The Dreams That Caused Trouble
The Dreams That Caused Trouble
Joseph had everything that a boy could want. But there was one thing wrong. His brothers were jealous. They were jealous because their father Jacob loved Joseph the best. They were jealous because Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful coat. And, as if that weren't enough, two OTHER things happened to make them jealous! Two dreams! And Joseph dreamed them.
The first dream was a strange one. Joseph probably told his brothers about it at breakfast.
"Know what?" said Joseph. "I had the most amazing dream last night." And he reached for the barley cakes. "In my dream, we were all tying grain up in bundles. And MY bundle stood up straight. But YOUR bundles -- " He asked for the honey. His brothers watched him.
"And our bundles? What did our bundles do?" they asked. Joseph poured his honey on his barley cakes. "YOUR bundles -- " he said, "bowed down to MY bundle."
Nobody said anything for a minute. Then they all began to talk at once.
"Do you think you are going to be a KING?" they asked. "Do you think you will rule over US?" Joseph shrugged his shoulders and helped himself to more honey. But the brothers were angry.
That dream was bad enough, but when the SECOND dream came along -- Well!
"I had another dream," said Joseph. "This time it was stars."
They all stopped to listen.
Stars!
"Eleven of them," said Joseph. "And that's not all. The sun and the moon bowed down to me, too!"
THIS was too much! Even Jacob thought this was too much. "Come now, my son," he said. "If the eleven stars are supposed to be your brothers -- are you trying to tell us that the sun and the moon were your father and mother? Do you think your father and mother are going to bow down to you, too?"
"WE'LL never bow down to you!" said his brothers. "Not if we can help it!" They were very angry.
But Jacob thought and thought about it. DID God have something special planned for Joseph's life? What if that dream came TRUE?
Yes, Joseph had everything a boy could want. What if some day he DID become a big, important ruler? There were lots of exciting things ahead. And lots of trouble, too!
But God was still watching over Joseph.
THINK!
Do you have a sneaking suspicion that Joseph was a bit of a show-off? How else could he have acted over the dreams? This time even Joseph's FATHER was upset. Why do you think he had reason to be? What sort of plan do you think God had in store for Joseph?
A VERSE TO LEARN
"Love thy neighbor as thyself."
(Matthew 22:39)