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Joseph shows no interest whatsoever in what John Milton once called knee tribute that his brothers offer him

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Joseph: "Fear not, am I in place of God?"

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believes that such displays of reverence are not due any human being, but God alone

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all that has transpired had little to do with me

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God is the one who has superintended all of our actions

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let us return our attention to his designs rather than the petty jealousies that have plagued our family

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he's no longer the arrogant son talking advantage of his position in the family

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but he is simply a man doing what God has asked of him and not seeking the humiliation of his brothers

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when we first read Genesis chapter 37, we think these dreams are about power, which Joseph will wield over his brothers

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if that were about power, then Joseph's refusal of the prostration of his brothers would seem to be a denial of the providential arrangements God had ordained

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but certainly Joseph is not turning his back on God

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so we can understand Joseph as understanding the situation

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this means that we, the readers, got something wrong

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Joseph's Dream

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Genesis 37:5-7: "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.'"

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the interpretation of the dream as it appeared to Joseph, the brothers and the readers could not be correct

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the dream seemed to be about power

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but we saw that Joseph did not derive this lesson from these dreams

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two other sets of dreams in the Joseph dream cycle

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these two dreams that Pharaoh had that led to Joseph's rise to power

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1. the cup-bearer dream

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when Joseph was in prison

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Joseph saw that two men were distraught

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they explained they had perplexing dreams

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Joseph asked, and cup-bearer answered:

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Genesis 40:9-11: "And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, in my dream, behold, a vine was before me. And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth, and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes. And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand."

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Joseph explained:

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Genesis 40:12-13: "'This is what it means,' Joseph said to him. 'The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cup-bearer.'"

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2. the baker's dream

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Genesis 40:16-17: "When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head. And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head."

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unfortunately the baker's dream did not portend a good result

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Genesis 40:18-19: "And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days. Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee."

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characteristics of Joseph's dream interpretation

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they become true

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they do not come from personal skill but from divine aid

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Genesis 40:8: "And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you."