Mar 27

Genesis 46:1-34
Memorise Genesis 46:3-4
“Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation”

Before Jacob left Canaan to journey down to Egypt, he first came to Beersheba (ref. Genesis 28:10, 21:31) and offered sacrifices unto the Lord. There, God appeared to him in a vision and told him “I am the 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 into Egypt; and I will also surely being thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes” (Genesis 46:3-4). God was assuring him that it was indeed God’s will for his family to move to Egypt, for Egypt will be like the womb that will give birth to the great nation that He had promised. Indeed we would realise that the conditions in Goshen were perfect for the families of Jacob’s children to flourish into the people that would eventually form the nation.

And so Genesis 46:8-27 gives us a full listing of all the sons of Jacob and their children. All in all there were 70 of them that settled in the land of Goshen. There, they would be amply provided for even in the midst of the famine. With food stocks in the whole region running low, Joseph was not just the second most powerful man in Egypt, but also of all the nations around them. He would certainly see to it that his family would be well taken care of. Furthermore, here in Goshen, they would have the luxury of growing and flourishing in isolation. They would not have to fear enemies invading or encroaching into their lands, for they were protected by the mighty Egyptian army. They would also not fear a repeat of the incident with Shechem, for as shepherds, they were an abomination unto the Egyptians (Genesis 46:34). They could be certain that there would be no risk of intermingling and intermarriage between the Egyptians and the Israelites. They would be a pure people, entirely of Abraham’s seed. Over the next four hundred years, they would go from being a single family to become the people that God would then bring out of Egypt and into the Promised Land once again. He would certainly fulfil His promise to Abraham, that they will certainly “come out with great substance” (Genesis 15:14). But that would all happen in God’s stipulated timing, at God’s appointed hour. For now, God’s will for them was to enter into Egypt, and so they did. Just as it was not a mistake for Joseph to be sold into Egypt as a slave, likewise it was no mistake that God would bring his whole family there, and use Egypt to turn Israel from just a small family, to become a powerful nation.

Thought: God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform.
Prayer: Lord, may I never doubt Your plan and purpose for my life.