Dream Paradox (eBook)

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Diving into Dreams

Introduction

In this chapter, we will take a first look at the nature of dreams. As we explore dreams in scripture, we’ll discover how God uses dreams to speak. We’ll see dreams that do not need an interpretation and dreams that do. There is purpose in dreams. They show us things we do not know, giving us the opportunity to improve our relationship with God and our quality of life.

Who Dreams?

Everybody dreams. In fact, everybody dreams a lot. Scientific research shows that though we don’t remember them all, we have an average of five to seven dreams per night, lasting between five to forty-five minutes per dream. This means each year, we have around 2,000 dreams and spend a full month dreaming (International Association for the Study of Dreams).

We see dreams as a continual conversation going on at night. Hidden in this conversation are unseen things in our lives we do not understand, usually coming to us in the form of a parable. Because of the parable aspect of dreams, we do not see dreams as a source to answer questions like whom we should marry, what investments we should make, or where we should live and what house we should buy. Instead, they touch aspects of our heart, soul, and mind.

Many of us do not remember dreaming every night, but remember dreams periodically. This can range from one or two dreams a year, to a series of dreams at different times throughout the year. We also see these dreams as a continual conversation, which usually does not change.

It is very common to have dreams about the same topic for years until we understand their meanings. It is very rare that the subject will change in our dreams during a night of dreaming and usually weeks of dreams will cover the same topic. This information in tracking dreams helps us stay focused and understand the interpretation more easily.

Why We Dream

One of the first questions people ask us is: “Where do dreams come from?”. When trying to understand the source of dreams, we have to look at history. In our view, there is no book that speaks about the generations of man more completely than the Bible. In the recorded history of men in the Bible, dreams must have been very important because there are many recounted and documented.

Abraham, living approximately 4,500 years ago, was the first man to have a dream recorded in the Bible. In Genesis 15, we read that God talks to Abraham in the daytime with a vision. At the end of the same day, He speaks to Abraham in a dream. In these encounters, God speaks directly to Abraham and there is no interpretation needed. By this information we know for certain God uses dreams as one way to speak to mankind.

In Genesis 20, God comes to Abimelech in a dream and gives him direct instructions. Abimelech was not a believer like Abraham. This is the first dream in the Bible given to someone who is not actively devoted to God. It is also the first of many dreams recorded in the Bible received by people serving other gods.

When we look at these first dreams recorded in the Bible, we find God used dreams to speak directly to the dreamers. Abraham received promises from God and Abimelech received a stern warning. This is common today also: promises revealing hidden purposes and warnings disclosing things that will happen if we do not change our ways. In fact, these are the most common themes in dreams. We do not think it is odd that this is one of the main reasons why we dream.

We have been taught, and discovered for ourselves, that the first time something is mentioned in the Bible, it holds more weight towards its true meaning and purpose in our dreams. We will see more examples of this in the coming chapters. This perspective helps when we interpret dreams.

Dreams Apply to the Dreamer

Let’s examine the dreams of the butler and baker recorded in chapter 40 of Genesis. At this point in the story, Joseph found himself in prison after being falsely accused. The butler and baker were in prison because it seems someone tried to poison Pharaoh.

Genesis 40:7-8

“ 7 He asked Pharaoh's officials who were with him in confinement in his master's house, ‘Why are your faces so sad today?’ 8 Then they said to him, ‘We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.’ Then Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please.’”

This is the first mention that interpretations of dreams belong to God. Joseph is a man that grew up dreaming and was devoted to God. He is the first to be recorded sharing a dream with his family. Though dreams do come with messages that do not need interpreting and anyone can have that type of dream, most dreams come by way of a parable.

Parables in essence are a story with a hidden meaning carrying a general moral or spiritual lesson. Parables in dreams are a bit different because often they are personal. We like to explain it this way: many times we are seeing events in our dreams and the only key we have to understand them is the continual conversation occurring in our dreams. If the conversation is unknown, we must examine what is going on in our life when the dream occurred.

Consider this scenario: In a dream in the night we are suddenly thrust into a drama. We are in a place that we may or may not recognize, with people we may or may not know. Here is what we have discovered: Everything we see in our dream that is in a parable is in code. Almost 99.9% of the time it is about us, something that we can influence, or that influences us personally. If that is not confusing enough, many times a main key to interpret the dream is found in what has been going on in our life (and there are a lot of things going on in our lives).

In comes the interpreter to hear our dream. They have studied symbols, the root meanings of names, and are used to looking at hundreds of dreams of others as well as their own. Still, they need to weigh each symbol and meaning of the names of the people in our dream. They do this to see which symbols carry more weight in their spirit and this is usually discovered through their relationship with God.

Getting back to the story of Joseph, we find he has a history with God and a history of dreaming. His father, grandfather, and great grandfather dreamed. In fact, his great grandfather is the same Abraham mentioned earlier as having the first recorded dream in the Bible. When the butler and baker shared their dream with Joseph, they found a true dream interpreter. Joseph tells them that interpretations belong to God and asked them to share the dreams.

We encourage everyone to read the story. From the text, we learn that Joseph correctly interpreted the dreams of the butler and the baker, because everything happened just as Joseph’s interpretation indicated. The butler was restored to his post serving Pharaoh. The head of the baker was removed, and his body was hung on a tree for the birds to eat.

Element of Future Application

Some dreams are about the future and there is nothing we can do to change it. There are also dreams that concern a future we can change if we start living our lives differently. In the dream of the baker, there was nothing he could do but get his affairs in order and his life was taken from him as the interpretation revealed.

We have a different application in the next dream interpreted some years later by Joseph. Pharaoh can find no one to interpret his dream. The butler finally remembers Joseph. We know from the story that Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream correctly. This dream was also a parable that came in a code that only Joseph could interpret. Pharaoh listened to the interpretation and made the changes needed to affect the future.

There is something special that happens when our dream is interpreted correctly. It is what we would call the ‘aha moment’, the feeling we have on the inside that confirms the interpretation. Something must have leaped in the spirit of Pharaoh that confirmed the dream was interpreted correctly. The dream had to have really impressed him and the interpretation brought great relief. We do not know the feeling of fear or dread Pharaoh experienced in the dream, but we do know that the dream and interpretation impacted him to the point he changed the way things were done in Egypt.

Ability to Dream

We believe that the ability to dream comes from God and that God speaks to us through dreams and visions. God is our creator. It seems He felt it was important that dreaming should be a part of our lives as it is one of the ways He has chosen to speak to His creation.

Numbers 12:6

“ 6 He said, ‘Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream.’”

Many people in the Bible dreamed: Abraham; the butler and the baker; Joseph and Pharaoh; Miriam and Aaron; Job and his friends; Daniel and the king; Joseph and Mary; the magi, etc. Some of their dreams were clear, some were riddles; some were pleasant, and some were terrifying. Still, they all testified that it was God who spoke through their dreams. Because of this, we look at every dream as if it comes from God. This makes every dream worth investigating. There are many types of dreams, and we will dive into them in the coming chapters.

Different Influences

When there is a spiritual mixture of influences in our lives, it can be possible that some of our dreams can have a spiritual bent or influence. A mature and seasoned dream interpreter with an understanding of scripture and a relationship with God can be very helpful to see through this and bring a correct...