Genesis 37:5-11
Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Reflection
Whether he meant to or not, Joseph—in his enthusiasm for God’s vision—communicated to his family that he was better than they were.
This is ministry done TO someone. It communicates that someone is helpless or to be pitied.
Have you ever felt belittled by someone “helping” you? Have you ever gotten that feeling that their help was to make themselves feel important, generous, pious or whatever? Reflect on your emotions in these situations.
