A HUGE problem with the story of Joseph!!

[EbonyEyes]

Can you guys please help me??

For years I've had a huge problem with a part of the story of Joseph and I cannot get any peace with it.

In Genesis 37, we learn that Jacob (aka Israel) loved Joseph more than all of his children and gave him a coat of many colors (v. 3). Now Joseph's 11 brothers hated him because they were fully aware that Joseph was their father's favorite.

Now here is where my problem comes in. Joseph has a dream and tells his brothers about it: "For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about and made obeisance to my sheaf. (v. 7) " And not surprisingly, the brothers got upset and hated him even more.

And if it wasn't enough, Joseph tells his brothers AGAIN of another dream he has: "Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. (v. 9)"

Okay guys...Joseph had to have known that he was favored by his father. And he had to have known that his brothers had ill-feelings toward him because of that. So why in the world would Joseph tell his brothers TWICE of the dreams he had?? He could not have expected his brothers to be like "Oh wow! We're going to bow down to you? How cool is that?"

Now my pastor preached on Chapter 37 and said that Joseph was not being prideful or arrogant by telling his brothers that they would bow down to him. I don't know if I buy that.

But let's say for sake of argument that Joseph wasn't being prideful or arrogant. My issue is when people refer to this story, they act as if Joseph didn't do anything wrong by telling his dreams to his brothers.

I guess I don't understand why it was perfectly okay for Joseph to tell his dreams to his brothers. I do understand that Joseph was a great man who did wonderful things for the Lord, however.

The pastor was making it seem like the brothers were these terrible men. Granted, they were morally wrong in hurting their brother. But, their father did not hide the fact that he loved Joseph more than he loved them. That has to hurt so bad knowing that your own father does not love you as much as he loves his youngest child.

And Joseph was just rubbing salt in the wound by basically saying: "Guess what guys. I had these dreams that you guys would show reverence to me!"

I think it just boils down for me that maybe Joseph should have kept his dreams to himself. However, many don't share that view with me.

Oh...And another thing! Jacob did not learn his lesson about favoritism. His mother, Rebekah, favored him over Esau and they schemed to take the birthright from Esau. The favoritism caused a huge rift between Jacob and Esau. Why would Jacob then openly favor a child? How did he think it would make his other chldren feel?

~~~~~~~~~
Maybe I'm missing something ladies. Your insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Ebony

 

[Supergirl]

If only the Bible would give us every detail that we'd like to have...

This is one of those things that we will never know. Now, what came to me as I read your post was immaturity. Joseph was the youngest right? Perhaps, he just was not mature enough to know that some things should be kept to yourself. He was a person just like us and God worked on him and in him throughout his life and before he reached his destiny. Perhaps, he was being a bit of a braggard when he talked to his brothers. Or, perhaps he genuinely had no idea of what his dreams meant as he shared them with his brothers. But again, immaturity comes to my mind.

Even I have learned in the course of my life that when God reveals things to you that often times those things should be kept private. It will all be revealed in time anyway, without any help from us.

Make sense?

 

[EbonyEyes]

If only the Bible would give us every detail that we'd like to have...

This is one of those things that we will never know. Now, what came to me as I read your post was immaturity. Joseph was the youngest right? Perhaps, he just was not mature enough to know that some things should be kept to yourself. He was a person just like us and God worked on him and in him throughout his life and before he reached his destiny. Perhaps, he was being a bit of a braggard when he talked to his brothers. Or, perhaps he genuinely had no idea of what his dreams meant as he shared them with his brothers. But again, immaturity comes to my mind.

Even I have learned in the course of my life that when God reveals things to you that often times those things should be kept private. It will all be revealed in time anyway, without any help from us.

Make sense?

Thanks so much Supergirl! I did consider that maybe my frustration with the scripture came from the lack of detail.

I came up with some theories on why Joseph may have told his brothers about his dreams:

1. He was an arrogant brat - He knows that he is the favored brother and he knows that it would make his brothers even more angry by telling them that they would bow down to him. Sometimes I think it's this one.

2. He did not know what the dreams meant. I don't know if I buy this one. His first dream says that MY sheaf stands up right and YOUR sheaf made obeisance to my sheaf. Joseph was seventeen years old. I'm pretty sure he understood to some degree what that dream meant.

3. He was immature and did not have the wisdom yet to know when to keep his mouth shut. This is what you think it is and I'm more inclined to believe this one. He was young and may not have realized that speaking of his dreams aloud could get him in some serious trouble.

If pastors and people who teach on this scripture would AT LEAST say that maybe Joseph should have kept his dreams private then I would be cool. But they never mention Joseph's possible immaturity. And they never mention Jacob being wrong for OPENLY favoring one child over the others.

Ebony

 

[toinette]

well, my theory is that everything happens for a reason. the fact that joseph's father favored him combined with him telling his dreams to his brother all led to him being sold as a slave in Egypt and oh well, you knwo the rest.

 

[star]

Although we want to say Jospeh did not have pride and arrogance, he did. After he spoke to his brothers the first time he know their reactions. At that time he should have kept quiet. I have found from my own mistakes to keep my mouth close. How many people want to hear from the youngest brother that he will rule over the older? Will in my family they do not want to hear that. If God places you in that position to rule over elders you must be humble. Meekness goes a long way. God had to strip Joesph of pride and other things he thought he did not have but he did. Your destiny in Jesus is process and although God can give you a dream it can take years before it comes to past. Each experience we go through is not to make us bitter but better. The greater the calling the more intense the preparation but oh how sweet the blessing in the end.

 

[Honeyhips]

Wow, I've never thought about this. :scratchch

 

[Bunny77]

Although we want to say Jospeh did not have pride and arrogance, he did. After he spoke to his brothers the first time he know their reactions. At that time he should have kept quiet. I have found from my own mistakes to keep my mouth close. How many people want to hear from the youngest brother that he will rule over the older? Will in my family they do not want to hear that. If God places you in that position to rule over elders you must be humble. Meekness goes a long way. God had to strip Joesph of pride and other things he thought he did not have but he did. Your destiny in Jesus is process and although can give you a dream it can take years before it comes to past. Each experience we go through is not to make us bitter but better. The greater the calling the more intense the preparation but oh how sweet the blessing in the end.

Wow girl... now you just dropped some knowledge here. I'm like, literally in awe of this explanation. Thank you.

(you too Supergirl!)

 

[Vintagecoilylocks]

I think we must remember or realize that just because people were chosen by God, and used for his purpose and glory does not mean they were any faultless as the next man. Jacob did pay heavy price for his playing favorites but all is turned for the good of Gods purpose. God knows we are full of faults which displays how he can take any person no matter how messed up and use them for good. But remember Joseph never forgot the Lord as his brothers did. In their pain they knowingly did evil and did not trust the Lord. In his pain no matter whether he helped caused it or not he did not do evil and continued to trust the Lord. That is what I took from the story.

 

[beverly]

Actually if you go back and look and the story in detail, Jacob, Joseph's father even thought that Jacob's dream was foolish. And Joseph didnt actually know what the dream meant, he was very young at the time and that is probably what he shared it, it perplexed him, and he wanted some insight on what it meant, this was the first time was experiencing his gift, which would later be know as him having the gift interpreting dreams. So I could see how he would share the dream especially if it was a reoccuring dream that was very powerful. And the Lord did know that Joseph was going to share the dream, he was suppose to, and all the bad things that happened to Joseph was meant for his good in the end. When the Pharoah of Egypt was haunted by his dream, and he had it over and over again, and Joseph told him what it meant, but the Pharoah didnt want to hear it, ( because it was bad news, there was going to be a great famine for several years). And the Pharoah sent Joseph back to jail because of what he said. After the Pharoah kept being haunted by the dream, he asked Joseph was there anything that can be done to prevent it, and Joseph told him no, the famine would come, but they could store up food for 7 years to sustain them.

 

[Mahalialee4]

Joseph was young and maybe was unaware of the facts of life about jealousy, envy, covetousness, insecurity and family dynamics that can surprise even the wisest. Who else should he have been able to share this with? Did God tell him not to share? Does this also tell us something about the brothers and what kind of relationship they had with God? Did not his telling the dream expose the hidden weaknesses in the older brothers and show that wisdom does not always come with age but often comes with God's timing and plan for deliverance and He chooses the instrument? I think Joseph was an instrument in the hands of God for His purpose and if Joseph had not shared it, their hearts may not have been exposed...and Joseph would have missed valuable lessons that would enable him to rule with wisdom in the land of Egypt at God's appointed time. It also gave an opportunity for his brothers to repent of their hidden thoughts and motives and also be blessed by God and have a healthy family relationship with their Father and Joseph. Bonjour

 

[Starian]

I agree. Well said.

Joseph was young and maybe was unaware of the facts of life about jealousy, envy, covetousness, insecurity and family dynamics that can surprise even the wisest. Who else should he have been able to share this with? Did God tell him not to share? Does this also tell us something about the brothers and what kind of relationship they had with God? Did not his telling the dream expose the hidden weaknesses in the older brothers and show that wisdom does not always come with age but often comes with God's timing and plan for deliverance and He chooses the instrument? I think Joseph was an instrument in the hands of God for His purpose and if Joseph had not shared it, their hearts may not have been exposed...and Joseph would have missed valuable lessons that would enable him to rule with wisdom in the land of Egypt at God's appointed time. It also gave an opportunity for his brothers to repent of their hidden thoughts and motives and also be blessed by God and have a healthy family relationship with their Father and Joseph. Bonjour

 

[czyfaith77]

I have to say that I wholly agree with Beverly and Mahalialee. I also like to add that I don't really see him as being arrogant or boastful. I see him as being young and in unfamiliar territory(with the favor shown unto him and his gifts) and perhaps trusting his family (namely his father, whom had his own experiences and encounters with God) in whom he had hoped to help him understand his destiny and support him. I would even say he was as innocent in the situation as Samuel was when God was speaking to him and he did not recognize it. (Samuel 3)

In reading this, I received revelation for both situations that I have never come across before. In both cases the parents (Joseph's case) or guardians (Samuel's case) had a relationship with the Lord but some how missed it by not preparing their children for such encounters. Joseph's father did not prep him in the manner of how God may communicate with him. Furthermore, though being in the house of the Lord from infancy, Samuel wasn't prepare either by Eli, the priest until he was actually experiencing his encounter in which Eli then guided him through.

I say all of this to say that both instances exemplify the importance of leaving our children a spiritual inheritance that will bless them richly, even more so than worldly possessions. When we go up (grow in the Lord, establish a relationship with the Lord) somehow (in the words of TD Jakes) we have to take our seed (our children). Jacob could have stopped alot of this too. One, if he used spiritual discernment and prayed for understanding. Two, if he taught his sons what was up with some of the ways God communicate (mind you this was the Jacob who saw the angels ascending and descending while sleep on a rock and wrestled with the Angel until the breaking of day until he got blessed). Three, if he didn't play favorites and identified and celebrated the gifts of each son. We all fall short but we must not forget the young, those who come after us. We have to prepare our children on how to develop or establish a relationship of their own with God. God is so much for preparing successors cause we need folk to carry on. It is a spiritual heritage, a legacy.

Okay I will shut up now It was just getting good to me. Excuse me y'all

 

[cybra]

well, my theory is that everything happens for a reason. the fact that joseph's father favored him combined with him telling his dreams to his brother all led to him being sold as a slave in Egypt and oh well, you knwo the rest.

I HAVE NOT READ ALL THE THREADS, AND IF I'M REPEATING SOMETHING THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID, THEN PLEASE ACCEPT MY APOLOGY.

AS FOR MY OPINION, I WILL HAVE TO SIDE WITH TOINETTE. KEEP IN MIND, ALTHOUGH THINGS ARE A SURPRISE TO US, GOD IS WELL AWARE OF EVERYTHING HE SETS INTO MOTION. NOW, KEEP IN MIND, JOSEPH WAS TO ENDURE MANY THINGS PRIOR TO TAKING HIS CHOSEN "HIGH" POSITION. BUT TO PUT THINGS IN MOTION, GOD GAVE HIM THE DREAMS, KNOWING...KNOWING HE WOULD SHARE IT WITH HIS BROTHERS. NOW, KEEP IN MIND, ALTHOUGH THEY BIBLE INDICATES HIS BROTHERS MAY NOT HAVE HAD DEEP LOVE FOR HIM, NOWHERE DOES IT SAY HE DIDN'T HAVE DEEP LOVE FOR THEM. HE MAY HAVE BEEN SHARING WHAT HE DREAMT BECAUSE HE TRULY COULDN'T SEE HOW SUCH A THING COULD BE, AFTER ALL, HE WAS THE BABY AND PROBABLY THE LEAST OF THEM IN STATURE. HE COULD HAVE HONESTLY MEANT THEM NO HARM BY SHARING WHAT HE SAW IN A DREAM. ALSO, KEEP IN MIND, THE LORD KNEW ONCE HE SHARED THIS DREAM THE BALL WOULD BE SET INTO MOTION TOWARDS FILLING HIS DESTINY.

LET ME HELP BY SAYING THIS, DO YOU THINK FOR ONE MOMENT GOD DIDN'T KNOW JUDAS WOULD BETRAY CHRIST? SO YOU MIGHT ASK, WHY WOULD HE MAKE THIS "KILLER" A DISCIPLE? MOREOVER, A DISCIPLEWHO WORKED SO CLOSELY WITH JESUS FOR 3 YEARS? YOU SEE, WE MUST ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND, THERE ARE THINGS GOD WILL DO THAT WILL NOT MAKE ANY "EARTHLY SENSE" TO US, BUT THEY ARE IMPERATIVE FOR SOMETHING COMING TO PAST.

NOW, BACK TO JOSEPH. AS A RESULT OF THE ENVY OF HIS BROTHERS, HE WAS THROWN IN A PIT, LIED ON AND TOSS IN JAIL, AND SO MUCH MORE. THESE ACTS WERE PUT INTO PLACE TO MAKE JOSEPH THE MAN GOD WOULD HAVE HIM BE. IT WASNT' ABOUT THE BROTHERS, IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT JOSEPH AND WHAT GOD WAS GOING TO ALLOW HIM TO ENDURE TO BECOME THE VESSEL HE COULD TRULY USE.

AS FOR JACOB, ALTHOUGH HE FAVORED HIS SON THIS DOES NOT CONCLUDE THAT HE DID NOT LOVE HIS OTHER SONS DEARLY. FOR EXAMPLE, I HAD A GRANDPARENT THAT TRULY TOOK TO ONE OF MY SISTERS. HOWEVER, SHE LOVED US ALL. THUS, ALTHOUGH WE KNEW MY SISTER WAS HER FAVORITE, KNOWING SHE STILL LOVED US MADE US ACCEPT HER SPECIAL CONNECTION WITH MY SISTER. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? JACOB LOVED ALL HIS SONS, IN THOSE DAYS HAVING SONS WAS AS VALUABLE AS LOTS OF LAND OR MORE. BUT, AGAIN, THE ISSUE WITH THE BROTHERS WASN'T JOSEPH BUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. IF THEY WERE MORE FOCUSED ON SERVING GOD AND LEARNING HIS WAYS, THEY WOULD HAVE HAD LITTLE TIME TO DWELL ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF THEIR FATHER AND BROTHER. I HOPE THAT TOO MAKE SENSE. USUALLY, IF YOU PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO STORIES IN THE, IT ISN'T THE STRONG AND THE CONFIDENT THAT THE LORD CALLS OUT FOR SERVICE, IT'S THE LEAST WHO TRULY LOVE HIM (I.E. KING DAVID...HE WAS THE SMALLEST AND WEAKEST OF HIS BROTHERS BUT HE WAS THE ONE ANNOINTED TO BE KING).

SOMETIMES WHEN YOU READ THESE STORIES YOU TRULY HAVE TO ASK THE LORD TO HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE...A PERSPECTIVE THAT WILL REQUIRE THAT YOU KNOW THINK "HUMAN" BUT THINK "GODLY."

I HOPE THIS HELPS, IF NOT... erplexed

GOD BLESS AND KEEP THESE WONDERFUL QUESTIONS ROLLING!!!!