Read Genesis 46
Key Verses: 3 “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. 4 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.”
Observation: Jacob is moving to Egypt. He is taking his entire family with him. There are 66 immediate family members who are going to be traveling with him to meet up with Joseph’s four making a total of 70 family members in Jacob’s family. Along with this will travel all of Jacob’s servants, herdsmen, livestock, tents, and belongings so this was a large caravan.
Jacob is a herdsman which is a detestable occupation to the Egyptians who are crop farmers. They are therefore given the rich ground of Goshen for their herds and living.
God promises to be with Jacob which echoes Jesus’ promise that will be made some 2000 years later: “Surely I will be with you to the end of the age.” Jesus commits the Holy Spirit to us so that we will have a very present, very real guide at any given moment no matter where we go. The command God gave to Jacob is also very powerful: “Do not be afraid.”
Application: We have a full assurance that we should not be afraid of what is coming because God is with us. I can have a good day when I’m looking forward to future possibilities but I can sink into depression when I look to the future with fear, worry, and dread and sink into having a bad day as I fear that the future will just be more of the same bad from today and I can believe that it won’t get better. God has commanded us not to be afraid. I should not fear the future but embrace it because God promises to go with me into that future.
Prayer: Father, I need to hear that command and I need to live by it. I should not fear. Help me to overcome my fear with trust in you. I need to trust that You will take care of me. Holy Spirit, continue to work on my heart, continue to change my mind. Bring real lasting joy into my heart.
