Dream Interpreter - 1 How has the role of the prophet...

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How has the role of the prophet changed? How is the prophet received? How is the
prophecy received? How is the prophecy fulfilled?
The Role of the Prophet/ Dream Interpreter
Throughout time, the role of the prophet and dream interpreter has been
riddled with duality. As much as there is good to be found associated with the art
form of prophecy, just as much bad has come of it. Through the revelation of their
destinies, people have tried either to avoid them or to face them bravely, with either
action resulting in the sealing of their fates. While the prophecy itself either may be
described as disquieting or comforting, the prophet has always been one who has
been received in a diverse manner of ways. Whether he is revered and feared or
disrespected and ignored, the prophet is still, nonetheless, powerful.
In the book of Genesis, Joseph’s role of dream interpreter seems to be both
a blessing and a curse. Joseph is the youngest of twelve sons. Part of his “problem”
is that not only is he favoured by his father, Jacob, but also by God, a blessing
revealed when he tells his dreams to both his brothers and his father. At the
revelation of their fates, Jacob and his sons react differently.
5 Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers,
they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream
that I dreamed. 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field.
Suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright; then your sheaves
gathered around it, and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers
said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Are you indeed to
have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more because of
his dreams and his words. 9 He had another dream, and told it to
his brothers, saying, “Look, I have had another dream: the sun,
the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But
when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked

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him, “What kind of dream is this that you have had? Shall we
indeed come, I and your mother and your brothers, and bow to the
ground before you?” 11 So his brothers were jealous of him, but
his father kept the matter in mind. (Genesis 37:5-11)
Joseph’s role is an interesting one as he goes from needing his dreams interpreted
for him to being a successful dream interpreter himself with nearly no documented
experience. Joseph is also interesting because, of all our interpreters and prophets,
he is neither Divine nor of Divine lineage, nor is he like the blind sage Tiresias,
with his foresight being rewarded to him as compensation for his loss of physical
sight.
At the revelation of Joseph’s destiny, his brothers are enraged, fearful and
jealous. The brothers’ reaction is important for two reasons. The first allows for
Joseph’s ultimate uplifting. Because his brothers sell him into slavery, Joseph is on
his way to fulfilling his destiny. It is through his brothers’ reaction and by God’s
blessing to be a skilled dream interpreter that Joseph comes into success. Secondly,