Joseph Tells His Dreams to His Brothers in the Fieldby KalebRosendahl
37:11Genesis 37:11
And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
Joseph told his father and brothers the dream of the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowing to him, whose meaning as his future exaltation and dominion over his family was quickly discerned, and his brothers envied him for it. His father kept and pondered what he had said, believing the Lord was revealing the future to Joseph through the dream as He had instructed Jacob himself in dreams. Jacob's rebuke about the family bowing before him did not dismiss the dream, but veiled his affection and hope for Joseph from his envious sons. The brothers despised the dreams and sought to prevent their fulfillment by killing Joseph and then selling him as a slave, yet God overruled their cruel actions to bring about that very dominion, making Joseph ruler in Egypt and saviour to his father's family before whom they bowed. Their envy and attempt to block his rise foreshadowed the jealousy of the chief priests and elders toward Christ, whom they put to death to prevent His becoming king, and by that murder brought about His exaltation as Redeemer and ruler over the whole world.
Dream and Family Response
Genesis 37:11 comes after Joseph told his father and his brothers the second dream given him by the Lord, of the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowing down to him, whose meaning as his future exaltation over his family was quickly discerned. Jacob met it with a rebuke asking what the dream meant and whether father and mother and brothers would indeed come to bow to the earth before him. The brothers envied Joseph because of his dreams, which foretold that they would bow to him and that he would have dominion over them and become greater than they.
Their envy was fed by Jacob's open favoritism and strong love for Joseph, shown in the special coat, and by Joseph's report of his dreams. Seeing their father's strong love for him, their envy grew into hatred, which later became murderous. That hatred arose because Joseph was innocent and righteous and beloved by his father while they persisted in wickedness, a hatred like Cain's hatred of his righteous brother.
Alongside that envy, the father thoughtfully kept and pondered and observed what Joseph had said, keeping the saying and the matter in mind. Jacob believed the Lord was revealing the future to Joseph and instructing him through the dream, as the Lord had instructed Jacob himself in dreams, and he hoped God would bless Joseph. His rebuke asking whether father and mother and brothers would indeed bow before him did not mean he dismissed the dream; though his words sounded severe, his affection remained clear. He reproved Joseph aloud so his true feelings and belief that God might be instructing Joseph would not be exposed to the envious brothers. Amid the growing jealousy and conflict in a family where he openly favored Joseph, Jacob responded with concern for his sons and sought to turn them from wrongdoing.
God Overrules for Fulfillment
The dreams were not idle fancies but foretellings of coming events, for Joseph had been chosen in his youth for a special work on behalf of God's people. His brothers despised those dreams and labored to prevent their fulfillment so as to be no more troubled by them, first purposing to kill him and then being content to sell him as a slave into a place where fulfillment seemed impossible.
The very course they took to block what they meant never to happen became part of the events through which God directed and overruled all to bring about fulfillment. What they intended to prevent, God turned to make Joseph have dominion over them and become saviour to his father's family. Their actions instead served God's purpose, and their efforts to prevent the dreams helped fulfill them.
That help came by their own hands, for they themselves acted a part in bringing the dreams to fulfillment by repeatedly bowing down and making obeisance to Joseph as ruler in Egypt according to his dream. When he revealed himself as ruler they stood before him condemned and amazed, unable to answer for astonishment. All their ill treatment and cruelty painfully passed before them and stood painfully before them in that hour.
Their guilt was not lessened by that outcome, even though God overruled their actions for good.
Joseph Foreshadows Christ
The envy of Joseph's brothers over dreams that foretold he would have dominion over them and become greater than themselves parallels the jealousy of the chief priests and elders and Jewish leaders toward Christ, whom they envied lest He draw the people away and gain higher authority and become King of the Jews. To prevent the dreams from coming true and to be no more troubled by them, the brothers first purposed to kill Joseph and then were content to sell him as a slave into a place where fulfillment seemed impossible, and in the same way the leaders sought to stop Christ from becoming king. As the brothers sought to stop Joseph by selling him, so the leaders sought to stop Christ by false witness and death in order to prevent Him from becoming king.
The very course the brothers took God overruled to bring about what they meant never to happen, that Joseph should have dominion over them and become saviour to his father's family, though their guilt was not lessened by His overruling their actions for good. By murdering Christ the leaders likewise brought about the very exaltation they sought to prevent, making Him Redeemer and Saviour and ruler over the whole world.
Joseph told his father and brothers the dream of the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowing to him, whose meaning as his future exaltation and dominion over his family was quickly discerned, and his brothers envied him for it. His father kept and pondered what he had said, believing the Lord was revealing the future to Joseph through the dream as He had instructed Jacob himself in dreams. Jacob's rebuke about the family bowing before him did not dismiss the dream, but veiled his affection and hope for Joseph from his envious sons. The brothers despised the dreams and sought to prevent their fulfillment by killing Joseph and then selling him as a slave, yet God overruled their cruel actions to bring about that very dominion, making Joseph ruler in Egypt and saviour to his father's family before whom they bowed. Their envy and attempt to block his rise foreshadowed the jealousy of the chief priests and elders toward Christ, whom they put to death to prevent His becoming king, and by that murder brought about His exaltation as Redeemer and ruler over the whole world.
Dream and Family Response
Genesis 37:11 comes after Joseph told his father and his brothers the second dream given him by the Lord, of the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowing down to him, whose meaning as his future exaltation over his family was quickly discerned. Jacob met it with a rebuke asking what the dream meant and whether father and mother and brothers would indeed come to bow to the earth before him. The brothers envied Joseph because of his dreams, which foretold that they would bow to him and that he would have dominion over them and become greater than they.
Their envy was fed by Jacob's open favoritism and strong love for Joseph, shown in the special coat, and by Joseph's report of his dreams. Seeing their father's strong love for him, their envy grew into hatred, which later became murderous. That hatred arose because Joseph was innocent and righteous and beloved by his father while they persisted in wickedness, a hatred like Cain's hatred of his righteous brother.
Alongside that envy, the father thoughtfully kept and pondered and observed what Joseph had said, keeping the saying and the matter in mind. Jacob believed the Lord was revealing the future to Joseph and instructing him through the dream, as the Lord had instructed Jacob himself in dreams, and he hoped God would bless Joseph. His rebuke asking whether father and mother and brothers would indeed bow before him did not mean he dismissed the dream; though his words sounded severe, his affection remained clear. He reproved Joseph aloud so his true feelings and belief that God might be instructing Joseph would not be exposed to the envious brothers. Amid the growing jealousy and conflict in a family where he openly favored Joseph, Jacob responded with concern for his sons and sought to turn them from wrongdoing.
God Overrules for Fulfillment
The dreams were not idle fancies but foretellings of coming events, for Joseph had been chosen in his youth for a special work on behalf of God's people. His brothers despised those dreams and labored to prevent their fulfillment so as to be no more troubled by them, first purposing to kill him and then being content to sell him as a slave into a place where fulfillment seemed impossible.
The very course they took to block what they meant never to happen became part of the events through which God directed and overruled all to bring about fulfillment. What they intended to prevent, God turned to make Joseph have dominion over them and become saviour to his father's family. Their actions instead served God's purpose, and their efforts to prevent the dreams helped fulfill them.
That help came by their own hands, for they themselves acted a part in bringing the dreams to fulfillment by repeatedly bowing down and making obeisance to Joseph as ruler in Egypt according to his dream. When he revealed himself as ruler they stood before him condemned and amazed, unable to answer for astonishment. All their ill treatment and cruelty painfully passed before them and stood painfully before them in that hour.
Their guilt was not lessened by that outcome, even though God overruled their actions for good.
Joseph Foreshadows Christ
The envy of Joseph's brothers over dreams that foretold he would have dominion over them and become greater than themselves parallels the jealousy of the chief priests and elders and Jewish leaders toward Christ, whom they envied lest He draw the people away and gain higher authority and become King of the Jews. To prevent the dreams from coming true and to be no more troubled by them, the brothers first purposed to kill Joseph and then were content to sell him as a slave into a place where fulfillment seemed impossible, and in the same way the leaders sought to stop Christ from becoming king. As the brothers sought to stop Joseph by selling him, so the leaders sought to stop Christ by false witness and death in order to prevent Him from becoming king.
The very course the brothers took God overruled to bring about what they meant never to happen, that Joseph should have dominion over them and become saviour to his father's family, though their guilt was not lessened by His overruling their actions for good. By murdering Christ the leaders likewise brought about the very exaltation they sought to prevent, making Him Redeemer and Saviour and ruler over the whole world.