“约瑟作了一梦，告诉他哥哥们，他们就越法恨他。” – 创 37:5
你认识一个喜欢在早餐时与人分享他的梦境的人吗？我们的梦境往往包括异乎寻常的细节和人物，它们也可能是不合逻辑和难以明白的。
被他的兄弟鄙视的约瑟，向他们讲述他的梦境 – 他们“就越法恨他。”因为他的梦境预言他们将来会向他屈膝。约瑟最受父亲宠爱，他的兄弟非常憎恨他，甚至想把他除掉。最后他们把他卖到埃及做奴隶（创世记 37:19-28）。
在创世记其后的记载中，约瑟的故事有时就像一场扣人心弦的噩梦 – 然而它却有一个美满的结局。约瑟不单常常做梦，他更懂得为别人解梦。最终他拯救了他全家脱离饥荒之灾（创世记 45-50）。
然而，约瑟的故事的重点并不是关于他的梦境的；这个故事乃是关于神拯救衪的子民的奥妙计划和途径的，尽管衪的计划受到各种事情的阻挠。虽然有时我们觉得神行事的途径或方法往往出人意料之外，但我们可以从约瑟的故事中得到安慰，因为我们看到神拯救衪的子民脱离灾难和犯罪的后果。除此以外，约瑟的故事更预先指向我们的救主耶稣的故事，衪到来拯救我们脱离罪和死亡、藉此恢复我们与神一起的丰盛生命。
祷告
主啊，我們的生命和我們的夢境一樣，有時都似乎是亂紛紛的。然而，主啊，你在掌管我們的生命，每一步你都小心地帶領我們。阿們。
创世记 37:1-11
1雅各住在迦南地，就是他父亲寄居的地。
2雅各的记略如下。约瑟十七岁与他哥哥们一同牧羊。他是个童子，与他父亲的妾辟拉、悉帕的儿子们常在一处。约瑟将他哥哥们的恶行报给他们的父亲。
3以色列原来爱约瑟过于爱他的众子，因为约瑟是他年老生的，他给约瑟做了一件彩衣。
4约瑟的哥哥们见父亲爱约瑟过于爱他们，就恨约瑟，不与他说和睦的话。
5约瑟做了一梦，告诉他哥哥们，他们就越发恨他。
6约瑟对他们说：“请听我所做的梦：
7我们在田里捆禾稼，我的捆起来站着，你们的捆来围着我的捆下拜。”
8他的哥哥们回答说：“难道你真要做我们的王吗？难道你真要管辖我们吗？”他们就因为他的梦和他的话越发恨他。
9后来他又做了一梦，也告诉他的哥哥们说：“看哪，我又做了一梦，梦见太阳、月亮与十一个星向我下拜。”
10约瑟将这梦告诉他父亲和他哥哥们，他父亲就责备他说：“你做的这是什么梦！难道我和你母亲、你弟兄果然要来俯伏在地，向你下拜吗？”
11他哥哥们都嫉妒他，他父亲却把这话存在心里。
Joseph The Dreamer
“Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.” – Genesis 37:5
Do you know anyone who likes to share about dreams over breakfast? Our dreams often have striking details and characters, but they can also be illogical and hard to follow.
Joseph, who was despised by his brothers, shared a dream with them—and “they hated him all the more.” That’s because his dream predicted they would all bow down to him. Joseph was his father’s favorite, and his brothers hated him so much that they wanted to get rid of him. Eventually they sold him into slavery in Egypt (Genesis 37:19-28).
Joseph’s story in the rest of Genesis reads like a gripping nightmare at times—but it has a happy ending. Joseph not only dreams but also interprets the dreams of others. And ultimately he rescues his entire family from starvation (Genesis 45-50).
Joseph’s story isn’t mainly about his dreams, though. It’s about God’s mysterious plan and way of working to save his people, despite all kinds of efforts to thwart him. Though we may often find God’s ways or methods surprising, we can take comfort from Joseph’s story, seeing that God rescues his people from calamity and the consequences of sin. What’s more, Joseph’s story points ahead to the story of Jesus, our Savior, who came to rescue us from sin and death, restoring us to full life with God.
Prayer
Lord, sometimes our lives, like our dreams, can seem chaotic. But you, Lord, have our lives in your hands as you carefully guide us every step of the way. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
