THE ELEVEN STARS.

*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*

*THE ELEVEN STARS.*

*Scripture Treasure.*

Gen 37:9-11 *And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.*

*And he told it to his father, 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.*

*Insight and Highlight.*

The person you try to destroy may be the person you will need to give your life a meaning and definition.

*Scripture Commentaries.*

Joseph had two prophetic dreams one of which was that the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him.

The two dreams pointed to his eventual supremacy and leadership over his brothers.

Their first reaction to the first dream where his brothers' *"......sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance......"* to his sheaf".(Gen 37:5-8) was to hate him *"......yet the more...."*, Gen 37:5.

This first dream escalated their initial hatred they had for him because of their father's favoritism to Joseph, Gen 37:3-4.

The brothers' reaction to the second went up and grew from hatred to envy.

Gen 37:11 says *"And his brethren envied him;......"*

These dreams foreshadowed Joseph's rise to power in Egypt, where his family eventually came to bow before him during a great famine.

Gen 42 confirmed the brothers bowing to him. This confirmed the first dream of the sheaves.

Gen 43-44 confirmed Jacob and all his sons bowing to him fulfilling the dream of the sun moon and eleven stars.

Joseph faithfully reports the dreams but

sinful hearts plotted against him.

Sinful hearts react with jealousy, rage and envy and oftentimes they fail to see what good is also in store for them.

Joseph's brothers could not see or read any meaning to the prophetic dream that the 'eleven stars' were they, come what may.

How they would shine as these stars was not mentioned in the dream but it reflected that they also would be people of repute and a force to be reckoned with.

They would be the foundation of the twelve tribes, along with Joseph, from whom Israel would flourish.

Though Joseph was destined through the prophetic dream to be their esteemed breadwinner, God's plan to make them stars was not meant to have them as star-killers but as shinning stars.

Stars shine, the sun and the moon (which represent Joseph's father and mother, Gen 37:10), also shine but their shining lights differ in their times and they produce distinctive visibility, good in their time.

This celestial dream of the sun, the moon and the eleven stars bowing to Joseph underscores how bright, powerful a boy he would be for such natural and cosmic elements of lights could bow to a terrestial being like Joseph.

The ultimate fulfillment of the dream was that Joseph would *"......keep many alive....."*, Gen 50:12.

Perhaps, the dreams were not to demean the eleven brothers.

The brothers could not see how they would be shinning lights because of their deepened hatred and jealousy.

They could not see such display of powerful divine principles of God used by Him to illustrate human destiny.

There was a divine promise for them in that dream.

Their obeisance may not have been a struggle or a result of a desperate attempt to be relevant as senior brothers but a polite obeisance of a request to go to Egypt to buy grain, as Egypt had food while Canaan suffered and to save them from starving.

They could have saved themselves three notable journeys to Egypt or at least not more than five trips from Cannan to Egypt (Gen 42:1-24, 25-38, 43-45:24, 45:25-28, 46:1-7).

How often we miss out on God's plan when He shows us anothers' destinies or someone's destinies often tied to ours. He often shows us how well we can work together with them to achieve greatness in life but we rather, out of jealousy, plan to put out their lights.

We forget that a person you dismiss today might be the reason you have a chance tomorrow.

See the 'eleven stars' in you rather than the jealousy in you. At times your star may not shine on time because while you are blocking others' you are delaying or blocking yours

Stars do not bow, nor take the shine away from other cosmic elements. They shine

in their own divine time. When the moon is too bright the star may not shine as it should but they are always shining and producing light.

The dreams were not meant to develop competition but were meant to prepare each member of the family in their role in the coming eventualities of life (the famine in Cannan, the plenty in Egypt and the eventual exodus of Israel to Egypt).

What do you see in your dreams?

What do you see in the dreams of others?

If only the eleven brothers could see they were eleven stars that would shine in future regardless of the dream's favour on Joseph

*Remorse corners.*

There were prospects for the eleven brothers. They could not see their stars. They saw jealousy and hatred.

Beware of jealousy and envy!.

*Call to Word action.*

Songs of Solomon 8:6:

*Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.*

*The Christian clarion duty.*

Remember the person you try to destroy their destinies may be the only opportunity you have to make it in life!

*Prayer.*

Lord help me not to be an obstacle to my prosperity in life. Keep jealousy, hatred and envy away from me in Jesus name.

Good morning all and have a blessed day.

God bless you.

Shalom.