December 8th: The Dreamer

Genesis 37:3-10 and 23-28

3 Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.[b] 4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

5 One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. 6 “Listen to this dream,” he said. 7 “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!”

8 His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.

9 Soon Joseph had anther dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!”

10 This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?” 11 But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant…

23 So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. 24 Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. 25 Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm, and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt.

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime.[c] 27 Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother—our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed. 28 So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces[d] of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt.

Joseph…where do I begin?  Basically EVERYTHING happened to Joseph. He was beloved, sold, enslaved, accused, imprisoned, envisioned, and in charge!  But first, he was a little boy with a large faith and some weird dreams.  God had chosen Joseph to bring meaning to the dreams that God gave him and others.  But not everyone understood or appreciated the gifts that God had given Joseph.

Even his brothers hated him.  If you can’t count on your brothers, who can you count on? Well, if you are Joseph you count on God.  Throughout his life whether as a slave, a prisoner or a governor, Joseph knew that God would get him through each dream, each situation and each day. In Joseph’s own words “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”  

No matter what life may bring you, God intends it for good.  Bad things may happen, but God can use those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad things to bring about really terrific, wonderful, tremendous, very  good things one day.  Joseph’s dreams were a curse to him and a trigger for the anger of his brothers, but one day God would use Joseph’s dreams to save the lives of those very same brothers!

Maybe things aren’t so great in your life right now, but they don’t have to stay that way.  Just remember that God is using the bad for good all the time.  God did not forget Joseph, and he has not forgotten you!

Discussion Questions:

1.    Can you think of a time that God used something bad to do      

        good in your life or someone else’s.

2.    How can God use you to help turn the bad in someone else’s 

       life into something good this advent.

Family Activity: There are many people in our community who feel alone and out of touch with their church, family and community.  Tonight, make a cards to send to family members that you don’t see very often.  Remind them that you love them and God does too!  Don’t forget to mail them!

Prayer for the World: Pray that the Son would reveal the Father and his love to the Princely People in compelling perhaps spectacular fashion.  (Matt. 11:25-30)