Genesis 37:8
His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed
to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even
more for his dreams and for his words.
Know your audience Joseph. Read the room.
Either Joseph is a jerkwad or he's clueless. Either would understandably result in saying this kind of thing to people who already despise you. Now,
Joseph is not wrong or lying here. His dream was real and it will really come to
pass. And God will even use his telling of his dream to produce the events that
will ensure that the dream becomes reality. But that doesn't mean Joseph is doing
well to publish it in this way. While Joseph's brothers intended evil was used
to produce good by the sovereignty of God, so Joseph's social ineptitude (outright
arrogance) was also used for good despite its obvious shortcomings.
I love how you can really sense Joseph's maturation process through this whole story. At the beginning, it's painfully obvious how he's got youthful pride and youthful cluelessness going on all at the same time. He's just trying to draw attention to himself. Then, after some really unwanted attention, as well as some really deep neglect, he has finally learned to speak the words and will of God to others to build THEM up and focus on THEIR needs. (I love how in prison, he's noticing others' hard days.)
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