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The Dreams of Joseph - The Book of Genesis · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to
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  Speaker 1: his brothers, and they hated him yet the more. Genesis
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  Speaker 1: 37.5 Heavenly Father, as I greet this new day, I
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  Speaker 1: thank you, Lord, that I'm growing in blessing and influence.
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  Speaker 1: Like Joseph, I thank you for uncommon favor with everyone
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  Speaker 1: I come in contact with. Like his coat of many colors,
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  Speaker 1: I thank you that my unique giftings can be seen
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  Speaker 1: by all around me. And when others around me plot
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  Speaker 1: against my future and try to derail the dreams you've
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  Speaker 1: given me, I will refuse to become a slave to
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  Speaker 1: their bitterness and envy. I will not allow fear to
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  Speaker 1: make me forget my future. I will not abandon my
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  Speaker 1: position of power, for I know that He who began
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  Speaker 1: a good work is faithful to complete it. I decree
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  Speaker 1: and declare that my dreams are still alive and that
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  Speaker 1: they will come to pass. In Jesus' name. Amen. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you for making prayer a priority in your day. To
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  Speaker 1: learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: The Dreams of Joseph Before this story, we learned how
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  Speaker 2: Jacob's daughter Dinah was assaulted, raped, and then taken as
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  Speaker 2: a wife by Shechem. Out of vengeance, Simon and Levi
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  Speaker 2: killed every man in the small city and pillaged all
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  Speaker 2: they had. Jacob fled back to Bethel and settled there
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  Speaker 2: with his family, and God reassured Jacob of his promise.
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  Speaker 2: Now we will learn about how Jacob, now called Israel,
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  Speaker 2: favored his youngest son, Joseph. Joseph's favor from his father
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  Speaker 2: would bring contempt from his brothers, inspired by the book
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  Speaker 2: of Genesis.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. Previously, we heard that Jacob
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  Speaker 3: had once again abdicated the role of leadership to which
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  Speaker 3: God had called him. And, as a result, there was
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  Speaker 3: a great deal of bloodshed, pain, and trouble that spread
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  Speaker 3: throughout Jacob's family. Eventually, Jacob woke up to the tragedies
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  Speaker 3: and schemes his disobedience created and turned to God for
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  Speaker 3: help and guidance. God, in His love and grace, once
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  Speaker 3: again proved faithful to Jacob and his family. And things
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  Speaker 3: seemed headed in the right direction. But today we will
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  Speaker 3: see a familiar monster rear its head. Favoritism. We are
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  Speaker 3: about to see how God's plans endure in spite failings
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  Speaker 3: and jealousy and resentment, pain and hurt. Listen to today's story.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob, now called Israel, lived in the land promised by
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  Speaker 2: God to Abraham. In the land of Canaan he dwelled
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  Speaker 2: with his family, increasing in influence and blessings. The land
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  Speaker 2: was ripe with green fields and fresh soils. flocks thrived
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  Speaker 2: and grew in number, and the sons of Israel all
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  Speaker 2: worked for their father and began raising families of their own. Joseph,
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  Speaker 2: who was the youngest brother at seventeen years old, often
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  Speaker 2: pastured the flock with his brothers. It was not rare
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  Speaker 2: for Joseph to bring reports back to his father about
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  Speaker 2: anything his brothers did wrong, for he was Israel's favorite,
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  Speaker 2: and he knew it. Israel loved Joseph deep not just
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  Speaker 2: because he was the youngest, but he was also the
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  Speaker 2: son of Rachel, who could not have children before him.
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  Speaker 2: One day Israel adorned Joseph with an immaculate robe. It
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  Speaker 2: flowed and glistened in the sun. Its colors beamed with
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  Speaker 2: regality and clearly represented where Joseph stood among the rest
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  Speaker 2: of his eleven brothers. It was evident to his brothers
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  Speaker 2: how much their father loved him more, so they hated
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  Speaker 2: Joseph for it it was nearly impossible for them to
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  Speaker 2: speak to him without contempt in their voices. One evening,
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  Speaker 2: Joseph tossed and turned in the night from a vivid dream.
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  Speaker 2: Joseph awoke and immediately went to tell his brothers about
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  Speaker 2: what he had seen.' Hear my dream,' he asked while
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  Speaker 2: they were getting ready to work the fields.' We were
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  Speaker 2: all binding sheaves of wheat in the field, and all
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  Speaker 2: of the sudden my sheaf rose and stood upright.' Your
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  Speaker 2: sheaves all gathered around mine and bowed to it. Joseph
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  Speaker 2: recounted his dream to his brothers, and they all stared
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  Speaker 2: at him, irked. So are you to reign and rule
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  Speaker 2: over us? they asked with disdain. They hated him for
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  Speaker 2: his dreams. Joseph one day would learn how to explain
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  Speaker 2: dreams with less pride. But for now, he reveled in
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  Speaker 2: the idea of his brothers bowing to him. The next night,
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  Speaker 2: he dreamed another dream just as vivid as the one before. Again,
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  Speaker 2: he spoke to his brothers in the morning. Behold, the
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  Speaker 2: sun and the moon and eleven stars were all bowing
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  Speaker 2: down to me, he told them. This time, it was
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  Speaker 2: not only his brothers, but his mother and father as
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  Speaker 2: well that bowed to him. This annoyed his brothers as
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  Speaker 2: well as Israel. Israel rebuked Joseph and said, What kind
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  Speaker 2: of dreams have you been having? Shall we all fall
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  Speaker 2: on the ground before you? Though Israel was cross, he
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  Speaker 2: pondered what his son's dreams may have meant. The other brothers, however,
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  Speaker 2: were jealous and teemed with anger more and more every day.
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  Speaker 2: One day his brothers went to pasture their father's flocks
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  Speaker 2: near the valley of Shechem. Israel decided to send Joseph
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  Speaker 2: to help and bring word of how they were doing.
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  Speaker 2: Joseph left Hebron and came to Shechem, but could not
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  Speaker 2: find his brothers anywhere. Joseph found a man wandering the
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  Speaker 2: fields and asked if he had seen his brothers with
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  Speaker 2: the flocks. They have gone away. I heard them say
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  Speaker 2: they would go to Dothan, the man replied. So Joseph
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  Speaker 2: set out to find his brothers at Dothan. As Joseph
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  Speaker 2: descended down into Dothan, his brothers saw him from afar.
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  Speaker 2: Here comes the dreamer, one of them said. We should
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  Speaker 2: kill him and throw him into one of these pits.
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  Speaker 2: We will see what comes of his dreams when he
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  Speaker 2: is devoured by a beast, another said. They laughed, but Reuben,
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  Speaker 2: the oldest, was not liking where the conversation was headed.
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  Speaker 2: Reuben did not want his brother dead. but he also
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  Speaker 2: feared the backlash if he defended Joseph. Let's not take
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  Speaker 2: his life, Reuben said. Shedding blood is too messy. Instead,
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  Speaker 2: we should just throw him in this pit here and
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  Speaker 2: let him rot. Reuben suggested this so he could come
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  Speaker 2: by later to rescue Joseph. Joseph finally arrived and greeted
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  Speaker 2: his brothers. He was met with piercing glares. They had
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  Speaker 2: looked at him with disdain before, but this time it
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  Speaker 2: was different. Their eyes portrayed an ancient evil that had
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  Speaker 2: lurked in the hearts of men since the beginning. All
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  Speaker 2: eleven brothers looked at him with the eyes of Cain.
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  Speaker 2: Before Joseph could process what was happening, he found himself
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  Speaker 2: trapped under the arms of his older brothers. Strong and
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  Speaker 2: calloused from tilling the fields and harvesting grain year after year,
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  Speaker 2: their hands clutched his colorful robe and tore it off
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  Speaker 2: his body. A fury of chuckles and blows blurred Joseph's vision.
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  Speaker 2: He was caught in a mob of anger and hate.
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  Speaker 2: Covering his head and face from the fists of his brothers,
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  Speaker 2: Joseph could barely look up until he found himself in
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  Speaker 2: the air, descending into a deep pit below. All the
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  Speaker 2: air in Joseph's lungs fled as his back hit the cold,
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  Speaker 2: damp ground. Lying face up, he slowly opened his eyes.
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  Speaker 2: only to see the mocking stares of his brothers looking
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  Speaker 2: down on him. Joseph lay there helpless for hours. It
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  Speaker 2: seemed like days. The only water in the pit fell
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  Speaker 2: from Joseph's eyes. Afraid and alone, Joseph wept. Later that day,
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  Speaker 2: as they sat down to eat, the brothers saw a
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  Speaker 2: caravan of Ishmaelite merchants heading to Egypt to sell their
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  Speaker 2: goods and slaves. Judah saw them from afar and then
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  Speaker 2: turned towards his brothers and said, What does it profit
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  Speaker 2: us to kill our brother? The only thing we gain
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  Speaker 2: is having to clean up his blood. Why don't we
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  Speaker 2: sell him to the Ishmaelites? He is our brother after all.
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  Speaker 2: The brothers listened intently. Joseph awoke still in the darkness.
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  Speaker 2: He had huddled into the corner of the pit to
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  Speaker 2: block himself from the piercing sun. Silhouetted from the base
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  Speaker 2: of the pit, Joseph saw a rope fall towards him. Finally,
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  Speaker 2: his brothers had ceased their cruel joke and rescued him.
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  Speaker 2: Joseph climbed out of the pit, looked towards his brothers,
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  Speaker 2: and was immediately tackled to the floor, shackled, and taken
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  Speaker 2: away towards Egypt. With the sun beginning to set behind him,
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  Speaker 2: Joseph turned his head towards Canaan. Joseph's dreams seemed to
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  Speaker 2: be more fantasy now than they ever had been. His
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  Speaker 2: heart was tortured by the rejection of his brothers. Joseph,
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  Speaker 2: Israel's prized son, was now a slave. Reuben, who had
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  Speaker 2: left while everything had transpired, finally returned to the pit
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  Speaker 2: to free Joseph. He looked down and saw that Joseph
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  Speaker 2: was gone. Reuben, frantic and concerned for Joseph, tore his
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  Speaker 2: clothes and raced to his other brothers. He's gone, Reuben shouted.
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  Speaker 2: Reuben's weak attempt at bravery failed. It was him who
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  Speaker 2: would have to tell his father what happened. The brothers
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  Speaker 2: took Joseph's robe, the only remaining trace of him. They
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  Speaker 2: slaughtered a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in the blood.
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  Speaker 2: With fake sobs and worried eyes, they went to their
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  Speaker 2: father with the robe. Heads held low and perfect theatrics,
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  Speaker 2: they said, We have found this. Is this your son's robe? Israel,
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  Speaker 2: with tears welling up in his eyes, said, It is
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  Speaker 2: my son's robe. A fierce animal must have devoured him.
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  Speaker 2: He tore his clothes and mourned.
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  Speaker 1: For weeks.
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  Speaker 2: His sons and daughters rose up to comfort him, but
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  Speaker 2: he refused. I shall take my grief down to Sheol.
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  Speaker 2: There is no returning from this. The approval the brothers
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  Speaker 2: once craved would not be given just because Joseph was gone.
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  Speaker 2: More now than ever, their father was distant. Meanwhile, in
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  Speaker 2: the hot Egyptian sun, Joseph stood, Heat beating down on
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  Speaker 2: his face, back torn apart from whips, and a spirit
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  Speaker 2: broken by his brothers. Joseph was put on display to
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  Speaker 2: be sold. The Midnights then sold him to Potiphar, an
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  Speaker 2: officer to Pharaoh, the captain of the guard. There, Joseph's
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  Speaker 2: story would start to begin.
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  Speaker 3: As we open today's story, Jacob has finally arrived in
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  Speaker 3: the land of his father in Canaan and settled with
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  Speaker 3: his family. But before he arrived, his beloved wife Rachel
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  Speaker 3: had given him one more son, Benjamin. Rachel, however, died
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  Speaker 3: during childbirth. Jacob is left with two sons to remind
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  Speaker 3: him of his late wife, whom he loves so deeply.
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  Speaker 3: And it's the oldest of these two, the young man
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  Speaker 3: named Joseph, on whom Jacob centers his love. Joseph was
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  Speaker 3: Jacob's clear favorite, and everyone knew it. Joseph's older brothers
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  Speaker 3: resent him for Jacob's attitude toward him. Joseph only makes
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  Speaker 3: matters worse when he returns from the fields to tattle
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  Speaker 3: on them to Jacob. It's salt in an open wound.
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  Speaker 3: Jacob either doesn't notice the division or his family or
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  Speaker 3: doesn't bother to get involved. Just as when Leah and
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  Speaker 3: Rachel battle for his love, Jacob does nothing to bring
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  Speaker 3: peace to his home. In fact, He throws fuel on
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  Speaker 3: the fire by making a brightly, beautifully colored coat to
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  Speaker 3: give to Joseph. Now certainly there's nothing wrong with giving gifts,
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  Speaker 3: even some extravagant ones at times, to your children. God
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  Speaker 3: our Father loves to lavish us with blessings and favor,
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  Speaker 3: but He does so without showing favoritism. Not so with Jacob.
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  Speaker 3: He has a clear choice as his favorite, and his sons,
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  Speaker 3: his other sons, are so very resentful of Joseph. So
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  Speaker 3: the stage is already set for strife. Then Joseph begins
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  Speaker 3: to have dreams, very strange dreams that he interprets as
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  Speaker 3: foretelling his position of authority over his family. What he
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  Speaker 3: says is true, but it's not said with wisdom or
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  Speaker 3: tact or even humility. It is a special gift from God,
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  Speaker 3: this ability to interpret dreams. It's a gift God will
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  Speaker 3: use for greater purposes one day, but Joseph is still
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  Speaker 3: a prideful young man of 17 years of age. And
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  Speaker 3: rather than seeking God's wisdom as to how to process
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  Speaker 3: these dreams and share them with others, he tells his
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  Speaker 3: brothers openly, pridefully about them. They were understandably incensed at
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  Speaker 3: their younger brother who was telling them that they would
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  Speaker 3: one day bow before him. One day Joseph goes out
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  Speaker 3: to find them in the fields. And with murder in
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  Speaker 3: their hearts, they scheme to kill him and leave his
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  Speaker 3: body in a pit. His oldest brother, Reuben, doesn't want bloodshed,
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  Speaker 3: but he lacks the courage to stand up to violence.
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  Speaker 3: He proposes that they throw him in a pit and
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  Speaker 3: leave him there. He plans to return and rescue him later,
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  Speaker 3: but he never gets the chance. When Joseph arrives, his
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  Speaker 3: brothers seize him, remove his cloak, the prize gift, the
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  Speaker 3: beautiful coat that Jacob had given him, and they threw
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  Speaker 3: him into a dry pit. His future is thrown into
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  Speaker 3: uncertainty as he lies in the pit, helpless. How can
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  Speaker 3: his dreams come true if he's down there in this pit?
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  Speaker 3: Or what if he dies? Imagine the chaos, the confusion,
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  Speaker 3: the fear, the pain this young man must have felt.
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  Speaker 3: Did he realize that though his brothers were the ones
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  Speaker 3: perpetrating this evil, his actions and attitudes had a part
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  Speaker 3: in this? While Reuben is away, the others spot a
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  Speaker 3: caravan of Ishmaelites, who are descendants of their great-grandfather's son
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  Speaker 3: with Sarah's servant, Hagar. And they decide to sell him
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  Speaker 3: as a slave, and Joseph is carried away into Egypt.
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  Speaker 3: All may seem to be lost at this point, but
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  Speaker 3: as Joseph will one day say, what they meant for evil,
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  Speaker 3: God will use for good. God may allow evil to
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  Speaker 3: come our way, but when we trust him and seek him,
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  Speaker 3: as Joseph will do in the coming years, we discover
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  Speaker 3: that God is good, That he does good and he
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  Speaker 3: is always working together all things for good. The worst
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  Speaker 3: out of the most terrible circumstances he can bring the best.
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  Speaker 3: And great blessings as well. The brothers go home and
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  Speaker 3: hand Jacob the bloodstained tunic of Joseph. The blood of
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  Speaker 3: an animal that they had slain to cover up their transgression.
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  Speaker 3: Jacob is heartbroken. It will be years before he sees
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  Speaker 3: his son Joseph again. But first, Joseph must endure great
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  Speaker 3: pain as a slave and then a prisoner in the
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  Speaker 3: land of Egypt, the land of the Pharaoh. But that's
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  Speaker 3: a story for another time. So let's pray. Dear God,
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  Speaker 3: help us to learn from today's scripture that favoritism can
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  Speaker 3: have tragic and long-lasting effects on our families. Give us
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  Speaker 3: the strength and the wisdom today to get rid of
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  Speaker 3: favoritism in our own lives and in our families. Lord God,
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  Speaker 3: thank you also that even in the darkest moments, even
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  Speaker 3: when we are in the deepest pit, that you are
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  Speaker 3: with us and that you can work all things together
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  Speaker 3: for our good and your glory. It is in the
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  Speaker 3: name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. Thank you for
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  Speaker 3: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor
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  Speaker 3: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app and
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  Speaker 3: make prayer a priority in your life. If you enjoyed
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  Speaker 3: this podcast, share it with someone you love. By sharing
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  Speaker 3: And if you want more resources on how to tap
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  Speaker 3: into God's power for successful Christian living, be sure to
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  Speaker 3: visit JackGraham.org. God bless.
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