Ge. 37: They May Say He's A Dreamer

Chapter 37 is our first real introduction to Joseph. He has a rather inauspicious debut, mentioned like the rest of his brothers at his birth in Gen. 30:24, and protected by bringing up the rear of Jacob's clan as they meet Esau in Gen. 33:2. This is the place where we learn a lot about him.

Apparently, he was quite the tattler, and would go and tell Jacob if his brothers goofed off or were mean. This earned him no respect among his brothers. Joseph was already at a deficit because of Jacob's clear favoritism, the most obvious example being the richly ornamented robe that Jacob made for him. This in a time where a change of clothes was one of the finest luxuries, and little Joey gets the phat hook up. His brothers definitely resented him because of this.

One day, Joseph had a dream, and could not wait to tell his brothers. In the dream, they were binding sheaves of grain, and Joseph's sheaf stood up, while those of his brothers bowed down it. There's nothing a big brother wants less than a younger sibling to be in charge of him. See this hilarious example. "Will you actually reign over us?" his brothers angrily retorted.

OK, Joseph, there's a little thing called tact. And you're young, you're only seventeen (seventeen), so you'll learn. But when people already hate you. It makes no sense to imply that someday you may rule over them. Dream or no dream.

Then he wastes no time telling them about a second dream in which the sun, moon, and eleven stars bow down to him.

Joe. You aren't listening. Eh, you're on your own.

I don't know if Joseph is so naive that he doesn't realize his brothers hate him, or whether he thought he might earn their respect by telling them his dreams...The simple fact of the matter is that he did have the dreams, and more than likely, the accepted interpretation was likely to come true in some way.

And I have trouble picture a star bowing. And on top of that, Rachel, Joseph's mother, died while giving birth to his little bro, Benjamin. Is she going to come back to life?

Jacob, at least verbally, had a similar reaction to that of his sons. "Will your mother and I and your brothers bow down to you?" Jacob, who has proven himself to not be one to overreact, simply "keeps it in mind." Maybe Jacob was still hurting for Rachel at this time.

One morning, Jacob wants to know how things are going with his flocks that his sons were grazing near Shechem. He sent Joseph out to see, and come back with a full report.

Verse 15 is kinda weird, some random dude is out passing by, and sees Joseph "wandering" around in the field. Maybe Joseph was just goofing around, but the guy asks him what he's looking for.

"My brothers."

"Oh, bro...they moved onto Dothan."

So, I don't know who this guy is, maybe an angel?

It took only the sight of him in the distance for his brothers to plot his death. They would go to any length to see his wildest dreams not come true, whether he voted for Pedro or not.

Reuben has ... something resembling a heart. He doesn't want to kill him, rather he suggests they toss him in an empty well and see what happens. He wanted in actuality to be able to bring Joseph back to Jacob in one piece. So, they swipe his robe and toss him in the well, as Reuben suggested, and sit down for some lunch.

But then they see a caravan of Midianites headed to Egypt. They figured, "Hey, he's our brother. Let's not kill him. Let's sell him. Good idea." So they get 20 shekels of silver for him.

Reuben comes back to the cistern after having been gone who knows where, he sees Joseph not there, and freaks out. He was going to return Joseph to Jacob unharmed, but his brothers changed the plan. Then they take his robe, dip it in the blood of a slaughtered goat, and bring it back to Jacob, you know, to see if it was his. I don't know if Reuben is told about the plan, or sees what happens...the Bible doesn't say yet. Maybe his brothers just let him believe he is dead, like they do with Jacob. Jacob, tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, and mourns for his son for many days, uncomfortable by his sons or daughters. Rather, he said he would go down to the grave to his son. He'd rather die than be comforted? That's pretty darn sad.

At that time, the Midianites had sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials...the captain of his army, even.