Next to divine visitations, dreams are the highest revelatory method.
It is no exaggeration to say that dreams play a central role in the story of Joseph.
In fact it was the sharing of his dreams that got Joseph into his current predicament in the first place.
I wonder if Joseph ever thought about the past dreams he had of his family bowing down to him.
Did he still think they held any significance or were they now just faded illusions from a childhood long gone?
About eleven years have passed since Joseph was sold into slavery.
Given his current situation and that he is so far removed from his home and family in Canaan, the images of the sheaves of grain, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowing down to him may now seem like a distant memory.
In Joseph’s mind at the time, if those dreams came true, this meant he would be the one to receive the first born blessings.
Circumstances would unfold on his behalf so that all 10 of his older brothers would be skipped over and he would inherit all the wealth and authority of the clan of Israel.
However, that now seemed like an impossibility.
But wait, divine providence is about to make a second appearance and completely overturn Joseph’s life again via the vehicle of dreams.
In the Captain of the Guard’s house, Joseph notices the troubled countenances of the baker and cupbearer and asks them what’s bothering them.
They tell him they each had a dream but can’t for the life of them understand the meaning.
In Egypt, the interpretation of dreams was regarded as a science, and formal instruction in techniques of dream interpretation was given in schools called “houses of life.”
An Egyptian manual of dreams contained over 200 dream interpretations.
So usually for a fee, dream interpreters would makes themselves available to decipher one’s night visions.
I guess this would be similar to fortune tellers and astrologers in our day and age.
However, in their place of captivity there is zero access to such professional seers.
So after explaining why they’re disturbed, notice Joseph’s response.
“Don’t interpretations belong to God?”
He remains a faithful Hebrew monotheist!
And so should we amidst all of the paganism we find ourselves surrounded by in our day and age.
The implications of his response are astounding.
No trained dream interpreters are required!
You can take all of your professional Egyptian seers and throw them in the trash since it is YHVH alone who possesses the meaning of dreams.
Oh that we could be as strong a witness to the unbelievers we encounter in our lives.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your Father in heaven.”
-Matthew 5:16
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