6.16.25 ~ Dreams, Dreaming and the Dreamer

Good morning!

Ever since I made a trip to Idaho to work with a good friend, two winters ago, I have dreamed every night. Why, I ask myself? What was so significant about that trip that ignited the dream state inside of my mind? Maybe God was setting me up to dream like Jacob (Gen. 28:12) or Joseph (Gen. 37:5-10) or maybe He's making me double check my dreams (Deut. 13:1-5)? Or maybe all of them :-)

In Joel's prophecy, he says:
And it shall happen afterward: I will pour My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.  Your elders shall dream dreams/halomot ya-halomun, your young men see visions.  And even upon male slaves and slavegirls in those days will I pour out My Spirit. (Joel 2:28)

Are these dreams just a series of thoughts, images, and sensations, defragmenting my brain of disconnected and illogical thoughts in the night? Or is there more? Are they manifestations of my repressed wishes? My imagination gone wild? Whatever these are, the type of dream referred to in Joel 2 comes from the pouring out of the Spirit.

Halam, At the root of our dreaming dreams/haloomot ya-halimun is the word to dream. But, as usual, with the beautiful Hebrew language, it's not just a dream, it's also the word to be healthy and strong (Job 39:4; Isa. 38:16; etc.). And knowing the diversity of this word, Does God, who never sleeps or slumbers, ever dream (Psa. 121:4)?

Dreams, the lowest form of prophecy (Num. 12:6) come in a variety of packages. The question on sleepy minds is," how do we know which ones are 'from God’ and which ones are not"?  How do we know?  By the way, “envisoning visons” (aka day dreaming) presents the same problem.

What can we say now?  Well, maybe only this much: Whatever Joel was talking about, it doesn't appear to be happening in this modern era.  Slaves and slavegirls still exist; God’s spirit doesn’t seem to be poured out on them yet.  Elders and young men aren’t madly proclaiming the glory of God because they had dreams and visions.  Conclusively, I'd have to say that Peter didn't get it 100% right.  The story of Cornelius is proof of that.

You might be asking yourself, "What's the point of unraveling this verse"? Simply put, Yeshua speaks of great deception in the last days; false prophets and false teachers will abound (Matt. 7:15; 24:11, 24). Others like Paul (2 Thess. 2), Peter  (2 Pet. 2:1) and John (1 Jn. 4:1) emphasize the same. Yet, too many today don't know the biblical criteria of a true prophet or their role within God's family (Deut. 13). And with a world looking for the latest 'miracle' and readily accepting a genetically modified message, it's probably good to know what the real criteria is. Otherwise, we shouldn't give them the attention they desire (Deut. 13:3).

Keep your eyes open and your heart guarded, they're really good (2 Thess. 2:5-12).

Shalom!
Alan

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

11.22.24 ~ The Lack of Emotional Intelligence

Good morning! Happy Preparation Day! When I was a child, I was taught to say thank you. And if I did something wrong, I was told to say, 'I'm sorry'.  Which begs to ask the question: "why are there so many poorly trained adults? Why do so many adults find it hard to say I’m sorry? or even thank you enough? Enquiring minds want to know! Recently, a research project was released from Carnegie Mellon University that answers the question. Let me summarize the findings. The paper introduces a framework to explain what is called the responsibility exchange theory. It is used to explain why giving thanks and apologizing, as well as bragging and blaming others matters so much, and why we have such a hard time exchanging the right words at the right time. Here’s the conundrum, while thank you and I’m sorry, makes the speaker appear caring or generous, and I’d add not raised in a barn by barbarians, they fear it is at the cost of seeming incompetent or weak.  Then there is the o...
Read more

4.10.25

Good morning! The offerings/korbanot were indeed a source of joy and favor every time they were brought to the Temple or Tabernacle. For instance, when the Temple was being dedicated under Solomon's kingship, they had this incredible feast. The nation feasted on these thanksgiving and peace offerings; 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep and goats (2 Chron. 7:5; 1 King. 8:63) and the glory of the Lord, as with the Tabernacle in Exodus 40, filled the Temple (2 Chron. 7:2). There was great joy in the presence of the Lord! And we have this covenantal intimacy because the offerings/korbanot expressed love, joy, loyalty and gratitude.  Let me speak very briefly to one common objection, particularly in a modern sense. Yeah, OK, fine, but still weird! OK, Solomon's dedication doesn't seem consistent with blood and guts, splashing blood, limbs cut off and burning on an altar to appease an angry god for the sinful disobedience of mankind; it is so barbaric. It's disgusting. How could G...
Read more

12.4.24 ~ She's worth it!

Good morning! Part of our dust bunny dysfunction comes from our growing up days and the coping mechanisms we learned to survive. In this week's Torah portion, Vayetze/and he left, we see the results of a divided house where there was favoritism and the 'dust bunny' coping mechanisms that develop as a result. We'll make a comparison between the two 'ladders that reach to heaven (tower of babel and the Ladder in Jacob's dream) and the reason why Jacob wept when he saw the woman of his dreams; in search of his own bosom and tent, a wife (Deut. 13:6); A wife is a man's bosom.  Sarah is Abraham's bosom.   Sarah's Tent comforts those who dwell in Abraham's bosom with bread, light, and the Presence of the Lord (Gen. 24:67). For those, after death, who have the privilege of waiting for the resurrection in Abraham's bosom, there is the comfort of Sarah's tent (Lk. 16:19-31).  Yeshua, through His own life, demonstrated all three signs of Sarah'...
Read more