What should we do with our dreams?

A biblical and theological perspective

This article will cover:

• How and why God uses dreams in the Bible
• The relationship of dreams to written Scripture
• Theological categories and ideas that relate to dreams
• Some other practical questions

What is the difference between a dream and a vision?

Scripturally, to dream (Hebrew + Greek) means the images, scenes, experiences, messages that come to us when we are asleep.

A vision means the images, scenes, experiences, messages that come to us when we are awake.

How many dreams are recorded in the Bible?

(It’s not as many as you think)

The answer is 18.

What are they? Let’s divide them into two categories.

First Category of Biblical Dreams: Message/Messenger

Definition: a message or messenger dream is when God or an angel communicates directly with a person. There are no metaphors, no interpretation needed, just information.

Here are the 8 message/messenger dreams:

1. Genesis 20:3–7: A king named Abimelech is told by God that he has wrongly taken Sarah for his wife as she is married to Abraham
2. Genesis 31:10–13: Jacob dreams on a later, God speaks to him and gives him a message about the place he is sleeping.
3. Genesis 31:24: God warns Laban in a dream to be kind to Jacob
4. 1 Kings 3:5–15: Solomon has a conversation with God in a dream, asks God for wisdom.
5. Matthew 1:20: An angel tells Joseph to take Mary as his wife
6. Matthew 2:12: The wise men are warned to return home by a different route
7. Matthew 2:13: Joseph is warned to take Mary and Jesus and escape to Egypt
8. Matthew 2:22: Joseph is told in a dream to move to Galilee

What do we learn from these eight message dreams?

Principle 1: They are very rare. Over thousands of years, God (as far as we know), only sent a few dreams.

Principle 2: They centre around two major seasons. First, the establishment and protection of Abram’s line. This is significant because Abraham and his line were very important in biblical history but it is also a time when God’s people didn’t have anything (or much) written down. No law, no Pentateuch. The second season was the birth of Christ. A once in eternity event that had numerous miracles associated with it.

All that to say, the Bible teaches us to expect very few messages via dream by God.

Second Category of Biblical Dreams: Symbolic Dreams

These are definitely more fun and relate more strongly to modern dreams, because most of us dream in images and scenes and less in obvious messages.

There are nine symbolic dreams recorded in the Scriptures.

1. Genesis 37:5–7: Joseph dreams of sheaves bowing down to his sheave. His brothers interpret but are not necessarily correct. He has power over them in the future but never directly rules them.
2. Genesis 37:9: Joseph dreams of celestial objects bowing down to him. His father interprets the dream but possibly makes a mistake (because Joseph’s mother is already dead).
3. Genesis 40:9–15: The cupbearer in Egypt is troubled by a dream, Joseph interprets accurately (via power of God) and it sets up a future interaction with Pharaoh
4. Genesis 40:16–19: The baker in Egypt is troubled by a dream, Joseph interprets and the bread and birds were indeed symbols.
5. Genesis 41:1–4,5–8: Pharaoh dreams twice in one night, once about fat/skinny cows and once about healthy/withered heads of grain. No one can interpret but Joseph, who again by the power of God gives the meaning and is proved correct.
6. Judges 7:13–14: A Midianite soldier dreams of a cake crushing his tent. The dream is immediately interpreted by a fellow soldier.
7. Daniel 2:31–35: Neubchadnezzar dreams of a great statue, Daniel interprets by power of God and is proved correct.
8. Daniel 4:4–18: Nebuchadnezzar dreams of tree felled by watcher, interpreted by Daniel, leads to Neb becoming a follow of God
9. Daniel 7:1–28: Daniel dreams of animals representing Gentile kingdoms and of the throne room of God. The dream is explained by a being in heaven.

Principles arising from the use of Symbolic Dreams in Scripture

1. The symbolic dreams are nearly universally given to foreigners, non-Israelites or to Israelites in foreign lands. This is likely because these people lacked access to the Scriptures, the temple and community support. It may have been the only reasonable way for God to communicate with them. Many ancient cultures valued dreams and their meanings, so it might have been a way for God to communicate with them that they understood.
2. Symbolic dreams are never clear to the dreamer. They always need a second party to interpret. The interpretations are subject to error because of human biases.
3. Dreams are often used to advance God’s providence or provide access for his people into positions of power (Daniel, Joseph and the Israelite victory)

This is the end of biblical examples of dreams.

Part 2: What about direct biblical teaching about dreams?

Before we get into the evidence, a quick note about the Old Testament. In general, Christians believe that the moral law still applies to modern believers but they differ over if/how much the ceremonial/civil law applies. For example: Do we still need to have cities of refuge that accidental murderers can flee to? (Numbers 35)

But nearly all the teaching on dreams comes from the moral law or prophets. I will not list the whole text but provide my own summary

1. Numbers 12:6–8: God tells the people that he may speak to a prophet in a dream or vision, but he speaks directly to Moses and that people should respect and honour Moses. God clearly establishes a hierarchy in communication, that the written words of Moses (Pentateuch) are more trustworthy than dreams and visions.
2. Deuteronomy 13:1–5: This passage raises the possibility of false dreams and false dreamers, even if their dreams are fulfilled. False prophets may lead people astray with dreams. So, if a dream or dreamer disagrees with biblical teaching, they should be ignored. God will not tell you to rob a bank. Additionally, it is possible that dreams are a test of your trust in God.
3. Ecclesiastes 5:7: dreams often lead to confusion, the important thing is to fear/trust God
4. Isaiah 29:8: this text displays the sophisticated view of dreams hinting that dreams are often related to and driven by physical, psychological and emotional needs. Dreams may tell us what we desire or lack. Therefore, dreams do not have to be obeyed, they may simply be clues to our internal state.
5. Job 33:14–18: Dreams may be a way in which God deters us from an evil path or warns us of where our current path leads. A dream of hell may deter a person from sin.
6. Jeremiah 23:25: This passage opens the possibility that people use dreams to lie, lead others astray or get power for themselves. This is in contrast to people who faithfully teach God’s word.
7. Joel 2:28: This is a prophecy of a future day when old men will dream dreams. The context here is an encouragement of future revelation when God pours out his Spirit. Dreams may be part of that revelation.
8. Hebrews 1:1–2: The author teaches that though God may have taught in various ways in history (see Numbers 12), in the latter days, he has spoken finally and definitively through his Son Jesus Christ.

Principles arising from Biblical Teaching:

1. Dreams should always be measured against and be subservient to the written Scriptures. If you have a dream in which you are sinning (robbing a bank, having sex with someone other than your spouse), that is not encouragement to do such things. The Scriptures are our final guide for life and practice.
2. Dream are not very reliable. Dreams are affected by a laundry list of things: biology, trauma, psychology, spiritual state, what we ate for dinner, the last thing we saw before bed, etc.. Dreams easily deceive and induce us to foolishness.

Q and A

These are the three most common questions I get about dreams.

Q: So, I’ve read this whole article (or heard your whole talk) about dreams and the Bible, but can my dreams still mean something?

A: Sure, it’s possible but unlikely. The dreams that matter will be obvious, so if you have to go rooting around in the minutiae of dreams, you are probably wasting your time. If you think your dream means something or it was a message from God, the first thing you should do is compare it with the Scriptures and make sure there are no conflicts. The second thing you should do is check with wise Christian friends and leaders to see what they think. Then, and only then, should you proceed cautiously.

Q: What about Muslims or others who are converting to Christianity because of dreams?

A: The actual data on this is pretty hard to come by and may be overstated. But it also may be because converting from Islam is difficult and may be dangerous. If this is happening, it is likely an Acts 10 sort of situation where a person is being directed in a dream to find a Christian or a Bible or a church. It is unlikely that dreams about Jesus save all by themselves. There are no biblical examples of that happening and modern examples are difficult to verify.

So, my answer to this question is that it is possible that God may be using dreams to reach people. He is certainly free to do so, but the central strategy of the Christian church should be to get healthy churches into close proximity of everyone on earth so that we can explain Jesus to people directly.

Q: What about sexual dreams (or dreams where you are sinning)?

A: Let’s apply some of our principles. Sexual dreams might come as a person develops physically (biological reasons). It also might be related to the content/media you are reading, watching or listening to. It might be related to your thought life, if you struggle with lust or fantasizing about sex with other people than your spouse.

But sexual dreams might also be a temptation and a way that evil spirits employ to tempt you. Dreams can deceive us.

So, what should we do when we have sexual dreams?

I do not think they need to be repented of, but the line is blurry. Sometimes in half-awake states we can nudge our dreams in different directions. I think they are mainly a product of a broken world and our sinful natures. However! I think they can be resisted. I think we should pray about our dreams, ask God for good dreams, fill our heads with good media/content.

I hope this was helpful to you. Leave additional questions below.