After Jacob’s long journey home, he finally settled in his father's land, Canaan. As a single dad with four wives and twelve sons, I can imagine that life wasn't easy. Yet this was the life he chose. One son in particular, Joseph, captured his heart. After all, Joseph was the firstborn son of Jacob's beloved Rachel, a gift from God in his later years.
The richly ornamented robe that Jacob made for Joseph gained no favor for Joseph with his brothers. They could clearly see that Jacob loved him above all of them. Joseph’s dreams didn't help either. First, he dreamed of himself as a bundle of gathered grain, standing tall while other bundles (representing his brothers) gathered around him, bowing to the ground. Then, he dreamed that the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him. You guessed it: these symbolized his mother, father, and brothers. The hatred of his brothers only grew. Even his father sharply scolded him, indignant at the idea of the family worshipping him. There was something about these dreams, though, that Jacob couldn't quite shake. He reflected on it from time to time, wondering what Joseph’s future held in store.
Which of us have not treasured dreams in our heart? Dreams of becoming, dreams of doing. While these differ from our nighttime visions, they all contain the possibility of what could be. Joseph's What if? preceded his What is. The question is, who was right? Joseph? His family? In other words, what was the source of his dreams? Were they the imaginations of his own mind, or something much more solid?
We'll find out the answer to that shortly, but what about your dreams? Are they simple flights of fancy, or treasures that God himself has placed in your heart? That's the real question. Of all the dreams we have for ourselves, God’s are the best. He made us, he knows us, and he alone has the power to bring out the fullest potential in us. Everything he has designed is beautiful, including you, and yes, including His dreams for you, the ones birthed in his heart. So discover these dreams. Introduce yourself to him; get to know him. Pursue a full and intimate friendship with him―the God of the universe. Keep reading to find out how.
The Crushing
Verses 12–30
One day, Jacob decided to send Joseph on an errand, an errand from which he would never return. He sent Joseph to check on his other sons, who were presumably grazing the family’s flocks of sheep near Shechem (probably not the wisest idea given the family dynamics). So Joseph left home, an obedient son clothed in a majestic robe, not the kind you’d normally wear while roaming through pasturelands.
When Joseph failed to locate his brothers at Shechem, a kind stranger directed him toward Dothan; he had heard the brothers were headed that way. Finally, off in the distance, Joseph saw them. They saw him, too, only through a different lens. They didn't wish him well―they despised him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said, as murderous thoughts began bubbling up in their hearts. If they killed him and threw him into a cistern, they could claim that a wild animal had torn him apart. That's plausible, right?
But Reuben wouldn't hear of it. He wanted to save Joseph's life, but the runaway violence that gripped his brothers’ souls called for a measured response. “Let's just throw him in a cistern and leave him, but don't kill him. He's our brother, after all.” Secretly, he planned to return and rescue Joseph. With all the brothers in agreement, they struggled with Joseph, who was horrified by their actions, then they tossed him into an empty cistern. At some point, Reuben left the scene, only to learn the shocking news later that they sold Joseph into slavery to some passing Midianites. What could he do?
The Cover-Up and the Consequences
Verses 31–36
Who knows what played into Reuben's next decision, but it certainly lacked the honor of his previous one. Perhaps he caved to the pressure of the moment or began to yield a bit to his own jealousy of Joseph. Whatever his reasons, he entered into the deceit of his brothers; he never attempted to pursue or rescue Joseph. Instead, all the brothers slaughtered a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in its blood. Then, they brought the heartbreaking news home to Jacob. Crushed at his son's apparent fate, Jacob's grief wouldn't subside―no comforters could console him enough. And twenty-plus years of grief, deception, guilt, and loss weren't powerful enough to move the corrupted hearts of his brothers into a confession.
So what to do with betrayal? Large or small, it can seep deep inside of us. It can firmly take root and become difficult to remove, sprouting all sorts of poisonous growth. Bitterness, mistrust, fear―and a thick armor of self-protection that keeps everyone at arm's length― causes us to forfeit any type of meaningful intimacy. We’ll learn how Joseph responded to it in later chapters of Genesis, but let's not wait to tackle it in our own lives. As a first step, we can enter into relationship with the One who is able to heal every hurt, no matter how deep it runs. It's in him that we find both our destiny and our freedom.
Dream Again
I invited you earlier to introduce yourself to God. While he already knows you completely, he'd like you to know him. Prayer is really nothing more than talking with God. It opens up a channel of communication between you and the Creator of the universe. How wild is that? While the wrongs we’ve done in life have separated all of us from him, he's made a way to restore our connection through simple conversation.
It goes something like this:
“God, I'd like to know you. I'd like to know the purpose you planned for me before I was even born. And I'd like to be free of the hurts I'm carrying inside. I know I've done wrong things in life; I definitely haven't met up to your standards of perfection. I understand from the Bible, your very words, that we have all earned a death penalty from these wrongs―eternal separation from you. But Jesus took my penalty. He died in my place on the cross, so my wrongs could be forgiven. I believe in and accept his payment for me. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from the inside out.
“Enter into my life and show me your ways. I commit to walking in them. Heal my hurts, and enable me to forgive everyone who's hurt me, even in the deepest of ways. I choose to forgive today. Restore the dreams that you've placed in my heart and help me to run after them with you, wild and free. Thank you for rescuing me. I belong to you forever. In Jesus’ name I pray for all these things. Amen!”
You can use this prayer as written, or use your own words to pray something similar. Either way, talk to God with a sincere heart and give yourself to him. He'll set you on an amazing journey that will continue all the way into eternity! Talk and walk with him daily, read the Bible, connect with other Christians, and find a church, so you can grow and thrive in your new relationship with God. Enjoy the adventure!
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