Joseph had two dreams that caused his brothers to hate him even more (vv. 5-11). These dreams came from God. There were two dreams because two is the number of confirmation and testimony. Both dreams refer to one thing, for both the sheaves and the stars bowed down to Joseph. In our eyes Joseph's brothers, being adulterers, fornicators, murderers, and haters, should have been condemned to hell. But Joseph did not dream about thorns and robbers surrounding a gentle teenager. Rather, he dreamed of sheaves and stars. A sheaf is a bundle into which wheat is bound after reaping. This indicates that, in God's eyes, Jacob's sons were His crop on earth. Moreover, they were not a green crop; they were a ripened and harvested crop that had been bound into sheaves. In the second dream the members of Joseph's family are signified by the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars. They were bright lights shining in the heavens. We have pointed out in the life-study of Revelation that the sun, the moon, and the stars in Revelation 12 and Genesis 37 represent the totality of God's people. During Joseph's time, his family was the totality of God's people on earth. According to our view, they were evil and dirty, but according to God's view, they were bright and heavenly. Likewise, according to our human nature, we are ugly, evil, and unclean. Nevertheless, we have been chosen, redeemed, forgiven, regenerated, and transformed. Thus, we are God's farm, God's crop. Eventually, we shall be God's harvest; we shall be reaped by Him and become sheaves. Furthermore, we are heavenly lights. What a vision this is!
God was sovereign in giving Joseph these dreams, for they reveal the nature, the position, the function, and the goal of God's people on earth. God's people are His harvest and His lights. As the harvest, they have life, and as the heavenly hosts, they have light. In the first dream there is life, and in the second, light. Life and light are two characteristics of God's people.
In the first dream the sheaves bowed down to Joseph's sheaf, and in the second, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to him. When Joseph told his father and brothers about his second dream, Jacob rebuked him and said, "What is this dream that thou has dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?" (v. 10). Joseph was not political; rather, he was genuine, frank, faithful, and straight. If he had not frankly told them about his dreams, there would have been no problem with this. In the church life we should be like Joseph, not like politicians. However, not many among us are frank, straight Josephs; instead, most of us are "wise" politicians. You may have a dream, but you would never tell others about it. Joseph on the contrary was genuine, frank, open, and transparent; he was happy to tell his brothers about his dreams. But this provoked their hatred even more, and Joseph's transparency caused him to be "crucified." Many times I also have been "crucified" for my transparency. However, if I become political, I shall no longer be like Joseph. Humanly speaking, Joseph was wrong in telling his brothers about his dreams. If we had been Joseph, many of us probably would have said, "You know, I had a good dream last night." When others asked us about the dream, we would say, "Forgive me, I can't tell you about it." This is the political "wisdom" of today's Christians. Will you be a politician or a Joseph? If you are a Joseph, you will be "crucified" for your frankness. Because of Joseph's dreams, his brothers hated him more than ever.