“And Joseph dreamed a dream…”
Genesis 37:5
Dear members and friends,
Dreams have fascinated humanity since the beginning of history. Some are forgotten almost immediately after waking up, while others remain with us for years. The Bible presents dreams as a way through which God communicates with humans. Abraham, Jacob, Pharaoh, Daniel, Joseph, the Magi, and Joseph, the husband of Mary, all receive divine guidance through dreams. Yet among all biblical dreamers, perhaps none is more significant than Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob.
Joseph’s first dream seems almost naïve. He sees sheaves of grain bowing before his own sheaf. In another dream, the sun, moon, and eleven stars bow before him (Genesis 37:5–11). His brothers immediately recognize the implication: “Are you indeed to reign over us?” The dreams provoke jealousy, eventually leading to the betrayal of brothers by selling Joseph as a slave.
At first glance these dreams appear to foretell Joseph’s future ascent to power. Yet Emanuel Swedenborg invites us to read them in a much deeper way. For Swedenborg, Joseph is not merely a historical figure but a representation of the Lord’s Divine Human and, in a derived sense, the heavenly principle within every human being. In Secrets of Heaven, he repeatedly explains that Joseph represents “the celestial of the spiritual,” the highest form of spiritual life that unites love and wisdom. From this perspective, Joseph’s dreams reveal the gradual ordering of our inner life. The “sun” symbolizes heavenly love, the “moon” spiritual faith, and the “stars” the knowledge of truth. Their bowing before Joseph signifies that all the scattered elements of our spiritual life eventually become ordered under the rule of divine love and wisdom.
Swedenborg also offers a fascinating understanding of dreams themselves. He writes:
“The dreams were just as full of representation and symbolism as the visions and were almost the same type of thing. Dreams also disclosed the future to others besides the prophets; examples are the dreams that Joseph, Joseph’s fellow inmates, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and others had. All this people know, and from it they can see that dreams of this type flow from heaven just as much as visions do.” (Secrets of Heaven 1975)
Also, Swedenborg explains, “The earliest church experienced direct revelation through personal contact with spirits and angels and also through visions and dreams.” (Secrets of Heaven #597) Yet at the same time, he sharply cautions against placing too much confidence in ordinary dreams, since dreams may arise from many sources, including our bodily state, our memories, and the activity of spirits surrounding us. Genuine revelatory dreams are therefore exceptional with a divine purpose. This caution is especially relevant today. Modern culture often swings between two extremes: dismissing dreams as meaningless brain activity, or treating every dream as a divine message. Swedenborg avoids both extremes. Dreams occasionally carry genuine spiritual significance, but most require humility rather than certainty.
My brothers and sisters in God, let us take a moment this week and reflect on our dreams. Perhaps you might have dream that you remember or rather you cannot forget. With prayer and meditation, let us look deeply into those dreams. With the guidance of our Lord, we may find an important teaching from God, and at least find the deep and loving presence of our God within us.
Blessings,
Rev. Junchol Lee