Day Dreaming

The Dallas church is doing an extensive study on Biblical Dreams... so I thought I would also check out what the Bible says about it all. It would appear that I haven't done that on the 'blog...
So... I would assume we all know what dream means, but I would still like to just put it on the table as to what the definition is...

Dream (noun):

• An aspiration; goal; aim.
• A succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep.
• An involuntary vision occurring to a person when awake.
• A vision voluntarily indulged in while awake; daydream; reverie.

Now, I guess the dreams we tend to think of are generally the first and second on the list, with the last two being also fairly popular when thinking of dreams.

Genesis 20:1-7

Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.

But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman."

Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he said, "Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister,' and didn't she also say, 'He is my brother'? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands."

Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die."

Now, this dream that God came in was obviously one of sleeping? The word dream is as this in the Hebrew: Dream (chălôm) - pronounced: khal-ome' - meaning a dream or dreamer. Not too much gray area here. It means dream. But then there is still a thought of whether it was a daydream or a sleep dream. And being that it was night, there is a large chance it was a sleep dream. I guess I can glean from this that God does speak to us in our dreams, with maybe warnings and encouragment. I guess the question is: are we listening, am I listening?

Tomorrow: Genesis 28.