Arrogant Dreams

"I guess I just want to understand what it means to honor God- how I can follow my dreams and do what I think is the right thing for me to do but the whole while keep my ears and eyes open to God so that if He has something else in mind for me, I'll know it. Also, along with wanting to gain general knowledge about the bible and the life of Jesus, it would be amazing if there was something in there to guide me through figuring out how to honor my parents without giving up all of my wishes."

This was sent to me by a good friend, as they were (are) wrestling with some very important questions in life. I have delayed any answer because I have been thinking on it (for a grand total of an hour...)

Other friends have expressed interest in this topic, so I am in no way trying to answer these questions, but more begin a conversation or at least pique you to thought.

Every time I thought to myself in prayer, "How can you pursue your dreams without dishonoring God?" Two things came to mind: 1) You can't. 2) Joseph.

I say, "You can't," because the only way for a dream to be honoring to God in its pursuit is if it is God's dream given to you. So technically, you can't pursue your dreams, but as your proximity to God increases, the honest desires of your heart more reflect His.

Joseph. When most people think of the name in Biblical terms they usually either think of Mary's husband or the dreamer with the technicolored coat. But I think the Joseph of Genesis 37 and 39 (the one we usually think of as the dreamer) sheds light on the question of honoring God, your parents, and your dreams. Maybe.

The first things we find out about Joseph is that (Gen. 37:1-3)
1) He is young to be sheparding,
2) He is a tattle-tale,
3) He's the favorite child.

When I read this again it sounded like a receipt for a brat, and my memory took me back through the tides of time to elementary school. Invariably there was at least one kid who was cocky to no end. Usually they had reason to be so stuck-up, and that was the worst part. They totally abused their position, but it looked like they did everything right. They were smart and athletic, the teachers all liked them, and they never got in trouble, but never ceased finding other people to get in trouble. Its like a mini police; a spy. Untouchable but unwelcome. This is how I see Joseph here; he fits the formula to the tee.

But he doesn't stop there. He has a dream: "Please listen to this dream which I have had; for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf." (v. 6, 7)

Isn't that aggravating? Can he really not know that this will infuriate all his brothers? I believe him that this is his dream, but the kid is being a jerk. I mean, really. I would've been angry. And then he tells them another dream, this time including his parents among those bowing to him. But these were his dreams. They taste, smell, and act cocky.

(The weird thing here is that his brothers get jealous of him after the second dream, and his father "keeps the saying in mind." (v. 11) Why are they jealous?)

Now the next thing that separates Joseph from his brothers: When they go up to Shechem to graze the flock, he stays behind with his dad. Then, when his dad sends him up to his brothers he has the audacity to wear the very coat which initially inflamed their anger. (v. 12, 32) He just can't stop with his abuse of power. But his brothers had all that wrath saved up; and they were quick to release it. They had barely seen him and they plotted how to kill him (v. 18).

Okay, skipping through some of the details and trusting that you will read these two chapters, Joseph finds himself a slave on the way to Egypt. I wonder what happened on this trip, because when he makes it to Egypt he doesn't appear at all to have any shading of arrogance that defined him so clearly before. On arriving in Egypt, he is taken into the house of Potiphar, Pharaoh's officer of the bodyguards (Gen 39:1).

The LORD was with him in Potiphar's and he succeeded in everything he laid his hand to. When noticed, he was placed in charge of the entire household of this officer. All responsibilities: the other slaves, the food, the livestock, the furniture; it was all in Joseph's care. The crazy part is that God continued his blessing and prospered the house of Potiphar under Joseph. (v. 3-5) It got so extreme that Potiphar didn't even concern himself with anything except what he ate. (v. 6) Now that is trust!

Then along comes Potiphar's wife: Rich, well clothed, and hungry for action. She asks again and again for this handsome guy to pleasure her in bed, and again and again he refuses. And it is in this relationship that we see how humble he's come: "Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?" (v. 8, 9)

He knows his place.

From there his life takes all sorts of turns and twists, and he makes interesting demands and curious career moves, but lets get back to the question of honoring God, parents, and dreams.

Joseph goes on a fantastic journey throughout his life. It starts with his dreams of his family bowing to him. Of course, because we have the whole story we know that they were given to him by God, but when did he know that? It never says, and I am going to assume that he was human like us, and thought they were cool dreams that he wanted to come true. It was a dream of power, of fame, and of recognition. I know I have dreams like that.

Yet there is a pivotal moment in his life, and probably one of the more scary: he is sold into slavery. He is placed in a mundane and unfair situation with no hope of escape. He is not recognized, he is scorned and mistreated. Somewhere in all of this he came to have a relationship with God that was blessed the rest of his life (not free from trouble, just blessed). And in this relationship he begins to have an accurate view of himself (as can be seen as he interacts with Potiphar's wife) and he begins to have an obedience that eventually leads the the exact fulfillment of his childhood dreams (Gen. 41-45). So it is in the humble obedience and godly handling of whatever situation he finds himself in that gains him access to his dreams. He didn't push and shove to get there, he was pushed and shoved. While in prison he makes the comment that he was there unfairly (Gen. 40:15), but the whole while he keeps his eyes on obeying God. Even when he is first faced with interpreting a dream (for which he becomes Biblically famous) he says, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" (v. 8) and we can see that in every conversation his attitude is first on honoring God. Because of his humble focus on honoring God, he ends up honoring his dreams, not intentionally, but through honoring God. Through the fulfillment of his dreams, his parents are honored by him and through him.

So there are some intro thoughts. :)