RPG Adults
JACOB’S LAST JOURNEY
LORD’S DAY, MARCH 16
Genesis 46:1-7
Psalm 38:12-22
“Be still, and know
that I am God…”
JACOB’S LAST JOURNEY
One of the most traumatic experiences in life is to leave home, especially for the young and the aged. Jacob, as a young man, had to leave home as a fugitive. Twenty years later, he returned to the land. To him, this Land of Promise was home, at least as far as this life was concerned. Surely his one great desire was to remain in the land, to see his sons well-settled in life, and to pass his last days in peace. Travelling abroad was far from his thoughts. He was advanced in years and long journeys were an ordeal not to be lightly undertaken.
But the sudden turn of events, the prospect of seeing his long-lost Joseph, made all the difference. The son of his beloved Rachel whom he had given up for dead was then alive! “…It is enough… I will go and see him before I die” (Gen 45:28). For some people, the consciousness of death’s approach seems to dominate their thinking, and they tend to harp on this theme for many years before the actual event. Jacob seemed to belong to this category!
First stop, Beersheba. Here, Abraham and Isaac had sacrificed to God in past years. Jacob did likewise. The long journey and the prospect of living in a foreign country turned his thoughts to God. There must have been moments of doubt. Did God really want him to leave the land? Would there be a hope of returning? One night, God spoke to Jacob in a vision. “…I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: I will go down with thee… I will also surely bring thee up again…” (Gen 46:3-4). Does this not remind you of Jacob’s first journey from home many years before, when God spoke to him in a dream that first night out?
Our God is a God of His Word: He is a consistent God. He keeps His promises and He brings them to fulfilment. Do you know what He is doing in your life? Pray for spiritual understanding of what is happening around you.
THOUGHT: (Read Proverbs 3:6.)
PRAYER: Father, I acknowledge Thy greatness and Thy control over all things, including my life. Direct my path, Father!