Genesis 37:20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
Don’t Be Shortsighted
The book of Genesis is a book of beginnings, a book of God’s intention for His world and for the home. When God created the world, it was good, and only sin has marred God’s original intent for the home and for this world.
When you read the story of Jacob’s family in the latter part of Genesis, you find several similarities between your home and that of Jacob. Like Jacob’s family, your home is a misfit in this world. The Bible says in Genesis 37:1, “And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger.” They weren’t just strangers in the land; they were strangers in the world. We are strangers in this world. I am not saying that we should be stranger than the next family, but we should be different because you cannot succeed with God’s intent for you home if you are following the world’s design.
Another similarity to Jacob’s family is that your home and mine are both imperfect. Verse 2 makes reference to Jacob’s wives, plural. That was certainly not God’s intent, and it gave much heartache in this family. Verse 3 says, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children.” We all love Joseph, but the favoritism that was allowed in Jacob’s family caused great heartache for many generations.
Like Jacob’s family, your family is part of a much bigger plan. God gave Joseph a dream which his father observed and to which his brothers. In verse 20 they thought, “We shall see what will become of his dreams.” His brothers then sold him to some traders who sold him into slavery in Egypt where he eventually became second-in-command of all Egypt and, eventually, the rescuer of his brothers. The great irony is that Joseph’s brothers were the catalyst for the very thing they were trying to avoid. Joseph’s dream was God’s plan. God had a bigger plan for their family than just that day and generation. This was part of the big picture, the famine to come and the provision God would give through Joseph.
Does the picture get any bigger? God intended to make of Abraham a great nation, so God sent them to Egypt where they would become a nation.
Is there a bigger picture than that? Yes! The biggest picture is that God’s Son would come through Abraham’s family. They were misfits, imperfect, and part of a much bigger plan, and this is true of your family as well. The bottom line is that your home is no place to be shortsighted. Your relationships at home with your spouse, children, parents, and siblings are important because the results of those relationships may not be seen today, but they are the foundation upon which you will build your tomorrow.