Lost Dreams

Lost dreams.  Joseph was not liked by his brothers.  For one, he brought a bad report about some of them (Genesis 37:2).  Secondly, Joseph’s father, Jacob or Israel, loved Joseph more than his others sons and made Joseph a coat of many colors (v.3).  Lastly, Joseph had a couple of dreams and in those dreams it indicated that the brothers would bow down to Joseph, that Joseph would rule over them (v.5-10).  His brothers and his father questioned the legitimacy of these dreams, but the Bible says “his father kept the matter in mind” (v.11).  His father questioned the dreams, but did not dismiss them.  We know that one day, his brothers stripped Joseph of his coat and threw him down into a pit.  They had ideas to kill him, but instead sold him into slavery.  They made it look like Joseph had been killed by a vicious animal and brought that report along with Joseph’s coat back to his father.  His father was devastated. Those who are familiar with this account will know that Joseph is not dead, even though his father thinks he is, and that one day Joseph will be a ruler of sorts in Egypt.  But for now, I would ask you to consider the perspective of Joseph’s father, Jacob or Israel.  When he though Joseph was dead, he must have thought those dreams were misguided and now lost.  What could they have meant?  Was Joseph just being boastful?  I really wonder what went through this grieving father’s mind.