The Dream Motif In Joseph's Genesis 50: 15-21

In Genesis 50:15-21, Joseph’s narrative reaches its climactic point with the clear picture of the fulfillment of the dream as traced back in Genesis 37. The dream motif in Joseph’s narrative is key as it provides a vehicle through which God’s purpose is revealed . It shows how God’s hand was behind the scenes pulling the strings causing the events in Joseph’s life with the intention that through him, His blessings upon the survival of Israel and many others is realized. This is brought out clearly in 50:20,“you meant it for evil (but) God meant it for good”. A clear demonstration that when evil confronts the purposes of God, it succumbs. A fact echoed by Job when speaking of God’s purposes, he says “no plans of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). Von Rad comments that “the statement about the brothers’ evil plans and God’s good plans now opens up the inmost mystery of the Joseph story. It is in every respect along with the similar passage in chapter 45:5-7, the climax to the whole. Even where no man could imagine it, God had all strings in his hand. But this guidance of God is only asserted; nothing more explicit is said about the way in which God incorporated man’s evil into his saving activity” . Therefore, God’s providence is a significant theological message here. This is key since it places this narrative at the center of God’s plan for the realization of His promises to the patriarchs, albeit partially (Gen12:1-3). This idea of God’s plans being fulfilled through evil human deeds is not only confined to this passage. One could imagine Pharaoh, Daniel, Esther, and Ruth among others .Specifically, the reading of Psalms of lament shows how God constantly frustrates the plans of the evil ones . In the New Testament, the death of Jesus on the cross clearly demonstrate a similar instance were evil deeds is swallowed into divine purpose. Of those who crucified him, Jesus said, “father forgive them because they do not know what they are doing” (Lk.23:34).Jesus here is not absolving them of their responsibility for their actions, but their blindness of God’s greater purpose-the salvation of humanity. It is through the death of Jesus on the tree that leads to the realization of the primeval blessings-the nations are …show more content…
His brothers thought Joseph would revenge for their culpability over what befell him, rather his reply gave meaning to the suffering he faced in view of God’s ultimate purpose. Stephen was later to proclaim “God delivered Joseph from his tribulations (Ac.7:10) . This means that, within the sovereign plans of God, human suffering finds not just a theological purpose, but also its chronological end. Human suffering is not eternal. It is temporary. Joseph left his brothers as a slave, but at the end he was in charge over all of Egypt. This truth is picked up later by John in his message from the Lord Jesus to the church of Smyrna. Jesus identifies himself as the first and the last. He then encourages this church over what they were about to suffer. He says “you will have tribulation for ten days”(Rev.2:10).The significance of ‘ten days’ here is not so much on the length of days as it is underscoring the temporary nature of suffering. For Just as God established the limits to waves (Job 38:11), so has he marked the end of human pain and suffering