Isn’t it Odd?
Remember Joseph’s two dreams? His brothers were already jealous of him for being Jacob’s favorite son. Now he dreamed two dreams, that being interpreted, meant that his family would someday bow down to him. While Joseph’s brothers lost their minds, Jacob had an interesting response. By interesting, I mean something in there is a little “off.” See if you detect it. Here are the verses:
And he (Joseph) told it to his father (Jacob), and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying. (Genesis 37:10-11)
By observed, Jacob protected or guarded his son’s words in his heart. But not without first rebuking him and clarifying what Joseph just implied. Look closely: Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? Um, who was Joseph’s mother? Rachel. She died back there in Genesis 35:19 while giving birth to Benjamin. What sense did it make to include her in the interpretation? But indeed, she was included, if you read the second dream in verse 9… and behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. You can conclude that in this dream his father represented the sun, his mother the moon and his 11 brothers the 11 stars. Again, how odd that his dead mother would be included in that dream.
Let’s skip to the end of the story. We find that the brothers did bow down to Joseph four times. The first time in 42:6, it was 10 of his brothers. In 43:26, 28 and 50:18, it was his 11 brothers. His father Jacob came later and never did bow down to him. Let’s ask the hard question. What are we to make of this incomplete prophetic dream? I mean, we knew his mother wasn’t going to bow down to him. It was too late for her.
But no, in a future prophetic sense, it’s not too late. Joseph is a type of Jesus as Savior of the world. History repeats itself, and God declares the end from the beginning. We got a partial fulfillment of Joseph’s dream in Genesis 42, 43 and 50. The complete fulfillment will happen in the future—when Jacob and Rachel also bow before Jesus. Jacob pictures Israel. They haven’t bowed before Jesus yet. And what about Rachel? She was an unsavory character. She was an idolater, thief (Gen 31:32); liar (Gen 31:35); and sat on images (Gen 31:34). Compare that last point with Rev. 17:3 to see what she's a type of.) In the end, Jacob and Rachel types will give glory to Jesus, just like everyone else.
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. (Revelation 5:13)
R&J Shee