When Dreams Become a Nightmare

INTRODUCTION:

On a hard day when people ask me, “How’s it going?” My typical response is, “You know, just living the dream.”

It’s a tongue in cheek way of saying I’m doing my job, fulfilling my responsibilities, but it isn’t exactly what I first imagined.

There always seems to be a gap between the dreams we dream and the lives we live.

There’s an obsession in our culture on “living the good life.” Health and wealth charlatans exploit that desire to pad their pockets.

The message is reinforced over and over again - pursue your dreams. There’s nothing you can’t do. Do what makes you happy. It’s almost a religious tenant of Western culture.

It’s almost like those who DO live the dream achieve some kind of Nirvana or personal salvation.

But sometimes our life-dream becomes a living nightmare. What then?

What happens when - in pursuit of our dreams - our lives fall apart and chaos ensues? Or we achieve our dream but it doesn’t truly satisfy?

In the words of John D. Rockefeller to the question “How much money is enough?” We always need “just a little bit more?”

There’s evidence all around us of people who’ve achieved their dreams and remain unsatisfied.

There are stories of people who pursue their dreams only to have their lives destroyed in the process.

Dreams don’t always come true. Not every dream is worth pursuing. And sometimes, the dreams that are worth pursuing lead us places we never thought we’d go.

Genesis 37 illustrates this truth. Joseph’s experience functions as a “reality check” about what matters most when it comes to “living the dream.”

GOD’S DREAMS FOR US

In our passage today we see several characters reject God’s will in pursuit of their own dreams.

We see another character pursue God’s dream only to find himself living in a nightmare.

We don’t get to determine God’s will or the dreams that he gives, only whether and how we’ll pursue them.

Let’s pick it up our story in Genesis 37:1.

Genesis 37:1–4 CSB

1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. 2 These are the family records of Jacob. At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended sheep with his brothers. The young man was working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought a bad report about them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because Joseph was a son born to him in his old age, and he made a long-sleeved robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not bring themselves to speak peaceably to him.

Just from these four verses we can see that Jospeh’s family is incredibly dysfunctional.

Jacob is inflicting on his children the same dysfunctional favoritism he experienced growing up with his family.

Jacob had 12 sons and one daughter between four different women. (To say he violated God’s design is an understatement!)

Jacob favored Rachel over Leah and Rachel’s children (Joseph and Benjamin) over Leah’s, Bilhah’s and Zilpah’s.

This favoritism can be seen in the fact that Joseph snitches on his brothers about their bad behavior and the special robe Jacob made for Joseph to wear.

When it says Joseph brought a “bad report” it doesn’t mean that it was bad news but news about their “evil behavior.” These kids were up to no good!

Despite Dysfunction

Jacob’s family was extremely dysfunctional and broken. But thankfully God uses really messed up people.

If he didn’t, God wouldn’t be able to use any of us. There is no such thing as a normal family.

God can give you a dream despite your dysfunctional family.

Jacob is living in the land of his Father’s sojournings (meaning he has no real possession of the land his lives on.

His children are marked by jealousy and envy. His favoritism of Joseph and Benjamin have not only strained the relationship with their dad but created hatred in their heart for Joseph. (Snitches get stitches!)

On top of that, Jospeh is 17 years old (puberty!) He wears a fancy robe every day to remind his brothers of his special status before dad.

Denounced By Others

But it gets better. Not only does it seem like Jacob is more virtuous than his brothers. He is also granted certain dreams from God about his future.

Genesis 37:5–11 CSB

5 Then Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the field. Suddenly my sheaf stood up, and your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 “Are you really going to reign over us?” his brothers asked him. “Are you really going to rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and what he had said. 9 Then he had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun, moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 He told his father and brothers, and his father rebuked him. “What kind of dream is this that you have had?” he said. “Am I and your mother and your brothers really going to come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

We don’t know the manner in which Joseph was sharing these dreams.

Some say Jospeh’s attitude towards his brothers justified their anger and scorn. I don’t know that there’s much evidence for that.

Regardless of Jospeh’s approach, his brother’s response to the dreams that he shares is one of increasing hatred.

Three times the word hate is used in these 11 verses. They hated him for being the favorite and they hated him even more with each dream that he shared from God.

Even his Father initially doubts these dreams. (although he keeps the matter in mind given his own childhood experience)

God’s can give you a dream that will be denounced by those you love.

Jospeh is being faithful to Father. He’s being transparent about these dreams from God.

I can’t imagine it would’ve been easy for him given the circumstances. He’s choosing the hard right over the easy wrong. It’s actually commendable.

But his brothers hear the dream and hate him all the more. They cannot envision a world where Jospeh has authority of their life.

Dreams Disrupted

Why did these other brother hate Joseph so much? Remember, the hatred didn’t begin with the dreams. It only increased because of the dreams.

The hatred ultimately stemmed from Jacob’s favoritism over Jospeh and the daily reminder of that favoritism through his long sleeved robe. (Gen 37:3)

Genesis 37:3 CSB

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because Joseph was a son born to him in his old age, and he made a long-sleeved robe for him.

The KJV calls it a “coat of many colors” based on the Greek word used in the Septuagint (poikilos).

The original Hebrew (passim) means palm or sole and indicates a long clock that extended to the arms/feet (a sign of honor and prestige in the ANE).

The CSB calls it as “long threaded coat.” It could’ve also been colorful and ornate the point is it might’ve well been emblazoned with “Daddy loves me most.”

In ANE culture, being the favored son didn’t just have social benefits. It had financial implications as well.

The favored son (usually the firstborn) got the vast majority of the family inheritance.

So God’s dream for Jospeh (firstborn of Rachel) is running into conflict with Reuben’s dream for the future (firstborn of Leah).

Jacob’s dream for Joseph was running into conflict with the dream his other sons had for their life and future.

God’s dream for your life can disrupt the dreams of another.

If you’re walking in obedience to God’s will and those around are walking the opposite direction then you’re eventually going to bump into each other.

Your worlds will eventually collide. That’s why the Scripture encourages us to not become unequally yolked. You don’t want to unite yourself to someone who won’t go in the direction God has for them.

When God’s dream for your life disrupts the dream of somebody else around you then they’re going to get angry. Especially if you speak it out loud.

They hate Joseph for his dreams and they hate him for the words he speaks.

Why? Because deep down their jealous.

Consider the Source

And in that sense, it's not Joseph that they are despising and hating, but God himself.

Remember this: crazy dreams CAN come from God.

Jesus because your dream gets denounced doesn’t mean God didn’t give it!

Part of living by faith is allowing the voice of God and will of God to carry the greatest weight in how you live your life.

Had Jospeh allowed their initial rejection to discourage God’s will for his life he might’ve never persevered to the point of realizing God’s dream for his life.

If God gives you the dream, who cares what somebody else thinks. Especially when their rejection of God’s dream is coming from a place of envy or hatred.

Don’t allow another person’s rebellion against God to disrupt his future plans for YOUR life. Let God be found true and every man a liar!

Which brings us to the second thing to remember about dreams from God.

You can’t reject the dream without rejecting the source.

This is true at so many levels. Some of you might be experiencing that thing right now.

You’re getting pressure from a spouse or your children because you finally have clarity about what God’s wants and your obedience to God is disrupting their life.

So they resist you and despise you and make your life all sorts of difficult. But don’t be discouraged. Consider the source.

You’re trying to design a future that is pleasing to the Lord but it’s contradicting the people who are running from God around you. Their rejection of you is their rejection of God.

There’s things you could do to compromise yourself and lessen the hate but to do those things would kill the dream God has given you.

OUR DREAMS A NIGHTMARE

We’re not sure how long this kind of arrangement went on.

But after some time it says that Joseph’s brothers leave for Shechem to pasture their father’s flocks. (Gen 37:12-20)

Genesis 37:12–14 CSB

12 His brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers, you know, are pasturing the flocks at Shechem. Get ready. I’m sending you to them.” “I’m ready,” Joseph replied. 14 Then Israel said to him, “Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the Hebron Valley, and he went to Shechem.

One of the things that’s interesting about this section is the identification of these geographical regions.

Two of these names we’ve seen before: The Hebron Valley and Shechem.

The name of the Hebron Valley means communion or fellowship. Specifically fellowship with God.

This was the location where Abraham originally set up his altar in true worship of God. It was the site associated with Isaac and Rebecca’s experience of God’s promised provision.

Again and again the Hebron Valley came to represent communion with God and the presence of God.

Shechem on the other hand means strength (specially moral strength)

Which is ironic given the fact that Shechem was the location of Jacob’s moral compromise. He stopped 20 miles north of the will of God in Shechem and bought some land from Hamor the Father of Shechem (the town’s chief.)

It was at Shechem that Jacob’s daughter Dinah was immorally raped. And that two of Jacob’s sons (Simeon and Levi) immorally deceived the men of Shechem into the rite of circumcision so that during their healing they could kill the men and take their stuff.

Jacob’s response to that evil was selfish indifference. Shechem was not a place of moral strength but moral weakness.

Drifting From God

Jacob’s sons are leaving the presence of God to a place of moral weakness and spiritual compromise.

But when Joseph goes to check up on his brothers he can’t find them there.

Genesis 37:15–17 CSB

15 A man found him there, wandering in the field, and asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16 “I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph said. “Can you tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?” 17 “They’ve moved on from here,” the man said. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

I find it really interesting that this man FOUND JOSPEH and just so happened to know the location of his brothers.

Maybe God was looking out for him or maybe the brothers anticipated Joseph’s arrival and made preparations for when that would happen.

The brothers had moved to a place called Dothan which means place of two wells. (One dry one not)

Dothan came to represent spiritual dryness or distance in one’s relationship with God.

From Hebron (God’s presence), to Shechem (moral compromise) to Dothan (spiritual dryness) - the further they drifted the deeper they fell into sin.

It illustrates a principle of how our dreams can become a nightmare.

Dreams become a nightmare when we drift in our devotion to God.

Ultimately Joseph’s brothers are going to plot and hatch an evil plan. But it’s important to remember that sin began as something else.

Their evil act began with envy and hatred in their heart. It’s why Jesus said if you hate somebody you’ve already committed murder in your heart.

With each passing day that seed envy and hatred grew and grew. Now it was about to give birth to murder and deception.

As God waned Israel in Jeremiah 2:13 “my people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves— cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.”

When we drift in our devotion to God our lives can spiral into sin. The further we move from God’s will the deeper the comprise and greater the destruction.

Downward Detour

Because these brothers had drifted in their devotion to God they’re putting themselves in a position where they’re about to commit and unspeakably evil act.

We see their plan come to fruition in verses 18-20.

Genesis 37:18–19 CSB

18 They saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Oh, look, here comes that dream expert!

The Hebrew there literally reads, “Oh look here comes the Lord of the dreams.” (Ba-al)

In other words, “here comes our little brother who in his dreams considers himself Lord over us. Mr. High and mighty. Except now we’re a long way from daddy and his protective detail.

So what’s their plan - they plotted to kill him. The word plot means it was intentional, premeditated murder.

Genesis 37:20 CSB

20 So now, come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

Joseph’s life is about to become a nightmare. But it wasn’t just Jospeh who was going to be tormented by these actions.

His brother’s would end up suffering for their sins as well.

Our dreams become a nightmare when we detour from God’s design.

It’s deja vu is it not?

It’s the story of Jacob and Esau all over again. (Gen 27:42)

Or the story of Cain and Abel. (Gen 4:8)

God had a plan and his plan entailed the choice of one brother over another. Because of envy - the ones passed over allow a murderous rage to fill their heart. An act that cannot be undone.

It’s the prophesied hostility between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. (Gen 3:15)

With each passing generation Satan has been raging against the seed of God’s promise.

Jospeh is the one chosen by God but his brothers choose to fight against God and kill their brother.

Choice and Consequence

Their first premeditated plan was to drop Jospeh into a well and let him drown. The idea was to tell Jacob that a vicious animal ate him.

Reuben (the firstborn son of Leah), hears this plan and sees a window to restore his place of honor in the family.

Genesis 37:21–22 CSB

21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from them. He said, “Let’s not take his life.” 22 Reuben also said to them, “Don’t shed blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him”—intending to rescue him from them and return him to his father.

You might say Reuben grew a conscience here but if you know the background his motives were probably not so pure.

As the first born he would’ve traditionally received the family inheritance but he had slept with his Father’s concubine (Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant) and Israel knew about it.

What Israel did in response we don’t know but the reality was Reuben was being cut out by his dad and he probably saw this as a way to make his Father love him again.

He tells them to just throw Joseph down into a dry cistern and intended to come back after the brothers had left and recuse him and become the hero.

They enact their plan in verse 23 and things don’t go as Reuben had planned.

Genesis 37:23–30 CSB

23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off Joseph’s robe, the long-sleeved robe that he had on. 24 Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty, without water. 25 They sat down to eat a meal, and when they looked up, there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come on, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh,” and his brothers agreed. 28 When Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt. 29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”

That’s the problem when we pursue our own dreams at the expense of the will of God for our life. Ruben thought he could have his cake and eat it too.

But he wasn’t able to foresee his brother growing a conscience and incentivizing his brothers with the promise of a little payout.

Remember: you can choose your sin but you can’t control it’s consequence.

They trade their younger brother to a group of Midianite traders for 20 pieces of silver. How much is a human life worth?

Do you think they ever imagined they would do such a thing? It’s crazy what sin can do the human heart when left unchecked and unrestrained.

There had to have been a cold, pitiless indifference in the heart of these brothers. There sitting there sharing a meal while Jospeh lays there in an empty cistern.

We see no words from Jospeh here but we know from Genesis 42:21 that Jospeh pleaded with them from the bottom of the well to have mercy but they refused.

I’m sure Jospeh also didn’t foresee his change in fortunes. That’s the thing about life, it only takes a single moment to change everything.

If you think about the context it’s quite a reversal of fortune.

He went from being the beloved son to the hated brother.

He went from a long-sleeved robe to being stripped and naked.

He went from being on the top of the world to the bottom of a pit.

And though an immediate death would’ve been painful - it might’ve been preferred to life of a slave.

Application

This is the danger of pursuing a dream for your life that runs counter to the will of God.

Not every dream needs to be pursued. Especially if those dreams require moral and spiritual compromise on your part.

You do that and your on a course for the dream to become a nightmare.

There may be a strong temptation because of jealousy, greed or envy. But remember in resisting God’s dreamer you’re resisting God himself.

You can’t live that way forever without eventually paying the price.

As one wise person put it, “Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.”

GOD’S DREAM A NIGHTMARE:

But what are we to make of Joseph? His dream had also become a nightmare! But his dream was from God!

What do we do when our OBEDIENCE to the will of God results in our dream becoming a nightmare?

If you keep reading the story of Joseph you discover God has an answer to that question.

Genesis 37:31–35 CSB

31 So they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. 32 They sent the long-sleeved robe to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it. Is it your son’s robe or not?” 33 His father recognized it. “It is my son’s robe,” he said. “A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has been torn to pieces!” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” And his father wept for him.

It’s an interesting irony that it was Jacob who originally tricked his own father by using the fur of a goat to imitate his brother Esau and steal his blessing.

Now Jacob’s sons are tricking him with the blood of a goat to cover up their sin.

Jacob’s dream for Jospeh had become a nightmare. His response to that fact was to grieve what he had lost.

And there’s something important about that truth.

When our dreams become a nightmare it’s okay to be discouraged.

It’s a healthy way of recognizing that this world is very broken.

Sin and disrupted our fellowship with God and the consequences of sin bring suffering and death.

Why wouldn’t Jacob grieve? He grief was unconsolable because he loved Jospeh more than anybody else.

He might’ve even been tempted to think life was no longer worth living. He’s mind immediately goes Sheol and his own death.

Sheol was the place of the dead in the Hebrew Bible. For Jacob, the death of Joseph was the death of God’s dream for his life.

God’s Dream Never Dies

So while it’s okay to grieve God’s dream becoming a nightmare. There are certain things we must always remember.

Even in the nightmares of life, God’s dream is marching on.

Genesis 37:36 CSB

36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards.

The Midianites could’ve sold Joseph to any number of people resulting in any number of outcomes.

But they choose to sell Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharoah and captain of the guards. In other words, he sells Joseph into royalty and power.

It was God’s sovereign control over these events that led Stephen in the book of Acts to preach

even though “The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt… God was with him 10 and rescued him out of all his troubles.” (Acts 7:9-10)

In fact, those four words are the overarching idea of Josephs life. “God was with him.”

And you need to remember those same four words when God’s dream for your life becomes a nightmare.

God is with you.

When dreams becomes a nightmare remember God is with you.

And even in the face of death, God brings resurrection life.

God’s Meant It For Good

As we move forward in the story of Joseph we’re going to see God with him everywhere he goes.

From the top of Pharaoh’s palace to the bottom of a pit, God was with Joseph. (Gen 39:2-3; 21-23)

In desserts and gardens the plan of God continued. And through it all Joseph learned that nightmares don’t stop the plan of God.

In fact it’s sometimes THROUGH the nightmare that God achieves his redemptive purpose.

It’s in this way the story of Joseph points us to God’s ultimate plan in Jesus.

Jesus, like Jospeh…

was the beloved son of his Father (Gen 37:3; Matt 3:17)

was rejected by his own people. (Gen 37:4; John 1:11)

was betrayed for coins of silver. (Gen 37:28; Matt 26:15)

was stripped naked, mocked and scorned. (Gen 37:23; Matt 27:28)

was handed over and unjustly punished. (Gen 39:20; 1 Pet 2:22-24)

remained faithful until the end. (Gen 41:39-41; Phil 2:8-9)

forgave those who betrayed him. (Gen 50:20; Luke 23:34)

saved the lives of many people. (Gen 41:56-57; John 6:35)

was raised up from the pit. (Gen 37:24-28; Luke 24:6-7)

overcame evil with good (Gen 50:20; Acts 2:23-24)

given a name above all names. (Gen 41:45; Phil 2:9-10)

John Piper wrote a book entitled “Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ.”

God worked through the spectacular sins against Jospeh by his brothers. Through it, he brought his people into Egypt and saved both Jews and Gentiles alike.

In other words, no matter the opposition, the dreams of God can’t die.

The story of Joseph concludes with the words “what others intend for evil, God intended for good and the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)

But that salvation was preparation for the ultimate sin against the beloved son of God and God using that suffering to bring about salvation for all.

So while we grieve when God’s will for our life puts us inside a nightmare. We do NOT GRIEVE as people without hope.

Because even in death God brings resurrection. If the dream is from God then it can never die.

So let us hold fast and remember God is with us. If we doubt it, look only to Jesus on the cross.