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Joseph's dreams and how they manifested in his life



JOSEPH’S DREAMS
Joseph was seventeen years when he was helping his father with the children of his step-mothers, Bilhah and Zilpah, but he brought evil reports about his brothers to his father.

Joseph dreamed that he and his brothers were binding sheaves on the field one day. Then suddenly, his sheaf stood upright and those of his brothers gathered about his and bowed down to his sheaf. The brothers hated him for this dream. They question whether indeed, one day they will bow down to him or that he would have dominion over them.

Joseph had another dream and he narrated it to his father and brothers. He told them that he dreamed that the Sun, the Moon and eleven stars bowed down to him.  The father rebuked him for the dream he had had. The father asked Joseph whether he is trying to say that one day he, the father, the mother would indeed, one day bow down to him. His brothers hated him even more. However, the father kept on observing him.

HOW JOSEPH’S DREAMS ROLE OUT IN THE COURSE OF TIME
The first realization of Joseph’s dreams were when he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams and Pharaoh made him the second in command in the land of the Egyptians.

There was a famine in the region at a point and Jacob sent his children to Egypt to buy grains. Joseph was the man in charge of the selling of the grains in Egypt. When his brothers got to Egypt, it was he that they had to see. They bowed down before him. Not knowing he was Joseph.

Joseph detained Simeon so that the other brothers shall and collect Benjamin, his younger brother. This was also another way of having dominion over his brothers.

When Joseph’s brother went to Egypt the second time, they stood before Joseph as he questioned them about the family back in Canaan. Then they bowed down and paid homage to him as the ruler of Egypt.

On this same second journey to Egypt, Joseph ordered that they should be sent to his house for he wanted to dine with them. When Joseph came home that day, they gave him the present they had brought for him from Canaan and they bowed down to him again.

Joseph asked of their welfare, they answered that their father was in good health and still alive. As they answered him, they bowed down again.

After Jacob’s son had bought the grains and left, unknown to them, Joseph’s cup had been hidden in Benjamin’s sack. Joseph ordered his men to chase them and retrieve the cup together with who had it. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. When this happened, only Benjamin should have been brought back to Egypt but and instead of just allowing that, all the brothers came back with Benjamin. When they got to Joseph, they bowed down before him again.

When the brothers got back to Canaan this time, they told their father how Joseph had become the governor over all of Egypt. This was to confirm Joseph’s dream that the Sun, Moon and eleven stars were bowing down to him.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DREAMS
The Israelis believe that God reveals his intentions and plans to man through dreams. On many occasions in the Bible, this has been the trend.

Dreams are significant because it is able to reveal something that is going to happen in the future. Joseph’s dreams were revealing something that was going to happen in the distant future and his brothers saw it and tried to stop it.

Dreams are significant because it is able to warn people of an impending occurrence.

Dreams are also important in the sense that it confirms things that occur in the life of the person who dreamed.

IN WHICH THREE WAYS ARE DREAMS USEFUL TO THE PRESENT DAY CHRISTIAN?
1. It reveals the direction God wants the church to follow.
2. It is considered as a vision and Christians use it to prevent or avoid a catastrophe.
3. A dream warns Christians about happenings in their lives.
4. It confirms what Christian have been believing God for.

SAMPLE QUESTION(S)
1. a. Narrate Joseph's dreams. 
    b. Indicate the ways in which his dreams came to pass in the course of time.
2. a. Narrate Joseph's dreams and how it was manifested in his and his brothers' lives.  
    b. In which three ways are dreams significant?
3. a. Highlight six ways in which Joseph's dreams came to pass in the course of history.
    b. In which three ways are dreams important in the lives of present-day Christians?


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