genesis 37:5-11

“Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, ‘Please listen to this dream that I have had. We were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.’ His brothers said to him, ‘Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to have dominion over us?’ So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Then he had another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, ‘Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’ When he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, ‘What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?’ And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind. Amen.”

 

The True Subject of Worship, Jesus Christ

We often think of worship as something we do before God, but strictly speaking, no worship of ours can ever be worthy enough for God to receive. That is why we always find Jesus Christ worshiping in the Bible. Our praise is a participation in the praise of Christ; our listening to the Word is a participation in the Word that Christ speaks to us; and our prayers are a participation in the prayer of Christ. The one who presides over our eternal worship is God Himself, who is none other than Christ. Christ presides over this worship, and He Himself is the true subject of this worship. We participate in the very praise that He offers. This is because we know that no praise of our own can fully please the Lord.

 

We have no pure hearts, and no one on this earth can have a heart devoted to God alone. We live amid the worries, pains, and tears of the world. However, the Lord does not just see you; He sees you in union with Christ. That is why He rejoices in and is pleased with your praise, and He rejoices with you. Therefore, as we listen to the Word of God again today, let us not simply have the mindset that 'the sermon is the most important part of this service, so I must listen diligently.' Instead, we should seek to discover, ‘How can I participate in this revelation of Christ, which is the Word of Christ?’ I pray that you will find yourself in the Word spoken by the Lord and seek what He has granted you with a deeper heart and a heart that loves the Lord.

 

Joseph’s Dream, God’s Revelation

As we have been going through the book of Genesis, we have now arrived at the final genealogy, that of Jacob. The account is quite long. From chapter 37 to 50, it deals with Jacob's genealogy, and the main characters of this story are Joseph and Judah. The passage we read today is very famous. As I mentioned last week, to properly understand the story of Joseph, we must first look at the constant unfaithfulness, idolatry, and self-centeredness of the people of Israel—God’s chosen people—as they were being formed. Although the family of Abraham was consistently incomplete, we still find in this story a God who keeps His promises to the end and guides and holds us, just as we prayed together today.

 

Because we know that God does not change, the story of Joseph can be rightly read and shine brightly. As I also mentioned, one of the characteristics of the Joseph narrative is that there are no spectacular miracles. The results, however, are miraculous. The events that take place seem like everyday occurrences—of course, being thrown into a pit or going to prison is not ordinary, but they are things that can certainly happen. Though he suffered greatly, God did not cause the prison to crumble in an earthquake or perform any other spectacular miracle; rather, He accomplished His will through these seemingly natural events. Through this, you and I came to realize that our every single day is not in vain and that God creates a life more beautiful and miraculous than anything through those very days.

 

Our Official Title

Friends, is your life beautiful as you sit here today? Sometimes, our lives can seem so shabby that we feel embarrassed by the way we live. But isn't it true that the Lord, with His unchanging love, holds on to you and now calls you a 'beautiful one'? Your official title is a child of God. Let me repeat. You are a son of God and a daughter of God. Your official title is a holy person of God. Doesn't that prick your conscience? We are called saints, or '거룩한 하나님의 무리' (the holy company of God). In English, the word is 'Saint'.

 

As you walk through this town, you often see churches with the name 'Saint' in front of them, like 'St. Luke's Church'. You are told that the very same 'Saint' is attached to your name. Since God has done such an amazing thing, how can you and I miss out on the joy of approaching the Lord in worship, and how can we not find joy in looking at our lives anew? However, more than all of this, the story of Joseph's dream is what surprises us even more today. Joseph had the dream that we know so well twice, and this dream comes to define his entire life. If he had not had this dream, his life would not have unfolded that way. That is why some scholars say that through this dream, God made it known that He, not Joseph, was the owner of the dream.

 

The Brothers’ Hatred and the True Meaning of the Dream

What does this mean? Joseph did not dream this dream because he wanted to. Joseph did not pursue this dream, either. As I said last week, Joseph only remembered, 'Ah, this was that dream I had,' when his brothers bowed down to him. Until then, he had forgotten it. He did not make this dream his vision. He did not endure everything with the thought, 'Someday, I will be the person to whom all my brothers will bow down.' Rather, he tried to forget everything, which is why he named his son Manasseh, meaning 'to forget'. Yet his life was moving toward the very place where his brothers would come and bow down to him. This shows that having the dream meant that his life was not his own, but that God was the main character of this dream and the true owner of Joseph's life.

 

God did not give Joseph the dream to say, 'You will be like this, so do well.' He also didn't say, 'Be careful and do this and that, and you will eventually become prime minister.' Joseph did not go out and seek to become prime minister because he had a dream. Rather, having that dream meant that he came to realize, 'Ah, the main character of my life is God.' That is why the dream came to determine his life.

 

The Reason for the Two Dreams

Another piece of evidence for this is that Joseph had the dream twice. The content is almost identical, but one is a dream on a heavenly scale—the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down—and the other is a dream on an earthly scale—the sheaves of grain bowing down. One occurred in heaven and one on earth, so we can easily see that this refers to God’s promise fulfilled in heaven and on earth. But why did he have the same dream twice? There is a clear purpose for this.

 

If you read the story of Joseph closely, you will see that other people in the story also had dreams twice. Why twice? Joseph explains this to Pharaoh in Genesis 41: "The reason the dream was doubled to Pharaoh is that the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass." In this way, the Bible confesses that Joseph's dreams were also dreams that God caused him to have so that He could bring this to pass. God established all of this. Therefore, this is a very important fact.

 

The Root of Hatred, Resentment Toward God

The fact that the brothers hated Joseph when they heard about the dream does not just mean personal hatred. Strictly speaking, the brothers might have been jealous and hated Joseph for becoming so great. The brothers' reaction—"Are you indeed to reign over us? Are you indeed to have dominion over us?"—seems like dissatisfaction with Joseph. It also seems like jealousy and hatred over why their father loved only Joseph. But if you look a little deeper, this is not just simple hatred and jealousy toward Joseph; it is resentment toward the God who was ordaining and bringing about Joseph’s life in that way.

 

We do not feel it well, and perhaps the brothers did not know it either. They probably thought they were just voicing their dissatisfaction with Joseph. Isn't that often the case with us? When we face things we do not understand or experience things in life and say, 'Why do these things only happen to me? Why is that person so blessed, but I am not?' we are, in fact, showing our deep-rooted sinfulness by saying, 'God, I cannot accept your providence.'

 

Another fact that proves this can be found in today's passage, verse 8.

 

Genesis 37:8

“His brothers said to him, ‘Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to have dominion over us?’ So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.”

 

Not a King, but a Savior

If you just read this verse, you might pass over it, but here the brothers say they hate him more 'because of your dream,' yet it says, 'for his dreams and for his words.' The text deliberately separates these two things. Joseph did not say anything other than telling his dream. Therefore, they did not just react to the dream story, but they hated the dream itself. This is because they interpreted the dream in their own way. They interpreted it as, "Are you indeed to reign over us?"

 

Because we are familiar with the story of Joseph later becoming prime minister, we might easily think, 'Ah, yes, that's what will happen, he will become prime minister and rule over us,' but in fact, the brothers' interpretation was wrong. Joseph never directly ruled over his brothers, nor did he ever become their king. Even in the story of the sun, moon, and stars, while his brothers were among those who bowed down before him, his father and mother never did. Therefore, our assumption that 'the brothers knew the story well and it was natural for them to get angry' is actually completely wrong. The brothers' words, "Are you indeed to reign over us and make us your servants?" contained their true feelings. They not only hated the idea of Joseph becoming king, but when they saw that this was not just Joseph's dream but God's providence, they hated the fact that God would rule over them through Joseph. They wanted to reject God's kingship.

 

The true meaning of the dream hidden in their hearts is different from their interpretation. The dream is, in fact, not a dream about Joseph becoming a king, as he later says, but a dream about saving his brothers through Joseph. It is a dream about Joseph becoming a savior. It was a dream that said, 'I will save you.' This story may sound new, but we can see this very well in the New Testament. For what purpose did Jesus come? He came as a Savior, yet they said, "Are you the King of the Jews?" and nailed Him to the cross. How did they view Jesus?

 

They thought of Jesus as someone who would again enslave them or make them slaves to Rome, and they nailed Him to the cross because they thought, 'Why doesn't He free us?' Jesus came as a Savior. He did not come to judge Rome or to make them His servants. He said, 'I came to give my life to save you,' but people did not see it that way. In that sense, as we read the story of Joseph, we find that it becomes more and more like the story of Jesus Christ. How much the brothers misunderstood, and what they were rebelling against, is clearly shown in verse 20 that follows.

 

Genesis 37:20

“Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams.”

 

This verse shows them saying, 'God, we see this dream that you caused Joseph to have, but will this happen even if Joseph dies?' They were in fact rebelling against God. They simply could not accept the fact that God, not themselves, would be king—that 'I want to be king, but God will be king.' Therefore, just as they rejected Jesus Christ, the Savior, they could not interpret the dream of Joseph, the savior, as it was meant to be. Of course, some might ask, 'Does that mean Joseph is Jesus?' Of course not. How could Joseph be Jesus?

 

Joseph, a Type of Jesus Christ

When we look at Joseph's life, we find a very important perspective for reading the Old Testament. One of them is that Joseph's life was very incomplete. As a teenager, he showed disrespect and a self-centered attitude, caring only about himself. He lacked any maturity and, in fact, was a son who tried to show his brothers that he was worthy of becoming the head of the household. He even wore a coat of many colors and went to where his brothers worked, showing great disrespect for them. He was a flawed person. How could he have been a Messiah? But at the same time, this arrogant, self-centered, and disrespectful Joseph was nevertheless called to be a savior. He became a descendant of the promise.

 

Just as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did, Joseph was not the Messiah, but he became a shadow (type) that showed the coming Messiah. Therefore, his life was not just a personal story; it was a life that foreshadowed the suffering and glory of Christ, showing what kind of person the true Savior would be. This is not a story about 'If you live like Joseph, your son will also become prime minister,' or 'If you pray like Daniel, your child will be saved from the lion's den and be given a high position in Babylon.' The very core of this story was a shadow intended to show us what kind of suffering and glory Christ would experience. Therefore, the story cannot end with Joseph; the complete life of Joseph is fulfilled through the coming Messiah. This is why we call Jesus the 'Last Joseph'.

 

The Journey of Faith, Following the Shadow

This is why we call Jesus the last Moses, the last David. Jesus simultaneously becomes the last Adam. This is because all the things that humans failed at and only showed as a shadow are finally completed by Jesus Christ, who perfectly accomplished them. You and I are people who started from a place that cannot be compared to Joseph, David, or Moses. They were looking forward to the coming Christ. That is why they were made to look to the Lord despite their own imperfections. All the saints of the Old Testament, though they failed, were frustrated, and fell in life, were saved by hoping for the coming Christ and looking at the shadow of the Messiah that God showed them in the sacrificial lamb that had to die for them and in the lives of Abraham and Isaac.

 

Their salvation was not obtained by keeping the law, nor was it obtained by their own righteousness. As was clearly told to Abraham, their salvation was obtained through faith. They were counted righteous through faith. What did they believe in? They believed in the Messiah that God had prepared for them. Hebrews 11 clearly shows the content of what I just said. When did Moses know Jesus? When did Moses ever directly mention the 'Messiah'? But in the end, he said this: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you; you shall listen to him." In his heart, there was that very Messiah. That is why the writer of Hebrews clearly states: "He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt." As we can see from the book of Exodus, this story is so amazing that it makes us think, 'Did Moses really do that?'

 

Our Gaze, Toward the True

Nevertheless, the Bible confidently says so. This is because Moses relied on Christ. The first half of his life was filled with a desire to show off his power as an Egyptian prince, relying on his own strength, greed, and abilities, and thinking, 'I will save my people with my own power.' However, the Bible says that he gave up all of that because of Christ. You and I may also be in a state of frustration today. As you think about your daily life, which has been going around like a hamster wheel all week, don't you feel, 'My life is just like this every day, getting angry, complaining, then getting happy again. I just wish something good or fun would happen'? How little joy is there in life that you watch fake stories in dramas and cry and laugh?

 

Friends, the story I am telling you today is real. But you are not very surprised. Because there are so many fake stories, you are now indifferent even when you hear a real story. However, you are now listening to a story that can be your true hope and your true joy. As I said earlier, Joseph's dream was, first, a dream of a savior. But the brothers, who did not understand this correctly, thought that they would lose everything because of that dream. The Lord gave Joseph the dream to give everything, but what about you? The Lord came for you. When you hear the words, 'The Lord becomes everything to you,' are you not thinking, 'I just wish you would give me something I need right now. It's fine that you went to the cross for me, but could you just tell me if I can buy a lottery ticket tomorrow?'

 

Even when we see the Lord's cross, we only think, 'How can I make my life better?' But should we not become like the brothers? Shouldn't we look at this event properly? Shouldn't you know what dream you are having? Shouldn't you know what word you are listening to right now? You are not just hearing, 'You have this option. If you believe in this person named Jesus, your life might change like this.' You are hearing that this Christ is the true answer to your life and the eternal life that saves you.

 

The Eternal Dream of Revelation We Have

Joseph's dream is simultaneously acknowledging, 'Ah, the owner of my life is not me, but God.' It is finally confessing, 'My life is not something I live on my own terms. It is something God gave me, something God will cause to blossom as He walks with me. It is a path I walk with God. He will not leave me alone in my life.' This is what Joseph's dream is. To those who think, 'I wish I could have a dream like that,' I am telling you about this dream. This dream is now called 'revelation'. 'Revelation' means to show God's will. Therefore, God having him dream the dream twice shows that God had established His will. So, do you know what revelation is? Do you have a revelation? Do you have a dream? Do you truly have a dream as the Bible says?

 

Our Revelation is Jesus Christ

Our dream is God's revelation, but with the coming of Christ, what became the ultimate revelation? The book of Hebrews says this: 'That revelation, which the prophets of old talked about and tried to make known to you, came in the flesh.' And He decided to dwell within you through the Holy Spirit. You are the people who dream of Jesus Christ, who is the Revelation. Christ is your dream, and that has become your entire revelation. The cross of Christ, the resurrection and ascension of Christ, and the life of Christ are your entire revelation. You have become the person who has that dream.

 

The Lord has granted us so many dreams.

 

"I will listen to your prayers." This promise is our revelation.

 

"Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." This is your dream and the Lord's revelation.

 

"I will always be with you, to the end of the age."

 

"I will save you, and you are no longer a slave to sin but have been made a servant of righteousness."

 

"He who believes in me will have eternal life."

 

All of this is the dream of revelation we have in Christ, it is God's revelation, and they are the promises God made to us.

 

The Fading Glory and the Eternal Glory

Friends, the dream and glory that were given to Joseph have faded. The brothers who bowed down to Joseph have also all disappeared. Although Joseph became prime minister, that splendor cannot be found today. The glory of Moses has likewise disappeared. What about David and Solomon? As Jesus Himself said, Solomon's splendor is less than a single wild flower. Everything has disappeared. So what remains? Unlike those who lived looking forward to the coming Christ, you and I are people who started with Christ, who has already come. Our lives began with the cross. The cross and resurrection of Christ and all of Christ's revelations have become the entirety of our lives.

 

We have come to confess, 'It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.' You and I have become people who live enjoying not a fading glory, but an eternal glory. Everything has disappeared, but the Christ we have is eternal. Paul expressed this in 2 Corinthians: 'There was Moses who received a fading glory. But he put a veil over his face so that people would not see the glory disappearing.' It seemed as if that glory would last forever, but it ultimately disappeared.

 

An Unveiled Life, Seeing the True

Friends, shouldn't we all be amazed at this point? Have you and I ever received anything that is eternal? If you think about it now, the prayers you prayed and received answers to have all disappeared. Even those moments when you earnestly and desperately clung to God with a broken heart have now disappeared. But we still hold on to things that will pass. Paul says: "For to this day, when they read the old covenant, the same veil remains unlifted." They are still clinging to Joseph and Abraham and are looking for a way to ask, 'Should we try to become prime ministers in this country like Joseph? How can we enjoy blessings on this earth?'

 

"The veil is taken away in Christ." They do not understand. The brothers' hearts were like that. As they read the Word, they did not see the salvation God had given them; instead, they were resentful, thinking, 'I am going to live as their servant, I will not be able to be a king.'

 

Friends, when God asks you to 'give your life to me,' don't you say, 'Isn't God a dictator? My life is my own, so why are you asking for all of it?' But when God says, 'Give your life to me,' doesn't it mean, 'I will save you. I will give my life to you'? We so easily put a veil over that truth because we have started to rely on the law, on our own abilities, and on our own strength.

 

Freedom and Eternal Life

But there is hope here. "But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." We all, with unveiled faces, are looking at the glory of the Lord as if in a mirror. What you are enjoying and seeing now is what the Lord had promised over and over again through countless prophets from eternity past. The very thing that countless ages of prophets and even Abraham longed to see is now fulfilled for us, and you are seeing that glory directly. The glory of God, the Lord who is with us. Not a single being on this earth could ever contain God. Even the temple could not contain God. Solomon himself confessed, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!" Yet God has made you His dwelling place. We are now seeing and enjoying this glory. "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." That person is you. This perfect Lord, this Lord who is the Word, becomes your dream. This is because our revelation, our Word, is the Lord Himself.

 

Therefore, beloved ones, as long as you remember that revelation, as long as you listen to that Word, and as long as you know that that Word is your own, your life belongs to the Lord, and the main character of your life is none other than the eternal, most high God.

 

A Prayer

O Lord of love,

Since we have now heard Your word, we confess again that You are the owner of our entire lives.

 

Lord, please do not let us be like the brothers, or even like Jacob, who, after hearing this Word, interpreted it according to our own desires and sought only to hear the Word we wanted. Instead, help us to kneel before You, who have given everything for us, who will not only be the true owner of my life but also make it most good and beautiful.

 

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.