Scripture Notes: Joseph the Dreamer (Genesis 37)

The Patriarchs were so very human. There is always a temptation to put these great men on a pedestal, and indeed they were great, but they were also messy. They had a fallen human nature just like us. And they made wrong decisions. And they sinned. And they had to deal with the consequences of their choices and repent of their sins and reach out for God’s mercy, just like we do. They are models of intimacy with God, yes, but sometimes they are also examples of what not to do.

In Genesis 37, the adolescent Joseph has two prophetic dreams. In the first one, he is out in the field with his brothers, binding sheaves, and he sees his own sheaf stand up tall while his brothers’ sheaves bow down to it. In the second one, he sees the sun and the moon and eleven stars all bowing down to him. These are pretty spectacular dreams even though Joseph really has no idea what they actually mean.

Just having them, though, makes Joseph quite proud of himself, and he runs off to tell his brothers all about them. The young man apparently thinks that his brothers will be pleased to hear the news, and if so, he is deceiving himself badly. On the other hand, perhaps Joseph simply wants to get in a dig at his older brothers, kind of an adolescent “Ha, ha, guys! See what I dreamed!” He is already his father’s favorite son, and his brothers are already jealous, so needless to say, Joseph’s dreams do nothing to endear him to them.  

In fact, the brothers get so angry and envious that they decide to get rid of this kid once and for all. Reuben stops them from killing Joseph outright, suggesting they just throw him in a pit in the wilderness (and meaning to come back for him later). But when Reuben steps away for a while, Judah comes up with the plan to sell Joseph to a nearby caravan. So off goes Joseph to Egypt!  

God has a hand in all of this, of course, and later Joseph recognizes God’s plan for him and realizes what his dreams really mean. He has to grow up quickly, and he is still far from perfect. But he does end up saving his entire family (and much of the world along with) from famine through his wisdom and courage. 

Scripture Notes: Driven by Fear, Part 3 (Genesis 26)

Abraham may have learned from the consequences of his double lie, the two times when he tried to pass off Sarah as his sister rather than his wife. But their son, Isaac, ends up doing the exactly the same thing. The lie passes down to the next generation (yet another consequence that Abraham did not foresee).

Isaac and Rebekah are living in Gerar, under the rule of the king Abimelech. Now Abimelech had proven himself to be a pretty good guy the first time around with Abraham. But Isaac experiences the same kind of fear his father did, the danger of a beautiful wife and the risk of getting killed if someone else wants Rebekah for himself. So Isaac lies and says Rebekah is his sister.

Poor Abimelech! He looks out the window one day and sees Isaac and Rebekah doing something that is decidedly not brotherly or sisterly. At that point the king knows his guests are definitely a married couple. He must experience a bit of deja vu as he asks Isaac why he lied and listens to his response of fear. Once again Abimelech is rather hurt. This could have brought down a great sin and a great guilt and a great calamity upon his people.

But just as before, the king does not get angry. Instead, he warns his people not to touch Isaac and Rebekah, and the couple is able to prosper in the land. This prosperity does not, of course, come from Isaac’s lie but rather from God’s protection and Abimelech’s mercy and patience.

Scripture Notes: Driven by Fear, Part 2 (Genesis 20)

Abraham does not learn the first time. He has already claimed that Sarah is his sister when they sojourned in Egypt during the famine. Now, not horribly long afterward, he tries the same trick again. This time they are in Gerar in Canaan, a placed ruled by the king Abimelech. And once again, Abraham is frightened that Sarah’s beauty will get him killed. So he tells Sarah to say she is his sister.

And once again, Sarah ends up in the king’s harem, in danger of being violated. Her husband, fearing for his own life, essentially hands her over, risking her purity. The man who is supposed to protect and honor her fails a second time.

But God comes to the rescue, appearing to Abimelech in a dream and warning him that Sarah is a married woman. Abimelech is truly horrified, for in spite of Abraham’s suspicions, he would not have taken Sarah had he known she was Abraham’s wife. He says as much to God: “In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” God responds that He knows, and that is why He prevented Abimelech from sinning. He tells the king to restore Sarah to Abraham, which Abimelech does right away the next morning.

The king is, however, rather hurt, and tells Abraham so. Abraham makes his excuse of fear. But Abimelech is not buying it. He tells Abraham that he has brought a “great sin” on the kingdom, and indeed, there are consequences, for the people of Gerar have been prevented from bearing children on account of Abraham and Sarah’s lie. Abraham prays, and God heals Abimelech and his people.

Indeed, through that prayer, Abraham finds healing as well. He seems to finally realize that he does not have to lie, that God will take care of him and his wife, that He would indeed fulfill His covenant promises. Abraham does not try to deceive anyone after this. He is no longer driven by fear.

Scripture Notes: Driven by Fear (Genesis 12)

As famine spreads throughout the land of Canaan, where God had told Abram to go, Abram decides that he must leave and head for Egypt where there will be food. He is frightened, and while he obeyed God in going to Canaan, there is still a part of him that does not completely trust this Deity Who has spoken to him.  

As Abram and his company are about to enter into Egypt, he turns to his wife, Sarai, and tells her that she must say that she is his sister rather than his wife. Abram is scared that someone will take the beautiful Sarai from him and kill him in the process. So he comes up with a lie.

This might actually seem quite reasonable to us fallen human beings. We can sympathize with Abram and his fears as he enters into a new place filled with potentially hostile people that he does not know and does not trust. But he is forgetting something, and so are we. God has already promised Abram that He will make him a great nation and a great name, that He will give Abram many descendants, and that through Abram all the nations of the world will be blessed. God does not lie; He always keeps His promises. So He is definitely not going to allow Abram to be killed in a foreign land (whether or not Abram is supposed to go there to start with).

But Abram, apparently, could not or would not see that and believe it. So he comes up with his lie, and Pharaoh takes Sarai for his harem, thinking, naturally, that she is Abram’s sister. And God, in turn, dumps “great plagues” upon Pharaoh and his house. This is more of a message for Abram than for the bewildered Pharaoh, who figures out quickly enough that Sarai is Abram’s wife. God is showing Abram the suffering that comes from falsehood. Sarai has ended up in a harem, bringing down plagues upon the Egyptians, and all because Abram was too scared to tell the truth.

Pharaoh could probably have had Abram killed for such an offense, but he merely sends him away, another sign that God is protecting Abram. We might think that Abram would have learned a valuable lesson from this little incident, but actually, he does not...not yet. He continues to be driven by fear.