SIGNIFICANT OF DREAM.

DREAMS.

Dreams are thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep. Dreams have always fascinated people. The events experienced in dreams are too vivid and real to be ignored.

ANCIENT UNDERSTANDING

From the earliest times people viewed dreams as a mystery. They wondered if there were another actual sphere of existence in which the person lived and acted while the body slept. Dreams, especially those of emperors and kings, were held to be messages from the gods.

Ancient recorded dreams focused on three main areas: religion, politics, and personal destiny. Religious dreams called for loyalty and devotion to the gods. Political dreams supposedly forecast the outcome of battles and the future destiny of nations. Personal dreams guided family decisions and predicted serious crises.

Sometimes the god forewarned the person about something unexpected. Sometimes the ruler or general would go to a pagan temple or holy place and sleep there. He hoped that location would bring on a dream that would help him cope with some serious problem. In some dreams the message was clear. Usually, however, it had to be discovered by individuals who specialized in interpreting dreams. Records were kept concerning specific dreams and the events that followed.

OLD TESTAMENT USE

Dreams played an important part in the lives of God's people. Of the nearly 120 references to dreams in the Old Testament, 52 come in Genesis and 29 in the book of Daniel. In reality, however, only 14 specific dreams are recorded in the Old Testament. Most of them are in Genesis and reflect God's direct revelation. Even Daniel tells about only two of Nebuchadnezzar's dreams-the large, manlike image and the gigantic tree chopped down. However, he does record his own dreams about the four beasts and the Ancient of Days.

The Old Testament understanding of dreams had several significant features. Like the rest of the ancient world, people of God believed that God communicated in dreams. Yet the Old Testament records lack the wicked and obscene scenes often described in pagan dream records. Another distinction is that God takes the initiative. He gives the dreams when, where, and to whom he pleases-a truth painfully learned by Saul (1 Samuel 28:6, 15). More significantly, the secular approach to interpretation was specifically rejected. Understanding of dream symbols did not come from research or by natural human ability. Joseph interpreted the dreams of his two Egyptian fellow prisoners and later of the pharaoh himself. But he insisted on giving full credit to God (Genesis 40:8; 41:7, 25, 28, 39). Similarly, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that the God in heaven who reveals secrets would make known the king's dream and its meaning. Professional dream interpreters had failed to accomplish that (Daniel 2:27-28).

Unlike their neighbors, the Old Testament saints knew that a dream was a "vision of the night" (Job 33:15). It revealed the spiritual realm (20:8; Psalms 73:20; 126:1; Isaiah 29:7-8).

God used dreams in Old Testament days to protect his servants (Genesis 20) and to reveal himself to people in a special way (28:12). He also provided guidance in specific events (31:10-13) and warned about personal future events (37:5-20). Dreams were also used to predict the history of nations (40-41) and to foretell the four great successive world empires that would be replaced by God's eternal kingdom (Daniel 4:19-27).

Between Joseph and Daniel's time, only two dreams are recorded. One assured Gideon that God would defeat the Midianites (Judges 7:13-15). The other shows how Solomon became so wise. His humble, unselfish request for "an understanding heart" (1 Kings 3:9, 15) thoroughly pleased God.

In the final Old Testament dreams, God gave Nebuchadnezzar an overview of future world history (Daniel 2:31-45) and a prediction of the king's temporary insanity (4:19-27). Daniel's dream of the four beasts was similar to the king's first dreams, but with added details (7:13-14).

Dreams were one means by which God would speak to prophets (Numbers 12:6). But how could the people of God tell a true prophet from an imposter? God gave two tests: the ability to predict the immediate future (Deuteronomy 18:22) and the consistency of the message with previously revealed truth. False prophets were put to death. False prophecy was a serious problem in the days of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:25-32) and Zechariah (Zechariah 10:2). Jeremiah warned the people (Jeremiah 23:32; 27:9-10; 29:8-9). But they preferred to listen to the false prophets with their empty messages of hope. Dreams were also a part of Israel's future hope (Joel 2:28).

NEW TESTAMENT USE

The few specific dreams in the New Testament all come from Matthew. The first emphasize the divine care and protection of the baby Jesus. God provided that Jesus would grow up in a home with a father and mother. He would thus avoid the cruelty and shame of being unjustly called an illegitimate child (Matthew 1:19-23). Then the wise men were instructed in a dream not to tell Herod where Jesus was living (2:12). Jesus was further protected from jealous King Herod by the dream that told Joseph to flee to Egypt with Mary and the child (12:13). On Herod's death, Joseph was divinely advised in a dream to return home from Egypt (12:20). Finally, God warned Joseph to avoid Judea, where Herod's evil son Archelaus reigned, and to settle in Galilee instead (12:22).

The only other specific dream mentioned in the New Testament prompted Pilate's wife to warn her husband, "Leave that innocent man alone" (Matthew 27:19).