This week’s reading: Genesis 46:1-34
Hi Friends,
After these brothers have proved to him that they were changed men, Joseph reveals his identity to his siblings. Then Joseph, excited to be reunited with his father, invites his whole family to come live in the land of Egypt, so that they all may survive the famine, which will still go on for another five years. With the approval of Pharaoh, Joseph sends his brothers back home with carts to carry their father to him, as well as his brother’s wives and their younger children. When they arrive, they tell their father, Jacob, all that happened and he is beside himself with gratitude and wonder. But before making the move to Egypt, Jacob does something that shows his heart still belongs to the God of his forefathers. We are in Genesis 46, reading the whole chapter, that is verse 1 through 34. Listen to the comforting exchange between God and Jacob.
“So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, ‘Jacob! Jacob!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. ‘I am God, the God of your father,’ he said, ‘Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.” Gen 46:1-4 NIV
Before Making a Move
Jacob, and most of his family, lived in Hebron, in the land of Canaan at this point. As they set out for Egypt, they pass by a region called Beersheba where Jacob’s father, Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham, both had previously made alters to God. (see Gen 21:33; Gen 26:23-25) As a result, this was a sacred place to Jacob. After years of heartache and suffering, Jacob seems to remember God and offers Him sacrifices here before he goes any further. There are several reasons why Jacob does this. First, he is overwhelmingly grateful to God that his beloved son, Joseph, is still alive. He never dreamed that he would ever see his Joseph again in this world, and had resigned to mourning his loss the rest of his earthly life. I cannot even imagine how Jacob’s heart swelled with thanksgiving towards God who proved, once again, that He had not abandoned Jacob. All may have seemed lost, but with God, things are not always what they seem.
Another reason for his offering to God was that, if they are going to make this long, and potentially dangerous trip, Jacob was counting on God’s Faithfulness to protect them along the way. The Bible says that Jacob took his entire family with him as they all relocated to Egypt. Could Jacob be putting his legacy at risk? Jacob remembers the promise God had given to both Abraham and Isaac, and then lastly, to Jacob himself. God had said that a great nation would come from their lineage. And while they have been growing slowly, Jacob knows he is in desperate for God’s hand over them if this promise was to be fulfilled. If indeed a whole “countless people” was to come from Jacob, he needed God to keep them secure on their journey. It was probably only then occurring to Jacob that, keeping this promise to further his descendants, is actually why God allowed the whole situation with Joseph. It is because Joseph went through all he did, and was now positioned where he was, that Jacob’s family would not perish because of the famine. It is just as Joseph had told his brothers, “But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” (Gen 45:7) Hindsight is 20/20, as they say, and I think Jacob is now seeing that God’s hand was in everything that had happened. It is certainly not that God wanted any of them to go through hardship, but if these brothers were going to make those decisions, God was going to use it for their good. God works with what He is given. He knew all about the jealousy of the brothers, because of the favoritism of Jacob towards Joseph, and so He used it all in such a way to position Joseph to be in the right place, at the right time, so that God’s promise may continue. These sons of Abraham would continue to survive and thrive. Now Jacob knew he had to stop and ask God for His continued Grace over all of them.
Jacob certainly wants to show God his gratitude and he needs to make sure that God would protect them on their way to Egypt. But even more than this, Jacob wisely wants to make sure this move is God’s Plan, and that Jacob is not just riding on his own emotions. Jacob is beyond thrilled to run to Joseph and see him face to face, but if this was not what God wanted, I think he was prepared to obey and would have been happy just to know Joseph was alive. In other words, if it was not God’s Plan for them all to go down to Egypt, he would obey God instead of doing whatever he wanted to do. That is a beautiful picture of a child of God. And so Jacob stops along his voyage to check with God. In remembrance of his forefathers, in a place he knew God had spoken to them, Jacob too seeks to hear from God now, before he goes down to Egypt. You see, with our limited viewpoint and understanding, sometimes an idea seems so very good to us, but we should learn this important lesson from Jacob here: we must learn to seek God’s approval BEFORE we step out and just do what we think is right.
As we sit in prayer, we should wait until we sense peace about the decision at hand, BEFORE getting set on any particular choice. We must always leave room for God’s direction BEFORE convincing ourselves that what we want must be God’s Will. And while there certainly are moments when we just need to step out in Faith and see what God does, here Jacob, remembering the warning God had given Abraham a long time ago, wants to make sure that he is not causing any harm to his future descendants. What Jacob was most likely thinking about was when God said, “Then the LORD said to Abram, ‘You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years.’” (Gen 15:13) Was Jacob opening the very door to this frightening prophecy? Jacob must also have been thinking about how God promised the land of Canaan to the offspring of Abraham, so should they be leaving Hebron? Listen to this quote from Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers: “It might even be a sin, involving the loss of the Abrahamic covenant, to quit the land of Canaan, which Abraham had expressly forbidden Isaac to abandon (Genesis 24:8). Isaac, too, when going into Egypt, had been commanded to remain in Palestine (Genesis 26:2). Jacob therefore determines solemnly to consult God before finally taking so important a step” . Again, Jacob uses godly wisdom here to seek God BEFORE he makes any final decisions. And so should we.
Always With Us
It is clear from Scripture that Jacob is a bit apprehensive about going to Egypt as he makes the offerings to God, because when God answers him, God tells him not to be afraid. (see Gen 46:3) After all he has been through, I am sure his sorrow has become overwhelming and Jacob feels the need to reconnect with God. And so, God draws his heart back to Himself to remind Jacob that His promise still stands. God already knew every single detail of what was going to happen before He even gave the promise to Abraham, of course. And so God wanted to assure Jacob that everything was still on track. He encourages Jacob that His promise lives on. Jacob needs this, and so do we, because to us humans, with our limited understanding, it may seem like God’s promise has been permanently derailed. Yet I say again, with God, things are not always what they seem.
Like Jacob, sometimes we might sense that God has promised us something too, but then life gets in the way and things do not look like they are moving towards the fulfillment of those dreams. It is too easy for us to focus on where we are in life right now, and have no idea how God can possibly get us to where we thought God would have gotten us to by now. Because of this, we can get discouraged, falsely thinking that God has forgotten all about us. Or maybe that we misunderstood God altogether. Or worse, that God is mad at us and has changed His mind about the promise He gave. By the way, that is not the God of the Bible. He does not change His mind. When He promises something, it is as good as done. Never forget when God gives a promise to us, He is simply telling us what He has already planned to do. Thank God, literally, that His intentions are not based on us, but rather, on His Faithfulness. So even though these brothers were unfaithful, God remained Faithful and will honor His promise to this wayward family. And we can count of God fulfilling His promises to us too. The Bible says of God, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” (see 2Ti 2:13) Again, if God promised it, it will happen. Whether we understand the details or not, matters little. What it looks like, matters even less. Yet we all need reassurances, don’t we? And God is kind enough to grant this to Jacob.
Jacob knew the promise from God, yet his heart was so broken over the loss of his favorite child that he probably struggled with God, perhaps even questioning His Faithfulness. Let’s put ourselves in Jacob’s shoes for a minute. For 22 years he thinks Joseph was dead and perhaps even that God had abandoned him. I know when my Baby Girl passed away, I struggled with these very thoughts…and since the enemy is not creative, what works to discourage one of God’s children, will work to discourage the next. So it’s not a stretch that Jacob could have been going through a Faith crisis. But I say again, God made this promise to Jacob knowing full well what was going to happen to Joseph. And moreover, using it for their good. We must never forget that God sees the end before the beginning even starts. He promised to make a nation from Jacob, and that includes Joseph’s line too. So here God reminds Jacob by reenforcing the same promise He had given Jacob back in Bethel when he first ran away from home. (see Gen 28:10-16) All of his children would be included in this great promise. Nothing had changed. And God speaks to Jacob to confirm this truth.
This is not the first time God speaks directly to Jacob. Yet we all need reminders that God is still with us. Regardless of the circumstances we have, or are still enduring, we can know God is present in the midst of all the high’s and low’s simply because this is His second greatest promise. The first is that, when we choose to place our Faith in Him and in His Son, God will grant us Everlasting Life. (see Jn 3:16) Equally vital to this New Life He gives us is that, God will never leave nor forsake us. (see Jos 1:5 & Heb 13:5) Do we really understand the amazing power in this promise? God is always with us, even on, and maybe especially on, those occasions when we might not sense His Presence. He never leaves us and will never abandon us. What a relief! We must understand that it does not really matter what things look like because God is with us. When we really begin to grasp this incredible promise, we will have the confidence that we are equal to whatever life throws at us. That means, we will have the confidence to be able to do whatever we should be doing because God will provide the strength for us to do so. (see Php 4:13) Whether it is insight, resources, the ability to be compassionate or generous…whatever the issue at hand, it is because God promises to be with us, always and in all ways, that we can have peace and contentment no matter what. God gives Jacob peace about going down to his son, Joseph, and living there in Egypt with him. God reminds Jacob that He will be with him in Egypt too, just as He has been with him in all the circumstances of his life thus far. All the highs and all the lows, God has been with Jacob and will continue to do so. And God promises us this beautiful assurance as well.
This is a good reminder for Jacob, and us. Problem is, when we are in the middle of a trial, we too often focus on the problem instead of God who can bring about the solution. The truth is, even after we have sincerely surrendered our lives to Jesus, we are not exempt from the sufferings of this life. If Jesus suffered, who are we not to, right? But because God is Faithful, we can be sure that even the difficult things are meant for our good. So again, when we are in any difficult situation, we must keep ourselves centered on God, trusting He is with us and has all things under His Divine control. God will bring the solution to our problems by either resolving the matter, or by helping us endure it with peace and joy intact. While we would always prefer the first option, it is actually being able to persevere that really grows our nature to be more and more like God’s own Holy Character. This is what God has been doing in Jacob’s life this whole time. I think Jacob struggled for a while, but never forgot his God, and now, he runs to God with a thankful heart, seeking His protection and guidance.
I can empathize with Jacob’s heart as he mourns the supposed loss of Joseph. The grief can become all consuming, and in our anguish, we can forget that God still is with us. That God is still bringing about His promises. The truth is God does not promise to fix every trial we have in this world, but again, He does promise to be in it with us. Either it will pass or He will empower us to endure. For Jacob, it took 22 years for God to reveal that Joseph was still alive. And now he would be able to spend the rest of his earthly life with his beloved son, in unity and harmony with all of his sons. What parent does not want that for their children? And this was always part of God’s Plan for His people, to live in unity and harmony with one another.
The Promise Continues
The Bible then tells us how God has been fulfilling His promise to Abraham by multiplying his descendants this whole time. While it started with one man, now there would be 70 sons of Jacob that will live in Egypt. From Jacob’s first wife Leah, there are 33 sons. (Gen 46:8-15) From her maid, Zilpah, there are 16 children. (Gen 46:16-18) From his beloved wife, Rachel, there are 14. (Gen 46:19-22) And from her maid, Bilhah, there are 7. (Gen 46:23-25) It is interesting to me that when we look at life from a longer timeline how God’s promises seem so obvious. But when we are in the midst of a trial, it may seem like God is nowhere to be found. Yet 70 descendants of Jacob move to Egypt. And since we can look further out into history, we know that there will be millions by the time Moses leads them out of Egypt. This is yet another example of the difference between how we view life and how God does.
I suppose all things make more sense when we have an Eternal viewpoint vs our own limited lifespan. At this point, it has been 215 years since God first gave Abraham the promise that a nation would come from him and that the whole world would be blessed because of him. God has been diligently working on bringing His promise to Abraham to fruition. And God, of course, did not stop there. It is about 2100 years later that Jesus enters into this world to really fulfill His promise. Yet the promise is not finished then either. After Jesus died and was resurrected, He ascended to Heaven with the promise that He would return one day to take His Saints Home with Him and end, once and for all, the evil rule of this corrupted world, and the devil behind it all. Only the Father knows when that promise will be fully realized, but my point is that we see time as this long line, while God views it as a tiny dot. When God promises something, it is because He already sees its fulfillment through His Eternal view. You and I who see through the eyes of our lifespan only, misunderstand what God means because our perspective is so small. The only way we can expand this view is by growing in Faith. Jacob takes a huge leap forward in His walk with God as he watches his little family enter Egypt. Not only are there 70 direct descendants, but they also had the wives of the brothers plus all their servants, including all the women and children from Shechem (see Gen 34:29) This group could very well have been about 300 people in total, according to some sources. The genealogy is given here to show who would be the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel, now established by God’s Grace.
Jacob sends Judah out ahead of the group to tell Joseph they were on their way. Joseph gives them directions to their new home in Goshen where he later meets them. There is the long awaited, wonderful reunion between father and son where Jacob basically says, “My life is now complete since I have seen my beloved son alive and well.”(see Gen 46:30) Joseph instructs his brothers what to tell Pharaoh, when they present themselves to him. Joseph wants them to be honest and confess that they have been shepherds all their lives, and have brought with them all their flocks. This might seem like a weird little thing, but it is major. This is Joseph, not only thinking about his family’s safety and well being, but also about their own faithfulness to being God’s people. This also will play a huge part in keeping God’s people growing and God’s promise living on. We will talk about it more next week.
It is so important for us to glean as much as we can from what we read in God’s Word, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Ro 15:4) Hope in God and in His promises is what can lead us towards the freedom to live love. Live Love. This is the culmination of life itself. It is why we were created and how we can have, enjoy and share the Abundant Life. As we do this, we will sense a deep contentment about our lives. We will seek to serve God with all we’ve got. We will bring others into God’s waiting arms, so that they too can begin their own journey in Christ. And our lives will be more and more satisfying. That has certainly been my experience. Do you want that too? Then won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
