The Dreamer

Previous: Wrestling With God.

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This is Day 9 of my 40 day Lenten Blog.

Jacob, now called Israel, lived in the land of Canaan and had many sons. His youngest and favorite was Joseph, who was the son of Jacob's favorite wife, Rachel. Jacob doted on the boy and even made him a long and beautiful robe with long flowing sleeves. Joseph's brothers were extremely jealous of him, and they got murderously angry when Joseph told them about dreams he had of them bowing down before him. So his brothers decided to kill him.

One day Joseph's brothers took Jacob's herd to a pasture far away and Jacob sent Joseph to check on them and then bring him word back. But when Joseph went out there his brother's conspired to murder him. His brother Reuben however, convinced them not to kill him but to only throw him into a pit. He planned to rescue Joseph later that night. But while Reuben was away, the other brothers sold Joseph as a slave to a passing caravan. His beautiful robe they smeared with goats blood and took it back to their father claiming Joseph had been killed by a wild beast.

This news nearly destroyed Jacob. He tore his clothes in anguish and cried out that he would, "go down to Sheol with my son, mourning." Sheol is the land of the dead where Jacob believed Joseph's soul now resided.

Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt, but the Lord was with him and blessed him and Joseph was made head of his master's house. Joseph was young and good looking and his master's wife was very attracted to him. But Joseph would have nothing to do with her as he did not want to sin against his master and more importantly, against God. Insulted by Joseph's rejection, the wife lied to her husband and said that Joseph tried to push himself on her. Furious, Joseph's master had him thrown in prison.

While Joseph was in prison, the Pharaoh grew angry with his chief cup bearer and chief baker and had them thrown into the same prison as Joseph. While in prison these two men had dreams that greatly bothered them. Joseph interpreted their dreams for them telling the chief cup bearer that he would be restored to his office, but that the baker would be put to death. These both came true--the cup bearer was released and restored to his office, but the baker was hanged.

Sometime later, the pharaoh had a dream that he was standing by the Nile River and seven fat cows came out of the water and fed on grass. Then seven gaunt and thin cows came up after them and ate the seven fat cows. Pharaoh fell back asleep and had a second dream. He dreamed that seven ears of good grain grew on the stalk. But then seven ears of blighted grain grew up after them and ate the seven ears of good grain.

Pharaoh was deeply troubled by these dreams. He wanted to know what they meant but none of his wise men could interpret them. Then his chief cup bearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh that he had met a man in prison who correctly interpreted his dream that he would be restored to office. Pharaoh sent for Joseph to interpret his dreams.

Next: Israel Comes to Egypt.

R.C. VanLandingham is a Catholic homeschool dad just trying to make it through this life and into the next! He has written a Christian children's fantasy series about a boy named Peter Puckett!